Puppies have puppy teeth and with puppy teeth comes shredding of toys and other items in your house. So, you want to get something that is pretty bulletproof so that they can't rip it apart and take out a squeaker that they can potentially swallow. The same goes for stuffing. You want to get something that they want to chew on, but won’t really hurt their teeth. Different types of little Nylabones and Kong toys are all great to keep them entertained and are pretty indestructible.

You can even add some flavors inside, like peanut butter, that will make it a little more enticing to them. But I definitely don't recommend anything that you don't want the puppy to chew on, being something like a shoe, string or things you may not want the puppy otherwise gravitating towards. I wouldn't offer toys along those lines.

Playing with toys and interacting with them is always good. Like I said, when you are training your puppy’s mind, it is still playing and you can make training them a game, especially if it's getting rewarded with food or more play. Playing with toys like balls, different bones and stuffed toys are all things that will keep them active and keep them moving.

After their vaccines, they're going to be more protected and less susceptible to diseases out there. But, while they're doing their booster series, we need to be cautious. No dog parks, no taking them to PetSmart and things like that, where they are going to get exposed to a bunch of different dogs or environments that have dogs.

You can go to a friend or a family member’s house that has safe yards and dogs that you know are healthy and vaccinated. You can also take them to the immediate area around your house, unless you know that there has been a case of Parvo in that area.

You want them to be able to interact with you. You are kind of their life, especially if you don't have a lot of other animals. They come from having their mom and a litter of other puppies to play with, so they're relying on you to keep them social and active. Interacting with your puppy and training the puppy is something you can do for play. Offering different types of toys and different interactions like that can really keep them stimulated.

Puppies are like the Energizer bunny; they are going to need an active lifestyle. It depends on the breed, but many of them are going to want to go, go, go for about 20 to 30 minutes and then nap for a couple of hours. That's a cycle that they'll have throughout the day, so you want to have them out and active.