It's Almost Puppy Season!
Ahh, springtime! It is almost puppy season, and I had a few words of advice for those contemplating bringing a new puppy into the home. Of course, the first step is choosing the right puppy for your family - one that will fit into your activity level and lifestyle. The other day, I had avid bicyclists in the store, talking about how they thought bassett hounds were the best dogs. Apparently, they were going by looks, because bassetts are notorious couch potatoes!
The shelters often have many dogs, and in this tough economy, there are even more pure bred dogs available at the shelters. I encourage you to check that out as an option. In addition, shelters can offer more mature dogs, who will not have the chewing and housebreaking issues of a small pup.
Once you decide to bring a pup home, housebreaking is the next issue to consider. A young puppy will need to go out about every 2 hours, when they wake up from naps, and after eating. I always recommend crate training, since puppies instinctively do not want to soil their “den”. When the pup is not being directly supervised, he or she should be in their crate.
If you catch the puppy in the act of soiling the house, the best advice I’ve found is to pick them up quickly, with an “oh, no” or “oops”. The startle should make them stop going. Rush them outside, and be sure to praise lavishly when they do their business outside. You can get products to treat any accident areas, to prevent the puppy from going back to that spot in the house. Nature’s Miracle, which I sell, is especially good for that. It neutralizes the scent very well.
For the first few weeks, housebreaking is mainly training yourself to recognize when the pup has to go. As they mature, they can “hold it” longer, and are able to give you a better cue that they need to go out. Keeping things as positive as possible will make sure you and the pup have a good relationship for future training efforts.
It is never “too early” to train, although a pup has a very short attention span. Training & chewing will be covered in the next update of the blog!
The shelters often have many dogs, and in this tough economy, there are even more pure bred dogs available at the shelters. I encourage you to check that out as an option. In addition, shelters can offer more mature dogs, who will not have the chewing and housebreaking issues of a small pup.
Once you decide to bring a pup home, housebreaking is the next issue to consider. A young puppy will need to go out about every 2 hours, when they wake up from naps, and after eating. I always recommend crate training, since puppies instinctively do not want to soil their “den”. When the pup is not being directly supervised, he or she should be in their crate.
If you catch the puppy in the act of soiling the house, the best advice I’ve found is to pick them up quickly, with an “oh, no” or “oops”. The startle should make them stop going. Rush them outside, and be sure to praise lavishly when they do their business outside. You can get products to treat any accident areas, to prevent the puppy from going back to that spot in the house. Nature’s Miracle, which I sell, is especially good for that. It neutralizes the scent very well.
For the first few weeks, housebreaking is mainly training yourself to recognize when the pup has to go. As they mature, they can “hold it” longer, and are able to give you a better cue that they need to go out. Keeping things as positive as possible will make sure you and the pup have a good relationship for future training efforts.
It is never “too early” to train, although a pup has a very short attention span. Training & chewing will be covered in the next update of the blog!
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