I can still clearly remember the day we brought home our two eight-week-old Parson Russell Terrier puppies. It was December 2004 and we had dreamed about this day for months, planned for it for weeks and now here they were, one on each of our laps just like my husband and I had envisioned. We were fit to burst with happiness; it was all that we had dreamed about and more. Little did we know that our dreams were about to be shattered. Within days our two mischievous puppies were starting to take over our home, we had scratches on our hands, pee on the carpet and our best shoes and furniture were being destroyed. It was time to enrol in Sussex puppy training classes!
So many of the classes were full so I spoke to several trainers, they all said the same thing to me…
“This is the worst-case scenario, littermates will fight for the top dog position, it’ll get nasty and you’ll have to rehome one.”
My heart sank, I couldn’t believe it. We’d only just brought them home and now I was being told to give one up, my head was spinning. I sat one in each hand, looked into their tiny, trusting faces, and said out loud:
“You two are not going anywhere. Somehow, I’ll figure it out.”
So I began studying dog psychology, I learned how dogs think and how they communicate non-verbally. I went on courses, and I watched my two intently to see how they ‘spoke’ to each other. I also focused on me and how I needed to be to convince them that I was the ‘top dog’.
This was all without forcing, hitting or shouting. As I applied what I was learning, something amazing happened…the boys responded and the chaos turned to calm. They were happy, well-behaved and eager to please.
Puppy blues …
A passion for dog training was ignited within me and Good Dogs! was born. We didn’t need to rehome them, they were the best of friends, and they lived a happy and healthy life together. They were the best teachers I could have asked for. Although they are now in doggy heaven, their legacy lives on in every course I create, every trainer I support, and every dog whose life gets better because of what I do.
Sadly, not every new puppy owner gets to figure this out, and rescue centres in January and February are routinely full of unwanted puppies. Despite the well-known saying from Dogs Trust that “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”, people are still gifting puppies.
According to the RSPCA, animal abandonment has surged dramatically. In West Sussex alone, 198 pets were abandoned in the first 10 months of this year – a heartbreaking 29% rise from last year. Nationally, over 24,000 incidents were reported in the first 10 months of 2025, compared to 23,564 for the entire year of 2024.
But what most people don’t realise is that rescue centres often see Christmas puppies six months later when those adorable bundles of fluff become adolescents. That’s when the cuteness has worn off, and trying to cope with unwanted behaviour has become completely overwhelming.
Something rarely spoken about is the ‘puppy blues.’
Research from Zigzag puppy training found that nearly 70% of puppy owners feel anxious or depressed after bringing their puppy home, and a quarter have even considered giving up their dog in those early weeks due to stress.
…to Good Dogs!
New puppy owners are exhausted from lack of sleep, overwhelmed by constant cleaning up of puppy mess and upset by the loss of their best shoes, treasured items and the destruction of their home. These crucial months are when so many puppies end up in rescue centres. This is when the right support, at the right time, can change everything.
With this in mind, here are three main puppy challenges with tips that helped my two puppies as well as thousands of families worldwide.
Toilet training
Puppies have small bladders and need to wee after sleeping, playing, eating, drinking, sniffing, or after every few hours. Take them out immediately, use words like “wee wee” while they’re going, then give them a treat straight away. In time, they’ll associate where they need to toilet.
If there’s an accident, take a deep breath and stay calm! Getting stressed can create fear around toileting for your puppy, so clean it up in a matter-of-fact way. This, combined with consistency and repetition, is the key to success.
Most puppies are toilet-trained when they’re around five to six months old. That may seem like a long time when you’re in the thick of it (it certainly did for me after constantly cleaning up after two puppies!), but it helped me to remember that it takes a lot longer for babies and children to be toilet-trained!
Puppy chewing
Simply put, puppies chew because they’re teething and it’s painful. So, you don’t want to stop them from chewing, you just want to teach them to chew something else instead. When they chew your chair leg, for example, calmly say “no” and swap it for a toy, followed by a “good boy or girl”. It’s best to have about three different toys with different textures, as your puppy will favour different ones at different stages. And please don’t give them an old shoe to chew on, as they won’t know the difference between a tatty trainer and your best leather boots!
Puppy biting
This may surprise you … but your adorable puppy thinks you’re one of their littermates! They’re playing and biting you the same way they would their siblings; it’s how they learn the rules.
When they bite, say a hurt, high-pitched “ouch”, just like a puppy would yelp if bitten, as this is the exact language your puppy understands. Then walk away. This clearly shows them that the playing stops when they bite. You can also redirect the biting with a toy and give them gentle praise when they chew and bite that instead. I understand it can be tough. It takes time and dedication to train puppies and it’s a commitment for the next 10 to 20 years of your life. I thought more than once, “What on earth have I taken on here?” when Basil and Jake were puppies.
But oh my goodness, I can’t tell you enough how worthwhile it is. The wagging tail when you come home, the endless cuddles and unconditional love that they give. They never hold a grudge, even when you’ve been in a bad mood, and the joy and happiness they have for life is infectious. There’s a bond that develops that’s so strong and a love you feel that goes so deep, sometimes unlike you’ve ever felt before.
I’ve been told many times by dog owners that they’ve cried more when their dog went to doggy heaven than they did when they lost a family member. To get the very best from your relationship, it’s important to get it right from the start. Read books, enrol in online courses, and get professional help if needed so that you can reap the rewards of having a happy, well-behaved and well-balanced dog for years to come.
Sharon Bolt is a Celebrity Dog Trainer and the founder of Good Dogs! She’s been known for helping owners create calm, happy relationships with their dogs for almost two decades. Her kind, practical methods have helped over 26,000 dog owners in 175 countries transform everyday struggles such as pulling on the lead, aggression, barking, and puppy behaviour. A regular BBC Radio expert since 2008, Sharon’s trusted advice has been featured on BBC, ITV, Channel 5, The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Mail, and more. She offers a wide range of online courses and DVDs covering everything from becoming a dog trainer and business mastery to natural remedies, and licenses her professionally filmed courses to pet professionals and course creators worldwide through Private Label Rights. Visit: www.good-dogs.co.uk
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