So, you just went to the pet store and picked out that perfect little puppy you’ve been planning on getting, and now you’re ready to take him or her home and smother them with love and attention. You’ve puppy-proofed your house, stocked up on puppy food, and even got the little fur-ball plenty of toys already; but what’s next? There are five pretty common mistakes that new puppy owners make. This article will help you learn what to avoid while raising your new puppy.

#1. Indoor Potty Training

If you potty train your puppy indoors, you can’t expect the little tyke to just get up and go outside on his or her own. If anything, you’re just confuse your puppy into thinking that inside is where you want them to pee.

#2. Letting Your Puppy Sleep With You

Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to let your puppy crawl into bed with you a few times, but if you constantly give in to their cute little whimpers, it’s going to become a habit that’s hard to break. It’s also going to leave your puppy starved for attention the second you go away.

#3. Not Crate Training

A lot of puppy owners start out with the intention of crate training their puppy, but give p the first time the puppy starts crying or barking. It’s perfectly natural for the puppy to behave that way the first few times you put them in a crate, but over time they will get used to it. It’s also for the puppy’s own safety while you’re not around. Eventually the puppy will adapt to their crate and even feel more comfortable and secure while in it.

#4. Bringing Your Puppy With You Everywhere

A lot of new puppy owners love to show off their puppy, so naturally, they take the puppy with them when they leave the house. Some owners just like the companionship, as well. However, puppies do not have fully developed immune systems, so too many outings can be hazardous to their health. Another problem this can create is that owners have a tendency to take their puppy out a lot while it’s still a puppy, but once the dog is full grown, not so much, which can confuse them.

#5. Allowing Certain Puppy-Behaviors

This is probably the biggest mistake new owners make. There are a lot of things dogs like to do that are cute while they’re puppies, but not so cute once they’re full grown like, licking, sitting on laps, and jumping on strangers. Dogs learn through repetition and conditioning. In other words, the behaviors your dog learns as a puppy are the ones that it will continue to do as an adult. A 100lb German Shepard doesn’t realize it’s no longer lap-sized, and will continue to want to jump up on people if this is what you allow it to do as a puppy.