First of all, we would like to wish you a big congratulations on your new best friend.
Here you can read about what you as a new dog owner should be
Please be aware of this during these strange COVID-19 times.
Training, but no puppy training:
Most dog trainers have chosen to cancel or postpone their puppy classes indefinitely. Of course, we can only support this, but what about your puppy's training?
Many dog schools have created online courses where you can watch training videos and even talk to the dog trainer over Skype if problems arise. For example, the University of Copenhagen has an online puppy class.
Puppy training or not, it's a good idea to train your puppy. You can practice normal commands, such as sit and cover, etc., but it's also a really good idea to train your puppy to be calm. You do this by rewarding it when it relaxes, or by stretching out exercises such as sit and cover. Here, you reward the puppy for staying in cover for a long time and reward it with extra good treats if it relaxes in it.
The most important thing to remember when training your puppy is patience and good treats.
Socialization - Can I pet it?: If you live in the city like me, you have to go down to the street a lot with your puppy. When you stand there with your puppy, about 99% want to say hello to it - that's how it feels anyway. It's nice to see people's joy over the puppy, and it's not entirely bad for its human socialization that it meets different people. But in these times it's just not really smart:
The WHO has presented a report that concludes that dogs cannot be infected with corona. But the dog can pass the infection on via its fur to the next person who is your dog. It therefore poses a risk of infection if everyone you meet on your way is your puppy. I can really feel like the most hysterical puppy owner when I ask nice people not to pet my puppy – who, by the way, really wants to be cuddled.
My suggestion is therefore that if people ask if they can pet your puppy, you should politely say no because of corona. Instead, ask if it can sniff them and tell them that they are welcome to talk to it. That way, those you meet can interact with the puppy, which also strengthens the puppy's socialization and that way we all avoid infection.
Remember to keep a good distance from other people. Dogs are not immediately contagious, so your puppy is welcome to greet other dogs.
