Any tips for a new puppy?

Question

My dog passed away last week and my parents decided to get a puppy. The last couple of dogs we have had were from rescue centres and a little older; weve not had a pup in the family for 20 years now!

He is a boxer pup and we are getting him on wednesday. We bought him a wee bed, bowls and some toys from the pet shop we always go to, and we will be taking him to obedience classes so he is trained properly. But what i would like is some advice for the first week or so we have him when he is away from his mum and the other pups for the first time, and any other things that could help.

Thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

My puppy loved an old sock stuffed with old tights and sewn up to cuddle up to when we first got him. I suppose it's a comfort thing. He also really settled down to sleep at night with the radio on. You can buy puppy training treats to treat him everytime he goes to the toilet outside. My pup was trained within two days. Get him used to a collar and lead as soon as possible too, even though he won't be able to walk until he has had his injections. Lots of toys to keep him occupied. Good luck and enjoy.  

Answer 2

be prepared to have a bad couple of nights unless you let the pup sleep with you- he is going from a whole litter of buddies to being all alone.

plus its never to early to start training- when you see hes about to sit tell him to sit! then praise him... he will eventually correlate the vocal command with the action hes already doing and learn to get rewarded (not always with treats but lots of verbal praise),

get your shoes off the floor! he will be teething soon if hes not already, which means he will want to chew on things, i.e. a puppy chewing on your hand or toes may be cute but it turns into a very bad habit....

take him out after every meal and drink and at least every few hours to get his potty schedule on track...and praise him when he goes out side

good luck  

Answer 3

Have a radio and he will whin cause he is lonely and the radio makes him feel like someones in there with him!  I hope your new puppy does well! Make sure to take him to the vet!

Answer 4

on his first few nights he will CRY hes little heart out..

Leave him with a pair of your socks or somthing so he can smell you.

but dont give in.. unless u want him upstairs in your rooom (which they do tend to wee on the beds to mark there spot if u do)

keep him down stairs for a few nights without going down to see if hes okay, hes fine!

Also, you could get a crate, which is like a little cage for him. You have one half of it all bedded up and the other for water and food for when you go round the shops or go to work ect. this isnt mean or nasty on you pup and it will keep him from trashing the bin, chewing up the sofa ect..

also when training if the pup does somthing naught drop a chain on the floor as they hate the sound and he will quickly learn not too do it.

when hes being good you tell him he is good. When he is bad & attention seeking ignore him.

also pups are known to nibble and bite, if you have children teach them so when the pup nibbles or bites on fingers or anywhere to should OUCH in a high pitched loud vouise, this too scares the dog and they will imidatly stop.

I have a dog and all these have worked on him x Hes a great dog and my best friend x

Answer 5

When I got my dogs they really liked their hotwater bottle with fluffy cover.  I know now if you want to spend the money you can buy special puppy comforters that are like toys but have a heartbeat sound and some have basic heating elements.  Get a book about puppy training but the most important advice i was ever given was to treat the puppy like you are another dog if you want it to understand you.  Tone of voice is very important.  If it hurts you by nipping or scratching at you you should yelp.  When it has done something naughty growl.  If it has been really naughty roll it onto its back and hold it there  until it gets still and growl while holding it.  This works heaps better than hitting or just shouting at the puppy and doesnt hurt it.  You should also be consistent with the puppy.  Agree before you get it what games are appropriate.  For example I dont like my dogs to play tugging games with me because then if it is important that i get something off them (like something they have that might hurt them) they might think i am playing and not give it to me.  My father loves to play tugging games when we visit and keeps undoing my training!

Enjoy your puppy they grow up really quickly so get lots of photos.

Answer 6

Call it Chuck Norris, every other dog will be scared stiff.

Answer 7

First, this is a must-read article: "Before you get your puppy."

http://www.openpaw.org/PDFs/BEFORE_YouGe...

Also join this site below; there is no better boxer resource.  There are a few forums you should check out in the Puppy Matters section.  I'm sure you will also find the Health Forums and Behavior Forums to be very helpful.

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/

Check out the articles from that site as well; the first few are about puppy care.

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/view_ar...

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/view_bo...

And here are some more wonderful articles on preparing for your new pup:

http://www.dogbehaviour.com/articles/dog...

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berne...

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles...

Good luck. =)

Add:

Be prepared to take lots of pictures and videos -- he won't stay small for long.  Boxers are especially hilarious when they're puppies =)

Answer 8

Look up crate training this will give him his safe place to sleep.

If he tiddles inside just pick him up & put him outside to show him where he should tiddle don't tell him off.When he does it outside lots of praise.

Continue with the feeding programme he has been on you can slowly introduce new food to him over the coming weeks.

Ask your vets do they do puppy classes to socialise new puppies of a similar age.I was great fun when I took mine.

Get puppy toys nothing that sharp little teeth can destroy & eat the contents.

You will have to have eyes in the back of your head so anything that is valuable like remote controls,shoes,pens the list is endless keep out of reach.

If you don't want him upstairs get a baby gate it will solve lots of probs with things being chewed to destruction.

He will not replace the one you lost but you will have a wonderful dog to have new memories,you may find that the puppy is a reincarnate of the old one.Mine I am sure has my old boy in her some where as some of the things she does is exactly what my old boy would have done.

Take lots of piccies.

Best of luck,  

Answer 9

Sleep with him for the first couple of nights, it helps with bonding :)

Answer 10

I have always kept dogs. Here are the things I have found useful and effective:

1. Patience. A dog, whether a puppy or grown does not have the same understanding as you. Do not allow your frustration to show when he/she doesn’t understand what you think are simple commands.

2. A dog reacts to sounds, not words (in general- I have had some very intelligent dogs that defy the following assumptions) when you say ‘sit’ he (I’ll use ‘he’ from now on- it means or she!) will not react to the word but to the sound. So try to make your commands sound different. ‘No’ and ‘go’ sound like the same command to a dog. You can, with time and patience and often with a different hand movement teach them the difference. But often it is easier, especially where the dog is a pet as opposed to a working dog, to use different words. E.G. ‘no’ means ‘no’, but for go you might use ‘away’.

3. I have always found it advantageous to imagine the dog is a small child. When a child misbehaves, we use strong, emphasised words to teach them they have been naughty. Think the same way with a dog. It’s not his fault. He doesn’t know any better and it is your job to help him to learn how to behave.

4. Dogs have short memories. If they wee where they shouldn’t, no matter how quickly you correct the dog, he will not associate the punishment with the act. So don’t punish. I have found in these situations the best thing is to ensure the dog is taken out at regular times. Take treats and when he does his business in the right place give him a treat. If he does mess in the house or some other place, don’t scold him. Just don’t give him the treats. Eventually (and this is where the patience comes in) the dog will associate the act and the place with treats. ‘nuff said.

5. If the pup favours one of the family and whines at night (which is likely at first) put one of his favourite’s socks in bed with him. I had a pup 25 years ago and he whined all night. The only way I could stop him was to have his bed next to ours and sleep with my hand hanging over the bed and he kept my finger in his mouth all night. An old fellow I knew (a poacher who was more dog than man!) gave me this tip.

6. Make the training fun. Don’t see it as a chore. (I’m sure you won’t.) Make it part of your normal day- involve the pup wherever possible.

7. Do not (and I am sure, again, you don’t need to be told this), leave him alone for extended periods. If this is necessary (for example, shopping trips) make sure you do it gradually. 10 minutes in the house while you are in the garden and gradually increase the time. But no dog should be left alone for more then an hour or two. You wouldn’t leave a child alone- so why would you leave a dog?

Most of this is common sense. I’m sure if you have kept dogs before you don’t need to be told these things. But I understand your apprehension at having a puppy for the first time in years. I hope some of this is helpful. Good luck and thanks for taking the time to ask for advice in the interests of one of our companions. Though I am sure, reading your post you don’t need any advice. You know what’s what and will take it in your stride. Give the little darling a pat from me!

Answer 11

Collect your puppy early in the morning; this will enable you to have several rehearsals for bedtime. It will help him settle and get used to his new surroundings. If you carry out the following he will not cry during the night and it will prevent separation anxiety for the rest of his life...

If you bring your dog home by car take someone with you who will do the driving and let him lie on your lap, (not the driver, the puppy) this will help him to recognise you as his best friend. Do not let him into the house until he has been into the yard/garden and when you put him down he will probably urinate. If he does, use a phrase like “get one” and use this phrase every time he urinates. Eventually he will pee on command. After he has a pee let him wander around your yard/garden, if it’s not fenced keep him on a lead. After this take him into the house.

If you do the following you will be able to potty train your dog and prevent separation anxiety. Dogs get separation anxiety if they are left alone. Hopefully you realise that you cannot leave your puppy all day,   some dogs get very stressed if they are left alone for just a short time.  You cannot take them shopping or to the dentists, consequently YOU MUST TRAIN THEM TO BE CONFIDENT WHEN THEY ARE LEFT AND PREVENT SEPARATION ANXIETY.

Puppies need a lot of sleep and he will be tired after sniffing around the garden, he will need to rest and sleep in peace. Do the following to ensure that he does not suffer from separation anxiety and does not miss his mum and his litter mates. This is also vital if you want your dog to be clean and potty trained.

Put your dog in a separate room if possible, then go out of this room and close the door. Open the door immediately and go into the room again, ignore your dog whilst pretending to clean the counter tops or pretend to do something else for a very short time. Go out of the room and immediately go back in again, keep doing this and gradually increase the amount of time which you stay on the other side of the door.

Timing is vital and you must get back into the room BEFORE YOUR PUPPY CRIES. Eventually your puppy will go to sleep and will be convinced that you are just on the other side of the door. When you know that he is asleep stop going into the room, however you MUST LISTEN FOR HIM WAKING UP.

When you know that he is awake, go into the room lift him up and CARRY HIM into the garden for a pee and whilst he is doing this say “get one” and praise him profusely. Puppies need feeding about four times a day, although he may have a pee before his feed you should also take him out again afterwards. You must always take him out when it wakes up and after he has had food or drink. It’s also a good idea to let him explore your yard/garden afterwards and play with him. Before you go to bed, take him out again and when you wake up take him out immediately

It is vital that you continue with the door thing for the first few days. This will stop him crying during the night because he will think that you are close by. To ensure that you have a happy puppy, try to devote all of your time to him for the first two weeks.  This will help with potty training, however he will not have any control for the first few months and he will pee during the night... To help him, use newspaper that you have rubbed in one of the pees that he has done outside and leave several layers of newspaper on the floor. Hopefully he will toilet on the newspaper during the night.

You should also encourage visitors as this will help with his socialisation. Later when you able to take him out, walk around supermarket car parks and the perimeter where there are lots of people. Stand at the school gates and watch the children coming out and you MUST take him to puppy classes to get used to other dogs.

GOOD LUCK.

Answer 12

1. NEVER BUY A PUPPY just LOOKS, colour along, fur type-COLOUR, fur type and looks HAS NO INDICATION OF DOGS TEMPERMENT!

2. Consider your lifestyle-

4. Are you out more then 8hours a day

5. Consider your energy requirements, Size, Grooming.

6. Don't just buy because someone says this is the dog for you, people particular on yahoo answer will give you there particular favourite breed& what suits them, not what actually suit you.

7. Read all you can-THERE are alot of false information on the web and in books about different dog breed.

8 DON'T TRUST THOSE DOG BREED SELECTORS-MOST OF THE RESULTS ARE INCORRECT. Ex i search large breed dogs, and the Pomeranian came up, which of cause is a toy dog breed!!

9. NEVER BUY FROM A PETSTORE, BACKYARD BREEDER, PUPPY MILL OR NEWSPAPER, DON'T BUY FROM NEXT DAY PETS OR DOG BREED INFO, RESCUE AN ADULT DOG OR SHELTER PUPPY!

I wouldn't recommend leaving the radio or tv on while your out-these two are the common causes of housefires!

I'VE been through a HOUSEFIRE and LOST TWO cats for IT!!!

Answer 13

well just let him get to know u guys and get used to being in the house thats what we had to do to my dog angel,and cat artie

Answer 14

It's just going to take time to get used to the wrench of being away from his mother,close contact with people during this early stage is important.I've had my dog since he was a pup,your wee dog will settle in quickly,the first few days he may be whining,but he'll get over it.If you have access to a garden have him outside as much as you can,because he'll do the toilet outside and will hate doing it indoors or anywhere else other than the grass and he'll become toilet trained very quickly.

Answer 15

give it lots of love but don't spoil it.

Answer 16

My best advice for you would be to read as much as you can about raising and training a puppy.

Answer 17

One thing that could really help them is ask the breeder to give you a towel or blanket that mom and the other puppies have been sleeping on - the familiar scent could help him sleep through the night better.

One thing I would like to warn you of though, don't spend every waking moment with the puppy (and I know it's hard, especially with a boxer!). You need to let them have some time alone to get used to being by themselves. Even if you work at home and can be with him all day, eventually he will need to be by himself.

Answer 18

just spend time with him and play with him.  teach him that mouthing isn't ok, and simple stuff like that.

make sure you don't baby and spoil your dog, for they will develope separation anxiety and become spoiled brats

Answer 19

Just love him, don't show fear, play with him. Training school is great

you have to go too. Start lying down the rules, for your house hold.

Don't scare him, try not using the neck thing for obedience

Sapping him to obey, it works but it's sad.