Socialisation
When you take your puppy home, he or she will not be able to go out in public places until they have had a full course of inoculations from your vet.
However, a young puppy needs to experience as many different sights and sounds as possible early on, so it is a good idea to carry them (wrapping them in a blanket makes it easier to hold on to a wriggly pup) and visit shopping centres, local schools when the children are coming out, the local park to see the ducks etc.
Standing beside a busy road is a good way to introduce a puppy to traffic sounds but always make sure that the pup is held securely. If your puppy shows any fear, move away a little until he is calm. Once he is relaxed when hearing the noise, take him closer, but not too close. As he is able to tolerate a greater volume of noise, you can take him a little closer each time.
Things which we take for granted can cause fear in a young puppy but slow gradual exposure can prevent problems in the future. Try to look at the world through the eyes of your pup, for instance, a disabled person in a wheelchair is familiar to us but to a puppy it goes against all he has learned. After all, chairs don’t usually move about.
All of these experiences should be repeated when your puppy is able to go out for a walk but will be less frightening because his first encounter was in the safety of your arms.
Exercise
Your first walks with your puppy should be about 10 minutes, once a day, increasing to twice daily as your puppy gets older. If you take your pup to training classes, this will count as one exercise session. Initially, keep your puppy away from other dogs until he is confident and well behaved. Lakelands are naturally friendly, greeting people and other dogs with exuberance. An encounter with an unfriendly strange dog could be very traumatic for a young puppy and affect his confident, happy view of the world.
Gradually increase walk times by five minute increments, you are aiming for about half an hour during puppyhood. An adult Lakeland will require a minimum of a one hour walk daily. Free running off lead should be restricted for puppies, ‘little and often’ is best for their growing joints and bones.
Try not to let your puppy jump from heights or play too boisterously as this is also detrimental until they are fully grown. If you allow the pup ‘upstairs’ to sleep in your room, he or she must be carried up and down until they are a least six months old and even at this age, going downstairs is particularly bad for their joints.
However, a young puppy needs to experience as many different sights and sounds as possible early on, so it is a good idea to carry them (wrapping them in a blanket makes it easier to hold on to a wriggly pup) and visit shopping centres, local schools when the children are coming out, the local park to see the ducks etc.
Standing beside a busy road is a good way to introduce a puppy to traffic sounds but always make sure that the pup is held securely. If your puppy shows any fear, move away a little until he is calm. Once he is relaxed when hearing the noise, take him closer, but not too close. As he is able to tolerate a greater volume of noise, you can take him a little closer each time.
Things which we take for granted can cause fear in a young puppy but slow gradual exposure can prevent problems in the future. Try to look at the world through the eyes of your pup, for instance, a disabled person in a wheelchair is familiar to us but to a puppy it goes against all he has learned. After all, chairs don’t usually move about.
All of these experiences should be repeated when your puppy is able to go out for a walk but will be less frightening because his first encounter was in the safety of your arms.
Exercise
Your first walks with your puppy should be about 10 minutes, once a day, increasing to twice daily as your puppy gets older. If you take your pup to training classes, this will count as one exercise session. Initially, keep your puppy away from other dogs until he is confident and well behaved. Lakelands are naturally friendly, greeting people and other dogs with exuberance. An encounter with an unfriendly strange dog could be very traumatic for a young puppy and affect his confident, happy view of the world.
Gradually increase walk times by five minute increments, you are aiming for about half an hour during puppyhood. An adult Lakeland will require a minimum of a one hour walk daily. Free running off lead should be restricted for puppies, ‘little and often’ is best for their growing joints and bones.
Try not to let your puppy jump from heights or play too boisterously as this is also detrimental until they are fully grown. If you allow the pup ‘upstairs’ to sleep in your room, he or she must be carried up and down until they are a least six months old and even at this age, going downstairs is particularly bad for their joints.
