Raising A Puppy

Meet our son, Archer!

My boyfriend Nick and I decided to adopt our pup in August of 2017. He is a Jack Russel Terrier mixed with Beagle. Archer was only 8 weeks old when he came home with us and originally his name was Hubert. We decided to change his name and yes, we got the name “Archer” from the cartoon show on FX! We had both grown up around dogs, but never raised one ourselves. We prepared for Archer weeks ahead, but we did not realize how challenging raising a puppy would actually be.

I’ve heard people suggest getting a dog with your partner before considering having a baby. I would definitely have to agree. I was a bit shocked when I realized how much responsibility raising a puppy is. We had to take him outside to go potty every 30 minutes – 1 hour at first. We have to keep an eye on him most of the time. We have to lose sleep sometimes, because he needs to be taken outside often. We have to take him to the vet often. He depended on us for everything. There are challenging moments and moments where you might want to give up on your dog, but I promise it is all worth it!

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Tips on Raising a Puppy

Research about your puppies breed. What food should they eat? How do they interact with others? Get to know your pup and socialize with him/her. This will help better communication and create a stronger bond between you and your pup.
Exercise. It is so important for puppies to exercise daily. This can help reduce behavior such as chewing, biting, excessive barking, and hyperactivity. Exercise will also help your pup become familiar with the outside world.
Patience. Patience is key! It is very easy to get frustrated while trying to train a puppy, but you have to remember, they haven’t been in this world for long. They need our guidance and eventually they will become accustomed to your household.
Spend quality time. Just like us, pets need love and affection too.
Potty Training. Potty Training takes time. A lot of time and patience. Archer had trouble understanding the difference of going potty outside vs. inside for awhile. Our main strategy was rewarding him each time he went potty outside. We would make a big deal out of it to show Archer that he’s a good boy when he goes potty outside. He’s 9 months old now and very rarely has accidents in the house anymore. It is also important to teach them some sort of gesture to signal you that they need to go outside, such as scratching at the patio door.
Crate training. Depending on your pup, crate training can be difficult. Archer absolutely despised his crate at first. We would put him in his crate when we left the house and when it was time for bed. He would just bark constantly until you got him out. He would go potty in his crate too. We found that if you make the crate feel more comfortable helps, such as adding pillows and blankets with our scent. We also left his crate open and every time he would randomly go in there, we would give him a treat. 9 months later, he is much more comfortable with being in his crate. He’ll go in there on his own and sleep! Don’t give up!
Consistency. Try to get your pup on a schedule. This will help your pup learn quicker.
Take your pup to the vet. This is the best way to know if your pup is healthy!