First Week With Puppy At Home

[JaspersDad]

Afternoon everyone! In about a week, I'm bringing home my little bundle of joy, a Shih Tzu named "Jasper". In preparation for this, I've read as much info on puppies as I possible could in regards to crate training, clicker training, potty training, etc. And the one thing that stands out for me is that there is a lot of conflicting info out there.

The main thing I'm hoping to get help with is the first week. I've taken a week off work to spend some time with the pup and hopefully make him feel safe and happy at home. After that week is up, I'm back at work for 8 hours a day. So the plan is that I'll be able to block off a few doorways in the house and give him access to a spare room and the kitchen through out the day while I'm out.

My question is... seeing as I'm only really giving myself a week, what should I be doing with that time? I like the idea of crating so I'm going to try to get him used to being in the crate and potty training him that way. But when it comes to potty training, my ideal way is that when I'm at home, I can take him outside but when I'm not, he can use puppy pads or something like that. How do I do this? Do I spend the first week training him on the pads, then the next week take him outside when I can and hope for the best when I'm not around (and hope he uses the pads still). I guess I'm worried I'll confuse by taking him to eliminate at 2 different spots.

Eventually I think he'll have access to the yard and house while I'm out (when he's big enough and I've dog friendlied up the place with water tight enclosures) but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I have a million questions (first pet) but I'll try and keep it at that. But if anyone has any tips, schedule or anything for me knowing that I've only got a week with him before I go back to work, I would be incredibly grateful! I can't wait to bring him home but I also want to make sure we get off to the best start possible when he does get here.

Sorry for being longwinded. So excited!

[Dogsfevr]

We tell all our puppy owners not to take time off because its often harder for them to cope when you do go to work so first advice is don't go over the top in the time you spend because that routine wont be happening .

Don't spoil pup whilst home

Set it up fur success for when you go back to work so that will mean teaching it the area it will be in & leaving it alone to learn .not pandering to pup if it cries .

Toilet training will still be the go outside first and foremost method but the pads will be there for the time its shut up.The main thing will be to encourage the outside .

We tell our puppy owners to not over read stuff,puppy raising isn't that hard,just use common sense & remember no matter how cute your pup is it is a dog & setting up now for success is so important.

So the manners you want from an adult you encourage now .

Brushing can't stress how important it is to teach your pup that being groomed is a pleasure,your breeder should show you how to brush your puppy & what tools to use

[Roova]

My advice is start as you mean to go on. Don't allow pup on the couch, to bite when playing, or to jump etc if you don't want a teenage and then an adult dog doing the same.

Keep appropriate chew toys handy so if you catch pup with something he shouldn't have do a quick swap. If you only remove what they shouldn't have you can teach them to hide with it or run from you.

Lots of praise /treats for behaviour you do want. If puppy is sitting calmly you can drop a treat in front of them as you walk past etc.

Kikopup on YouTube has lots of suggested training for young pups which is great fun (and beneficial).

Most of all enjoy every moment of having a pup and take lots of photos! It's over so quickly when you look back. Enjoy your new baby :)

[JaspersDad]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the responses. I does seem like a lot of common sense which is great. I think my main reason to take some time off was to just reinforce some good behaviour. Mainly him being comfortable in the crate and 'his area'. I want to be able to put him his crate when needed (like transporting or generally keeping him out of the way while cleaning or something).

But I guess I am completely in the dark about toilet training. If I should take every opportunity to toilet him outside to his spot, so how does he know where to "go" inside if I don't teach him that? How do I train both?

My plan for being home with him for that first week was more about supervising then pampering. Just put him in his area, play with him, feed him, toilet train him, redirect bad behaviour and reward good behaviour. Basically put him in the environment we will eventually leave him unsupervised in. I figured he'll find the whole ordeal quite stressful, so I can be near by to reward him (once he's calmed down).

A couple more things if that's ok? As far as the crate goes, is it ok to move it around or should it stay in the one place? I think I figured I could move it around the house depending on where we were. Like during the weekdays, it'll be in his area but when I'm at home, I could move it to the lounge room so he could be around me more? I'd like to be able to give him a few areas in the house for resting/sleeping but wasn't sure if that would confuse him.

I really appreciate you guys writing back. Any advice is warmly received at this point. :)

[Tassie]

Exciting times ahead, JaspersDad.

Couple of things to add. For 6 hours, my preference would be a playpen of some kind, to make sure pup is safely confined away from dangers or opportunity to chew things you don't want chewed. Pup can have a small sleeping crate in there, and something to toilet on in the most distant corner of the pen .. newspaper, cat litter or puppy pee pads, or fake grass are all possibilities for that. Some durable safe toys, a stuffed Kong, some water in a spill proof bowl, and safe and happy puppy. I would start giving pup some pen time while you're doing other things, or out shopping or whatever even in that first week .. hard as thy will be. Going into thru pen crate will always be accompanied by special goodies. Times can be shortish at first .. gradually lengthened.

As far as toilet training goes .. you have the right idea on taking pup out (not just putting him out), so that you can tell him wonderful he is when he toilets appropriately. Expect to take him out after he's been sleeping, eating or playing. Watch him for signs when he's loose in the house, and rush him outside if you think he needs to go. Of you can't be watching him, best to put him in his pen, or outside.

One other thing you can start doing in that first week is getting him used to having a collar and lead on .. very light collar and light lead. Under supervision, let him just trail his lead around .. having given him lots of praise and treats for having his collar put on. Occasionally just lightly pick up his lead and follow him around. Don't leave a lead on when you can't supervise.

So much fun ahead.

And don't forget .. photos of cute puppies are the 'fee' helpful DOLers expect :D

[Christina]

Despite all the advice & what you have read there is no one right way to raise a puppy. Most end up fine with no experience or experts.

The most important thing is that the pup understands what you expect of it & what you want it to do. It cannot obey you if it doesn't understand & its variable with each dog & breed.

Some pups are a bit silly & others seem to get it all straight away.

I use a fake grass toilet or newspaper when raising pups here & they all toilet train fine when they go to their new homes. It doesn't confuse them at all. Fake grass toilet is good for small breeds but its best to take outside regularly & choose one word that means go to the toilet that your pup will learn to understand.

Keeping your puppy safe is the other thing. Puppy proof your home whether you leave it loose, crate or pen.

Your puppy needs to get used to being alone so even off work go out for some of the time.

If you choose to confine remember puppies need to run, play & move to develop strong healthy muscles so a large pen is kinder than a crate, join up 2 pens.

If you are not comfortable with any advice or suggested way of treating your dog then don't do it.

Kind firmness & consistency & patience is the way to go no matter which methods you use.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Christina

[BullBreedBoy]

Personally, I think taking some time off is a great idea. I would primarily be using the time to bond with your pup, and gain it's trust.

Sure, give the pup some exposure to the area it will be left in, but don't stress! Puppies are much more adaptable than what people make out imho.

I often look after rescue puppies who have been moved around and in a variety of home or kennel settings. Vast majority of them are fine, and settle in here quickly.

The key to success with puppies is being firm and consistent. Invest most of your energy into positive reinforcement.

Edited July 9, 2015 by BullBreedBoy

[JaspersDad]

For 6 hours, my preference would be a playpen of some kind, to make sure pup is safely confined away from dangers or opportunity to chew things you don't want chewed. Pup can have a small sleeping crate in there, and something to toilet on in the most distant corner of the pen .. newspaper, cat litter or puppy pee pads, or fake grass are all possibilities for that. Some durable safe toys, a stuffed Kong, some water in a spill proof bowl, and safe and happy puppy. I would start giving pup some pen time while you're doing other things, or out shopping or whatever even in that first week .. hard as thy will be. Going into thru pen crate will always be accompanied by special goodies. Times can be shortish at first .. gradually lengthened.

This is kinda what I had in mind. But at first I was just going to try and do the crate training on its own. Once he's pretty settled in there, open it up to the pen. Eventually, we'll give him access to the entire house (increasing room by room) but I'm hoping by the end of the week, I'll have him sleeping in the crate ok, then during the day he'll be happy enough in his pen... which is basically half of a spare bedroom. No carpet thank god so puppy messes shouldn't be too much drama. But I think I will be amazed if he uses the puppy pads on his own (Without any training), but fingers crossed.

Lol. I love it that everyone says take heaps of photos. I'm more than happy to share once he's here

[JaspersDad]

Puppy proof your home whether you leave it loose, crate or pen.

Your puppy needs to get used to being alone so even off work go out for some of the time.

If you choose to confine remember puppies need to run, play & move to develop strong healthy muscles so a large pen is kinder than a crate, join up 2 pens.

At the start, I'm going to try crating him for a day or two. (Hope that's enough, its hard to work out) And I don't mean just put him in there and leave him for the day. I'll do the slowly slowly approach whether its only a few seconds at the start, open, reward. Then later increase it etc. My current hope is that I can leave him in the closed crate at night for a few nights so he's used to it, before expanding it to the pen... or should I just leave him in there for now? So many questions :) I'm never having kids!

[JaspersDad]

Personally, I think taking some time off is a great idea. I would primarily be using the time to bond with your pup, and gain it's trust.

Yep, I'm really just looking at this time off as a way of bonding and getting him to trust me. Like with crating, grooming, etc. I like to plan everything I do in my life. I realise this is going to go completely out the window but at least like to have plan at the start :)

[Tassie]

You can do both night crate and day pen (with crate) straight away. Personally, I like the night crate beside my bed, so pup can smell and hear you close, and you can reassure him if need be, and more importantly, hear if he needs to go outside to toilet .. usually around 2.00 am in my experience. :laugh: My dogs still sleep in my bedroom at night .. the 6 year old in his big airline crate, which I took the door off a couple years ago, so totally his choice. The door was shut for the first 2 of 3 years, until he was completely trustworthy.

I'd set the pen up where it's going to be .. preferably on hard flooring it's easy to clean .. and you could either have another crate in there that you leave open, or a nice comfy bed. A lot will depend on whether he's a destructive chewer. Then he can have varying times in the pen during the day ... sleepy times, or when you can't directly supervise at first, or when you're leaving him. Each time he goes into his night crate, maybe give him a dog biscuit ... and something nice when he goes in hi pen .. so you're building up good associations.

All of that said though, don't sweat it too much .. things will work themselves out... and be ready to tweak your plans a bit to match the puppy you have in front of you. Just try to be clear and consistent in your expectations .. and remember puppies are expert at training humans. :D

[JaspersDad]

Just an update with how little Jasper is going. We got a call from the breeder and said he was good to go. Picked him up yesterday and he's slowly getting used to the place. Pretty much follows me or my partner around if he's out of his crate. The crating is going pretty well. Had him in there overnight and only had to take him out once in the middle of the night. Other than that, he didn't stir..except for the first hour or whimpering :)

Had a few problems cropping up. The first being the little guy is soooo small I can't work out if he's going potty or not. Haven't been sure a few times so it was hard to praise him. The amount of pee is so small, I didn't even notice him pee on the floor... twice. Both times I'd just brought him back in for a minute or two and put him in the crate. Somehow, he managed to relieve himself in that period. Another reason why its been hard to work out if he's been going or not. Trying to be more careful now. I smelt the blankets in his crate and he doesn't seemed to have gone in there thank god. Today he's done some sloppy work on the yard so there's that to deal with now too.

But the biggest issue I've discovered... he doesn't like treats. Like whatso ever. Granted I haven't tried everything but I have tried little bits of chicken, cheese, liver treats, smackos... I bought a bunch of stuff just to see what he'd like so I can use that to train him. But he's been completely disinterested with everything except the cheese, which he took a couple of tiny pieces but than that was it. (probably explains the sloppy poos too). He's not really into toys yet either. Need to find something that he likes.

So I'm at a bit of dead end at the moment. I'm just trying to praise him as much as possible when he does good things and little stern "no's" when he's bad.

All in all, things are good. Just worried about how docile he is. Nothing seems to phase him. Just wants to be picked up constantly.

[The Spotted Devil]

Congratulations!

Baby puppies may not be very food oriented because they have tiny tummies AND the whole coming home thing can be quite stressful. That might be the reason for the sloppy poo and the reason he is quiet. If this continues though speak to your vet to be on the safe side. He will likely enjoy treats a bit more as he starts to relax but keep it simple for a bit longer. Pups have a LOT of contact with their litter mates so they miss this. My litter were handled extensively and all the pups prefered to play and snuggle with me. They do need to learn to be alone but make sure they are warm enough - a snuggle safe is perfect for a baby puppy. When you leave him alone make sure he is nice and tired and maybe leave with him his food so yummy stuff = being left alone = awesome! Working out the pee schedule will come in time - don't stress. You can clean up with paper towels or a mop (warm water and vinegar) on hard floors. Then spray the area with Urine Off. I am keeping one of the pups from this litter and still have one to place - at 11 weeks I pretty much have them covered but they still have the odd accident inside when I miss their "signals."

Don't worry about the "no" - very difficult concept for dogs to understand :) Lots of praise and play for doing the right thing. Redirect or manage or train the rest. Remember that just because you are not TRAINING your pup it doesn't mean they are not LEARNING.

Have fun above all else! It does get easier

Edited July 12, 2015 by The Spotted Devil

[JaspersDad]

Haha, thanks for the reply. Its encouraging to hear some of the supportive comments people are leaving. He's really young and I guess I set myself a deadline to make him happy and settled before I head back to work. I had a plan. I don't think he checked his email.

Almost forgot the payment picture :)

Edit: apologies. Struggling to add pictures. Tried attachments and also an imgur link.

Edited July 12, 2015 by JaspersDad

[The Spotted Devil]

I use photobucket or else upload directly from your desktop computer if you have one!

i remember stressing over my first puppy - he's now 8.5 and I get more and more relaxed with each pup I have - I've had a couple for a month for friends as well as my own and they just slot in :)

[Dame Aussie]

You'll be fine! He may still be just getting used to the new environment so I wouldn't worry about the treats etc yet. Don't stress about missing the odd piddle, you'll know soon enough once he gets a wee bit bigger :)

Edited July 12, 2015 by Dame Aussie

[Tassie]

Pups differ a lot in how quickly they settle in, how they go with food, treats etc. A lot depends on how the litter has been raised, as TSD has said. But it does sound like you and he are doing just fine. Wouldn't worry about the treat thing for the first few days ... gently excited praise and cuddles and/or a little bit of gentle toy play are fine .. just letting him know how pleased you are with him. I love that he is liking following you and your partner around. And the quiet nights.

Second what TSD said about trying to avoid the 'no' .. it doesn't give the pup information about what you would like ... so if for example he's chewing something you don't want him to chew, you interrupt him and offer something he is allowed to chew, and encourage him to chew it.

[JaspersDad]

Well, it was short lived. Its 7:00am here and we probably slept about 30 minutes all up last night. It was a horrendous night. It started with the little guy only doing a tiny little number two before bed time which had me worried seeing he absolutely destroyed his dinner for the first time. We're having issues with potty at the moment. He does his little quick wee as soon as you set him down and then he bolts for the house. I pick him up, take him back to the potty spot and he just runs off again. So its been quite an ordeal. Trying to stick to consistent meal times and figuring out when he needs to do number twos will be great. I've got a question about meals but I'll get to that soon :)

Now... back to last night. Basically, from the second he was put in the crates he just whined. The first night he whined when we put him in, stopped after 20 minutes and then a few hours which required a quick outside break and everything was perfect minus a few little whinges. Last night was constant. Just the worst noises I've heard from an animal. Had us really concerned. Lots of scratching on the blankets and banging on the cage. So we took him out every hour or so. He did his usual quick sprinkle (if he's even doing that) and then runs back to the house. So we spent a few minutes outside each time (should have been longer in hindsight). The last time I put him out was 4am, same story. Back in the crate, howling. My partner gets up at 5am goes to let him out again and he's gone number 2 in the crate. Nightmare. To make it worse, the toy that we gave the breeder to get the litter smell on it was covered in poop as well so I've got no idea what I need to do there.

So, I'm completely lost now. Don't know how he's going to cope tonight. He's not really liking the look at the crate at the moment. I have a little towel that Ive been using as place for him sit no matter where it is, mainly for the couch, but most of the time it sits in front of the crate. He's still loving that at least. Just picked him up, towel and all, and put half in the crate to try to ease him back into it.

Should I just give up on this for now and try crate training later? My plan when I go back to work is to set up a big pen somewhere in the house, put down some pads or newspaper, his crate, toys etc. I was hoping I could just crate train now so he'd know that he's supposed to go outside. And then once he gets that, get him on the pads after that. At the moment, he's just dropping tiny pees everywhere in the house, we're not sure when he's going outside and the poos are just hard to get out of him.

Sorry for the massive post. Just at my wits end this morning. Last night was terrible. We need to find something that works at night soon. My partner is studying for exams at the moment after work 14 hour days at work so she needs some rest. .

[JaspersDad]

Oh the meal question! Completely forgot. The breeder wanted us to feed him 4 times a day... which to me seems like a lot and I thought is probably pushing back the potty time and making it dangerous for everyone involved. The breeder said to give him his first meal at 4:30 and take it from there. So we've been feeding at around 6:00am, 11:00am, 4:00pm and 7:00pm. Next week, it'll be back to 3 meals skipping the 11:00am and increasing the size of the 6:00am and 4:00pm meals. What do you guys think? I felt like the late dinner might be causing trouble?

I've attached a picture of the trouble maker.

[BullBreedBoy]

Okay. Step 1: don't panic!

I think you need to temper your expectations a little. You have a baby who was taken from his mum and everything that he knew in the world 2 days ago! I think you are worrying too much, and letting this become tense, instead of enjoying it.

Now, where is the crate located at night? If not in your bedroom, then put it in there, as close to your bed as possible. Him being able to smell/hear/see you will help significantly.

You ARE going to have toilet accidents. Puppies develop at different rates and he may very well have little to no control at the moment. It's ok, and most important step is to remain calm, clean it up and move on. Poo in crate!? Oh well never mind, just throw it all in the wash and move on.

I really think you need to take a step back, throw your bloody plan out the window and work with what's in front of you. You do not need your puppy to learn everything in the 1st week, and it's ridiculous to think they will.

I don't care what other breeders, or dog trainers say, I am bloody convinced that the most important thing you can do for your puppy in the early days is love him. Be with him, be in the moment and go with the flow a little.

Now get some bloody sleep! Have a nap on the couch with him. That's great bonding time.