Raising a puppy can be a fun and rewarding experience. Unfortunately, too many puppies grow up to be misbehaved dogs because the owners let them get away with bad behavior as a puppy because it was ‘cute’. Or, they just didn’t know how to raise their puppy to be a well behaved adult dog. There are a few crucial things you need to do.

First, don’t take your puppy from its litter mates and mother before its eight weeks old. Those first eight weeks are important for their development. Taking a puppy too soon often leads to behavior problems in the long run.

Second of all, start the process of housebreaking the puppy immediately. Don’t wait at all. Get things started right. Don’t let your puppy develop any bad habits in the beginning. If possible, teach them to go potty outdoors from the beginning too, rather than doing paper training.

Third, never let your puppy nip at your hands or feet, even if it’s just playful. This is a common mistake owners regret in the long run. Always use toys to play with your puppy, never hands or feet.

Fourth, recognize that dogs still have their natural instincts, and your dog expects there to be a leader of the pack. You need to establish yourself as what is called the ‘alpha dog’.

Your dog expects to be part of a pack, and for that pack to have a leader. Not knowing how dogs communicate will most likely cause you to communicate to your dog that they are the leader. And since the leader is in charge, this results in many behavior problems. To learn more about becoming the pack leader, do a search online.

And last, but for sure not least, it’s very important to gradually and carefully expose your puppy to new and unfamiliar sounds, people, things, etc. These experiences should be positive ones. Carry some delicious treats along with you and make sure to provide a lot of enthusiastic praise.

I hope this article has helped you and given you insight on how to raise a well behaved dog. If you follow the tips I’ve given, I know you’ll make a great pet parent and your puppy will grow into a wonderful, loyal companion.

Visit my website for more tips and tricks! I cover everything from paper training your dog to solving dog chewing problems at DogBehaviorExpert.com

Technorati Tags: behavioral problems, dog, dog behavior, dog training, habits, natural instinct, pack leader, puppy, six pack abs