The idea of having a new puppy and starting your ‘pet-parenting’ journey can be very exciting, your thoughts are usually focused on how cute the puppy is, how you get to play with it and so on. People very rarely remember that puppies also whine, chew on stuff, poop, and pee on carpets. Eventually, when the deed gets done reality sets in, it isn’t as easy and rosy as you expected.

The first nights are usually the toughest for the puppy and his owner, just like babies animals experience separation anxiety. On his first night away from his mother and litter-mates, a pup is most likely to cry the night through. One way to deal with this is to remember that your new friend is less likely to cry and whine if he doesn’t feel isolated. When we have a new puppy in the house, and he starts to whine, either I or my sister take him to our room and the crying stops. However as the puppy grows and gets adapted to his new environment, it is best to train him to accept isolation  and accustom him to being left by himself.

When picking up your pup from the breeder it’s important to remember to also collect his vaccination papers, so that you know all the shots he’s been given and the ones he’s yet to receive. One of the most important things to do is finding a good vet, it’s good to get your dog comfortable at the vets at an early stage. At the vet’s your new pooch will get necessary vaccinations depending on his age, of course, remember to request for him to be micro-chipped. In Nigeria getting a good Veterinary hospital can be a challenge, if you need help with this I will be happy to recommend.

How many times should he be feed? Puppies should be fed three to four times a day. At around six months you may start feeding twice a day for convenience. You may feed him protein-rich meals like shredded beef, fish (ensure are you remove all the fishbone, failure to do so could kill your dog) and eggs or you could just get some puppy food at a pet store.

Lastly, as you begin to train your puppy, remember to encourage good behaviour and ignore bad ones. Avoid using physical punishment, asides from the fact that you could injure your dog, Studies have shown that physically punishing your puppy actually increases aggression. You can find more information on how to disciple your puppy here .

If you have a new pup you can share his pictures by tagging @woofline_pets on Instagram and it could be posted here.