Bringing Home a New Puppy

Today's article 'Searching For a Dog' was all about finding a new dog or puppy. So today's blog entry is all about bringing home a new puppy or a new dog.

The first day of bringing home a new puppy or new dog is one of the most important days for your new puppy. (New puppy will stand for new dog too from here down so I don't have to continually repeat it). The first week of bringing home a new puppy is also very important. The fist day will probably be very overwhelming for your new puppy, though you need to start with the rules of the house right away.

Teaching your puppy the rules of the house needs to start on day one. If you let your puppy get away with things on day one that you don't want him doing at all after day one, you will make things very unclear for your new puppy. So how do you go about teaching this new puppy who doesn't speak our language the rules of your house?

First thing's first, be sure he's on a leash! I can not say this enough! Do NOT under any circumstance let your puppy off the leash inside of your house. This is just asking for the puppy to chew things up and pee on the floor. Letting your puppy off the leash in your home on day one or even the first week for that matter, is setting both of you up to fail. I know it can be a hassle, but please, keep your puppy on leash and you will be very thankful you did.

What is the benefit of the leash? Having a leash on your new puppy, helps you keep track of your puppy. I recommend at least a 6 foot leash and if you need to, tie the end of it to your belt. Have your puppy with you guarantees your puppy can not go hide behind the sofa and pee, or find something to chew up while your not looking. It reminds you to keep an eye on your new puppy. It helps you learn your puppy's signals when they need to go outside.

What happens if you are too busy and it would be impossible to have your puppy on a leash tied to you? Your puppy needs to be in a crate or pen where he can not get into any trouble or have any accidents in the house! This is a MUST not an option. Remember puppies have very small bladders, some needing to go out every 10 or 15 minutes. Set a timer so you remember to take your puppy out. For more on house training, you can read more on our house training blog entry on the link to your right. For more on Crate training, you will also find that link to your right.

By doing these two things, your puppy will be well on his way to success in learning the rules in your home and developing wonderful habits! Keep a Clicker and some treats on hand so you can reward your puppy any time they do something good. What kind of good things can your puppy do good? Well lets see...

Any time your puppy sits, lays down, chews on his own toys, potties outside, is quiet in the crate, is keeping the leash loose, or is walking by your side. All of these are reward-able and your puppy will offer on his own all of these. Using the Clicker you can capture each of these and get a head start on training your new puppy. You didn't even have to do anything! Your puppy offered them all!

By following this simple plan, your new dog or puppy will be well on their way to being a well behaved dog in your home. Be sure to get your copies of Click for Joy! and Clicking With Your Dog.

If you'd like something to really get you started with your new puppy, check out Karen Pryor, Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs Kit that should cover everything you need to get started! Getting these books beforehand is also a great idea and will give you a lot of ideas on what you can do on your first day. If your one of those people who would rather watch a DVD than read a book and get started right away, check out Karen Pryor, Clicker Puppy DVD it will give you a lot of great tips to get you started!


Good luck with bringing home a new puppy! Before you leave, here's a nice video I found on the perfect puppy setup.



A Great set up I have to agree, but not all houses are set up that nicely. You can also train your puppy barrier control easy enough with out the use of baby gates. Check out Don Sullivan's Secrets to Training the Perfect Dog [DVD]. Though Don doesn't use treats in training, I'm sure you could find a way to use the clicker to train the barriers. Don doesn't just do barriers in the house, but also outside to keep your dog in the yard. His DVD is high priced at Amazon, you can get it a lot cheaper at Thane.com

You might also check out our latest Squidoo page on Puppy Teething

Happy Training!

House Training

Question of the day: How do I go about House Training my new puppy?

Answer: There are a few things you can do that will help you in house training your puppy or new dog. First thing is to know what times a puppy is most likely in need of going out such as after; eating, sleeping, playing, drinking, & training. When it comes to house training, it's also important to know puppies have very small bladders and need to go out very often. Sometimes as often as every 10 - 15 minutes. They key to house training is to time how long before they need to go out each time (you'll see they tend to keep on track) then set a timer to remind you a few minutes before they should need to go out.

Next key to house training, is going outside with your puppy. Don't just put your puppy outside and expect them to go do their business, they will just sit at the door wanting back in. When you let them back in, they will pee on the floor. So go outside with your puppy, walk around with your pup and tell them to go potty. If they go, praise them! You can give them a treat or even play with them a bit to make it rewarding to go outside. If they don't go, bring them in and put them directly in their crate for about 5 minutes for a very young puppy and 15-20 minutes for an older puppy. Then take them directly outside to go potty again. Repeat this until they go.

Your puppy will soon realize going potty outside is rewarding, where as, not going outside equals crate time and no fun. They key to house training is CONSTANT Supervision. A good trick is called a tether. Use a 6 ft' leash, your puppy on one end and the other end tied to your belt. This way you don't get distracted and forget to keep an eye on your puppy. They can't wonder off and pee behind the couch this way, or go off to chew anything up. If you can't watch them or have them tied to you, then they need to be in their crate. Don't allow for any accidents to happen and your puppy will soon know that they need to potty outside. Tethers also help you to get to know your puppies signs of when they need to go out.

If an accident happens, if you catch them in the act then tell them no and take them outside quickly. If they finish outside, praise them. If you find an accident later after the fact, you are too late. Watch the puppy better next time. Prevention is the key.

Books on House Training: These books will further help you on your road to successfully house training your new dog or puppy.

Breed of the Week: The Weimaraner!

I chose the Weimaraner for this week's dog breed since I have one myself,Pic to left, and I wanted to share some info about them.

Weimaraner's are a medium to large breed dog. They are usually highly active and bred for working in the field all day as a hunter. There are two types of Weimaraners including Show and Field. Their are some breeders out there trying to get the best of both worlds, then their are some going more for field or show. A field bred Weimaraner are usually a little smaller and can be on the medium side of dogs. These dogs are usually more active and ready to go all day. Show dogs on the other hand are usually more on the calm side, yet they are still a highly energetic breed and need lots of daily exercise. A Weimaraner isn't for everyone.

Weimaraners are a very versatile breed, first bred in Germany, as a large game dog, hunting Bears & Wild boar. Now days they are used mostly for hunting birds. Weimaraners are a pointing breed, but they can also retrieve and usually love to swim which makes them good for water retrieves when the weather is right.

Weimaraners are great at a lot of things including, but not limited to; Agility, Tracking, Hunting, Flyball, Retrieving, Pointing, Search & Rescue, Service Dogs, and even Police Dogs.

Weimaraners have a very short coat and require very minimal grooming. They do require a lot of exercise and you must be willing to give it to them or they will put their energy towards something your most likely not going to like, such as digging or chewing. Weimaraners are also known for counter surfing, training while they are young is a definite must!

Weimaraner's life span is usually about 10-12 years. They are prone to bloat, research is needed to be sure you do what you can for this not to happen. They are also prone to health issues such as Hip Dysplasia, Excessive rapid growth (Hypertropic osteodystrophy), and Tumors.

When looking for a Weimaraner, if you are getting one from a breeder, you want to be sure they are doing health checks on the parents such as OFA testing, Checking hips, Elbows, thyroid, eyes..etc.. The more health checks the better.

There's a lot to learn about Weimaraners, if your thinking about this breed I definitely recommend doing your research! Check www.akc.org , look for reputable breeders that do health checks, go to dog shows, and read books! Even if you plan to rescue a Weimaraner, these resources are key!

Some books on Weimaraners:

If your already a fan of Weimaraners, here's a nice Calender

dreamhost coupons