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Your pooch needs a safe home
Dogs need a safe home they can call their own. If you can't afford a kennel for your pooch, create a cosy corner.
Dogs need a safe home they can call their own. If you can't afford a kennel for your pooch, create a cosy corner yourself.
Bringing your puppy home
Prepare your house for your puppy's arrival. A special place should be designated for it to eat, sleep, and eliminate. Obtain any necessary accessories (eg, collar, leash, ID tag, crate, and dishes) before you bring your puppy home. You will need to puppy-proof your home just as you would child-proof your home to avoid accidents. Harmful cleansers, plants, electrical cords, and breakable objects should be kept out of reach. Open windows should be screened. The best home for your puppy is a crate.
A crate is a combined sleeping area, housebreaker, and preventer of bad habits; basically, it's one of the best investments you'll ever make for your puppy. Select a crate that is large enough to house the dog when fully grown, and insert a divider to make it smaller for housebreaking. The reduced area should be small enough so that the puppy can't eliminate in one end and sit/sleep in the other. To make the crate a friendly place, appropriate bones (choose carefully and consult your veterinarian) can be placed within it and the puppy can be fed inside of it. Puppies should only be left in their crates for short periods initially, so that they learn that they will not be confined in them permanently.
But when he's fast asleep, don't wake him suddenly. Be alert for common household items that could hurt your pet. Keep cleaning fluids, paint and other chemicals out of his reach, and make sure the lid on your garbage can is always secure. If he gobbles up what's in there, he could get sick. Keep him away from poisonous plants and trees, like azaleas, lilies, English ivy and rhododendron.
Housebreaking is an important part of this stage. Young puppy should be taken out immediately upon waking and just before retiring, as well as multiple times during the day. Most puppies cannot "hold it" for long periods so it will be necessary to take the puppy out almost every hour at first (especially after periods of play, naps, and mealtimes), and then gradually increase the amount of time between visits to the "bathroom." Take the puppy to the same area each time and praise it immediately and enthusiastically when it eliminates. Do not play with, or talk to, the puppy until after it has eliminated. Remember, if the puppy doesn't eliminate outside, its urine and feces are being saved for deposit inside your house!
While he's being housebroken, your puppy may have an accident inside the house. Be sure to clean it up right away with disinfectant and odor remover. If he can still smell it, he may have another accident in the same spot!
