Preparing Your Home for Your New Puppy

by admin on March 10, 2009

The big day is here! You have chosen your puppy. Whether your puppy is coming from a shelter or a breeder, it really doesn’t matter right now. You have a precious young puppy coming to live with you and you need to get your home ready to receive him.

Do you have the thing you will need for your puppy? Do you have a bag of the same food that he has been eating? You don’t want to make any fast changes in his diet even if you don’t like his current food. Coming to your house will be a huge adjustment for your puppy and you want to keep his food the same to avoid any stomach upsets. Your puppy may have diarrhea anyway because of the changes and stress. No need to make things worse by changing food.

Do you have a collar and leash ready to go get your puppy? The collar should be big enough to fit snugly around your puppy’s neck and allow you to fit two fingers between the collar and neck. A leash that is four to six feet long is usually good. Don’t use a retractable leash at this point. They take some skill to use and you will have your hands full trying to watch your puppy and look out for him. Keep him walking close to you so he won’t stray into something he shouldn’t and become frightened. Nylon collars and leashes are fine. Your puppy is still growing so you probably don’t want to invest in expensive leather collars and leashes or fancy embroidered pieces yet.

Do you have bowls or pans for food and water? Ceramic bowls or steel pans are usually best. Avoid plastic bowls. The plastic can contain chemicals that irritate some dogs’ noses and skin.

Do you have a place for your puppy to sleep? There are many wonderful, soft dog beds for cuddling available online and in pet supply stores. These make great places for your puppy to sack out when he’s tired. It’s up to you whether you will allow your puppy to get on furniture or sleep on your bed. That’s an entirely personal decision.

Whether you intend for your puppy to sleep in a crate or not you should purchase a crate for crate training. Crating your puppy is one of the best ways to help in the housetraining process. All dogs should learn crate training since crating is the safest way for dogs to travel in a vehicle. All dogs other than Toy dogs are crated when they fly on airplanes.

Do you have toys for your puppy? Treats? What self-respecting new dog owner hasn’t brought home some goodies so they can spoil their new puppy?

Before you bring your puppy home you should go through your house and pick up anything that you don’t want destroyed: pick up shoes, remote controls, cellphones, cameras, and clothes. Pick up anything that your little pint-sized ball of terror will want to put in his mouth. Because — and this is the truth — your puppy is a mouth full of teeth with legs. The world is new to him and he is trying to explore it by tasting and chewing everything in it. He will eat anything that you leave lying around for the next six months, at least. Puppies make us better housekeepers. If you want to keep something, put it up high where your puppy can’t reach it. If you think it’s high enough, put it up a little higher because he can probably find a way to reach it. You will come home one day and find your little darling staring at you from on top of the dining room table.

You should also look through your house for places where your puppy can get into things that he shouldn’t. Do you have cabinets that don’t close properly? Do you have a closet that doesn’t shut right? Do you have a cat litter box? (Put it up. Your puppy thinks those are dog treats.) Do you have things hidden under your bed? Whatever it is, wherever it is, you need to do something with it before your puppy finds it.

One of the most useful things you can do is to get down low and try looking at your house from your puppy’s eye-view. You may start to see some tempting things that you don’t usually notice. Try thinking like a curious little puppy.

You will inevitably miss some things. Your puppy is going to get into stuff. Just remember how adorable he is when he runs up to you with what’s left of your contact lens case.

About the Author: David Beart is the owner of the Professor’s House. Our site covers family related issues from raising children to dog information to relationships to cooking.

{ 0 comments }

Harness Your Dog

by admin on September 11, 2008

There’s an old saying that goes “when you know better, you do better.” That extends to everything in life, right down to how we treat our pets. These days most veterinarians are recommending that dogs wear harnesses instead of collars. Harnesses are better for most dogs, they’re easier on the dog’s neck and back.

Harnesses come in a multitude of styles, there is one for every dog and dog-behavior issue; whether your dog is an escape artist, a puller, a bunny-chaser, or has medical issues. Not every harness is good for every dog, but there is an appropriate style for every dog.

The first step in finding the proper harness for your dog is to measure her correctly. Manufacturers don’t make dog gear by breed or weight – they use measurements. Girth is the most important number. Take a tape measure and wrap it all the way around your dog’s chest, just behind her front legs. If she’ll let you – leave it there for a moment to make sure she’s not “puffing” out her ribs and snug it up if you feel it loosen. You should be able to get a finger or two between the tape measure and your dog, but that’s all. If she wiggles too much, just come back a couple more times and try it again.

When you’re pretty sure you have an accurate measurement, think about why you’re getting Fido a harness. Your rationale will determine the type that’s best for you and your dog.

If your dog has a particularly sensitive neck or issues with a “collapsing trachea,” as many small dogs are prone to, look for a “Step-In Harness.” These are very easy on both you and your dog, just put Fido’s front legs through, draw it up over his back and clasp it. The closure should rest between the dog’s “shoulder blades,” well away from his neck.

If your dog is an “escape artist,” hunching her shoulders and wiggling back, look for a harness with hook-and-loop closures at the neck and girth. These harnesses look like jackets and should fit closely, without much room for adjustment, or escape. They have the added advantage of being easy to put on, just lay it on the Phydeaux’s back and smooth the straps together at neck and girth.

If your dog tends to pull you down the street – try a harness with the leash ring at the front of the chest. These seem to work magically, drawing your dog into you whenever he starts pulling away.

A particularly popular harness is styled almost like a human-wear dickey, with chest coverage that distributes any pressure from the leash across the dog’s chest, instead of concentrating it at the neck. These typically slip over Fido’s head, one paw goes through an “armhole” and the strap is brought up under the tummy and clasped. Most feature mesh fabric and sporty styling.

There are dozens of variations and unique styles of dog harness. Materials range from leather, to cotton, to polyester. There is one to suit every dog and situation. Look for a store, locally or online, with a wide selection from many different manufacturers. Don’t be shy about asking for recommendations, staffers at the shop you choose should know the strengths of every product they carry.

About the Author: Hope Saidel is the co-owner of Golly Gear, a bricks-and-mortar and online small dog shop featuring fun, affordable and practical products for small dogs, including many kinds of harnesses. She has trained and competed in Obedience with small dogs for over a decade and is President of the North Shore Dog Training Club.

{ 0 comments }

Guide to Dog Friendly Hotels for the Pampered Pooch

September 8, 2008

In France, small dogs have always been pampered and accepted virtually anywhere their owner goes. That can now be extended to cities worldwide and is especially true of Hotels at the top-end of the market.
There are two main reasons for this. Increasing numbers of clients wish to have their dog with them to maximize the [...]

Read the full article →

Six Tips for New Puppy Owners

September 6, 2008

You’ve brought your new dog home – now what! This is a question that many new dog owners may not initially think of in the excitement of bringing their puppy to meet its’ new family. But it is a question that crops up when owners are confronted with a pet that chews their laundry or [...]

Read the full article →

Canine Health Information – For Older Dogs

September 4, 2008

Old age health care in dogs is a relatively new concept. Improvements in canine medical care, as well as an increase in our knowledge about how to take care of our pets, has lengthened the average canine lifespan. With a dog’s average lifespan now twelve years, owners can reasonably expect their pets to be around [...]

Read the full article →

Caring For Your Dog – Canine Medication And First Aid

September 2, 2008

Many people see their pet dog as an important member of the family, and as with any family member, they want to do everything possible to keep them healthy and happy. There is a huge variety of preventative canine medication available today, to ensure that your dog is at a lower risk from some of [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries