Adding a new member (whether human or animal) to the family is one of the most exciting events in life. Sometimes the anticipation is almost more than one can bear. When you adopt a rescue puppy, however, there may be different experiences your puppy has gone through than a puppy from a reputable breeder.

Botanical Animal Flower Essences offers the best flower essence therapy for pets. We offer flower essences to help your pet cope with all sorts of life’s circumstances and events, such as when you leave for the day or when your pet needs to visit the vet. Below, we’ll offer up some tips for training your rescue puppy. Contact us today to get started!

TIPS FOR TRAINING A RESCUE PUPPY

Take Your Time

Your rescue puppy may have had some traumatic experiences that landed him in the shelter in the first place. There will undoubtedly be a period of adjustment, probably longer than normal with a puppy from a breeder. Botanical Animal Flower Essences recommends giving your puppy some space and the time it needs. Your job will be simply to make your puppy feel loved and cherished and safe during this time. You also don’t want to focus on training beyond potty training until you feel like your puppy is ready.

Set Rules From Day One

When you get a new puppy, you are so excited that you just want to spend time with them. You want them to sleep in your bed, lay on your couch, and just be with you. While spending time with your new puppy is the best thing you can do, allowing it to be places and do things you will in the future not allow is not a good idea. If you don’t want your puppy to sleep with you when it weighs 100 pounds, then don’t allow it to sleep with you now (as tempting as that may be). You will only confuse your puppy when the time comes to kick them out of your bed, and you might create an anxiety or a behavioral issue because your puppy doesn’t understand why. Botanical Animal Flower Essences advises that before you get your puppy, you and your family decide ahead of time what will be allowed and what won’t be allowed because consistency is key when it comes to training.

Establish a Routine

Dogs are creatures of habit, just like humans. They thrive when they can predict their day, from what time they will be fed to when their daily walk will be. Rescue puppies likely have not had routine, so you can expect a lot of anxiety to wash away from your puppy when they can predict their lives.

Use a Crate

Hands-down, crate training is the best thing you can do for your new puppy. As you know, dogs were domesticated from wolves. Wolves love to find a hole, or a den, which is their place to feel safe. When you invest in a crate for your rescue puppy, you will be giving them a place they can retreat to when they feel stressed or just want to be alone and feel safe. Plus, dogs do not like to soil where they sleep, so crate-training is invaluable during potty training. Using a crate for your rescue puppy could speed up your puppy’s acclimation to your home as well. Outside of your person, a dog crate is one of the best things you can give your new puppy.

Socialization

Socialization is key to the development of well-behaved puppies who know how to behave around dogs and around people, especially if you want your dog to go places with you. The best way to socialize your puppy is to get it familiar with places, people, and dogs. When your puppy is old enough, the dog park will be key to your puppy being around other dogs. Also, puppy daycare is great as well since the dogs are often allowed social time with the other dogs in daycare. Taking your puppy with you on short car rides is also key to having your puppy not be afraid of the car. And having strangers interact with your puppy is a good idea too. Stores that allow dogs inside are great places, and since your dog is a puppy, people naturally want to pet them.

The key is to start as soon as possible and while your puppy is young. Botanical Animal Flower Essences also notes that socialization is life-long. Just because you puppy was great with people doesn’t mean they will be in 10 years if they never leave the house. Puppies and dogs that are not socialized are usually afraid of other people and dogs and then are just not comfortable around them.

Start Obedience Classes

As soon as your puppy is ready and adjusted to you and your home, it’s time to get to work. You’ll have to assume that your rescue puppy has no training at all and be prepared to start from square one. Obedience classes are great all around. Your puppy gets chances to meet other people and other dogs, while learning how to behave in a human world. Botanical Animal Flower Essences recommends that you always want to use positive reinforcement training patterns. Remember, your puppy only wants to please you. However, it’s up to you to teach them and train them well.

Caveats With Rescue Dogs

It’s important to pay attention to your rescue puppy and their behavior.If your puppy is uncomfortable, say with a crate, it may be because its previous owner used a crate as punishment, or it was transported in a crate which fell over. In this case, you may have to ditch the crate and try another alternative instead. Try to find out as much as you can about your puppy’s past before adopting; however, details may not be available. In this case, you’ll just have to do your best by listening to your puppy’s cues.

HOW BOTANICAL ANIMAL FLOWER ESSENCES CAN HELP YOUR PUPPY ADJUST

Flower essences are all-natural drops that are imbibed with a flower’s energetic pattern that can help to alter your pet’s behavior. Our Angel of Mercy flower essence has been specifically formulated for adopted or rescued animals that have a checkered past. This flower essence therapy helps to give animals a more positive outlook on their lives, provides them with comfort, and helps them to forget the past. These pet calming drops are a great additive to what you are already doing to help get your rescue puppy settled into their new life. In addition, we offer a Rebound and Rescue Kit that not only contains our Angel of Mercy flower essence, but also comes with our Panic Attack and CriseEase flower essences to help your pet adjust even better to different situations and stimuli.

Botanical Animal Flower Essences believes firmly in helping all animals with their anxiety. Our all-natural pet drops are calming remedies for dogs, cats, horses, and more. Your pets do not need to be on any sort of pet medications with unknown side effects. We invite you to browse our site online today, and order your flower essence therapy now!