Who doesn’t love the sweet smell of puppy breath? This incredible sweetness is due to this baby starting life off with healthy gut bacteria simply from drinking its mother’s milk and having very clean teeth. A puppy staring life with healthy gut bacteria also has incredibly soft fur which makes them so irresistible to us, and therefore our need to bring them home and snuggle them and lavish them with little kisses.
Now, the subject with how to care for your new fur ball. After all, all puppies have their own personalities and mannerisms which make them unique and quirky, this is why they are each so special to us.
A few years ago, I brought home two nine-week-old puppies, both from different breeders. One female German Shepherd puppy and a beautiful male German Shepherd, Lab mix puppy. Immediately noting, that both had such different personalities. My female was a timid, quiet puppy, and my male was hyper and very active. Now as an adult #dog, my male turned out to be quite the talker, and destructive sometimes because he has a need to chew. So, I will share with you my tips on how I managed the chewing and the peeing in the home.
The question with some - to crate train or not? I have owned many dogs throughout my life, and never crate trained until I brought home two 9-week-old puppies. Training two puppies is so much more challenging than one puppy, so I thought. At the young age of nine weeks old, potty training was very easy by teaching each to accept their nightly routine in a cage. I purchased two very large dog crates knowing my babies would grow into very large adult dogs.
Crate training helps with potty training. I started off by putting each pup in their separate crates at night (with a large raw meaty beef knuckle bone), and in the mornings; I would do a happy dance and happy voice saying “potty” - “outside potty.” I would repeat this over and over. This gets the puppies excited, and they are in a feel-good mood, and they are learning to trust you. I did not want my babies to pee while we were all walking outside, so I would pick them up and place them outside, in the backyard, while singing “potty.” When the pup goes to the bathroom, even if they poo-pooed, I still reacted all the same by jumping up and down with laughter and excitement giving happy dances, and petting the tops
of their heads while singing, “good girl potty, good boy potty.” Repeat this same routine, over and over, and you can have your #puppy potty trained within a matter of 2 to 3 weeks. I did not crate my puppies during the day when I was home because I automatically took them outside every 45 minutes singing potty and showing excitement. I never let them come in until they peed, sometimes taking 10 minutes. This works. A puppy will pee a lot during the day, so take them outside frequently throughout the day and always take them outside immediately after they wake from a nap. It’s all about routine and getting them trained with words, and the word “potty” should be the first word a dog is trained to know.
Word of Caution – never, please, this is important. Never yell at your puppy and make them go into their cage. They will coward and associate the crate with fear and punishment because of you yelling at them. I always talked in my happy voice to them and danced while opening the door to their crates to get them to go inside on their own. Never force them in, sometimes it will take a minute, but they will go in on their own. My command word to get them inside their crates was “Go night-night, sleep.” Over a short time, they both learned this command, and every time I jumped up and said, “Go night-night sleep” they automatically walked to their crates on their own. I just opened the door and inside they went. If you ever raise your voice at your puppy and get mad because you are frustrated with it, just walk away, and don’t put them in their cage. The idea is to train them to use the crate and go inside on their own because this is their safe place. Even today, my two large-breed adult puppies are now two years old. They still go into their crates on their own because they just want to lay inside on their fluffy pillows.
Because puppies are hyper and so full of life, the way to a happy relationship with your baby is to help them grow into confident dogs and keep your puppy mentally satisfied. To do this, train your puppy not to chew your belongings! Yep, you know puppies love to chew and out of frustration, a new pet owner will strike their puppy, which a lot of times causes a dog to grow up cowering when yelled at or cowards when someone raises their arms. I will share my tips on how my puppies have grown into great #guarddogs and have no fear.
First Word of Advice
NEVER hit and never slap your dog in the face. I know we have all been frustrated with an animal at some point, but my suggestion, if you feel the need to give a whack, just keep in mind you do not have to hurt a dog to let them know you are not happy with it and you do not like their bad behavior. When my large breed male puppy frustrated me, I would only use my fist and punch him in the butt, not too hard, because the point is not to hurt them and not to make them scream and yelp. With a firm, but gently, butt punch and a firm voice (not yelling),
I used the word “not.” If you hit a dog or puppy in the face, you are creating a dog with no confidence, and dogs who learn to be fearful and cower will grow up to bite others out of fear, this is called fear biting. So, if you are frustrated with your quirky, out-of-control puppy, do not continue yelling out of frustration, You are only scaring your puppy, and this is lowering their confidence. Remember - Your puppy came to you whole. A confident little critter with sweet-smelling breath and not afraid of the world around her. Be patient and know how to reprimand in a healthy manner, so you are not creating a dog who is fearful of you and pees immediately because she is afraid of your aggressive yelling. This behavior will never go away if you create it.
You want a confident puppy who will grow up to be a great protector. I feel the word “no” is so negative and overused throughout the day in everyday language and we hear it constantly so many times within the day, so I trained my dogs with the word “not.” Therefore, if you do need to reprimand your dog for bad behavior, remember, that you only need to get their attention and not hurt them. Your puppy is sensitive, and when you are upset, they are upset too.
How to Teach Your New Puppy to Grow Up and Not Chew on Everything Inside Your Home: Easy, you need to keep it mentally satisfied and keep them stimulated. Chewing is just part of being a puppy, just like a small newborn child, they need things in their mouth. I bought a freezer just for dog bones. Yep, you heard that right! Not all bones are created equally. My advice for chewing bones, only give them beef knuckle bones, and beef neck bones if you can get them. My recommendation - do not give femur bones because they are hard on the teeth and will crack a dog’s tooth. My dogs always had a fresh raw meaty beef knuckle bone. Knuckle bones are rich in #glucosamine and #chondroitin which is
great for #hipbone #doghealth. The knuckle bones are easy for them to chew and digest, it keeps their teeth clean and will keep your dog busy all day. This helps reduce puppy stress and mentally stimulates them too, which is important for developing a healthy, growing puppy. The act of chewing nice knuckle bones calms them and helps their mental stimulation while they are developing and growing into very confident and happy critters. Yep, some of the bones I gave my fur babies were very big, but it turned out to be a good thing because it was challenging for the puppy and kept them busy all day.
I purchased my beef knuckle bones from my local beef processing plant. Look for them in your local area. They sell what they can, and a big box is fairly cheap, but a lot of the beef bones go directly into the dumpster, so if you contact your local processing plant, go buy a big box of beef knuckle bones that have some nice chunks of raw beef on ‘em. This helps feed your #dog good gut bacteria and helps to keep your new puppy healthy and mentally happy because she is doing what she knows best - play, eat, sleep, pee, chew!!
And With This Said: 11/8/2022 update: regarding these two adorable puppies. It's now been two years since they first came to me in 2020. They have been raised in a happy feel-good environment. I'm happy to say, that crate training created a tag team duo. My pups are great #guarddogs. I did nothing but give love and patience with their growing pains. It's not easy sometimes, but I can say: "There are beware of guard dog signs in multiple places on my property. My large breed puppy dogs will protect me and our space. I've got two wonderful guard dogs!"
This is an original post, dated 11/8/2022. Do not reproduce or copy this post without permission. Copyrights belong to wmpfp.
About The Author:
Bio: I own a small home and have a hobby farm in rural Northern Arizona and am the Founder of White Mountain Pets Food Pantry. I #advocate for #animalwelfare, and connect my community to resources which aid in feeding animals..
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