Puppy Tips by Lyn

Question:

Should puppies be kept in crates and if so for how many hours?

Answer:
Dogs love their crates. People think they are prisons, dogs think they are dens and naturally nap there if they believe it is their's. I tell my puppy owners a minimum of 4 hrs in the morning & 4 in the afternoon in a crate, then all night. A 42" size is big enough they can play quietly alone out of trouble and grow into. They should never be allowed loose in the house unsupervised (until 15 months old) ... with 8 hrs in the crate, owners have the strength to deal with them.

My puppies are crate/den raised as they would be in the wild and when they get their mandatory 4 hr. naps they sleep as their minds are exhausted and they are attended all the time when out of their crate ... If I am busy I stick the leash around my waste and drag the puppy along with me, we both learn patience with each other

Puppies with too much freedom are a problem ... In the wild they are pack raised and when left alone they stay in their den and the omega (lowest) dog stands guard nearby. It is important to set up situations to relieve yourself of having to watch them every second by having a pen somewhere or a kitchen, lanai, etc. gated off ... A safe area you can leave them in alone to play for an hour or so.

Question:

How can I train my puppy to understand boundaries if I don't want to use a cage?

Answer:
If the owner can not deal with a crate then tie the dog on a long rope 12' when in doors. It's all about setting boundaries of what is yours and what is theirs and being very very clear every second they are awake. Do not let them on furniture ... That allows them to be at eye level with you and you loose control instantly .. They gain dominance over the owner (for the first year).

Puppies have to be taught to be quiet in doors and encouraged to play alone without getting into trouble. Do not give puppies the run of the entire house ... Limit them, to an area you can manage from your chair comfortably ... These days they have gates to barricade off areas.

Question:

How can I train my puppy not to chew?

Answer:
Puppies that chew are a clear note that the owner has not established any boundaries and expects the puppy to learn from negative training ... Usually the opposite as that is the only time the pup gets full attention of the owner ... It only spirals out of control

When they do chew ... Stop them and say "No" once sharply and redirect their attention to something else without negativity.

You can also get marrow bones 4" ones and let them chew the marrow out and stuff them with peanut butter or squeeze cheese and freeze them ... The frozen bones will numb their gums.

Question:

What's the best way to get them to understand the word "NO"?

Answer:
Remember the puppy is not wrong ... The owner is for creating an inappropriate situation. A 6 week old puppy can learn the word "No" ... However that does not mean they will not find something else or forget what got them in trouble the first time ... But they will stop and look at you for direction and praise. Talk to the puppy and let him/her know he is being good when entertaining himself and they will do it more for the praise

I repeat my commands & hand signals until obeyed all the way not just part way! But the word "no" comes with swift redirection as I want that reserved for alerting the dog to danger and to stop immediately...we do not want them thinking they get attention from being bad and we want the word no said once to be the end of the conversation. One does not want to have to say no repeatedly to get the pups attention.

Question:

Is it good to keep a dog outside as much as possible?

Answer:
Putting them outside alone all the time discourages the puppy from enjoying being out ... All they want is to be with you and have your undivided attention for part of the time daily. Get the puppy on a strict schedule that has time spent playing one on one with the pup and time outdoors, and time in crate ... And they are never to old to be crate trained... That is a people perception!

Question:

What are good exercises?

Answer:
Exercise them with you .... Daily walks satisfies a need for quality time! My 8 week old puppies get walked daily 2x rain or shine and they spin in circles when we head towards the gate to go out. Agility lessons teaches both the owner and puppy how to focus in a very positive way and gets the exercise thing accomplished as well .. Even if competition is not the end goal the training gained is invaluable. Agility work is great at teaching the young dogs to watch for hand signals and to act swiftly... and teaches the owners what those signals are.

Question:

My puppy has loads of toys, but doesn't seem interested in them, what can I do?

Answer:
Have enough toys that you can rotate them ... New old toys are more fun than ones seen every day.

Question:

How can I stop my dog from eating his own poops?

Answer:
There is product out there that you can feed the dog and it will make his poop un-tasty or smells wrong, I am not sure and I have never tried it ... I would try other means first. They do go through a stage of that especially males it seems. I try to not have my pups pooping where they can ever get to it, so I never experience it. Dogs naturally do not like to go repeatedly in the same spot and never in their territory ... so keeping small back yard poop free is important for many reasons ... More for humans than the dogs.

They need to eat grass, so if it is not available in the winter , I feed my dogs sprouted wheat grass when it is about 4" tall ... Maybe they eat poop to get those enzymes I am unsure. As long as the pup is wormed regularly and is otherwise healthy ... Poop is digested Innova (or whatever else you might feed them) so I would not be panicky and punish the pup for it ... just there is a need to break the habit. Boredom sometimes is the issue especially with puppies that were raised indoors or without enough exercise ... So lots of toys and a regime of walking 2x daily.

Question:

My puppy seems to get nervous at outdoor sounds or new things, how can I Help him get used to them?

Answer:
Puppies need to be imprinted with sounds and activities they will run into through out life by 12 weeks. There is a lot of work to be done with a puppy especially a large one ... There is nothing harder than a skiddish large dog to train ... So boredom should not be part of their life.

I bring Penny (11 weeks now) to see you, simple but invaluable ... She gets pigs, goats, strangers, foreign accents, garage cover, side walk, strange smells of all the people that go there, children that walk her around on her leash and all in a controlled safe environment ... Today she has gone to sit on a street corner with Ed and visit friends at the Hotdog stand in Dunnellon .... Traffic noise, more strangers, lots of attention and I don't have to worry about unvaccinated dogs as I would a park although she is through all her shots now. I scheme to think of places to take her that are both safe and not overly scarey. This work pays off big time in the future.

Question:

What's a good raw food I can provide?

Answer:
I give all my pups marrow bones to chew on and chicken necks - 1/ 6"chicken neck = 1/2 cup Innova and is balanced nutritionally for a dog but you have to start them slowly on raw foods as they need to get the enzymes they need in their belly ... Frozen marrow bones with peanut butter stuffing takes a puppy thru a few hours of enjoyment ... Chicken necks are cheap ... We take 1/3 box home at a time spread them out and freeze them. Then we put them in baggies for ease of use.

Question:

Can you recommend a good training book?

Answer:
I highly recommend a book called "The Art of Raising a Puppy" ... World renown Skete Monks raises some of the very best German Shepherds available anywhere and are famous for their training skills and an ability to teach as well ... Predates Caesar Milan!

Question:

Do you have any tips on house training a puppy?

Answer:
I keep my puppy litter box and pen areas immaculate, so they will house-train easily. I start training them at 4 weeks by getting them on a routine. Any good breeder would do this as it it sets the tone for the rest of their life. Don't buy a puppy from a place that does not keep their pen clean or that keeps them in crates ... Poor little buggers are difficult to train as their natural instincts have been insulted and turned off.

Also pups likes to return to the same area to pee & poop (where it is scented), but just like a clean spot to use. No-one likes to step in poop not even the dogs, so it is important to always take a young puppy to the area you want them to use. But keep it clean so the experience is not distasteful to their instincts.