Dog Trainer Shares 6 Key Tips for People Getting Ready To Bring a Puppy Home

If you're getting ready to bring a new puppy home for your family, it's a very exciting time! It's fun to shop for a bed and toys, and you have an idea in your head of all the fun that you'll have together. But getting a new puppy is also a lot of work...I know firsthand because we brought a puppy home a few weeks ago!

Ingrid is a dog trainer who shares a lot of information for dog owners. She shared a TikTok at the end of March listing six tips for people who are getting a puppy, and it's all very helpful information! She talks about using their food as treats for training, crate training, socialization, and other important first steps to take with your new fur baby.

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If you've raised a puppy before, do you agree with Ingrid's tips? I think they're all great! The one that sticks out to me is about crate training. We had dogs in the past - West Highland Terriers - and we didn't crate train with them. It has been so helpful with our new puppy (she's a cattle dog mix) to have somewhere safe to put her if we leave the house and also when she sleeps at night.

Related: Video of New Puppy Owner Capturing Her Friends' Reactions to the Dog Is Priceless

More Tips for Bringing Home a New Puppy

Adding a new puppy to the family is an exciting time, but there's a lot that you need to teach them so that you don't end up with a monster as they get older. If you've already done your research and have found the breed that's perfect for your family, you'll want to start getting your new puppy socialized right away. "Puppies must be taken everywhere imaginable and exposed to people of all ages and walks of life. They should also be exposed to various environments other than their home—this means taking the puppy out on walks and car rides." The more places you can take your puppy, the better.

Start training your puppy basic commands that all dogs should know like sit, down, stay, etc. Use lots of treats and positive reinforcement - it's the most recommended training method around.

Potty training is also a must! It's probably the most frustrating part of having a puppy, but if you are patient and consistent, most puppies catch on pretty quickly. Learn how to recognize the signs of a puppy who needs to go potty and immediately take them out or to their pee pad. Treats are always a helpful incentive to go, too! We take our pup out and every time she goes to the bathroom we say, "Go potty". Over the next couple of weeks, when we say it, she'll immediately go if she has to.

There are many other things to teach a puppy, but these are the basics. And don't for the most important thing: give them lots of love and affection!

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