The main thing to keep in mind when you get a new puppy is that your life is going to drastically change for the year following the newest addition to your family. A puppy is just like a new baby, and so this first year will be comparable to the growing and learning experience of a new baby.
As with a child, you are going to have to have extreme patience with your puppy as his behavior changes and he goes through the good, the bad, and the ugly more quickly than the blink of an eye, or before you can snap a finger.
You want a happy, easygoing, even-tempered pet, so you must start immediately working on the transition from his old residence to yours. His training is an ongoing process, with you changing any behavior flaws you witness before they become ingrained and difficult or even impossible for you to correct. Just because your pup is a little cutie, don’t let him get away with bad behavior. Just like with a baby, if you give your dog an inch, he will try to take a mile.
A good thing to establish right at the beginning is where your pup will be sleeping. Teach him that he will be in his own bed, and not in yours. When you place his bed in the area where he will be sleeping, you might want to place a ticking alarm clock in the bed with him. Some pups find this soothing and it keeps them from whining. In no time at all your pup should be used to sleeping in an area of the house away from you, and lesson one is successfully completed, and you are ready to tackle bad behavior as it comes along.
