December is the busiest month of the year with so many holidays to celebrate and fun to be had. However, don’t forget about your puppy during this festive time! Our comprehensive guide on how to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas the puppy way will give you more ideas than you know what to do with when you bring home a puppy this Christmas.
Make this Christmas and winter holiday season an amazing experience for your puppy with these 12 puppy topics for new puppy parents.
The 12 Paws of Christmas
While your puppies would certainly chase all those birds and disrupt the geese-a-laying in the original classic song, we’ve put our own spin on the “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
12 life hacks for puppy owners
Owning a puppy can be overwhelming sometimes, and you’ll want to know every trick of the trade to make your life with a puppy easier. A life hack is a tip or trick that simplifies and improves your life with a puppy. We’ve offered 55 useful life hacks for puppy owners and will highlight a few of them here.
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Pre-program important contact information in your phone to your vet, emergency vet, dog sitter, etc.
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Rotate out old toys and replace them with new ones so you aren’t drowning in toys everywhere.
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Have a good food and cleaning supply storage system to keep those products away from curious puppies.
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Understand which foods are safe for dogs and which ones to avoid.
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Keep a well-stocked doggy first aid kit in case of emergencies.
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Buy hair-catching products to keep all over your house: in drains for bath time, lint rollers, upholstery cleaners, and other hair removal tools.
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Make your own DIY mentally stimulating dog toys out of items around your house like muffin tins or cardboard boxes.
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Keep a travel kit in your car with a collapsible water bowl, a small bag of food, extra waste bags, and cleaning supplies.
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Baking soda can absorb pet odor, freshen upholstery and carpets, and help with pet stains.
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Set up a pet command center serving as a one-stop shop for hanging your leash, extra collars, harness, important phone numbers, and paperwork.
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Put technology to use and set up auto-refills for staples like food and medication, and set reminders for pet-related tasks.
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Ask friends, neighbors, or free social media sites for pre-owned supplies in good condition to save money buying secondhand.
11 ways to celebrate the holidays with your puppy
You know you want to make your puppy’s first Christmas a special one, but you might be stumped on fun ways to make it happen. We have plenty of suggestions for holiday traditions to start with your puppy to celebrate the season.
Open an advent calendar to see what tasty treats are inside, and capture their excitement by posting pictures online. You can even do a special photoshoot with props to commemorate the moment. Baking special Christmas treats and making DIY holiday crafts with your puppy are fun ways to celebrate at the kitchen table. Taking them along caroling or driving around looking at lights is a fun way to get out of the house. Getting matching pajamas and including them on your holiday card truly means they’re a cherished part of your family. Stuffing a special stocking with their favorite treats makes them feel loved. Lastly, make sure they have holiday puppy outfits and accessories to participate in the festivities while looking good.
10 puppy name ideas
If you’ve got your eye on a puppy but are indecisive about what to name your puppy, we have plenty of puppy name ideas to help those creative juices flow!
Human names
Some of the funniest pet names can be human names. A Beagle named Steven or a Shih Tzu named Bob will cause hilarious confusion when guests come over. They truly are like one of the family!
Food names
Your puppy is so cute that you could just eat her right up, so why not give her a food-based name? Whether it’s cheeses, fruit or more, your deliciously adorable puppy will thank you. Try Brie, Caramel, Ginger, Honey, Tater, Cupcake, Beans, Pepper, or even Chalupa.
Sports team names
Lots of owners choose to name their puppies after their favorite sports teams, players, or other sports-related names. We’ve seen names like Dallas, Jet, Slugger, Birdie, Brady, and Rookie.
Video game names
If you’ve got a “Velcro” puppy that always stays by your side, you’ll get a lot of pets in while they stay with you playing video games. Consider Zelda, Yoshi, Mario, Pikachu, Ratchet, or Sonic.
Literary names
Curling up while reading a book with a sleeping puppy on your lap is pure bliss. Take some inspiration from your favorite pages with a name like Atticus, Shakespeare, Gatsby, Huckleberry, Gandolf, or Sherlock.
TV and Movie names
Whether you love a particular character or series, the silver screen presents so many options for dog names. Seinfeld, Daenerys, Chandler, Tarantino, Denzel, Meryl, or Charlize may appeal to you.
Popular names
Some people like to stick to the classics. Rover.com’s trending dog names of 2023 include names like Luna, Bella, Daisy, Lucy, Lily, Lola, Zoe, Sadie, Stella, and Bailey for female dogs and Charlie, Max, Cooper, Milo, Buddy, Teddy, Rocky, Bear, Leo, and Duke for male dogs.
Geography names
Do you have a place that’s special to your heart? Perhaps a geographically based name is best for you. Consider Brooklyn, Carolina, Milan, India, or Phoenix.
Musical names
Dogs love listening to music, so pay homage to your favorite musician or symbol with a music-based dog name. Marley, Beethoven, Drake, Coda, Pantera, Rush, Dylan, and Althea are all great choices.
Famous dog names
Sometimes you want to pay homage to famous dogs that our culture loves and recognizes instantly in hopes your puppy can live up to their endearing qualities. Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Buddy, Snoopy, Astro, Toto, and Hooch are all esteemed famous dogs.
9 steps to pet wellness
Keeping your puppy well goes beyond setting out some food and taking them on a walk around the block. You should take these 9 steps to pet wellness for your puppy’s health and longevity.
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Be a responsible dog owner
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Puppy-proof your space
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Schedule puppy well-visits at the vet
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Keep your puppy’s identity safe
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Provide proper grooming
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Create a routine
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Give adequate exercise according to dog breed
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Train & socialize your puppy
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Bond with your puppy
Being a puppy owner is a lifelong commitment, and working actively on taking steps for puppy wellness will make you and your puppy a dynamic duo.
8 weeks or older for new puppy homes
When looking for “puppies for sale near me,” an adorable 4-week-old puppy may capture your attention. “That’s it!” you yell. “That’s the one for me! I want it ASAP!”
Hold those horses – we mean, puppies! At Pawrade, all of our puppies go home beginning at 8 weeks old or after for a variety of reasons. Puppies form close bonds with their mothers and learn how to be puppies with their littermates. They need the benefits of their mother’s milk and the lessons she will teach them. Puppies will need to transition to eating solid food and receive their necessary vaccinations under the care of their breeders.
Some small dog breeds for sale need extra time to develop and will not go home until 12 weeks old or 2 pounds, whichever comes first. At Pawrade, we put the health of the puppies first which can mean delaying when your puppy is delivered to you because we prioritize what is best for your furry bundle of joy. Our science-based practice is worth the wait to ensure your puppy has the best start possible.
7 tips to throw a dog party
Raising a puppy isn’t always serious business. Once your puppy has had all its vaccinations, it’s time to throw a dog party for your puppy friends! First, decide on the time and location. Choose a time that doesn’t interfere with eating or napping, and host it at your house or the local dog park. Next, decide on a guest list. Will you throw a rager or an intimate gathering? After you have your guest list, make cute invitations and send reminders. Before your guests come, puppy-proof the space so nothing will harm your puppy guests. When your space is ready, decide on some games, a photobooth, contests, and activities to do. Don’t forget the party favors! Make goodie bags with treats and a small toy as a thank you. Lastly, post pictures that have captured all the fun!
6 basic commands puppies can learn
If you’re not sure where to start with training your puppy, here are 6 basic puppy commands to teach your puppy focusing on positive reinforcement, praise, and rewards to help increase your bond with your puppy and produce well-rounded adult dogs.
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Your puppy’s name: When down on your puppy’s level, hold a treat in front of you and say your puppy’s name. Give her the treat each time your puppy pays attention and responds to her name.
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Look: You’ll want to get your puppy’s attention. Hold the treat to your face and say “look.” Reward her the second she looks at you. Repeat until she looks at you reliably when you give the command.
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Sit: Most puppies will learn this one quickly. Start with the “look” command, raising it above your puppy’s nose just out of reach. She will naturally sit down. Say “Sit” when she holds her position. Continue until she can sit without a treat.
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Down: From the “sit” position, take that treat and lower it to the ground until she lowers her body and holds the position. The trick is to make sure she doesn’t pop back up!
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Come: Recall is so incredibly important in the real world and is not just a cute party trick. You could even save its life with the Come command when they are in danger about to run into a busy road or an encounter with another dog or wild animal. Start by placing your puppy on a long leash, get her attention, and say “come.” Reward when she consistently does this and remove the leash. You can add in distractions to mimic a real-world scenario and ultimately try it off-leash at a dog park or somewhere safe, yet free enough for your puppy to practice “come.”
5 tips for obedience training
When you play with a new puppy, it may be cute when they nip at your hand or try to carry shoes around that are as big as they are. However, their cute baby puppy behavior quickly becomes annoying and frustrating when they ruin your new pair of shoes, ignore you, or get too rambunctious. We offer 5 tips for puppy obedience training to help you develop a strong bond with a well-behaved dog.
First, decide on which type of training method you will use. Most people opt to place their puppies in puppy kindergarten which can be great for basic commands and socialization. You can go with a professional training program away at their facility, visit their facility, an in-home method, or a DIY approach using clickers, treats, positive reinforcement, and more.
Secondly, you’ll need to understand the power of positive reinforcement. Your puppy is naturally eager to please you, so capitalize on this behavior with plenty of praise when they follow your command. Never choose a harsh, intense training method because puppies are too sensitive. You want to create trust, not squash it by having your puppy fear you.
After you choose a training method for your puppy, the third step is to start training the day you bring him home. Training needs to be continuous with several short sessions built into your daily puppy routine.
The fourth step when training your puppy is to keep it simple. Don’t expect your puppy to string together entire sentences when they’re still trying to master “sit.” Read their cues to see when the session needs to end because they’re either playing too much or lost interest. You can always try again. Use one-word commands along with hand motions to help your puppy understand simple signals for the desired behavior.
The last step is to be patient! As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You’ll experience many setbacks, but push through them for the great reward of being a good canine citizen in the long run.
4 ways to surprise someone with a puppy
The Pawlidays are filled with anticipation to see what Santa Paws will bring. Toys and electronics gifts can be exciting, but the best gift comes with puppy kisses and puppy breath!
However, a puppy is not something you give as a gift without careful consideration for the potential puppy owner. Are they ready to own a puppy? Are they up for the responsibility and financial obligations to care for the puppy for the span of its lifetime? Be thoughtful in the spirit of giving before gifting a puppy as a gift to someone to ensure they’re up for the experience.
Surprise someone you love with a new puppy in these 4 clever ways.
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A visit from Santa Paws: A few minutes before the big reveal, safely place your puppy in a box under the Christmas tree. The gift recipient’s face will be priceless when a puppy pops out! You can also have a willing friend or relative dress like Santa Paws to make a special visit with a new puppy!
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A scavenger or treasure hunt: Create a clever scavenger hunt leaving clues all over the house, or make a treasure map. You can have a lot of fun setting up the clues on Christmas Eve. The ultimate prize is a cute new puppy!
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Wake up to puppy breath & kisses: Can you think of anything better than waking up to puppy breath in your face followed by a million puppy kisses? We can’t, either! If you’re gifting a puppy to a child, you know you’ll have to be extra early on Christmas morning before they beat you to it.
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Go on a pretend ride: Enlist a friend or relative to sit in a car with a puppy on their lap. Tell the recipient you’re going for a ride. When they open the door, surprise! There’s a puppy, not an errand to go on!
3 rounds of vaccines
All puppies need proper healthcare as part of being a responsible dog owner. Taking your puppy to scheduled vet appointments will keep your puppy healthy and give you plenty of opportunities to establish a relationship with your veterinarian who wants the very best for your puppy.
Your veterinarian will present a puppy vaccination schedule intended to shield and protect your puppy from preventable diseases, some of which are awful at best and fatal at worst. Young puppies will need 3 rounds of core vaccines to give a puppy the best start in life.
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6-8 weeks: A 5-way vaccination shot known as the DHPP, DAPP, or DA2PP vaccine protects against Distemper, Adenoviruses Hepatitis & Kennel Cough, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus
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12 weeks: A second round of the 5–way is administered
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16 weeks: The third round is complete of the 5-way, and your puppy receives its first rabies vaccination.
Beyond the first 3 rounds of vaccinations, you’ll need to bring in your puppy for boosters and titers, and keep them on year-round flea, tick, and heartworm prevention medication. Your veterinarian will also recommend other vaccinations depending on your geographic location, your puppy’s age, and any other special circumstances your vet deems necessary.
2 puppies playing
When searching for puppies for sale, perhaps you can’t decide on just one. Why not raise two puppies at the same time for twice the fun, love, and companionship? The more the merrier at the merriest time of year, right?
Dogs are social animals most comfortable as part of a pack. They love growing together and will learn cognitively and socially how to behave with you as their fearless leader. Training two puppies at once requires a lot of patience, but if you’re up for the challenge, raising two paws in a pod will be so rewarding when you see them all snuggled up together after a long day of causing chaos – we mean, being tired out from obeying all day.
Be sure to spend individual time with each puppy to get to know its personality and quirks. Showing an equal amount of love and attention both separately and together will help establish a bond with your puppy on a singular level. When you understand each puppy’s individual temperament, you can then learn the best methods for feeding, exercising, training, and socializing them in tandem.
Keep in mind that raising two puppies together will mean twice the costs of items like food, vet visits and medications, crates, leashes, grooming sessions, and more. Make sure you have the space in both your home and vehicle for two and that you’re not breaking your lease agreement with the number of animals allowed in your home. Another factor when raising two puppies together is choosing the right dog breed for you. Select the same or compatible dog breeds that match your ability to provide what they need.
And a Pawrade Puppy Under the Tree!
If you want to celebrate your first Christmas with a puppy, turn to Pawrade for the ultimate gift that keeps on giving. We are a scam-free pet adoption service with a wide network of reputable breeders to match potential pawrents with puppies of all different dog breeds, sizes, and energy levels to find the perfect fit for you. We can’t wait to hear from you this pawliday season to give a lifelong gift!
