Got Puppy? Now What?!?

Amended from original publication from the STLFL magazine in January 2011.

With my youngest child off to kindergarten every day (half days), what did we decide to do? Adopt a puppy of course! With the holidays come and gone, many families may now find themselves like us with a new four legged furry family member too.  After all, what is better than the squeals of joy at the pure delight the new puppy brings on Christmas morning? That pure joy, however, can quickly turn into overwhelming disillusionment if you are unprepared for life with puppy.

When we adopted Snickers (read about his adoption in the And They Call it Puppy Love blog), it was a spur of the moment decision that my husband and I had not really thought through. While I do not regret making him part of our family, the reality is that I wish someone had given me pearls of wisdom for those first few weeks of adjustment, which in theory, would have made the adjustment phase go more smoothly. My disclaimer is that I am not a breeder, a vet, or any kind of pet specialist. Please do not substitute my judgement for that of trained professionals. I am simply hoping to pass along real life practical tips that I helped me in unchartered territory.

Crate Training

Before nightfall, just hours after adopting Snickers, we decided that he should sleep in his cage at night. And not in our bedroom. Surely he would whine and cry the first few nights, and honestly, I did not need anything else to disturb my already dysfunctional sleep. I knew that if his crate was in our bedroom, at the first hint of a whine or cry, I would take him out of the cage and put him in bed with us. I knew that because that is what happened with my first dog Boo—and my cat. I admit it. I am weak.

In addition to not wanting to end up sharing my pillow with the new pup, I also understood that nighttime wandering opens up opportunity for Snickers to get up in the night and relieve himself or decide that, while unsupervised, endless chewing was a great idea. The important key is that whether you gate off a confined area, or use a crate, they need to be confined and have a safe area to call their own.

I also use the crate for any time Snickers is left home alone, whether it be a quick 15 minute errand, or for several hours at a time. Since dogs typically do not want to soil their crate, keep in mind that you never want to leave an un-housebroken dog in their crates for extended periods of time, if it can be helped.

Another time to use crate training is strictly as a safe haven when you have visitors. I had a group of Bible study ladies and their kids over at our house just a few weeks after we got Snickers and found him and my guests to be happier while he was confined. Even as I began writing this article, Snickers was in his crate while my daughter and her playdate ate lunch. Her friend was scared of the rambunctiousness of the dog and I felt it to be an appropriate response. For best results, do not crate your pup as a punishment. You never want the dog to associate the crate with being a bad place to go.

Some animal lovers may think that crating a dog is cruel, but if it is a safe, comfortable refuge, they will find it a great place to be. Always leave the crate door open during the day. You may find they use it when they don’t have to.

Dog Food

With my first dog, Boo, I fed him moist food in addition to his dry food, and gave him scraps of people food all the time. This led to unfortunate episodes of…bodily functions. The fact is I wasn’t doing him any favors by spoiling him with food that he shouldn’t have been given. Dogs have sensitive systems that can rebel if their food is suddenly changed or mixed. Since its in my nature to spoil my pup with people food, I’ve compromised by supplementing Snickers’ diet with Natural Balance brand dog food, which is a soft meat roll (much like consistency of Braunschweiger) that can be used as treats or shaved to top the dry kibble. It comes in a variety of flavors and package sizes.

Our vet told me that puppies will rarely overeat. He suggested I put out a certain amount of food each time. When Snickers is done eating (which takes anywhere from two to five minutes, tops!), pick up the food bowl until next feeding, rather than letting him graze. If he finishes his food completely right away, then he probably needs more per serving. Leaving a few kibble pieces at the end of each meal is the best case scenario in knowing that your dog is getting the appropriate amount of food.

Housebreaking

Arguably the most difficult challenge to having a new puppy, except maybe their sharp little razor teeth, is the dreaded housebreaking. Fortunately, with the beautiful weather we had last fall, Mother Nature made this a whole lot easier for our family. Snickers house trained in roughly 3 weeks, with only a rare accident in the house.

I am convinced that he house trained so well because I was diligent and consistent in taking him outside. Initially, for the first four weeks, I brought him outside on a leash every thirty minutes. Time and labor intensive? Certainly. Worth it? Absolutely.

Give your house training pup the time to do all his business. It takes them a little bit of time for them to fully empty their bladders and this will help save you some frustration in the process. Being autumn, Snickers often got distracted by chasing blowing leaves and by the multitude of people walking in the mild weather. He would often need to squat three or four times to completely empty his bladder.

It is also important to find the right Puppy Chow for your pup’s system. The wrong food can increase his need to relieve himself and increase your frustration in training. We asked our vet for his suggestion and quickly found a food that allowed Snickers to find success in the area of house training.

As labor intensive as house breaking is, I am glad I invested the time. Now that he is 4 months old, I usually only take him out once an hour, and have learned to discern his specific need when it’s time to be let out.

You’ll also want to invest in a good ’pooper scooper,’ to clean up the, um, treats that your puppy leaves behind in the yard. Particularly one with a long handle so you don’t have to get too close to the mud pie left behind. You’ll thank me for that piece of advice later.

These subjects scratch only the surface of things I have discovered since adopting Snickers. There is the subject of dog safety, obedience training, and how to handle the biting and chewing that ultimately comes with the little razor teeth. In all the unpleasant and difficult aspects of raising a puppy, there is still a lot of joy, too. If a puppy is right for your family, go for it! Because the puppy stage doesn’t last forever, but the family memories of your beloved dog will!