Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, but it also comes with major responsibilities. The way you train and interact with your pup in those early stages will shape their behaviour for years to come. Many owners unknowingly make a simple mistake that almost guarantees misbehaviour down the road.
A dog trainer took to TikTok to warn first-time pet owners and first-time puppy owners against making this key mistake. Lily, also known as @BestBarkingBehaviour, said: “There is one thing every single time without fail that people are doing wrong, and that is when they first bring home their puppy, they entertain them, every single minute for the whole entire day.”
Why you should minimise playtime
Lily went on to explain, “Fun fact: puppies should actually be sleeping an awful lot of the day and should have periods of time where they’re awake, but they’re just chilling and not doing something.
“Now, humans end up thinking we have to entertain them, so I have people commenting constantly, saying, ‘Oh, I’m giving them this toy, giving this activity, I’m playing with them, but they’re still not happy.’ You cannot entertain them every single hour they’re awake.”
According to Pupford, most experts recommend giving puppies at least two to three hours of active interaction and engagement each day. At first, that might not sound like much, but it actually fits perfectly with a puppy’s needs.
Puppies sleep between 18 and 20 hours a day, so the time they’re awake is limited. And since puppies have shorter attention spans than adult dogs, they do best with short bursts of play and training spread throughout the day.
What behavioural problems will this cause?
Lily shared: “If you entertain your puppy the whole time they’re awake, they’re going to expect that their whole life. And as much as it’s lovely to play with them and do things with them, long term, you can’t sit in a meeting, you can’t sit there and go to work, you can’t go see your friends because your puppy, who is now a dog, expects you to entertain them nonstop.
“These are the dogs who end up having separation anxiety, who end up reactive, who end up over tired because they haven’t learnt how to settle and entertain themselves.”
Key signs your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, according to Pupford:
- Pacing
- Whining
- Shaking
- Barking
- Howling
- Chewing
- Digging
- Having accidents in the house
- Attempting to escape confinement
