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Today, I’d like to chat about puppy potential. We recently added a sweet German Shepherd puppy to our fold, and we know from past experience that puppy care and training is a huge undertaking!

Our new puppy’s name is Calla and she is the sweetest little muffin face there ever was. She’s also super energetic and very hard to photograph!

With Calla, it was love at first sight. She’s so sweet and so good-natured, and such a love bug. And perhaps the best part? She reminds us all of someone very special.

She reminds us of Finnegan, our beloved Belgian Shepherd. We lost Finnegan last year after ten and a half years of love, laughter, and loyalty. Ten and a half years wasn’t nearly enough time with him and that is how we know we got a good one.

If you have ever had a dog, you know what I mean. We are a family of dog lovers and we love ’em all, but sometimes you meet a good one. A really good one. To say that Finny was ‘a good one’ is a gargantuan understatement. We are all better for loving him and having him in our lives.

So, when we see Calla act in a way that reminds us of our good ol’ boy, Finnegan, our hearts overflow.

I see so much puppy potential in Calla. I wish Finn were here to show her the ropes and teach her how to put her best foot, er- paw forward.

But, alas, it’s up to us. Today, I’m sharing some tips and tricks for boosting building puppy potential.

Puppy Potential: How To Give Your Pup a Healthy Start

Today, I’d like to share some tips and tricks for boosting puppy potential – advice from the trenches!

Puppy potential: Sleep & Nutrition

Let’s start with the basics, shall we? That means food, sleep, socialization, training, and exercise.

It might seem obvious, but puppy sleep is super important. Puppies are like our kiddos and they need those zzzs! In our home, Calla sleeps in a crate. She loves her cozy little nook and she wakes up rested and happy, ready to take on the day!

Puppy Potential How To Give Your Pup a Healthy Start My Little Poppies #FuelTheirPotential #shop

Calla, on the soccer sidelines.

We provide Calla with lots of play and exercise (more on that in a minute), and we also make sure she has access to her crate during the day for naps. (Trust me, if puppies don’t get those naps, they can get crankalicious just like our kiddos!)

And the other super-important basic is nutrition. Puppies are growing so quickly and they need all of their nutrients!

Earlier, I mentioned our good ol’ boy, Finnegan. What I didn’t tell you is Finnegan suffered from epilepsy, beginning at age five. When he left us, at 10 1/2-years-old, he was an old ten because of all the seizures.

I know I can’t prevent Calla from getting old and leaving us one day, but I do hope to provide her with a nutritional diet to set her up for success.

That brings me to Purina® Pro Plan®, and specifically Purina® Pro Plan® FOCUS Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dog Food – Lamb & Oat Meal.

Puppy Potential: Purina®

Purina® is backed by over 85 years of research and is the first dry dog food brand with real meat as the #1 ingredient. Purina® Pro Plan® FOCUS Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dog Food – Lamb & Oat Meal is formulated with key nutrients to support specific nutritional needs based on life stage, lifestyle, breed size, or other unique needs.

This is important to me, as a dog owner, because I want to be sure to provide Calla with a food specific to her breed, life stage, and other needs that pop up as life goes on.

Calla recently tried Purina® Pro Plan® FOCUS Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dog Food – Lamb & Oat Meal, Purina® Pro Plan® FOCUS Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dog Food – Salmon and Rice, and Purina® Pro Plan® SAVOR Seared Chicken, Julienned Carrots, and Barley Entree.

#FuelTheirPotential #shop Puppy Potential How To Give Your Pup a Healthy Start My Little Poppies

She *LOVED* her new dinners! These delicious little cans were buy 12 get one free at our local PetSmart!

We found these tasty treats at our local PetSmart, plus a few other goodies…

I wish I could say the sushi costume fit her, but it did not and therefore she will be the cutest taco ever this Halloween!

We always manage to find a little extra when we go to PetSmart. It’s hard to leave empty handed!

And speaking of that, I want to mention a special offer…

Get a $10 PetSmart gift card when you spend $40 on Purina Pro Plan. (Make purchases from 10/15/18 –11/24/18. Upload receipt by 12/1/18.) The Offer will be fulfilled within 8–10 weeks from the submission date.

Puppy potential: Socialization

I may not worry about socialization when it comes to homeschooling, but I do worry about it when it comes to puppies!

When socializing a new puppy, the goal is to expose the puppy to as many new experiences as possible, including:

Children, adults, puppies, and dogs of all shapes, sizes, and ages
ALL the noises
Traffic (cars, bicycles, skateboards, strollers, and shopping carts- you name it)
Car trips
Visitors
Trips to the vet
Visits to PetSmart
Parking lots
Walks on dirt, gravel, sand, and asphalt
Handling
Grooming
Feeding
The ability to be alone
Playdates
Puppy training
… and so much more!

Our puppy trainer asked my children to take photos of Calla doing at least ten new things each day and she joked that the goal is to have one thousand people pat his head every week.

These new experiences can be super simple. Take, for example, this photo:

Our sweet girl was terrified of the food bag… because puppies are quirky like that!

A super-simple way to socialize your new puppy

One of the most convenient ways to socialize your puppy is to take them to pet-friendly places that have both people and pets.

That’s why we take Calla to PetSmart whenever we have to pick up puppy, or bearded dragon, supplies. (We actually took our bearded dragon, Norbert, to PetSmart once too! I kid you not!)

This is where we picked up the Purina® Pro Plan® FOCUS Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dog Food – Lamb & Oat Meal that Calla tried this week.

Puppy Potential: Training

I often say that puppies are like babies, except they have teeth and they aren’t wearing a diaper. Puppy training is a gigantic undertaking. It is imperative that all family members act as a team and promise to be consistent.

There are tons of fantastic puppy training books and DVDs on the market today. I mention a few of our favorites in our Puppyschooling post (below), but it’s also important to take a puppy kindergarten class. Not only will you learn important techniques for working with your new puppy, but you will also work on socialization with the other puppies in your class!

You can find puppy classes by searching locally- be sure to check out your local PetSmart for classes, too!

Puppy Potential: Fitness

Getting outside daily and exercising is important for the whole family! We take Calla for a walk each day, and we play together in the backyard.

So, get out there and explore the world with your new puppy. Expose the pup to all different kinds of surfaces, from pavement to dirt to gravel. When you exercise your pup, be sure not to overdo it. Follow your puppy’s lead!

Puppy Potential: Love

This is perhaps the easiest of the basics when it comes to puppies. Love your puppy well and you’ll have a friend for life!

How could you not love this little taco?

Are you homeschooling with a puppy?

We are now puppyschooling. It is the most adorable, the most snuggly, the most giggle-worthy, and the most challenging homeschool season we’ve had in quite some time.

You might love these posts:

Puppyschooling: How to Homeschool with a Puppy
The Only Time I Worry About the S-Word {Homeschooling & Puppies} | Simple Homeschool
Cait’s homeschool day in the life (with a 6-, 7-, and 9-year-old & a new puppy) | Simple Homeschool

Love animals? We do, too!

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Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: How do you boost puppy potential? Are you puppyschooling right now? Share your story here!

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Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley

Cait is a school psychologist, mom to three amazing children, and an unexpected homeschooler. She loves nature, good books, board games, strong coffee, and dancing in her kitchen. Cait believes homeschooling *can* be almost all fun and games!

Be sure to check out our current course offerings. Cait co-hosts The Homeschool Sisters Podcast and is co-founder of Kindred Collective. Cait is also founder of the Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a fantastic community of book-loving parents and the Gameschool Community at My Little Poppies, a vibrant community of gameschoolers.

Cait is a contributing writer for Simple Homeschool. Her work has also appeared on The Huffington Post, The Mighty, Scary Mommy, GeekMom, and many others. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.