Puppy Life Hacks

Teething, mouthy pup on your hands? Try this

โ€œKibble hydrated with water in a Kong with peanut butter on top and freeze. Great to keep puppies entertained and helps use their brain to drain some energy.โ€โ€”Gayle and Neil Oโ€™Hare

German Shepherd dog with hydrating toy
Photo Photopix/bigstock.com

Keep your pup on a short leashโ€”literally

โ€œA drag line (short leash that is on all the time). If youโ€™re home to supervise, keeping a drag line on your pup helps get them outside quickly for potty breaks so you arenโ€™t fumbling around for a leash. Also helps you direct them gently away or off of things.โ€โ€”Christy Ann Coppola

Your dog is an individual. Learn what makes them tick

โ€œReally get to know your dog! My Saint Bernard mix was very sensitive to voice and tone and aimed to please her owner.โ€โ€”Janet Sturgess

Short & simple

โ€œKeep it short, simple, use high value rewards. Keep it fun so less stressful for both of you. If they cannot do it, they donโ€™t know it. Go back to a simple, known command then reward, and always finish on a positive note. Repetition and rewards for a few minutes several times daily!โ€”@IncredibleKratu

Puppy sitting
Photoย Life on White/bigstock.com

 

Work for Those Rewards, Plus a Simple Summer Treat

Instead of using Kong brand treats to stuff rubber Kongs with, I use odd-shaped or too large biscuits. (Favorite: Blue Buffaloโ€™s Health Barsโ€”not the apple flavour because they crumble!) With a little maneuvering, Iโ€™m able to get them wedged into the toy and it can keep my puppy busy for 30 to 60 minutes. And heโ€™s usually tired after heโ€™s been trying to dig his cookies out.Frozen pumpkin treats for dogs

I also make frozen treats (theyโ€™re really just ice cubes) with water and pumpkin powder. Theyโ€™re great for digestion, fun for the dogs to eat, and usually thereโ€™s no clean up.โ€”Laurel Iamundo

Photoย New Africa/bigstock.com

In Case of Emergency

Create a pet evacuation kit in case of emergencies. Itโ€™s good to have it on hand, just in case.โ€”Raechel Tupman

 

This article originally appeared in the award-winningย Modern Dogย magazine.ย Subscribe today!

 

 

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