What are the big "no-no's" to practice with your puppy?

[Darcy & Millie]

I'm guessing there's info out there, but I didn't see it.  I apologize if there is, and please redirect me if so.  If not, I'm wondering if there's a list of things to NOT do with your puppy when you get him/her?  Like what should you not allow right from the start?

For instance, I know that a  couple would be:

1)  Do not let puppy jump on you.

2)  Do not let puppy bite at you.

What other "no-no's" are there out there that need to be instilled right from the beginning??  We're getting our 8-week old puppy in two days, and I want to make sure to do it right from the get-go! 

Or, would even love to hear what are good habits to fall into right away as far as behavior goes.  Hope I'm not asking too much!

Thank you!

[Pilar, Sophie & Rico]

Congrats! Oh, I have a rule that I learned from my previous dog and that is that I don't allow my 2 pups on furniture. Learned from past experience when I had a beautiful chenielle couch and my previous dog decided that she would show me how much she also enjoyed it.lol. Also if u have an area rug put it away until puppy is trained. I didn't do it and now my rug is missing 3 corners. Crate training is a plus. Good chews, good food, exercise and obedience training. Doodles are very smart and when bored can have a lot of crazy energy. Good luck!!

[Jen W]

Best adivce I got was "start as you mean to go".  If don't want your full grown dog sleeping in your bed, don't let your puppy in bed with you..  If you don't want your full grown dog on the couch, don't let your puppy on the couch.

Have fun!

[BettyAnn, Holmes & Lucy]

Holmes is not allowed on the furniture and never has been... but I caught him on my bed 3x last weekend!!! Can you believe that? He's finally able to jump up and has always been whining to get up ever since, so he was super happy to get up there! Terribly cute but I put an end to that real quick :) He hasn't tried again yet, but I still don't trust him.

[Brianna and Rhubarb]

Hi Darcy,

Congratulations on your new puppy! So exciting, and a little bit nerve wracking :) 

We brought ours home 4 weeks ago and have been learning ever since. Some good advice that was given to us was not to let a 10 pound puppy do anything that you wouldn't want a 60 pound adult dog to do. For example, Rhubarb loves to run around with our shoes. It's adorable, and she can't chew hard enough to damage them ... but it's not a behaviour that we want to encourage, because one day she will be able to chew through them, and we'll be sorry. Same goes for jumping up, playing with her mouth (mouthing), etc.

I second crate training - it's been a lifesaver for us - and getting your puppy into a good puppy obedience class as soon as he/she has her second shots. It's a great way to socialize them, and they're pooped out after class. A tired puppy is a well-behaved puppy.

Good luck!

[Nikki Oskow]

We have a 12 week old mini goldendoodle who bites all the time.  At first we were telling him to stop but we just recently found this article about puppies biting and we're changing how we deal with it.  So if you agree with the article, puppy biting may not be a "no, no".  Check out the article.

http://www.dogforums.com/first-time-dog-owner/8377-bite-stops-here....

[nira rajavasireddy]

i think biting is ok because they have to learn bite inhibition, that is they have to learn to mouth softly. Every time laila bites us hard, we "yelp "loudly and walk away from her for a few min. I honestly dont know if its working but she's just 13 weeks.

Another thing, I wish I had done earlier was taking her to a defined potty place instead of letting her go wherever she likes on the lawn, because now she likes to wander around. So what we've started doing is giving her 5 treats if she does her business in the right place, 3 treats if she's off and no treats if she does it on the patio.

She hasnt had many accidents inside, except when she meets someone new and that's more due to shyness rather than not knowing where to pee, I think.

And of course crate training, continue to put her in the crate even if you're at home if youre planning on going back to work and if she will be in a crate for a few hours then.

We didnt buy a pen for her, but what we do is tether her with an 8 foot leash to our coffee table, when we can't fully watch her, and whatever she can reach is safe.

Good Luck with your new puppy!!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I would encourage you to start from day one when ever you are holding her, play with his/her feet and ears.  Get her used to having these handled.  I would also start with a soft brush from day one getting her used to being brushed.  

[Darcy & Millie]

Love this - will do!

[Darcy & Millie]

The tips have been great!  Thank you all for contributing.  Today is our "gotcha" day.  We leave in an hour or so, I can't wait!

[Laura McKivigan]

So exciting!!!  Thanks for the thread.  I am learning from it too.  We get our Rosie next Saturday!  Make sure you post pictures!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I'm thinking about certain ways of playing with a puppy that could translate to bad behavior as an adult dog. Like, never play tug of war (although my 2 doodles play it all the time with each other!), and never use your hands to play with them. You don't want to encourage the puppy to bite your hands... ever. Always use a toy to play with them. You'll have specific 'house rules' that you should enforce from day one. Like everyone else has said, if you wouldn't want a particular behavior in an adult dog, don't tolerate it in a puppy. Also, be clear as to what sound or word you use to indicate a correction. Avoid confusing the puppy with lots of different words or sounds. Choose just ONE and stick with it. Our doodles both know our 'AH-AH' sound and they stop whatever they're doing right in their tracks. Give lots of positive encouragement and praise when you catch them doing something right!

[Darcy & Millie]

Ooh, I didn't realize tug of war was not good!  So, can you just grab the toy and shake it gently while she has it in her mouth?  Is that acceptable?!  I don't even know what NOT to do when playing with her.  She has been biting on our hands very softly.  Is that acceptable? Or should she never do it?    Thank you so much!