Hello! Teddy comes home in 3 weeks so I'm frantically trying to prepare and makes sure I have some idea of what I'm doing (never had a dog before!) Teddy is a chocolate lab and will be about 7.5 weeks old when he comes home! I have a couple of questions if you don't mind!
- When can you start taking a puppy for walks on a leash? Even if just down the block...?
When shots are up to date, or your Vet gives you the all clear, or there are not other dogs walking down the street, ever. Probably Parvo is your biggest concern, ask your Vet what incident report numbers are for your area. We did not do leashed walks till two weeks after the last shot, making Oban 18 weeks. We walked lots of places off leash before that though.
- When do you start using a collar?
Right away. WE were collar off in the house and our own yard but on every place else. Some need a break in period of only a few minutes a time at first.
- We live in Wisconsin where it's snowy... How big of an area should I have cleared off for Teddy to do his business?
We made pee paths throughout our large yard. We do anyway. Oban didn't pee or poop on the paths, mostly, but he used them to access fresh snow to toilet in. We played tag and hide and seek on the paths too, there was enough snow that year to hide me if I crouched. He loved the snow.
- While doing his business, do I keep him on a leash or is me being out there with him sufficient?
No leash for us, the snow was too deep for him to escape our yard. I found cold is pretty good at encouraging puppy to get the business done and back inside quickly. Unless we were playing too.
- We are crate training. Is it smart to have a crate in our bedroom for nighttime and another in the laundry room for when we're gone?
We only sort of crate trained. The crate with door open was in our gated kitchen. Crates do NOT potty train your puppy. That's your job, you have to get him out in time. I found the crate actually interfered with getting him out quickly. Free to roam the kitchen he was ready by the door to go out. Otherwise at night he slept and moved from place to place to stay cool. Crates aren't cheap but if you can afford two and you're crating it's ok to have two.
- I've read to not keep much in the crate for the first few weeks between accidents and chewing. What all do you recommend be in there with him?
I recommend nothing. They tend to chew when you aren't looking so it can be hard to tell ahead of time if you have a chewer. Since our crate door was open there were no accidents inside it. He chose a place on the kitchen floor well away from where he liked to sleep for his accidents. Obviously then they were not HIS accidents, they were ours.
They all like different things. We had nine and rotated them. Every night they were put away. Each morniing I gve him a "new" toy and by the end of the day he usually had three on the go. Next day a different three.
- Do I need a sweater or anything for him when we go outside?
Probably not. We didn't. Watch, he will get cold on very sub freezing days. WE found running around for 10 minutes or so playing mostly kept him warm. On pee breaks you won't have time to put a sweater on him anyway.
- Pet insurance... Yes or no?
Check it out right away, you have to have it soon. Most breeders send you home with 6 weeks or so of insurance. We did not continue it, it was so expensive.
- When has a puppy gotten all the shots necessary to socialize?
When your Vet says so. Your Vet will probably ok puppy classes. We went out with a neighbour dog we knew was safe and visited my sister's dog and we walked out in the bush where few other dogs go.
You can socialize with all kinds of people. And, strictly speaking the correct term is Habituation, but remember puppy needs to get used to sights, sounds, smells and places and motions that have nothing to do with other dogs. We visited my Aunt's nursing home where nearly everyone wanted to pet the puppy, he smelled new things, rode in a wheelchair, an elevator and since it was Christmas all sorts of commotion was going on. We also visited the local ski resort parking lot and lobby - fumes; cars moving; big clumping, noisy ski boots; funny hats. Hats are a big bugaboo with lots of dogs. With permission of the resort.
- When driving in a car, should I purchase a car crate?
I used one of the cat carriers when he was little and I snapped it into the seat belt. A puppy lose in the car is an accident waiting to happen. EXcept, he was on my lap all the 3 hour drive home. OH drive. My feeling is that is an important bonding time, and puppy had just been wrenched away from Mum and siblings, on my lap, cosy and cuddled with me on the first ride home. Oban didn't cuddle, he stood up most of the way so he could look out the window.
- I've heard having a radio or some kind of white noise on while you're gone helps. Any opinion on this?
We do, radio. We think it helps give the impression the house might be occupied anyway, we do it as part of normal household security.
- How big of a puppy bed should I buy initially? Looking at putting it in the living room to lounge on when we're home.
LOL, well you might as well buy an adult sized bed. I had one anyway and Oban still doesn't lie on it. As a puppy he never "lounged." He was awake, active and getting into trouble. In the evenings I sat on the kitchen floor and played with him. Sometimes he fell asleep on my lap. Other wise it was go, go, go.
Things I've read and already plan on doing:
- Crate training
Lots do. My Vet says he thinks too much crate time is responsible for the upswing he sees in UTI, joint disorders from not being able to move enough and neuroses from understimulation and boredom. As said above we had a crate but the door was open. I decided puppy would only be crated with the door shut for a maximum of three hours a day. After the first couple of weeks we just never shut the crate door, even when we were not home.
- Puppy classes when old enough
YES. We didn't though. They were full, then I was too busy. WE didn't get into a class till he was 5 months old.
Restricting access to certain parts of the house at first
Sort of. We allowed no unsupervised access anywhere other than the gated kitchen but made a point of spending time in each room.
- Vet appointment within first week of getting him
REad your health guarantee. It's often stipulated that you must go within days, not a week. Make sure you get copies of his health records and what the breeder's VEt has done. You should get a worming and booster shot schedule too.
- Consistency with commands
Yes, and not just you, the whole family.
- Bring a few blankets when we pick him up to rub on his mom and siblings
We didn't. It might be reassuring to some puppies.
- Using a bell for potty training
Up to you. No way I'm teaching my dog to ring a bell when he wants out and then having to listen to it whenever he gets the urge to pee or sniff or roll in the snow. Lots of people do like a bell though. Remember, it's YOUR job to get puppy out in time to potty. You can't rely on puppy telling you, she won't have the control at first.
Thanks so much for your help! Any additional tips are welcome!!!
Pre-puppy paranoia
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Originally Posted by Lidlsadie
