Most people think that their new and fluffy puppy shouldn’t be walked on a lead until it’s quite a bit older and bigger. This is true to a certain extent but you can certainly introduce your pup to the lead prior to his/her initial walk.

Whilst your puppy is still indoors pop a very soft collar on them. Leave it literally for about five minutes and if there is no major reaction praise and offer a treat as a reward. By major reaction I mean throwing a bit of a ‘wobbly’ whining and running around etc, etc. Most puppies will display minor signs of discomfort or slight concern at the strange object placed around their neck. You’d expect some indication of knowing the collar’s there. Perhaps scratching at it or zooming around in circles whilst trying to remove it or rubbing their head against an object or along the floor.

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Just because you already share your home with other furries doesn’t mean that you can’t also welcome a puppy into your world. You do have to be sensible though. You can’t simply assume that every other animal is going to adore your new bundle of fluff as much as you do!

It might well be that your furries are housed in their cages away from your pooch and that they’ll probably never actually meet nose to nose but you still need to be certain that your puppy isn’t startled by them and begins to lunge at their cage. The best solution with cages is to purchase some sort of partition to place up around the cage. It doesn’t have to be strong as such but just simply something to let your puppy know that crossing that line and moving the partition is wrong.

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With it being Easter time and us all consuming fattening chocolate and cakes it’s only natural for us to pile the pounds on but what about your pooch? Now is the perfect time to be thinking about losing some of that extra weight in time for the long summer days.

So what can you do to help your canine chum if he has indeed become a bit chubbier than normal? To begin with hunt around for a lighter food as this will assist with the weight loss but still provide your dog with all the required nutrients and vitamins. If you’re feeding your dog treats as a reward for training then this needn’t stop completely but simply change the treats you’re using for a lighter alternative.

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Sat in front of you looking up with huge saucer-like eyes sits your new canine companion looking as innocent as ever, your task now is to transform this cute little puppy in to a well-behaved adult dog. Now the main question new owners ask is, ‘so when do I begin with the training?’ and the simple answer is, ‘now.’

If you don’t begin a training regime with your puppy now you’ll regret it later when you’ve a fully grown adult dog that’s completely disobedient and out of control.

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