OK so today is the day that you decided to bring that new puppy home. So let's start talking about how the puppy will adapt to this new situation and how you as a family will adapt to a new puppy in your home.
We will start with the whelping of a litter of puppies. When a puppy is born it is completely dependent upon his mother for almost everything from his nourishment through his protection to its establishment and the order of the pack. The mother teaches the puppy almost everything the puppy will need to survive on his own but there comes a day that the puppy will be separated from his mother and the rest of the litter and be taken to your new home.
Now your new puppy has been on a diet and a certain type of water from either the breeder or the pet shop. We strongly suggest that you take a gallon of the water that the puppy is used to drinking and purchase the same kind of dog food that the puppy has been eating. Now understand the excitement of bringing a new puppy home for the family can be quite overbearing for the new puppy.
Now you've got the puppy... you've got the food and a gallon of the water, so let's talk about introducing the puppy to the rest of the family. Puppies are full of energy in very short bursts and spend a great time sleeping. Understand this bringing the new dog home that not only will he be nervous he will be excitable and also very tired. We never suggest taking a puppy to the veterinarian for at least 2 to 3 weeks from the time you bring the puppy home. There is no reason to introduce any more stress from vaccines until a puppy gets used to a new home.
When a puppy is brought into a new situation and is given a vaccine shot, he might not be up to full strength and the vaccine may cause problems and make your puppy sick. We have whelped a great many litters of German shepherds and we have been breeding for over 20 years. The advice that I'm giving you in this book is an overview of what we've encountered in all of our years of breeding and selling puppies.
Understand the puppy no longer is learning from the mother and the rest of the litter. They are now moved into your pack and will continue to learn just like the young child learns and at a very fast pace. It is very important to start training your puppy as soon as the puppy is adapted to the new household.
Crate training with your new puppy is very important. This allows a puppy to have the security of the crate and will also stop your puppy from making mistakes all over the carpet which can lead to punishment and a very negative experience for both you and your new puppy. Dogs love their crates. They like to feel secure and surrounded in a place that is their own. A place that smells like the right place and feels comfortable to them. If your find that the puppy is eliminating or defecating in his crate, you need to purchase a smaller kennel or you need to divide the kennel in half. Most dogs will not soil their own crate.
Understand puppies are a lot like little babies and they have to use the restroom very quickly after they eat. You need to release the dog from the crate and then the dog should immediately go outside. When your puppy is done going to the bathroom outside the dog should be praised as if he won the Olympics. This will teach the dog what is acceptable behavior and he will learn that pleasing you is of the utmost importance.
Now the children in the house will be very excited about the new puppy. Please always supervise the children with a new puppy and restrict play time to 15 to 30 minutes at a time. A puppy will become exhausted which could lead to sickness. As a puppy becomes more comfortable in his new surroundings the playtime can increase. One thing that we need to keep an eye on with a new puppy is his stool. At any time that you notice a loose stool, you need to take action to tighten that stool. Diarrhea can dehydrate a puppy very quickly and this can be very dangerous to your new puppy.
OK so let's have a little overview of all we've talked about so far. We have talked about bringing the puppy home. We have talked about bringing food home and a sample of water. We talked about crate training and also exercise time with the children and the family.
Now let's talk about the beginnings of the basic obedience training that all puppies should have. One of the most important commands to teach your new puppy is the "come" command and this can be done very easily. Always kneel down to where you're at eye level with your puppy. Call the puppy to you, making any sound you need to in order to get the puppy to come to you. Once the puppy comes, praise the puppy as if he won the Olympics. Never use a forceful voice, finger-pointing, or yelling at your puppy. All this will do is cause the puppy to run the other direction and will frustrate you to no end.
Once your puppy has learned this very basic command, we can start to work on the "sit" command. This can be initiated with a small piece of food or toy that the puppy likes. With the dog standing in front of you, raise the toy or the food up above his head. This will cause a dog to lower his rear end and automatically he will sit down. As soon as the dog's rear end hits the ground, you need to reward the dog either with praise or the toy or that treat.
Now that we have these two very basic commands out of the way, let's start working on your new puppy walking on a leash. I have always put the collar on the puppy attached the leash and allowed the puppy to play with the leash attached to the collar for at least two or three days at different intervals so that he gets used to having the leash on. Then we never want a start tightening or pulling on the leash to get the puppy to go. Your puppy's instinct will be to fight back, but if the puppy is used to dragging the leash around he will understand the leash and not fear it. Do not allow them to chew on this leash. Encourage the dog to come to you. As your puppy learns the come command and with the puppy dragging the leash, encourage him to come to you and walk very slowly with a very loose leash. This will cause the puppy to not only come to you but also to walk on the leash.
With these three basic commands I think that you should start with a slow progress as the puppy ages. I hope you are found this book to be helpful and informative and we wish you the best of luck with your new puppy.
Dog Training in Harrisburg Pa. York Pa. Lancaster Pa. Dover Pa. and all of Dauphin County, York County,and Lancaster County: Training books and videos
No comments:
Post a Comment