Having a brand-new puppy in your home can be a wonderful experience, but that precious little creature can also cause a great deal of tension, particularly during the first few days.

If you’ve just purchased a puppy there are a few things you should bear in mind to make certain that your puppy grows up fit, happy and healthy. There are 6 dog training tips that you should bear in mind for the benefit of your newly-arrived puppy:

Provide your puppy with plenty of love and care, and praise him profusely when he does something right. When you start to train your puppy it is really important to communicate with him as soon as you get him home. Don’t wait for your puppy to make a mistake or do something wrong before you communicate with him as this will get him off to a negative start. Once you start to communicate with your puppy he will learn that some things he does are good and he will be rewarded with lots of attention and maybe a treat and other things are not good and he will be gently but firmly reprimanded with little attention.

Puppies love to chew so provide your puppy with lots of toys he can safely chew on. You can buy these from your local pet store or even make your own, but do not give him socks or shoes as he will soon learn that it is OK to chew socks and shoes and he will not discriminate. When your brand new trainers are in tatters you will regret giving him the old ones to chew on !!

Provide your puppy with a warm, comfortable dog bed. Dog cages are a good idea as they cannot be chewed and they fulfil your puppy’s natural “denning” instinct. Fill the dog cage with lots of warm, comfy bedding and then choose from the many dog beds on offer and choose one which will suit you and your puppy once your puppy has got through the chewing stage.. If you intend to keep your puppy outside, then make sure he has a warm, weatherproof dog kennel. The dog kennel should be large enough for him to grow into, but pad it out with bedding at first so that your puppy feels safe and warm.

Watch your puppy closely if there are small children around. Puppies can be hurt or badly injured by children who do not alwlays understand that puppies are very delicate little creatures and that they should be managed with additional care and gentleness. Teach your children to handle the puppy correctly and not to keep picking it up and carrying it around as this causes discomfort. Also, puppies who are hurt can nip in defence.

Begin a feeding rota as soon as you get him home. A young puppy should start with 3 to 4 small solid meals daily. Your breeder should be able to advise you on what type of food he has been eating and if you want to swap to a brand of your own choice, do this gradually so as not to upset your puppy’s delicate little stomach. It is advisable to give your puppy a half-hour slot in which to eat his meal and then take it away. This will get him used to regular meal times. As he grows up then gradually reduce the meals to one in the morning and one at night. Always remember to have plenty of clean, fresh water available for your puppy to drink in-between meals.

Start to train your puppy to go to the loo regularly. Take your puppy to the same spot in the garden (or on a Ugodog) at the same times every day. Your puppy will need the loo after every meal and two to three hours in between his meals. He will also want to “go” after napping. At bedtime, always make sure your puppy has been to the loo before you go to bed. This will teach your puppy early on to use the same spot whenever he needs to pee or poo during the night and will prevent him from soiling his bed or your carpet !! Remember that he is just a baby and he will have the odd accident !!

Dog training should always be consistent. Don’t confuse your puppy by doing different things each day as his training will not be pleasant for either of you. Involve all your family in the training so that you can ensure that you are all saying the same things to the puppy.

Remember that it takes time and patience to train a dog and that shouting and losing your temper will not be helpful as this type of behaviour will only create a nervous, confused little puppy and the training process will take much longer.