Before your puppy comes home it is important to be ready.
You will need things such as a dog bed or crate, food and water bowls, puppy
chow, collar, leash, toys, etc. Equally as important, all family members must
decide and agree on routine, responsibility and rules.
The first few days are extremely important. Enthusiasm and emotions are up.
Everyone wants to feed the puppy, play with the puppy and hold the puppy.
Pre-established rules are easily broken. Everyone agreed that puppy will sleep
in his/her crate but as soon as he/she came home someone melts and insists
that the puppy will sleep in bed. Everyone agreed not to let puppy jump up on
them, but in the excitement, no one even notices that puppy is
jumping up. No one sleeps the first night. Puppy wins and gets
to sleep in the bed. The next morning we find puppy has eliminated all over
the bed. So the following night puppy is banned to his/her
crate and screams all night. No one
sleeps tonight either.
Grouchiness sets in, enthusiasm is down. No one wants to get up at the
pre-agreed upon early morning feeding time. How are we going to
housetrain puppy? How are we going to sleep with
his/her constant whining?
Your new puppy has just been taking away from his/her mom and littermates.
What it needs now is security and routine. Set up a small area that will be
her/his haven for the next few months. Paper the entire floor and put
food/water bowls and bed in one corner. Scatter toys everywhere.
Play with the puppy quietly and gently. Don’t flood him/her with attention.
Routine is very important for your puppy. Don’t spend all of your time with
him/her. If he/she is going to be alone during the day or night, he/she needs
to get use to it now. If he/she wakes up from a nap and whines, resists the
urge to run in and comfort her. He/She will learn quickly how to get you to
hold her.
Puppies learn very quickly with the proper instruction. NEVER hit your
puppy. If you hit your puppy with your hand it can become hand shy. Teach your
puppy to play with toys. If you don’t catch her in the act, going on the
floor, chewing things it shouldn’t be chewing on anything you do to try to
tell the puppy will only confuse her. The only way you can instruct your
puppy is to be there or catch it doing wrong.. If you can’t be there, don’t
allow her to have access to places where she can get into trouble.
Call and make an appointment with a veterinarian immediately. Discuss your
puppy’s vaccination schedule and when she will be allowed outside. Puppies are
susceptible to many canine diseases until they are fully vaccinated, so don’t
take your puppy outside until your veterinarian says it is OK. Good Luck!
House and Crate Training
Puppy Care
Sample crate schedule
The Golden Youngster--see also
Critical Development
Baby Goldens are inherently intelligent. They quickly learn to sit up and take
in the environment with sensitivity and grace. They have a willingness to meet
and greet a new person with a tilt of the head and a warmth in their eyes. The
Golden puppy decides to love us because we are worthy, not simply because we
happen to be there. In the early period between two weeks and 6 months, Goldens
are very impressionable. Human gentleness, safety, routine, warmth and love are
mandatory, followed by increasing social interactions, visits to the vet, rides
in the car, household rules, and
crate training (if this method is chosen). Later, as your Golden matures,
its personality seems to solidify, and will no longer will be permanently
affected by new experiences.
Your First Two Days
Together Arrange to be home if at all possible. The family should keep
activity to a minimum to allow puppy time to adjust. Save showing off your puppy
for a couple of days. On pickup day, bring along a towel and someone to hold
puppy in the car on the way home. A crate is recommended. We will avoid feeding
your puppy within two hours of your departure, to keep an upset tummy at bay, so
be sure to take it potty before the car ride home. When you arrive home, try to
keep everyone calm, as puppy is introduced to each family member.
Introduce the food, water, potty and play areas, allowing puppy as much quiet
interaction with your family as possible. Allow puppy to sniff and climb on you,
but not to chew your hands/clothing or jump on anyone, especially the children.
Teaching your Golden now will help prevent poor behavior in the future.
Supervise around children. A puppy that makes off with a child's food, jumps up
to lick a face, leads a child by the clothing, or play bites, will later be
regarded a nuisance. Your children are not puppy's litter mates. It needs to
respect them as they need to respect puppy.
Potty and Sleeping
As soon as possible, take your puppy where it will be expected to go. Praise if
it goes, don't worry if it doesn't. Pick one door and use it consistently upon
awakening, after mealtimes or every two hours. Pick a phrase like “potty now,”
“go,” “do your thing,” “throne”, whatever, just use it consistently so puppy
gets the idea.
Puppies need to sleep a lot. When puppy tires, introduce the bed or crate.
Crating your puppy is the preferred method (read
more about crate training), however, if you are not using a crate, provide a
small bathroom or laundry room for the sleeping area. Put a blanket in the
corner, water, and newspapers on the floor. Give puppy a soft toy and leave it
confined and alone. Remember it will need this alone skill at night so you can
all sleep. When puppy does cry at night, be careful to watch your timing. If you
go to cuddle and play it will only encourage more crying. Wear ear plugs if you
have to, it won’t last long. While caretakers should expect to get up once or
twice in the night to take puppy potty, this should not go on forever either.
Don’t worry; many a puppy has been separated from mom and litter mates before
and they never look back.
Shopping for your puppy Pet supply or feed stores carry these items:
Good quality puppy food--Iams
Puppy or Science Diet or Purina Puppy for a cost effective alternative
Play toys--balls, knotted sock
stuffed with other socks and tied off, rawhide, cow hooves, pig ears, stuffed
animals without buttons or eyes, large grocery soup bone, or
knotted rope
Food and water bowls
Grooming--pin brush, nail
clippers, small sharp scissors for trimming inner ear hair and underside of
paws
Adjustable collar and leash
Identification tags
Vitamins C, E, and gloucosamine
/condroiten supplements
Extras:
metal foldable puppy pens--ideal
for outdoor play, use as a gate where needed indoors
crate--this form of
training is very useful for your sanity and puppies feeling of security
outdoor dog run with concrete
floor and housing.
We recommend puppy be raised indoors even if it will later spend time outside.
Puppy needs close time with your family, an understanding of indoor house
rules and potty training
Sample crate schedule
Here's a sample crate schedule for puppies 7 weeks to 4 months old eating
two to three meals a day .
Shopping for your puppy Pet supply or feed stores carry these items:
Good quality puppy food--Iams
Puppy or Science Diet or Purina Puppy for a cost effective alternative
Play toys--balls, knotted sock
stuffed with other socks and tied off, rawhide, cow hooves, pig ears, stuffed
animals without buttons or eyes, large grocery soup bone, or
knotted rope
Food and water bowls
Grooming--pin brush, nail
clippers, small sharp scissors for trimming inner ear hair and underside of
paws
Adjustable collar and leash
Identification tags
Vitamins C, E, and gloucosamine
/condroiten supplements
Extras:
metal foldable puppy pens--ideal
for outdoor play, use as a gate where needed indoors
crate--this form of
training is very useful for your sanity and puppies feeling of security
outdoor dog run with concrete
floor and housing.
We recommend puppy be raised indoors even if it will later spend time outside.
Puppy needs close time with your family, an understanding of indoor house
rules and potty training first.
7:00am: Take pup out before anything else.
7:15-7:30am: Kitchen playtime, you get coffee.
7:30am: Feed and water. Allow 15-20 minutes for
eating and pick dishes up.
8:00am: Take pup out. Confine to crate when you
leave for work. Add safe chew toys for entertainment.
