Having a dog in your life is like having a child that never quite grows up. Bearing this in mind, if you have decided to go ahead and share your life with mans best friend you will need to know a few things that can help make this a happy time for the both of you. Like children dogs need an abundance of love and simple, sensible rules in place so they can settle comfortably into a family environment without too much stress and fanfare. All small puppy will bring many changes and there will be a need for some adjustment as well

Lets call this little guy Jack for the duration of this article as when you picked him up from the pet shop that was the name that seemed to fit. The only thing the owner of the shop forgot to say was the first night at home. . Jack has just left his mother and brothers and sisters so being like a new baby home from the hospital Jack is cuddled up on the pillow feeling a little less vulnerable. Has the bomb dropped yet? You have a huge responsibility to give this puppy the best life and on this page we can look at ways to make the path easier for the both of you. Your role as teacher and nurturer begins and how Jack views and feels about the world at large will depend mainly on you.Jack is turning out to be as a bundle of fun for the whole family, racing around in fact having a great time. The thing is it is never really too early in a puppies life to start some basic training. Assuming that most pups are sold anywhere from six to twelve weeks then as soon as he is feeling comfortable with his new environment you can begin. The obvious thing that arises is finding a place where little Jack can relieve himself as when they are little you would swear they are on autopilot in this department. If your property is fenced you could take him outside at intervals during the day, inside the house have a dirt box or newspaper down in one place so he gets used to going there. Never rub his nose in his deposits, as it will only confuse him. If he has a little accident promptly pick him up and carry him to the place you want him to go. These little guys usually get the hang of it sooner or later much to the relief of his new mum and dad.Please enter before we turn to the often- serious subject of biting. When a puppy bites we think its cute and funny. The problem with this is this little bundle of joy is very impressionable and as you are the one he looks to for guidance if this habit is allowed to go on life with this dog is going to be intolerable. We have all seen adult dogs with muzzles on, perhaps if the owner had taken the time earlier this could have been prevented. When Jack bites you say in a gruff voice “ouch” or “no” and keep this up whenever he crosses your boundary. It is imperative that young jack learns without hitting of course that biting is absolutely out of the question and that mum and dad are very unhappy when this is going on. Puppies like children learn from repetition, so be consistent; teach your friends to say the same words if he tries it on them. He will eventually get the message and stop.Last but not least we need to address chewing. How many shoes and pieces of furniture have ended up in the bin because your little canine darling was not given toys and not given any direction. Every pet shop has lots of toys and most dogs have a special affinity with their basket or box of fun stuff. When little Jack grabs mums new shoes out of the wardrobe, gently take it from him and replace it with a toy. Since puppies love their toys he will soon get bored of other things and chew only his favourite toy. Consistency is so important and will give you that best friend you dreamed of when you first went to that pet store and fell in love with that little bundle of trouble. A dog that has been trained carefully with a lot of affection will give back to you in ways you never thought possible. He will love and honour you, protect you to the best of his ability and supply you with endless hours of play and laughter. There is something so rare about a dogs unconditional love and once you have it you will understand why Jack is mans best friend…and of course yours. .