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Housetrain your Puppy

Uh oh!

Now that you have brought your new puppy home…. how do you keep it from making a mess in your house??

It is tempting to get mad. You want to yell at your puppy, throw a fit, rub his or her nose in it, and swat his little behind with a newspaper. However, you should not do any of these things. Ignore the puppy and clean up the mess. The puppy will not connect the punishment or negative behavior with the mess he or she made - especially if it did not JUST recently happen. Clean up the mess and neutralize the odors as best as possible.

If you see the puppy starting to squat down to urinate or go potty on your floor, what should you do???

Don’t panic and don’t freak out on the puppy. Get his or her attention and get him or her to notice you. Get the dog outside as quickly as possible so that he or she will be able to make it outside instead of in your house. Once he/she has gone potty outside, praise him/her for doing a good job!

How can you avoid having your puppy “go” in the house?

Keep in mind that puppies are most likely to need to use the restroom first thing in the morning every day. They will also need to go potty every night before bedtime. They will need to go after playing before eating and after eating, before playing. It will become less frequent as the puppy ages, but consider that your puppy has a little bladder and may need to go fairly frequently.

Puppies will often rarely go potty in places where they have to sleep. If the puppy has a designated create or bin in which he/she sleeps, it is unlikely that the puppy will “go” in there as long as he/she gets regular trips outside to use the restroom.

A puppy of about 2 months old can generally hold his or her bladder in for about 3 hours and a puppy of about 5 months can hold it for about six hours so keep this in mind with your puppy.

Don’t forget to praise!!! When the puppy goes potty in the places and times where he/she is supposed to, reward him/her! Give him/her a treat, play a game, and talk in a positive manner. This helps to reinforce your desires on the puppy so that he/she will want to earn your praise by doing the right thing.

Feed your New Puppy

For puppies, food is terribly important. As puppies are going to grow up very fast, their bodies need plenty of the right kind of food and protein in order to develop into its adult body.

Your vet may recommend a brand of food and you may choose to go with that brand. If you don’t, try looking for a high quality brand of food. The food needs to be of a high quality and nutritionally balanced for a puppy. You may choose to combine canned and dry foods. Canned foods may be easier for your young puppy to digest, as he or she is still trying to adjust from being away from its mommy’s milk. A combination of both dry and canned can be the best option to have a fully rounded puppy diet.

How often should the puppy eat?

Your puppy will need to eat more frequently than an adult dog would need. Puppies from 3-6 months old often eat about 2-3 times per day - he or she is a very fast growing little pup and needs all the nutrition he/she can get! Check the manufacturer’s guide on the dog food to determine the appropriate amount of food based on body weight.

You won’t need to change your puppy’s food from puppy food to adult food until the puppy is 12 months old. This is where the puppy transitions to an adult dog and does not need the highly concentrated protein in puppy food.

Of course, we all want to give our puppy treats! How can you not? Make sure that you give your dog commercially made puppy treats - not just table scraps or left overs.

Puppy Vaccinations

When you are getting your puppy, make sure to ask the previous owner if the puppy had received any checkups or vaccinations. This information will be needed by your vet in order to determine the best vaccination schedule for your new family member. It is best to stick with that schedule so that you can best protect your puppy against infectious diseases. A typical schedule looks like this:

6-7 Weeks Old - Puppy is given it’s first combination vaccine (this includes hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, distemper, coronavirus).

9 Weeks Old - Puppy is given second round of vaccines.

12 Weeks Old - Puppy is given third round of vaccines as well as a Lyme Vaccine.

16 Weeks Old - Puppy is given last combination vaccine.

12-16 Weeks Old - First Rabies vaccine is given.

Other breeds may need additional vaccines, such as Rottweilers and Dobermans which need at least two Parvo Vaccines by 20 weeks old.

Puppy Diseases

Puppies and dogs can get a number of different diseases. Some of these diseases include:

Canine Distemper Virus - A very dangerous viral infection!!! Dog’s infected often appear to be too quiet, depressed, and withdrawn.

Hepatitis - A viral infection that mainly affects the liver.

Leptospirosis - Bacterial infection that focuses on the kidneys and affects many different mammals.

Parainfluenza - This virus causes upper respiratory infections.

Parvovirus - This is a highly infectious disease - one of the most fatal of dog diseases!! It affects the intestinal tract.

Coronavirus - Very severe - however, it is not always fatal.
You must get your dog vaccinated against these diseases!!! The shot is generally called the DHLPPCv vaccine. Once your puppy is old enough, he/she also needs to get vaccinated against rabies.

Have a Healthy Puppy

It’s easy to forget, in the joy of having a new puppy, that he or she is just like any other little baby. The puppy needs to have a good check up with his or her new veterinarian. The puppy also needs vaccinations and regular checkups to be sure that he or she stays healthy.

Make sure you get contact information for the person who sells/gives you your puppy so that you can contact them in the case that your puppy is not healthy! It was the breeder’s/owner’s responsibility to make sure that puppy was healthy when he/she was sold. See if you can make an arrangement with the previous owner - can they cover part of the health bills? Can they trade you for a healthier puppy? How will they compensate you for having to pay a vet to heal the puppy (if it is possible)?

Don’t just eat those costs!

New Puppy in the Family?

Are you considering adding the pitter patter of cute, adorable, and very fuzzy little feet to your family? Puppies have an inexorable way of just drawing in your love and affection, looking up at you with those adorable plaintive eyes that just scream - “Take me home with you!!”

If you have finally decided to make this choice, you must understand it will cause a big change for your household. Puppies need attention - they need love and affection and lots of play time!

There are many things to take into consideration when deciding on your first choice of puppy. If you haven’t already picked a puppy out, there is the chore of finding a new puppy to accomplish. It is best to look for a local breeder that allows you to see both parents of the puppy. Papered puppies (such as AKC or CKC registered) are going to be pricier, but this way you have a detailed record of who the parents, grandparents and so on of this puppy were. You can have stronger confidence that there was no incest involved and the puppies should have been well bred.

While a new puppy from a respected breeder is a good idea, don’t forget to also check your local humane society - especially if you aren’t picky on having a pure bred puppy. Adoption prices are often cheaper and already come with some vaccinations - and most humane societies have the dogs pre-neutered or spayed so that they can decrease the risk of unwanted puppies.

Make sure the puppy looks healthy - it should have a wet nose, clear eyes, and soft, clean fur. Most puppies are also very energetic and will vie among one another for your affection. If a puppy is hanging away from the others or not approaching you, seems quiet or sad, has dirty or neglected fur, a dry nose, or a lot of mucus and mess around the nose and eyes, this probably is not a good choice for  your household. Even if the puppy does appear healthy, make sure you have the puppy checked by a vet very soon after getting him or her home to get a clean bill of health. If the puppy isn’t healthy, take it back! You really do not want the cost and trouble involved in healing a sick puppy.

If you have other animals at home, be very careful when you introduce your new puppy to them. Cats and dogs can sometimes have issues with new members of the family - especially if they are older and are unused to having to share both their home and their people with some new creature. Older cats will tend to resent the intrusion of a new puppy and might pick on the puppy - getting in their shots while the puppy is still small enough and young enough to be unable to retaliate. Other dogs will become jealous - they will want whatever the puppy has and may fight with the puppy over treats, toys, food, and your affection. Do not neglect your other animals for the new puppy - they will feel the neglect and hate the new puppy because of its intrusion!!!

Hopefully, you can get a puppy that is happy, healthy, and gets along with any other animals in your family. If so, a puppy can be an absolute delight for you and your family! They are fun, rambunctious, and LOVE to play!!!

Puppy Names

One of the hardest parts of getting a NEW PUPPY is having to find a suitable name for that adorable bundle of joy!!! Everyone has different preferences, but you can find an excellent and extremely long list of puppy names at http://www.petnamesworld.com/.

or you can try an excellent puppy name generator online at http://www.dogsport.org/borzoi-in-canada/naming.htm.