how much freedom should a puppy have
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How Much Freedom Should Your Puppy Have

Getting a puppy is exciting, but like all new puppy owners, your probably wondering how much freedom should a puppy have?

How Much Freedom Should A Puppy Have? The Simple Answer Is:

The amount of freedom your puppy should have is dependent on how well your puppy understands your house rules, what is and isn’t appropriate. The more your puppy understands your rules the more freedom you can provide your puppy. The less your puppy understands what your house rules are the less freedom is given to your puppy to teach your puppy what is and isn’t appropriate.

What most new owners do is let their puppy get full range of the house, without teaching their new companion the basic house rules, what is and isn’t acceptable.

Too much free-range early on usually leads to potty accidents, chewed up items, and tons of stress.

To avoid chaos, we must first take the time to teach your puppy what is and what isn’t acceptable.

How Much Freedom is Too Much Freedom?

The answer that question would be completely dependent on your puppy, and where your relationship is with him.

To begin, you have to understand that when you bring in a new puppy your puppy has no clue what anything is, it’s your job as his owner to teach him how to behave.

First, we teach your puppy rules, rules are put in place to keep your new pup under control, while still living comfortably and happily with you.

These rules may include:

What are acceptable objects for your dog to chew on, where he can relieve himself, and when is the appropriate time for high levels of energy.

In The Early Stages

how much freedom should a puppy have

How much freedom should a puppy have in the early stages?

In the beginning, your dog’s freedom will be limited to ensure that we can teach him what we want, while not allowing your puppy to practice a behavior we don’t want.

For example, while your pup is under your direct supervision, you can teach your dog not to chew on the furniture, while also teaching him what he actually can chew on, such as a specific chew toy.

This direct supervision, in the beginning, will help your pup understand his chew-time options in the future, despite you not being in the room!

How to Manage Your Puppy’s Freedom

Good ways to manage the amount of freedom you give your puppy are using a crate or a playpen.

Using a crate early on limits any trouble your puppy can get into while also allowing you to teach your puppy what to put his energy into such as a chew toy

A playpen is also a great tool because it allows your puppy to feel included in what you’re doing without actually getting into any trouble, just make sure your puppy doesn’t climb the pen!

Conclusion

Until your relationship with your dog elevates to a level where he completely understands the rules that are in place, your dog’s freedom should be limited, and he should always be under supervision.

Once your Puppy starts understanding the rules and what is and isn’t, gradually give more and more freedom to your dog.

So, when asking yourself how much freedom should your puppy have consider you and your dog’s understanding of each other and of the rules you’ve set!

To awaken your dog’s true potential contact us here or Give us a call!

Receive your free dog training consultation and set your pup up for success! 

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