5 Unknown Puppy Hacks That Changed How We Do Dog Breeding

Throughout the years we have learned many hacks and tips that make the experience of raising a puppy much easier. We are confident that some of these tricks can only be learned through sheer luck or by experience. Because of this we thought we would share 5 of the most unknown puppy hacks that we have stumbled upon across the years and that we now regularly use when breeding our dogs.

Many of these hacks are there to simplify and reduce stress from elements of dog ownership that could otherwise be problematic. Hopefully you will recognize that at least one of these hacks will be applicable for you.

1. Hacks for preparing your puppy for walks

Walking your puppy can be tough in the beginning. The puppy will not be used to the walking routine and will probably have a hard time with the leash. It is not uncommon that the pup simply refuses to walk with a leash in the beginning. Because the leash is a crucial part of walking the dog we may write a separate post on leashes for pups, but anyway we will try to give you the most critical tips in this post to help you and your pup be on your way for a relaxing stroll.

First of all, make sure you have all your leashes stashed in a safe place preferably in you hallway or close to the entrance of your home. Your dog will learn what the leash is representative of and hopefully it will learn to love the sound of you going to get it. The owner going to get the leash should activate the dogs memory and routine, so that it mentally prepares for walking or doing outdoor activities. If the leash is casually used in the household this routine will not be created, and you want to always have routines so that your dog feels confident in what the task ahead requires of him.

Next, always, always, always, make a routine of putting the leash on. The steps you follow are very important in learning the pup simple commands while being patient and awaiting your commands.

The steps goes as follows:

1. First put all your outdoor clothes on, make sure all you packing is prepared and ready for the walk ahead.

2. Take out the leash and stand in your hallway next to the door.

3. Call on your pup using ”come” command.

4. As the puppy approaches, give it the command to ”sit”. At this point you are holding the leash in your hand.

5. When the dog is sitting and you have its full attention, carefully thread the leash collar over its head. At this point the puppy might be so excited that it forgets the sit command, and stands up ready to walk out the door out of excitement of what to come. This is the most important and at the same time hardest step of the routine that many dog owners don’t think about. This brings us to step 6:

6. Do not immediately open the door and walk out. Instead, make sure that the dog sits still with the collar around its neck.

7. Open the door, but do not move. Make sure the puppy does not run out the door, repeat the ”sit” command in the hallway if necessary.

8. When the the door is open, your pup is sitting and you have its full attention, ONLY THEN do you give the command that you can start walking out the door.

Why all this fuss? Why not just put the leash on and get going with the walk?

Answer: Because it is essential that the puppy knows that it is you that is in control, that you are making the decisions and that you are allowing things to happen only by your command. Putting on the collar is not the command for starting the walk, neither is opening the door. It is YOU that is giving the command, not the door or the leash. When the puppy starts to understand that you are giving the commands and permission for ”things to happen”, it will start following you and your instructions instead of the actions of those instructions. This is very important for all new puppy owners to understand, and building a mindset around this is crucial for building a long and fruitful relationship with your dog.

2. Using dog food to your advantage

Feeding your dog is clearly an essential part of your relationship with your dog. It strengthens the bond between owner and dog, but it can also be a problematic event for many dog owners. There are many tricks that you can use when feeding your dog.

The tennis ball trick

A common problem for many dog owners is that their dog is risking bloat when it is eating. This happens when the dog is eating too fast, and it could be a real danger to your dog. To solve this we have a simple solution that could save you from spending money on a slow feeder bowl for you dog: get a tennis ball to put in the dogs food bowl. The tennis ball will slow down the feeding of the dog, making it work around the ball to reach the food. The ball basically works as a distraction, and this alone could solve the problem of bloat.

Now this hack does not work for all dogs or dog breeds. If your dog is crazy about balls it might be encouraged to remove the ball from the bowl and play with it before returning to its food. Remember that a tennis ball is not required for this trick to work. Really any object of sufficient size can work equally well, and it is up to you as an owner to find one that works for your dog.

Yoghurt, egg or oils

Giving you puppy medicine or supplements can be difficult if one goes about it the wrong way. Even if your puppy simply is a food connoisseur and does not like his food, this trick is for you. We recommend eggs, since they provide the puppy with good proteins that are great for its growth. Simply add an uncooked egg or two to the dog food, and your puppy will jump on it in a heartbeat. We have also had yoghurt or nutrient oils work with similar results, so they are definitely worth a shot if your puppy does not like eggs.

3. Hacks for nighttime

Many puppy owners quickly realize that owning a puppy could be just as sleepless as having a baby for the first few weeks. Your puppy will most likely be very stressed out from being introduced to a new home, new owners and a new environment. The contrast of having ”too many” impressions during the day to being left alone at nighttime could make your pup very anxious.

So what can the dog owner do to solve the anxiety of the pup?

First, we could ask the breeder for a familiar blanket or bed that smells familiar to the recent home of the puppy. This will make it feel more like being home and might help it settle in quicker.

Next, make sure that the pup is fully exhausted from the day time activities. The more tired the pup is from the day, the more likely that it will sleep during the night. Simple as that.

Also, make sure to calm down the house an hour or so before it is time to go to bed. Do not get the puppy excited and playful just before it should go to sleep since it simple won’t be able to in an ecstatic mindset.

Most important from our experience is to keep the puppys crate and sleeping area nearby in the beginning if it is very anxious. The puppy is simply afraid of being left by itself and wants assurance that it is not alone. Sometimes just shouting some encouraging words to let it now you are present can be enough to settle it down.

4. Creating boundaries immediately

This hack would perhaps need a separate post because it is imperative for all dog owners to fully understand, however we will include this shorter version in this list and then perhaps look to post the longer version in the future if we feel that it is necessary.

Before taking your puppy inside your house or domain you want to make sure that it will be on your terms. The initial weeks of owning the puppy you want to make a habit of taking your puppy on long outdoor walks. Showing him this new world and exploring together is a great way to start building trust and companionship, but this also brings other advantages.

Because of the long walks, your puppy will be greatly tired when you return to your home. The puppy’s energy will be low and its brain will be more compatible to follow your will. This is GREAT news for you as an owner. Why? Because now you can more easily show the dog where it is supposed to relax, sleep, and where in the house that it cannot be. The kitchen, your bedroom and the living room sofa are all places that should be off-limits in the beginning. So show your puppy that there are boundaries in the house that it must respect.

Most dog owners postpone teaching their dog these boundaries until they are a few months or even a year old, but by that time the puppy will already have created its own boundaries and limitations. If the owner fails to create these limitations, the puppy will soon acclaim its own leadership position and start owning you. Show your puppy that it should work and contribute to earn its food, its water and its shelter. Make sure to not be too easy on your pup in the beginning. Create boundaries, show the pup what is right and wrong, and ONLY THEN can you provide encouragement and show affection.

5. Hacks for travelling

Now lets be clear, we recommend that you do as little travelling with your puppy as possible in the beginning. It will be stressful enough for your small furry friend to settle in to its new owner and home, and it is always hard for puppies to act in new environments where ”lots of fun new things are happening”. However, if its time for the holidays and you find yourself with a puppy in one hand and a travel ticket in the other, well here are some tips for you:

For really warm trips, an rare but underrated trick is to bring ice cubes. Depending on breed, your poor coated friend will be warm or even hot from the travel. Complementing the water bowl with some ice cubes is a wonderful way to reduce the body temperature of your dog while giving it the necessary liquids to continue your travels.

Chicken broth for travelling with a dog is great to remove motion sickness. Simply add chicken broth to the water bowl of your dog before you travel.

Baking soda is a necessity when travelling with a pup. The bladder of your pup will not be as prepared as you are, and accidents are prone to happen. When it happens, simply use the baking soda to clean up the mess. It is cheap and easy to use, and you don’t want to leave stains in any carpets. It can also be used if the dog is stung by a bee. Simply apply baking soda to the wound and it will ease the pain of the puppy.

For smaller dogs: look into dog carriers with wheels. These are a great convenience when travelling, since most of the time you do not have to care about the dog interacting with other moving objects that meet your way.

Bonus Hack: For Golden Retrievers

Since we have extra experience with Golden Retrievers, why not leave you with a bonus tip that you can use if you are lucky enough to have a golden (or other) haired friend.

How to make Golden Retrievers hair grow and become beautiful.

”Goldens” love to get wet and if you often let them run free outdoors in nature you will quickly notice that they love to mark themselves with the scent of other animals, often dead ones to the dog owners demise. So how have we learned to really get that beautiful fluffy hair that you will see at dog exhibitions?

First off, you can shower and shampoo your ”Golden” as often as you want without damaging the dogs skin or fur. We recommend that you do it after outdoors activities when the dog has been let to run loose, something that can be unfortunately noticeable in terms of smell. Use a shampoo or oils with some perfume to make the smell of your household more welcoming.

Moreover, it is important to groom your Golden regularly. Try to incorporate grooming as an activity when you want to show affection to your dog. This is best done during downtime when the dog is slightly tired.

We also include omega 3 fatty acids in the supplement diet of our Goldens. We highly recommend that you do the same as this also makes the coat of your dog further shine.

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