4 Puppy-Training Dos and Don’ts To Help You Focus on Your Startup
Getting a new puppy is fun, exciting, rewarding, and a lot of hard work. When you combine that with trying to run your brand new startup, it can feel downright overwhelming. Fortunately, the puppy stage is relatively brief, so these two major responsibilities can peacefully coexist — at least most of the time. As with everything else, research, patience, and a positive outlook will help get you through the chaotic early days, and before you know it, you and your puppy will settle into a routine. Following these four tips from Dog Training Does Matter can give structure and purpose to the puppy-training process and help you focus on your job while still enjoying
that cute little furball.
- Do Make Good Use of a Crate
Crate-training your puppy is necessary if you want a well-behaved dog in the future and to be able to focus on your new business right now. If you have a large dog breed, try to borrow a puppy-sized crate from a friend. This will save you a little money because puppies grow so rapidly that you’re likely to need a larger one before long. Don’t start too big, though — if there’s too much room in there, your puppy may use one area to sleep and the other to eliminate. If you’re buying a crate, check out sites like Chewy, Petsmart or Amazon. - Do Remember Your Puppy Is Actually a Baby
Even if you don’t have children of your own, it helps to remember that your puppy really is a baby. Like human babies, puppies need to sleep a lot to develop and grow — they even get wound up, naughty, and cranky when it’s time for a nap! They get into everything and put whatever they can in their mouths as a way of learning and exploring the world around them. As with human babies, puppies are egocentric, impulsive, and completely unable to distinguish between cause and effect until you teach them. Even if you’re stressed by your business, keeping this perspective at the forefront of your mind can help you give your puppy the patience she requires to learn good behavior.
- Don’t Lose Your Cool During Housebreaking
Like a baby, a young puppy doesn’t inherently know where to eliminate and can only learn through consistent repetition and developmental growth. In or outside the crate, she also cannot “hold it” for an extended period of time until her bladder grows big enough and she learns that you will respond to her needs and let her outside to go. When working from home, be ready to take regular breaks to check on your pet. Be patient, and maintain your cool when she has accidents; she will learn faster and better through praise and positive reinforcement than by reprimands or “rubbing her nose in it.” - Don’t Allow Your Puppy To Derail You
You’ve worked hard launching your new business, and most likely you’re exhausted trying to take care of a new puppy at the same time. Don’t neglect caring for and protecting your business. Consider registering your company as an LLC to protect your personal assets from being garnered in the event your business is sued. You’ll also save money on taxes, which is helpful now that you’ve added puppy expenses to your budget. If you’re asking yourself “how do I start a business in Florida,” know that it’s easy; an online formation service can help you expedite the process so you have more time to devote to business and puppy growth. Try your best to keep positive and enjoy these early, rollercoaster-like days of new business and puppy ownership. They’ll pass quickly and before you know it, you and your canine “office assistant” will be working together seamlessly.
Early training is the best way to make sure your puppy can grow into a well-mannered pet. To achieve the ideal behavior in your new dog, connect with trainer Tom Savoca of Dog Training Does Matter. From group to private classes, our training programs can help your puppy become a great pet ambassador.