Your New Puppy

Wondering what to do on your puppy's first night home?You're bringing your new puppy home, you're excited, you've got everything ready, and you already have great plans on how your new puppy will fit right into your family. But wait, do I know what to do that first night?  Maybe you're coming home late and don't have much time to make them feel safe and comfortable before bedtime.  You're probably wondering:Where should my puppy sleep that first night?Do I put them in the crate even if I haven’t introduced it yet?Is it okay not to use the crate?No worries, in this episode, I walk you through exactly what to do that very first night.Note: If you've watched my three part series: The 3 Phases to Bringing Your New Puppy Home, this episode fits into Phase 02: Settle In.Whether you’ve been preparing for weeks or just thought of it now (we’ve all been there!), you’ll leave this episode knowing exactly what to do, and what you don't need to worry about (yet!).In this episode I talk about:What to expect for your puppy

If your puppy is experiencing some behavior changes now that they've reach adolescents, then this episode is for you. If you're feeling like your once (relatively) well-behaved puppy is suddenly turning into a bit of a troublemaker—you're not alone. And no worries, I'm here to help you navigate through it.In this replay episode, we’re diving deep […] The post YNP Replay: Behavior Changes as Your Puppy Gets Older appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Introducing your dog to kids, especially ones you don't know, can be a tricky business.  You know it's important to keep the interaction calm and positive but how do you do that?   Whether you’re introducing your dog to kids at home, at the park, or during the holidays, I have three simple strategies can help […] The post YNP #102: Three Simple Ways to Introduce Your Dog to Kids appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Tug of war is a game that dogs LOVE to play.  Yet I always get asked the question "Can I play tug of war with my dog?" The short answer is YES!  It's is great game for you and your pup.  It's easy to play, they love it, it burns lots of energy and tires out […] The post YNP #101: Can I Play Tug of War With My Dog? appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Welcome to Episode 100 of Your New Puppies Podcast! I’m thrilled to celebrate this milestone with you, my amazing listeners.  As I reflect back, I started to think about what I've learned and the things I believed before I became a dog trainer.   I wanted to share some key lessons with you because unless you've become […] The post YNP #100: Things I Believed About Dogs Before I Became a Dog Trainer appeared first on Playtime Paws.

The holiday season is a popular time to bring a new puppy into the family.  But how we do it can make a big difference in the well being of all involved.  Now before I totally burst your bubble, I'm not saying you shouldn't get a puppy this time of year (though there are things to […] The post YNP #099: Why Not to Give a Puppy as a Holiday Gift appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Why your dog isn't listening depends on a bunch of factors including what your asking them to do, where they are, what you've taught them previously, and more. It's one of the most common questions I get but it's also one of the hardest to answer.  I usually need ALOT more information.   From my experience, I've narrowed […] The post YNP #098: Why Your Dog Isn’t Listening appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Just about every dog is going to have some trouble with the hot weather.   For some dogs even a slight elevation in temperature will find them seeking out the shade and wanting shorter walks.  The heat itself can be tiring for a dog so it tends to shorten walks and activity.  This will result in us […] The post YNP #097: Hot Weather Activities for Your Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Pet insurance isn't the most interesting topic I've ever talked about but it is important. Most often I get the question "is pet insurance worth it?"  And I think this is the wrong question. We most often compare it to our own health insurance.  But there are key differences that mean we have to think about pet […] The post YNP #096: Is Pet Insurance Worth It? appeared first on Playtime Paws.

What do you do when things go wrong between the kids and your dog?   Something that isn't talked about enough is how the relationship between kids and dogs isn't always as magical as we imagined.   It's very common for the kids to get annoyed with the jumpy puppy and their sharp teeth.  It's just as common for […] The post YNP #095: When Things Go Wrong Between the Kids and Dog: With Justine Schuurmans appeared first on Playtime Paws.

How do you know if your kids are ready for a dog?  And if they are, how do you prepare them for bringing that new dog home? Well lucky for you (and me) Justine Schuurmans, the expert on families, kids, and dogs,  is going to answer those questions. Justine is the founder of The Family Dog and […] The post YNP #094: Are Your Kids Ready for a Dog? With Justine Schuurmans appeared first on Playtime Paws.

What is dog fitness?  Brittni of Potential Unleased Idaho has joined me to answer that question and then some. Brittni talks to us about dog fitness and how it can prevents injuries, builds confidence, and work both body and mind.  Of course, we also talked a lot about puppies and how to keep our their muscles and […] The post YNP #093: Dog Fitness: Keeping Your Puppy Fit and Safe with Brittni appeared first on Playtime Paws.

It can be counter intuitive but when your puppy has a potty accident, we shouldn't punish them. You may feel that you need to do something to let them know "this is wrong".   Or maybe you know that you're not supposed to punish your puppy's potty accidents but you're not sure why. In general, I discourage using […] The post YNP #092: Why Not to Punish Puppy Potty Accidents appeared first on Playtime Paws.

When I receive multiple questions from my listeners around the same topic I know it's time to do a podcast episode about it.   But not all questions warrant a full episode but can still be useful to answer. So that's exactly what I did in this episode.  I gathered 5 questions that came from you, my […] The post YNP #091: Listener Questions appeared first on Playtime Paws.

When your dog refuses to go outside in the rain, it can be annoying and time consuming.  It's even worse when you're trying to potty train a young puppy that isn't going to hold it until the rain stops.   For most dogs they will learn to tolerate it but for others it may always be […] The post YNP #090: When Your Dog Hates the Rain appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Muzzle training your dog means exposing your dogs to wearing a muzzle in a positive, stress-free way (see resources below on how to do this). This is something that most of us never think (or want to think) about doing with our dog.  It's understandable because muzzles have a bad rap and are thought of as a […] The post YNP #089: Reasons to Muzzle Train Your Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Socialization is the most important training you can do for your puppy.  It's also the most overlooked and misunderstood part of your puppy's training. When done correctly as a puppy, socialization creates a confident, well adjusted dog.  And who doesn't want that for their puppy?   I've gathered the 4 things I think are the most misunderstood about […] The post YNP #088: Four Things You May Not Know About Socialization appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Is your dog trying to dominate you?  The short answer is no, they are not.   And though that might not come as a surprise to you, what isn't always clear is why it's not true.   Especially because this theory that dogs want to dominate us or some dogs are more "dominate" than others still comes […] The post YNP #087: Is Your Dog Trying to Dominate You? appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Teaching your dog to come when called (recall) is arguably the most important skill you can teach your dog.  It's also one that we struggle with the most.  That's because we try and teach it like we would any other cue like sit, down or stay. But that only gives us half the picture.  Recall is a habit […] The post YNP #086: Why We Struggle with Recall appeared first on Playtime Paws.

Potty training can be overwhelming.  The good news is, one of the first things we can check off the list is getting our puppy to sleep through the night.   Potty training overnight is a little different than during the day.  Even though they can hold it longer overnight, they still aren't going to make more than […] The post YNP #085: How to Handle Potty Training Overnight appeared first on Playtime Paws.