Snyder: New puppy? Now what?

Monday
Jan 1, 2018 at 6:00 AM

By Debbi Snyder Ledger correspondent

OK, Christmas has past and the New Year is upon us, all the company has gone home, and life is back to normal, whew! Well … except for the new puppy in the family. How do we adjust to that?

New puppies are a lot of work. First thing is introducing the puppy to his “bedroom,” the crate. I feed my dogs their meals in the crate so that they learn early on in life that it is a good place. That doesn’t mean that I leave food with them in the crate at night or when I leave during the day. It means at mealtime I put the dish of puppy food into the crate, put the puppy in, close the door of the crate and leave the room for 10-15 minutes. When I return, I remove the empty bowl, and immediately take the puppy outside to potty.

Soon after getting a new puppy I start teaching him (or her) his name. Sometimes I already know what I will be naming a new puppy before I get it, but other times it takes a few days to decide what name fits best. There have also been times that I have changed a puppy’s name after he has learned it. Dogs are very good at learning new names. I start with a number of tiny treats, say the puppy’s name and give a treat. In the beginning the puppy will not even be looking at me, the word (his name) is totally foreign sounding to him, it is just a noise coming from a human. But very quickly the puppy will start associating that specific noise with the tiny treat. Next you will notice that when you say the name, the puppy perks up and maybe even looks up at you. At that point you are making progress, he is figuring out that that specific noise means a treat is coming. Over the next few days you will gradually wean off the treats and switch to praise and petting as you repeat the name several times.

Next in importance is housebreaking. Don’t use potty pads if you want the puppy to potty outside. The potty pads teach the puppy that it is OK to potty inside your house. Take the puppy outside to potty after eating, sleeping, and playing, in other words, about every hour. When you get outside say “OK, go potty” or whatever phrase you want him to learn that means to potty outside. Let him wander around sniffing, I keep the puppy on a leash so I can keep him focused on the task at hand. As soon as he straightens up after the job is done, give a treat, yep, right out in the yard deliver the treat and praise. If you wait to treat until you go back inside, the puppy will think that he is getting rewarded for going inside, not for the potty job. If the puppy gets distracted and doesn’t finish the job, put him back in his crate for five minutes and then take him right back outside. A few minutes in the distraction-free crate will cause him to remember that he needed to potty.

Interaction with the new family member is also very important. Dogs are pack animals, you and the people living in your house are his new pack. Leaving a dog alone out in the yard for long periods of time or alone inside the house will create behaviors of desperation and loneliness. Spend time playing with the puppy. However, don't get down on the floor and play or roll around with him like another dog would. The puppy needs to know that the humans in his life are the new pack leaders since his mother is no longer around. Leadership discussion is for another column. Don’t tease the puppy with your hands or toys. Teasing brings on behaviors that you will not like. Make sure that young children are supervised every minute they are with a new puppy. They can hurt or tease a puppy without meaning to, resulting in distrust and fear developing between both of them.

When the puppy has finished all the puppy vaccines he will be protected enough to be in places where other dogs are or have been. That's when the puppy is ready for training classes. Training is also a great way to bond with, and build a wonderful relationship with, this new family member. Your goal should be for this young creature to be polite and well mannered enough that he can accompany the family to places that welcome dogs ... not be left home alone all the time.

You are starting on a wonderful new adventure. Put time into it from the beginning, do it right, and enjoy the blessing this little creature can be to your family!

Debbi Snyder is owner of Dog-Sense Obedience in Lakeland. She has been teaching obedience classes since the 1980s.

Monday
Jan 1, 2018 at 6:00 AM

By Debbi Snyder Ledger correspondent

OK, Christmas has past and the New Year is upon us, all the company has gone home, and life is back to normal, whew! Well … except for the new puppy in the family. How do we adjust to that?

New puppies are a lot of work. First thing is introducing the puppy to his “bedroom,” the crate. I feed my dogs their meals in the crate so that they learn early on in life that it is a good place. That doesn’t mean that I leave food with them in the crate at night or when I leave during the day. It means at mealtime I put the dish of puppy food into the crate, put the puppy in, close the door of the crate and leave the room for 10-15 minutes. When I return, I remove the empty bowl, and immediately take the puppy outside to potty.

Soon after getting a new puppy I start teaching him (or her) his name. Sometimes I already know what I will be naming a new puppy before I get it, but other times it takes a few days to decide what name fits best. There have also been times that I have changed a puppy’s name after he has learned it. Dogs are very good at learning new names. I start with a number of tiny treats, say the puppy’s name and give a treat. In the beginning the puppy will not even be looking at me, the word (his name) is totally foreign sounding to him, it is just a noise coming from a human. But very quickly the puppy will start associating that specific noise with the tiny treat. Next you will notice that when you say the name, the puppy perks up and maybe even looks up at you. At that point you are making progress, he is figuring out that that specific noise means a treat is coming. Over the next few days you will gradually wean off the treats and switch to praise and petting as you repeat the name several times.

Next in importance is housebreaking. Don’t use potty pads if you want the puppy to potty outside. The potty pads teach the puppy that it is OK to potty inside your house. Take the puppy outside to potty after eating, sleeping, and playing, in other words, about every hour. When you get outside say “OK, go potty” or whatever phrase you want him to learn that means to potty outside. Let him wander around sniffing, I keep the puppy on a leash so I can keep him focused on the task at hand. As soon as he straightens up after the job is done, give a treat, yep, right out in the yard deliver the treat and praise. If you wait to treat until you go back inside, the puppy will think that he is getting rewarded for going inside, not for the potty job. If the puppy gets distracted and doesn’t finish the job, put him back in his crate for five minutes and then take him right back outside. A few minutes in the distraction-free crate will cause him to remember that he needed to potty.

Interaction with the new family member is also very important. Dogs are pack animals, you and the people living in your house are his new pack. Leaving a dog alone out in the yard for long periods of time or alone inside the house will create behaviors of desperation and loneliness. Spend time playing with the puppy. However, don't get down on the floor and play or roll around with him like another dog would. The puppy needs to know that the humans in his life are the new pack leaders since his mother is no longer around. Leadership discussion is for another column. Don’t tease the puppy with your hands or toys. Teasing brings on behaviors that you will not like. Make sure that young children are supervised every minute they are with a new puppy. They can hurt or tease a puppy without meaning to, resulting in distrust and fear developing between both of them.

When the puppy has finished all the puppy vaccines he will be protected enough to be in places where other dogs are or have been. That's when the puppy is ready for training classes. Training is also a great way to bond with, and build a wonderful relationship with, this new family member. Your goal should be for this young creature to be polite and well mannered enough that he can accompany the family to places that welcome dogs ... not be left home alone all the time.

You are starting on a wonderful new adventure. Put time into it from the beginning, do it right, and enjoy the blessing this little creature can be to your family!

Debbi Snyder is owner of Dog-Sense Obedience in Lakeland. She has been teaching obedience classes since the 1980s.

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