Before Bringing A New Puppy Home

[Verdant Amphibian]

There seems to be a large number of things that people should, ideally, start on day one with their puppy or soon thereafter - before problems develop. Some like toilet training are relatively obvious, others like getting a long coated breed used to a comb (and how) or whether to crate train are less so.

I just thought it would be great if people could offer suggestions, funny stories, links to relevant sites about what things people should consider before they bring that furry bundle of mischievous joy home?

[persephone]

I think one of the most important things is for new puppy owners first to work on being calm and objective and non-gushy :p VERY hard to do --- however, I am of the firm belief that if you make the pup the centre of your world on those first few days ...and laugh at the attempts to wriggle free, the nipping,the pawing at you for attention, the cutsey way pup attempts to climb over the baby gates , or chew the cushions... then THIS is what pup remembers and accepts as normal :p

I believe in ( and find hard) laying down the rules firmly from day one.

Accept pup into the house- do a 'tour' so it gets used to smells/sounds/sights/boundaries... and use every display of wanted behaviour as an excuse for cuddles and praise- but don't just do it because you want to indulge yourself

I'm mean BUT, by working at it, I have had puppies sleeping indoors, no crates ... and on their own beds, no chewing , only one or two toilet accidents .... and calm behaviour ( the rattiness came later as I slackened off! )

[Nic oh lah]

Yep - hardest thing for us was treating the new dog like, well, a dog. Lol. No constant picking up, no responding to whining, no encouraging fearfull behaviour, and no hesitation to "UH-UH!" at the top of our voices when he was naughty (like chewing on furniture or chasing the cats or biting us). He's a good little boy and pretty confident which is something we wanted which is why we are careful not to comfort him in a situation where he might be acting fearful, but just to get on with what we're doing and let him adjust without us pushing it, eg, mowing the lawn - he now happily trots after the mower (-:

It's hard - but so worth it. I will admit we have allowed him to be a lap dog when we're on the couch - haha. I like my cuddles though (-:

[corvus]

I dunno, I don't really hold puppies to the rules I expect them to eventually follow. I guess it's easier if you do, but they are just wee little babies and it's hard for them. For my current two dogs when they were wee babies I shaped their behaviour to conform to the rules I eventually wanted them to follow over the first few months. But they did learn to sit sometime in their first few days and that's when the NILIF starts.

I remember thinking smugly how much better it was to attack the mealtime behaviour with treats right from the start, which I did the second time, but then I had it all backfire on me a few weeks later when the puppy suddenly decided meal times were cause for impossible, brain-exploding excitement and all my early training went out the window. It took quite a while to figure out what to do about that. The answer turned out to be leave the bowl with food in it on the bench until puppy calms down.

I do think that an interruptor is a great idea. I taught my second puppy to look my way when I said his name quite early. Good for distracting him from mischief. God bless a puppy's 5 second attention span.

I started both my current dogs on long lines for leash training and shaped for shorter and shorter leashes until they were right for regular leashes. Seemed to work, but you can't let them get places by pulling. That's one thing I don't want to have to try to shape out of them.

I think if there's one thing I would start earlier next time it's a "calm" cue for laying down for massages.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/digit...aining-textbook

Ian Dunbar's digital dog training book including all the puppy stuff.

And then there are all the training videos linked on the site.

And Lesley Nelson's Really Reliable Recall

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB810P

I'm a big fan of puppy preschool at your favourite vet, when the puppy's vaccinations do not allow for socialisation in public, and play dates with dogs the owner knows are vaccinated, then the local dog obedience club, and as many different dog exercise places as possible. So the puppy can't get territorial.

[Verdant Amphibian]

Thanks for the tips guys and the links, I hadn't seen the Ian Dunbar one I've now read it start to finish.

[furballs]

I think one of the most important things is for new puppy owners first to work on being calm and objective and non-gushy VERY hard to do --- however, I am of the firm belief that if you make the pup the centre of your world on those first few days ...and laugh at the attempts to wriggle free, the nipping,the pawing at you for attention, the cutsey way pup attempts to climb over the baby gates , or chew the cushions... then THIS is what pup remembers and accepts as normal

I believe in ( and find hard) laying down the rules firmly from day one.

Accept pup into the house- do a 'tour' so it gets used to smells/sounds/sights/boundaries... and use every display of wanted behaviour as an excuse for cuddles and praise- but don't just do it because you want to indulge yourself

I'm mean BUT, by working at it, I have had puppies sleeping indoors, no crates ... and on their own beds, no chewing , only one or two toilet accidents .... and calm behaviour ( the rattiness came later as I slackened off! )

Everything persephone said

First time I put food down for my pup she had to sit and wait and I didn't put the food down until she did. She was smart enough to figure it out pretty quickly and from then on she has done exactly that. Never let them chew ANYTHING that they shouldn't, take it from them and replace it with a toy. My Rottweiler is 12 months old and I am leaving her in the house all day at the moment while I'm at work and she hasn't destroyed anything (yet)...lol Dogs need guidance and rules to be happy.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i teach my dogs that i can put my fingers in their mouths, in their ears, touch their paws, in fact touch them anywhere and that this is good for them.

this means i have never had any problems giving pills, getting stuff out their mouth, putting drops in ears or trimming nails. i also give them an open command and they open their mouths.

this has paid of for me on lots of occassions and i think is very important so i can medicate/look after my dog anytime it is necessary.

[furballs]

i teach my dogs that i can put my fingers in their mouths, in their ears, touch their paws, in fact touch them anywhere and that this is good for them.

this means i have never had any problems giving pills, getting stuff out their mouth, putting drops in ears or trimming nails. i also give them an open command and they open their mouths.

this has paid of for me on lots of occassions and i think is very important so i can medicate/look after my dog anytime it is necessary.

And also very good for the vets when they visit That's very cute that they open their mouth on command.

[Hello Gorgeous]

I think a really big problem (which can backfire on you later!) with puppies is separation anxiety. I remember the very first puppy I had, I allowed her to sleep on my bed, follow me everywhere, gave her the run of the house, and she got REALLY attached which is great, but when I wanted to go out by myself, she'd cry up a storm!

Also, showering and brushing my teeth in the bathroom grew to be a whole family affair as she somehow learned to open sliding doors (the bathroom door is a sliding door) and halfway through my shower, I'd suddenly get a flurry of white fluff trying to launch herself into the tub with me!

Edited May 11, 2010 by Hello Gorgeous