Puppies need to be puppies!
Puppies are gonna “puppy,”which means chewing, exploring, climbing, and jumping with unbridled enthusiasm. The chewing habit varies, but for most puppies, if they can reach it, it's likely going in their mouth! The extent that puppies explore, climb and jump will vary based on their internal confidence, their freedom to do so and their experience of the world.
I believe one of our jobs as puppy guardians is to help ensure that our puppies have the opportunities to explore, run, scramble, and chew while also trying to manage the environment enough to reduce risk. We are fortunate to be able to allow our puppy Finn to do puppy things in our fenced yard. He has the opportunity to sniff, to chew sticks, to eat grass and dirt in our yard, to lay in the leaves. He can run into the bushes and come charging back out. He climbs in and over the pile of sticks and branches gathered over yard clean ups. In the house, while we discourage jumping up on people, cabinetry, the counters and tables, he’s allowed to climb on the couch and our bed as well as go up and down steps.
An important part of being a puppy is exploring the world, and that is largely through the mouth. Could this be dangerous? Sure. There is always an element of risk. We are not just leaving Finn’s safety up to complete chance. We know our yard is untreated. We fenced off areas that we thought could harbor bigger dangers- like a potential yellow jacket nest. We’ve taken out nightshades that sprang up near the garden and picked mushrooms that sprouted in our yard to keep him from eating them. Inside, we have gated off hazards like the cords from the TV. We put things in drawers instead of leaving them out in reach. We pulled a lot of stuff out from under the bed, put all medications up high out of reach and have gated off an area for our cat with his tree and toys. The goal isn’t to create a sterile environment, but to minimize unnecessary risks.
As a puppy guardian, your job isn’t to create a bubble of absolute safety, but to guide your puppy through a world of discovery. Each exploration is a learning opportunity, even if you are the one learning that you didn’t put your shoes out of reach. Exploration is critical for development. These experiences help build proprioception skills (awareness of one’s body and movement), coordination and muscle. They also build confidence, resilience and problem solving skills. A puppy confined to a completely safe but unstimulating environment cannot develop into a well-adjusted adult dog. Exploration is not a luxury—it's a necessity.
Because puppies will be puppies, they will find the flaws in your security. Embrace the mess, the occasional chewed shoe, the muddy paw prints. These are signs of a puppy actively engaging with and understanding their world. So take a deep breath, puppy-proof with care, keep those emergency numbers handy, and enjoy the adventure together!
If you want help teaching your new puppy (or any aged dog!) skills to make life easier for both of you, contact me today!
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