How To Take Care Of A Puppy In The First Six Months?

1. How To Take Care Of A Puppy In The First Six Months? You must have brought the crate, a bed, toys, bowls, food and everything needed for your puppy if you are a new puppy parent. Excitement is obvious when we have a new puppy home. But it is also an added responsibility that we must handle properly. From the very moment we bring a new puppy home, we must know how to deal with his requirements and the role we must play in his overall development. In fact, you must be ready to put in extra efforts for the first two years of his life. To help him develop into a healthy, sociable, smart and obedient pet, it is essential to pay more attention to his developmental stage. First six months is a crucial time to help a pup get accustomed to the new world out there. In order to help him out thus, it is important we must learn how they actually grow mentally as well as physically in the first few months. First Month – What To Do? It is the time when the puppy had just born and is completely under his mother’s care. So, for the next few weeks give your pup time to nurture under his mother. In the third or fourth week, pups start opening their eyes and observing things around them. They may respond to sounds as well. It is this time when you must intervene and take him out to the fields to help him learn walking, running and experiencing various fragrances and sounds in nature.

2. Second Month – How To Go About It? As the puppy is about five to six weeks old, he learns producing low-intensity barks. His brain undergoes changes and gets activated to grasp lot many things from the surroundings. He learns to play and socialize with her littermates. At this time, you can cuddle him in your arms or simply play with him so he develops a long-lasting amiable relationship with you. Second month is a good time to train your puppy for potty but at times if he litters in the house, it is completely fine. He is just in the learning stage so you cannot expect him to pee in the litterbox with just 3-4 days of training. The point is you have to be extremely patience while teaching him new things and etiquettes. You must also take your puppy for vaccination at the end of the second month. You can also start deworming puppy at this stage because mostly all the puppies have worms by birth. Thus, they need protection so their growth is not hampered. Third Month – What To Expect Next? It is the stage when the puppies brain is vulnerable and at the receiving end. In the third month of his new life, he must therefore get the most love and fun-filled life. Probably by now, he would start wagging his tail and bonding with you. So, make sure you are available for him, spend quality time with your puppy and teach him to be used to strangers by taking him out in the parks on a leash. But, before going for an outing, consult your vet if you can start flea and tick prevention program to protect him against infestations which would find easy access to your pet when he is in parks. Third month is also the stage when you can help him recognize and obey your commands like sit, fetch, down, run etc. Training him like this from such a young age will help develop his overall personality as a social and friendly animal. Fourth Month - Activities To Continue? Fourth month is again about continuing the things like socializing and training your puppy. Every activity needs time to transform into a skill so be patient and observe the behavioural changes in him. Teach him good habits. He would also feel the urge to bite you as well as other things due to his newly emerged teeth. To inhibit this biting behaviour you must bring chew toys to satiate the urge. It will teach him not to bite humans. Fifth Month – Puppy Proof Your House With all the introductions and socializing with the new world, your puppy might get a little naughty, restless and more exploring at this age. He may try to climb on things, snoop around in your cabinet and kitchen or the trash cans. This is the time when you must put puppy gates to limit his access to places where you don’t want him. Use cabinet latches and also reinforce positive training sessions.

3. Sixth Month – Moody Adolescence Expect your now grown-up pup/dog to be moody because of the hormonal changes he is going through at this point in time. He might seem completely unpredictable and at times, may even act as if he doesn’t know the thing you have already trained him several times. It is the best time to get him spayed so he gets in control and develops good health. First six months are the most important years of a young dog’s life. If in these months, a pup gets proper training and nourishment, he emerges as a beautiful, loyal, affectionate, social and a very reliable companion for pet parents. So, be with him at this time, nourish him well with good food, talk to your vet to prepare a meal plan for him and start giving supplements when he is a year old so his joints develop properly. A good and healthy dog only becomes that way when his human parents recognize and put in efforts for his complete development as they would do for their own kid. So, be that parent to your new pup, after all, he will be the one who will remain by your side in your most vulnerable times.