Photo of german shepherd puppy with red collar and tongue sticking out.

Puppy 101 Toolkit

You just brought home your new puppy – congrats! Now what? Learn all you need to know about puppy behavior and how to set up your new furry friend for lifelong success.

What to expect when you’re expecting… a puppy.

Puppies are so cute and a lot fun! But adopting a puppy or adolescent dog also comes with its own set of challenges. We’ve built this Puppy 101 Toolkit to help you understand typical puppy behaviors, and provide techniques to support you in your puppy’s first few months.

Your new puppy has been through a lot of changes. What they need from you during their first weeks in the home is calm and quiet leadership. Establishing a consistent routine is key.  

Help your puppy learn that human hands always deliver great things! By practicing good handling and feeding exercises, your puppy will learn to relax when adults or children pet them or come near their food.

Positive reinforcement is the best way to potty train your new puppy. Consistency and patience is essential to teach them where we want them to “go”.

Crate training is a very useful tool for a variety of situations. Set your puppy up for success by creating positive associations with their crate.

Anything you want your puppy to cheerfully accept as an adult – people of all kinds, animals, objects, places and situations – you must introduce to them often and in a positive manner.

When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths – which are fully of sharp baby teeth! It’s important to teach your puppy early to use their mouth on appropriate things – like toys.

Did you just adopt a puppy? Our trainers are here to help!

Oregon Humane Society has highly skilled Training & Behavior staff at our Portland and Salem Campuses. Register for one of our classes to provide you and your puppy a safe place to practice new skills.

Review our on-demand video library with training tips from the experts!