Puppy Home
Early days (bringing your puppy home)
Puppy ownership is a big responsibility and when you bring your new puppy home, it will require your help, support and attention.
Dog ownership brings with it responsibility but will prove to be an extremely rewarding and pleasurable experience. In time, with the correct training and care, your puppy will hopefully become a well adjusted adult who is a pleasure to own and a credit to you and the dog society at large.
Until puppies know how to behave and are reliably toilet trained it is better to keep them closely supervised or contained in a ‘dog proof’ environment, with no access to carpets, chemicals, exposed electrical wiring or expensive furniture. The puppy could be contained within a room by a child-gate, or in a puppy pen or large mesh crate, and taken out in the garden frequently under supervision. Make sure your garden is escape proof. If not only take your puppy there on its lead.
Routines
During the first few months, puppies really benefit from a good routine, so get into the habit of feeding your puppy at regular intervals. Take it outside immediately it wakes up, following its mealtimes, and every hour or two. Make sure that you schedule in ‘play times’, and ‘quiet times’ when you are present, but not interacting with it. Your puppy needs to learn to settle quietly as well as how to occupy itself with a chew or its toys, otherwise it will become demanding and expect you to interact with it all the time.
Out of bounds areas
It is strongly recommended that you keep your puppy away from the stairs and steep drops, as running up and down stairs can damage a puppy’s delicate growth plates, causing long term damage. Even jumping off chairs, sofas and beds can cause unnecessary damage, and puppies are best kept off these. You should also lift them in and out of cars, and be careful not to play fetch games on slippery floors, or encourage them to jump about or twist themselves, for the same reason.
Chewing
Puppies chew while teething and during adolescence. Provide plenty of suitable chews and change them often. Teach your puppy what to chew and what to leave alone. Try not to leave your puppy in a place where it can damage your things or itself. Prevention is better than cure.
It is very important that your puppy has a range of appropriate toys to play with. Chew toys provide mental stimulation and help with relief of teething pain. Select toys for your puppy carefully – some may be too small and might choke your puppy whilst other items might splinter. You should also have toys that you can play with interactively with your puppy.
Gardens
Young puppies should not be put out or left out on their own in a garden for any length of time. They quickly get bored and frustrated, and become destructive, noisy and potentially territorial. It is much better to go into the garden with your puppy at regular intervals, so that it is clear that it is being taken there for toileting purposes. Avoid leaving the back door open, because if your puppy can go in and out as it pleases, this can adversely affect its toilet training, as well as its recall response.
Puberty
Puppies normally reach puberty any time from six months old and their elevated hormone levels can adversely affect their behaviour, so seek help if you are having any problems. This behaviour will not ‘automatically’ be resolved by neutering despite advice you may receive to the contrary. Try not to worry – it soon passes!
Bitches are normally ‘in season’ for three weeks and are fertile during this time. They should not be taken outside other than the garden or allowed to mix with male dogs. You can tell your bitch is in season when her vulva swells and she exudes a discharge which may be blood tinged. This should happen about every six months, throughout her life.
As male dogs reach puberty they start cocking their legs and you may observe an increased interest in other dogs, independence, mounting behaviour and ‘macho’ behaviour with dogs and/or people.
Food and water bowls
You will need separate (non-tip) bowls for water and food. These should be raised up off the floor for tall dogs. Make sure fresh water is always available for your puppy.
Bedding
Your puppy needs a comfortable bed, so buy a bed big enough for it to grow into, and stretch out in. There are many types of good bedding for your puppy.
Most puppies love snuggling into a piece of ‘vet bed’ or similar. This is a synthetic simulated sheepskin, which is hygienic, machine washable, totally non-allergic and relatively resistant to chewing. It can also help to prevent pressure sores on bigger dogs. Buy two pieces so you use one while washing and drying the other.
Puppy crates, play pens and child-gates
Some dogs love having their own ‘four poster beds’ and many puppy owners find these useful for containing the puppy and keeping it safe and out of trouble when it is alone, rather like putting a baby in a cot or play pen.
When ordering a crate for your puppy, buy one big enough for it to lie in stretched out and standing up in when it is fully grown. Make sure that the mesh is not too big as puppies may get their mouths caught. Put some bedding inside and tie some toys in the far end of the crate so the puppy has to go in there to play with them. Gently place your puppy in there whenever it falls asleep. Leave occasional treats in the crate for the puppy to find, so the puppy learns to love going in there. Do not shut the door until your puppy is comfortable.
You can gradually increase the time the puppy stays in the crate, initially this should be whilst you are in the room.
Make sure it has recently emptied its bladder and bowels before it enters. Do not leave your puppy in the crate or puppy pen for more than a couple of hours during the daytime. Although most puppies are content to sleep in their crate overnight, they get very distressed if they have to foul near their beds, so you must be prepared to get out of your bed to let them out if they need to toilet during the night. If they have fouled inside the crate, you must clean it out immediately or the puppy will hate being in the crate.
Never use the crate as a punishment or you will teach your puppy to resent it. Always remove the puppy’s collar when in the crate in case it gets caught up on it.
Grooming equipment
Short coated dogs need to be groomed regularly, especially when they are moulting as their short hairs can get stuck into everything! Use a rubber toothed brush or a short bristle brush, which massages the skin and works out the loose hair.
Always brush your puppy slowly and gently. Gradually introduce the concept of grooming in very short sessions. If your puppy tries to bite the brush, put some taste deterrent on the brush so it learns not to bother.
Dog shampoo
Dogs only need to be bathed every few months unless they have been swimming or have rolled in something smelly. Use a dog shampoo and put a non-slip mat down if using the bath. Towel drying your puppy is important and will get it used to being dried when it comes home wet from a walk.
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