Puppy Training Tips

Hogan's Hope for a Safe Puppy Home - Part 2

Baby Judea

Our puppies are our innocent, precious family members who depend on us for their every need.

Okay! Your wonderfully precious puppy is home, and the real fun begins. New puppies need an enormous amount of time, energy, patience, and love. Bringing a puppy into our homes takes more effort than many people realize. However, with a solid understanding that we are in for an amazing life with a pup who truly accepts and loves us no matter what, the rewards are immeasurable.

1)      Remembering that, no matter what’s going on, our furry, four-legged little girl or boy is a genuine member of our families is crucial. Every pup comes with his or her own unique personality which is complete with deep feeling. We are totally responsible for their care, loving attention, and empathetic compassion and consideration. We are their protectors and must safeguard their physical and emotional well-being in every situation.

2)      Ensuring safety is paramount. Getting our homes ready for their arrival was step one. (See Blog: Part One) Create a safe room or area for everyone to enjoy each other that is free of dangerous objects, wires, or possible accidents.

3)      Equipping with identification makes certain that our furry family members can always be brought home. Embroidered collars with cell phone numbers are great because a tag might get lost. Some people have chips placed in their pups to ensure permanent identification that can be registered and scanned in the event of getting separated from us. Fenced yards, leashes, appropriate collars, and harnesses for the size and breed, shelter, and risk-free toys are only a few of our considerations. Absolutely no metal collars or outdoor chains – I could write a book on the dangers of both. If we wouldn’t do something to our human children, then it’s best not to do it to our pets.

4)      Establishing a solid method of communication is key. Choose what words are going to be used for what requests and how the words are going to expressed—words, hand signs, both. Teaching American Sign Language, even to hearing dogs, is extremely useful when the spoken word can’t be used (across a field) or when our pup becomes hard of hearing in later life.

5)      Teaching our children to be gentle, kind, and part of our pups’ care guarantees the cohesiveness of the pack. Children can also learn to properly pick up a puppy by supporting the entire body and not walk around with a dangling puppy. Again, ask, “How would we want someone to hold our baby or child?”

6)      Training begins as soon as our puppy arrives home. This includes housebreaking. “Accidents” are ours, not the puppy’s. Taking our new pup outside to the same spot every half hour for the first 24 hours is a great way to begin. Like I said earlier, it’s going to be a lot of work, diligence, and dedication….and more time than most people imagine, but it is definitely worth every loving second of our efforts. Too many adopt a puppy and give up, abandon, or re-home when they get frustrated or tired of the novelty.

7)      Keep in mind that puppies need to go potty about 10-20 minutes after eating. Be attentive and diligent.

8)      Adjusting our schedules is a necessity. Puppies cannot hold their bladders for hours. The “rule of thumb” tends to be that a puppy can hold their bladder for the number of hours that they are in months. So, a pup who is two months old can hold their bladder for no longer than two hours. This, too, needs to be adjusted for every little one. It could be a shorter period of time.

9)      Feeding needs to be three or four times a day. Food should not be limited for a growing pup. The correct diet and amounts need to be determined with our veterinarians’ help before we bring our four-legged family member home or at the time of their first medical checkup. We should buy the highest quality food that we can afford. Keep asking yourself what you would do for your children. I highly recommend that food not be left down all the time. Sure, this habit makes it easy for us but creates grazers. Let the pup eat until full, and when the bowl is left, pick it up, usually within minutes. If the pup seems like a fussy eater, be patient. Feed at the next mealtime. I guarantee that puppies will eat well if hungry. Another advantage of not creating grazers is that our pups will be more food-oriented and easier to train using delicious treats.

10)   Securing our yards is imperative.

11)   Checking our yards for dangers including poisonous plants and other potentially unsafe areas, objects, or substances. Many lawn fertilizers are hazardous.

12)   Preventing theft or dangerous situations can be real lifesavers. Being left unattended in a yard or vehicle are extremely hazardous in more ways than can be listed. Unfortunately, too many dogs have been kidnapped from the safety of beautiful suburban yards.

13)   Lastly and most importantly, being absolutely sure that you think before you adopt. Abandoning a dog at a shelter or another home deeply impacts the heart and nature of an animal. Our dogs of all ages are very capable of experiencing the same sadness, confusion, and heartache as any one of us. We are responsible for the well-being and care of one of God’s incredible and loving animals.

Fences need to be checked for possible escape or getting little heads caught. Never leave your puppy outside unattended or without constant supervision.

Fences need to be checked for possible escape or getting little heads caught. Never leave your puppy outside unattended or without constant supervision.

Hogan's Hope for a Safe Puppy Home - Part 1

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I have had the wonderful life of working with and training dogs since I was nine years of age. My father brought home our first family pup who we named Victoria. Of course, we called her Vicky for short. She was a devoted pup from the get-go, and my father believed that a good dog was a well-mannered dog. To this end, he began her training as soon as she came into our home and taught me everything that he knew. And…he knew a great deal.

Vicky learned fast and easily because of her high level of intelligence and intense desire to please. She loved us with all her heart and dedicated herself to our protection. I could tell you several stories where she quite literally saved the day, but that’s for another time. Well, okay. So not to keep you hanging, she relentlessly dragged my mother by the arm out of the basement where Mama was doing the family laundry. There was an electrical fire that started in the wall on the first floor. If it weren’t for Vicky, my sister and I would have been trapped on the second floor. The firefighters gave Vicky all the credit for saving the family. This is only one of several times that our beautiful girl protected and saved her beloved family.

The days before bringing Vicky home were filled with excitement and preparations for our new, four-legged furry family member.

Part 1: Puppy Proofing the House

  1. Secure cabinet doors so noses and paws can’t open them.

  2. Relocate all dangerous items such as cleaning solutions and powders, sponges, hair products, onto higher, out-of-reach shelves.

  3. Replace trash cans with tight-fitting lids. Garbage can be extremely dangerous with the bones, plastic wraps, aluminum foil, sharp edges created by chewing on plastic containers. Intestines can be perforated or blocked with life-threatening emergencies.

  4. Place clothes hampers in strategic locations. All dirty socks, underwear, and odorous clothing must be kept completely out of reach. Puppies love us and any item that has a strong scent of us is appealing to them.

  5. Designate a safe place for shoes. Shoes are a great chew toy for our puppies, especially since our feet smell delightful to them. Think about creating a safe, special shelf just inside the back door for shoes to be placed as soon as you come in the house. Remember to keep closet doors closed tightly.

  6. Make a safe place for your puppy to sleep. Puppies need a bed of their own to sleep and feel secure. The bed and possibly a crate do not need to be overly large. It only needs to be large enough for your pup to stand and turn around. Purchase a crate that is the size needed when full-grown. Use dividers to make the interior smaller and gradually increase the area as your puppy grows. This gives the feeling of security, like a den. It also keeps your pup safe when you need to leave the house for limited amounts of time. He or she won’t be able to run throughout the house and get into trouble by chewing on wires, cushions, or other things. Since dogs don’t like going potty in their beds, it will help with housebreaking. Do remember to take your pup outside immediately upon arriving home and/or taking him or her out of the crate.

  7. Designate a safe play area. Some folks like obtaining Xpens (exercise pens that are usually collapsible) that are like a playpen for toddlers. It keeps your puppy safe while you’re busy with things around the house. But don’t overly confine your puppy; our “children” are members of our families who want and need to be included and part of our ongoing activities.

  8. Choose a high-quality food. Quality and price are not necessarily in the same equation. Talk with your veterinarian and select the highest quality that you are able to afford. Remember to never underfeed your growing puppy, and feed him or her at least three (3) times a day. Feed until satisfied. I also recommend that food not be left down so they can graze. You want your pup to be happy and healthy as well as eager to receive a reward during training.

  9. Obtain food and water bowls that are non-slip, stainless steel or lead-free stoneware or ceramic. Bowls need to be easily cleaned as well as sanitized! Wash food bowls thoroughly after every meal to eliminate bacteria, and wash water bowls and fill with fresh water often.

  10. Buy durable and appropriate collar, harness, and leash. Different sized dogs need different collars and/or harnesses. For instance, a very small dog is better outfitted with a harness for attaching a leash than a collar. A collar can also be used but function more as decorative attire and for ID tags. Harnesses with a back clip used on larger dogs tend to promote pulling, but no-pull harnesses are now available that are working wonderfully. If you use a collar, I recommend a Martingale collar. It tightens enough so your pup can’t back out of the collar which is a great and very important safety feature. Yet, it doesn’t choke. Please remember that over time, choke collars damage the esophagus! [Note: Proper training techniques eliminate the need for choke collars.] Make certain that the clip is strong and sturdy and won’t break or open.

  11. Get a seat belt. This is non-negotiable! It’s extremely tempting to say or think that we’ll hold our puppy. NO! It’s very simple to attach a seat belt strap to a dog’s harness and then to the seat belt in our back seat. Sudden stops, hard braking, or minor bumps throw our pups and seriously injure them while the humans are safely belted. No one can hold a pup in an accident. Please do not fool yourself or allow anyone to convince you otherwise. Too often, Police officers have witnessed an accident or incident where the humans are fine but the animal suffers great injury. Slamming against a seat can be fatal. Belting a pup only takes a moment. And…the pup can still sit in someone’s lap if that’s the issue. Additionally, air bags kill dogs of all sizes in the front seat.

  12. Order identification tags or have the collar embroidered with your pup’s name and your cell phone number. The embroidered collar eliminates the possibility of tags getting ripped off and keeps your vital information on your pup. [Note: Talk to your veterinarian about having your pup chipped for permanent identification.]

  13. Pick up your children’s toys and make a safe toy box. Puppies love to chew, and destroyed toys not only upset children (and parents) but pose real dangers for pups. Perforated bowels and blockages are life-threatening.

  14. Purchase safe play and chew toys. Like our little children, puppies are inquisitive, adventurous, and investigative. Everything is fun, and they like to experience all types of sounds, places, textures, and shapes. Everything also goes into their mouths! Hard rubber toys of all sizes and shapes are wonderful. I suggest KONG and Yapple toys. The ones with a hole can be slathered with a small bit of wholesome peanut butter or cheese. Stuffed toys are a favorite of dogs BUT must be monitored very carefully. Let your pup play with them only when you can supervise them. Monitor to make sure that the stuffing can’t be ingested and cause intestinal blockages or irritations. Put these toys away when you are not with your pup. Safe items are available that simulate heartbeat and warmth and can be used during the transition away from littermates. The adjustment can be distressing, and these are reported to help in some situations. (I have another admission - I always allowed my pups to sleep with us at night. By tethering them to me, their movement alerts me, and I take them outside. I keep them tethered to me until I am sure they were potty trained.)

  15. Think about housebreaking before your puppy comes home. Rules of thumb: 1) A puppy can only hold their bladder for the number of hours equally their age in months. A two-month-old puppy can only wait two hours at the most - it can be shorter. 2) Take your puppy out 10-20 minutes after eating.

    Next Blog - Part 2: Puppy Arrives Home