Avoiding Bad Habits

You should immediately discourage bad habits in your new pet's behavior and train it to act appropriately.

Chewing

Puppies love to chew! Provide appropriate objects for chewing such as Nyla-Bones or Booda bones. Praise the puppy for chewing on its toys.

It is best to rotate toys to prevent boredom.

Gently punish inappropriate chewing (clap hands or shout) while directing the puppy to appropriate objects.

Games

Mouthing hands, tug-of-war, jumping up, growling, guarding food, and nipping should not be allowed. Competition between dog and owner should never be developed, even when it is playful.

To handle aggressive play, stand perfectly still, cross your arms, and close your eyes to tell your puppy you are not interested in playing "rough." When the puppy gives up, go and get an appropriate toy and praise your puppy for playing with it.

Jumping

Don't allow jumping. Never pet or talk nicely to a dog that has only two feet on the ground. Instead, turn around and ignore it.

Kneeing, hitting the dog under the chin, and squeezing the dog's paws may actually lead to increased jumping.

Manners

Make definite decisions about manners. Will the new dog be allowed on the furniture? Are any rooms "off-limits"?

When you tell your dog "no," you must be prepared to enforce your decision immediately.