The American Kennel Club offers tips on raising your new puppy

Raising a puppy is a life-changing and rewarding experience, but it is also a challenge for both new and experienced owners alike. It’s important to create a safe environment without becoming an overprotective pet owner.

The American Kennel Club offers the following tips for helping your pup grow into a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted dog.

Don’t overdo the play. Although puppies love to play, they also need to learn from an early age that there is an appropriate level of rough play. It’s especially important to teach good manners when it comes to playing with other dogs or people. Play that is too rough as a puppy leads to bad habits in adult dogs.

Limit the treats. While it’s true that puppy-dog eyes are powerful, make sure that you limit the amount of treats you give your dog. Too many treats are a detriment to your pup’s growing appetite for balanced and nutritious meals and you don’t want to spoil your dog. Puppies always remember when crying, begging, and acting out gets them their way.

Plenty of exercise. It’s crucial to provide mental stimulation as well as physical exercise for your puppy. New experiences are integral to puppy development. Provide your dog with puzzles, toys, and appropriate playthings for mental stimulation, as well as outdoor exercise. Bored dogs are dogs that are more likely to engage in inappropriate behaviors.

Be consistent. When you decide which furniture or rooms in the house are off-limits, always be consistent in enforcing those rules. It’s confusing for your pup if you reprimand him for being on the couch one day but are fine with it the next.

Take away household dangers. Make sure all the areas in your house are safe for a puppy and that there are no spots where he might get stuck or fall. It’s also important to keep potentially harmful substances safely stored away from your dog, like garbage, medications, pesticides, and so on.

Training is key. Puppy misbehavior can be cute, but it will become a lot less cute when your dog gets older. It’s important to teach good manners when your pup is young; training and socializing go a long way in dog adulthood.

For more information on responsible dog ownership, visit the AKC at www.akc.org.