"Ready or not, here I come!" Photo: Ferdi's World/Flickr
1. Get lots of toys
"A puppy, no matter what size, age or breed is going to have a lot of energy," says Arden, who recommends having plenty of toys around the house to keep your pup busy and out of trouble. A toy that can be stuffed with food keeps puppies busy by encouraging them to hunt for their meals, and burns calories at the same time. Arden suggests keeping five to ten toys on hand. Remember, she says, "a nice tired puppy is a wonderful puppy."
2. Create a confinement area
"There's a misconception about crating or confining your pet," says Arden. "It's not cruel. We use confinement to keep pets safe, like we do with children. If you were a visitor at someone's home, you wouldn't want to be set free to explore the home to then be reprimanded for going somewhere or touching something you weren't supposed to. It's the same with your new dog."
Arden advises puppy owners to purchase a crate that's an appropriate size for your pooch to stand up in, lie down, and turn around comfortably. This is meant to be used as a short-term confinement area. If you need to leave your pup alone for a stretch of time, consider an exercise pen – similar to a baby pen. Such pens give puppies more room while keeping them in one place.
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3. Forget the doggy bed, use a towel instead
New dog owners don't necessarily need to invest in a doggy bed right away, says Arden, who recommends using an easy-to-clean towel during the first few months. "I usually offer a puppy bed when the dog is five or six months old."
4. Get a (good) collar and leash
"Ideally, you'll have one of three collars – a plain buckle nylon collar, a Martingale collar that's fitted to your puppy's collar (especially good for Italian Greyhounds) or an Easy Walk or SENSE-ation harness," says Arden. The two harnesses have a front leash attachment design and don't pull on your dog as much. For leashes, the trainer recommends a 3-to-6-foot nylon style. Retractable leashes are better suited for older dogs who have already been trained.
5. Groom early and often
Start good grooming habits early with your puppy. "Clip a nail a day just so he gets used to the sensation," says Arden. Buy a toothbrush or rubber tip for your finger and brush your pup's teeth every day with pet safe toothpaste. Arden also recommends using unscented baby wipes to clean his paws every time you come in from outside. And remember to bathe your new pup in pet-safe shampoo and conditioner every two to three weeks.
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This is some good info.
We always wanted a dog but because we were living in a big city we
never got one. As soon as we moved to the suburbs we bought a Golden
Retriever. We couldn't get that dog to do anything we wanted it to.
We just assumed that we bought a wacky puppy. We were about to give the
puppy away when somebody told me about a puppy training system that we
could get on the internet. The results were amazing, as soon as WE
learned the skills we needed to train him properly his behavior
changed. Now he is the most lovable and well behaved dog of all. It
was our fault all along, what we didn't know we learned at.
http://cli.gs/SecretsToDogTraining .
i love dogs and these tips helped so much! my pup is a fun loving CLEAN happy little guy..thank you=]
i love small pups=] and i know that i hate seeing them unhappy so before i got a dog i went on this website and looked at the wonderful tips! when i got my little pup i followed the tips and now at 1yrs old he is happier, healthier, f unloving, and CLEAN! he actually loves getting his teeth brush and baths and getting his hair combed=] thank you..you gave me fantastic advice!
In this country there are about 45 million households that have a
total of about 75 million dogs. Most of us do our best to train their
pets but never learned the best way to so. Having an untrained or
improperly trained dog makes the experience less enjoyable for both.
I can say this because we got a puppy in my house and it was a disaster
for us. We couldn't house train it and the puppy was moody and constntly biting us. We thought that we just picked out the wrong dog.
We were about to give him away when a friend of mine suggested, in a
nice way, that maybe we just didn't know how to train it. I gave it
some thought and realized that I had no idea what I was doing and was
just doing what I thought other people that I knew had dogs were
doing. I did a little research and found a training system on line
http://tiny.cc/WellTrainedDog and took a shot. I quickly discovered
that it wasn't the wrong dog, it was me not having the right skills,
that was the cause of the problems. In less than a week everything
turned around and all of the sudden we had the best and most lovable
dog in the world.
Well, the most important thing you need is LOVE and Patience!
http://lillysstory.com/
Potty training is the biggest hurdle to get over when you bring your first puppy home. Our first was always leaving us little surprises around our house. No matter how long I walked him he seemed to have a preference for some of the rugs we had in our house. It got to the point where we were going to give him up because we didn't see an end to the problem and as he got bigger he kept leaving us bigger surprises. I tried everything I knew but it wasn't until I found http://cli.gs/PuppyPottyTraining on the internet that everything changed. After that it's all good
WHAT KIND OF DOG IS THAT??????????
I've wanted a dog 4 as long as I can remember and 1 nyt my gran came home with 1... i was just 2 excited! I was sick and weak from all the anti-biotics, but I made time to play with her. Mandy, was the most adorable pup i had ever seen-No offence- She was very chubby and would roll over each time she tried to chase me(lol)
I went to visit my gran 1 afternoon on a compulsory weekend(i was in boarding school) and MANDY was nowhwre to be found*sniff-sniff*. i still don't know what happened to here and if she is still alive*more sobs* To me this uis a very sensitive issue and i don't like to talk about it.
Mandy, was my non-human best friend and words can't begin to describe the loneliness I have been feeling l8ly...i know we will be reunited again in heaven
I'm pretty sure all the dog lovers will understand. Keep lurving em y'all and keep em safe and happy!
I HAD A DOG NAMED CODEY HE DIED ON SEP. 7 2008 HE WAS A BLACK LAB I MISS HIM !
Does anyone have any information on how to go from training your puppy on potty pads to going outside? This is the 1st time that I've ever used potty pads & now my family is on my case that he is too big to still be using those & I need to find out how to make the transition. Info or links would be very appreciated. Thanks!
Thank you for these great tips.
I am planning to bring home this beautiful pup. Her mother belongs to my husband's family and this was the dog's first litter (I think they will be getting her fixed soon - she was rescued) The litter was quite big and we weren't sure if there were going to be enough people wanting the pups.
I have been wanting a dog for quite a while but I live in the city and work full-time. I know I will be able to take good care of her when I am at home but I am really worried about the time when she will be on her own since I can't afford doggie day cares.
I wanted to know if anybody has had any experience with the exercise pen. I definitely want her to have a lot of space to play around in while I am at work but I definitely want to make sure that she does not chew on things that are bad for her. I think an exercise pen will give me a peace of mind.
Thanks in advance for your help.