Congratulations on your new furry friend! Building a strong bond with your puppy is an exciting journey that will last a lifetime. Here are some helpful tips to create a lasting connection during the early stages of your puppy’s life. By following these tips, you’ll not only strengthen your bond but also instill positive habits that will make training and communication a breeze.

The Pack Sleeps Together

Sleeping in the same rom with your pup is the basis to building a lasting bond.

One of the most effective bonding methods for early-stage puppies is also the simplest. All you have to do is sleep in the same room as your furry friend. It’s that easy! But guess what? Many people struggle with this one. They’re worried that their dog will disturb their sleep. Well, hold on to your hats, because the experts at Mayo Clinic have some surprising news. They conducted a study of 40 healthy people and their dogs and found that sleeping with your dog can actually improve your sleep quality. Dr. Lois Krahn, a sleep medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic Arizona, says “We found that many people actually find comfort and a sense of security from sleeping with their pets.” Now I must share that this same study also showed that people who share a bed with their dog ended up losing quality of sleep. This study makes sense because puppies are just like us. They have a natural instinct to sleep in groups, which is a safety instinct that helps them feel accepted into their new pack (aka their new family). By letting your puppy sleep in the same room as you early on, you’re building a strong bond that they can understand instinctively. This is the easiest and most important bonding technique for early-stage puppies. 

Hold Hands, I mean Hold Paws

Instilling the proper ‘Name Response’ in your early-stage puppy is key for establishing a strong communication method and long-term training success.

Hold your puppy’s paws while you still can! Just ask the owner of a 150-pound full-grown mastiff when it comes time to trim his nails, if they wished they held hands with their early stage puppy. Dogs naturally protect their paws because an injury to the feet can mean life or death. An injured paw puts a dog at a huge disadvantage; it can’t defend itself, retreat, or there’s a serious risk of infection. That’s why most dogs don’t like their paws messed with or even touched. Spending time holding hands with your puppy every day during the early stages helps break this instinctual protectiveness of their paws and teaches them to trust you. This might sound simple, but it might not be easy. Your puppy might be a bit wary of letting you hold hands at first. If this is the case, start by leaving your hand near your puppy’s or resting your pup’s hand on top of yours and gradually progress daily from there. Start manipulating your puppy’s paw in your hands and touching on their nails, building more and more trust over time. Being careful to follow this early-stage puppy tip goes a long way when you’re clipping the nails of that 150-pound mastiff in the future. Also, using the right nail clipper based on your dog’s size is important. I like the convenience of the clippers with the Quick Finder (link to clippers); they help you locate the nerve inside the nail that hurts your puppy and bleeds if cut. I’ve found that when it comes to cutting the nails of large and extra-large breed dogs, the nail grinders (link to nail grinder) tend to be more comfortable for them. The dog nail grinders (link to nail grinder) eliminate the inevitable pressure and pinching of the nerve in the quick when using clippers. Number 1 tip to your future self: Hold your early-stage puppy’s hands every day, please!

He who controls the food, controls the puppy.

Maintaining control over your puppy’s food is a great way to establish dominance.

This is a great tip to remember and practice daily. Whether it’s training your distracted and hyperactive puppy (link) or establishing dominance over your early-stage puppy, food is a powerful tool to get the message across. (Disclaimer) This early-stage puppy tip does require your puppy to know at least the commands “Sit” and “Stay” at a basic level.

During your puppy’s regular feeding times:

Puppy’s Name = Look at Me / Attention On Me

What is proper ‘Name Response’?

Instilling the proper ‘Name Response’ in your early-stage puppy is key for establishing a strong communication method and long-term training success. The best way to do this is with constant positive reinforcement during your puppy’s early stages. As a puppy parent, your job is to create a positive association that puppy must always have with her name. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. As humans, we communicate in many ways, including using inflection in our voices when calling someone’s name. We call people’s names in excitement, happiness, sadness, anger, and the list goes on. Puppy parents must avoid calling their puppy’s name in a negative context at all costs. Easy, right? What about when your cute puppy poops on the floor? Not so easy then, huh?! Teaching your puppy her name and how to respond to it is a fun bonding time, especially when she’s still tiny and loves being held. Here are some early-stage tips:

Ok let’s review these top early stage puppy tips:

1. **Sleep in the same room:** This helps your puppy feel secure and bonded with you.

2. **Hold hands with your puppy:** This shows them that you’re in charge and that they can trust you.

3. **Control the food:** This helps you establish dominance and teaches your puppy that you’re the one who provides food.

4. **Puppy’s name = look at me:** This is the foundation of all other training and commands.

Remember, you have a limited time to build a strong bond with your puppy in the early stages of their life. Be patient, understanding, and consistent with these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to having a happy and well-behaved puppy.