Can You Spoil A Puppy By Holding It Too Much?

That’s Right! You should hold your puppy a lot but there is a limit to most things especially the good ones. Cuddling too much could go the wrong way. It may seem like you have all the Tender Love Care to show and give but it could bite you back in the near future. This stage in their development is crucial as everything that they experience will affect their behavior into adulthood. Hold him a lot but don’t treat him like a little infant. You may notice that when you stop holding him, he starts whining or gets skittish.

The only way is to ignore him because when you pick him up this sends a signal to his little puppy brain that whenever he whines he can get cuddled. Reward only those behaviors that you wish to be encouraged. Besides always cuddling and holding him in your lap will get him fat. He also needs time to play, exercise and sleep. On his own!

Holding your puppy is great for forming a strong bond but other opportunities also offer strong bonding options like training time, bathing time, play time etc. and you can’t do all these while he is in your lap.

Another way to know if your puppy is being a spoiled pup is when you notice the new dog bed you bought him is still new and unused while he is snoring softly under your sheets. Train him to slowly get used to his dog bed using toys or other incentives to get him to sleep in his bed… A thorough playtime during the day could also do the trick as he will get tired and snooze right off in his dog bed.

Before you reduce the snuggling sessions, ensure that you have done with all the vaccinations required. Vaccination prevents him from being exposed to harmful diseases during his playtime or walks especially in public places.

Before you vaccinate, keep him in your arms while you go for walks to help him familiarize with the environment. The barks, the sirens, the different people and noises! This will help him or rather prevent him from social anxiety and in turn avoid him being spoiled as you will hold him when he runs in anxiety hearing the garbage truck.

Just how much attention is too much?

It is a fact that puppies need a lot of attention but maybe not as much as you would like to think. Despite their constant need for attention, resist giving in to those irresistible cute puppy eyes and pitiful whines. As much as you are tempted to pick him up and snuggle him, this will encourage an onset of bad behaviors and separation issues. This over reliance on you will develop way over their puppy years and they will definitely take advantage of it. They pick up signals just as we do and form a connection between whining and being picked up and snuggled.

Whining and crying may be caused by different things and sometimes it is best to leave him alone to deal with it. It will be tough but eventually he will learn. Whether he is whining because of loneliness or fear, leaving him alone will help him learn how to master it because sometimes we just need to figure out some things on our own. As a loving pet owner, this will be one of the hardest decisions you will have to make but you will be surprised how great your pup will turn out to be.

How much supervision do puppies need?

When you bring in a new puppy into the home, of course he doesn’t know the rules or even what is expected of him. It is your responsibility to help him know right from wrong so he can grow up a confident and well-adjusted dog.

How can you do this?

You have to supervise your pup at all times during the first weeks as this way you will be able to catch on behaviors that need to be halted and introduce some new habits for him to catch on. Those little bad behaviors like peeing on the carpet, or dragging your favorite loafers out into the yard with his teeth. Stop them in their tracks and redirect him to an action you wish him to do instead.

What if I don’t have the time to supervise him all day?

This is completely understandable as there are other things to do and that is where you should consider a crate or kennel. Some pet owners would think of this as neglect but it is worth, in fact, it is a training tool. Puppies as earlier indicated sleep a lot so this way they could relax while avoiding making mistakes.

Just how long should l play with my puppy?

Most pet owners are in a constant state of confusion on just how much playtime is enough for their pups. You don’t want him to be a constant ball of energy while at the same time you don’t want him sitting around all lethargic.

Vets and trainers suggest a minimum of 1-hour exercise per day but your pup will definitely want more as they are still young and energetic. Puppies have a very short attention span so don’t engage him in monotonous activities. Take him to different places and let him experience different scenarios, smells, people, animals etc.

All this will greatly help with his socialization skills. When your dog is bored, it tends to be destructive and this could be a cry for help to get playtime. But then again, when he is too jumpy and won’t go to bed, an hour or two of a walk would be sure to calm him down for sleep.

Conclusion

It can be really difficult, especially for new puppy owners, to resist picking up and cuddling that cute fur ball. And holding the puppy is important to an extent. As with most things in life, you don’t want to overdo it. Hold your puppy when necessary to help build a good relationship, but restrict yourself if you start to notice ”spoiled” behavior such as whimpering or crying to get picked up.

To summarize:

• Do not hold your puppy too much. If you recognize that it is whimpering when it wants you to hold it, simply ignore until the whimpering fades away.
• Reward only the behaviors that you want to encourage.
• Do activities such as playing outside, training or grooming activities over holding your dog!
• If you don’t have enough time to spend on your animal, use tools such as crates, kennels and make the most out of the time you have available on activities that build a fruitful relationship with your dog.

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