House Puppy Training

If you have a puppy or puppies in your house, then puppy training will probably be one of the first things you will think about. After all, a puppy can make quite a lot of mess around the house, and very unpleasant it can be too. But, you want to enjoy having them in the house, so you need to be prepared to put some effort into house training. Plus, a lot of patience, as it can take up to 6 months.

House training a puppy or dog may not be as easy as with a cat, but it is certainly possible with persistence. While cats will pretty much learn for themselves if you give them the litter tray indoors, a puppy will require a bit more attention and pro-active training.

Ideally, you will have a large garden you can take the puppy into to urinate and defecate. When you take the puppy out of the house, choose an area of the garden that is alright with you to begin with, and hope the puppy will stick to that area in the future; then you will both be happy.

When you are in the house caring for the puppy, you should take the puppy outside to eliminate at regular intervals, possibly as often as 45 minutes in the early stages. Be sure to communicate with the puppy telling him why you're going out of the house, what he is suppossed to do in the allotted place. Initially, of course, he will not have a clue what you are talking about, but will soon get used to it, especially if you praise and congratulate him when he has done what you want him to do.

There will be times when you have to leave the puppy at home unattended, and that is when you can have real problems. Just expect them and deal with them as calmly as possible, as scolding the puppy will not help. It is only natural, and not the puppy's fault. Puppy house training is your job, not the puppy's.

When you do leave the house, leave the puppy somewhere it can do the least damage and make the least mess. If in a room, cover the floor with paper so at least it will probably eliminate on the paper. When you get back to the house, clear up as quickly as possible, and replace the newspaper for next time.

As you follow this practice, the puppy will gradually choose a preferred area to leave his mess. Between you, you will gradually learn together what's best. Be consistent and patient, and reward the puppy for doing a good job, and you will be rewarded with a good house trained dog.

If you have to prepare for your puppy being left in the house as it gets older you will want to consider an indoor dog potty. You can opt for a litter tray, but these can work out expensive and messy. there is an ingenious alternative these days, and that's the Wizdog Dog Potty (pictured left).

You can get the Wizdog, here. Incidentally, the Wizdog is also suitable for grown dogs, not just puppies.

 

You will find an very nice range of breed dog gifts, for grown dogs and puppies alike, if you click here.

 

As part of our policy of providing useful information on each gift topic, the article included below offers tips on how to care for your new puppy once you've brought it home.

 

 

How To Care For and Raise Puppies

The raising of puppies can be an exhilarating and rewarding experience.  It can also be a frustrating and messy experience if some guidelines aren’t adhered to or if certain aspects of the duty are ignored or overlooked.  There are a number of things that you can do for the puppies and their mother to help make their first days, weeks, and months together healthy and happy ones.

The mother dog will spend the first few days after giving birth with her new puppies.  It is important to check on the mother and the pups to ensure that the puppies are being kept warm enough and are being well fed and to make sure that Mother is producing enough milk for the puppy, and is also comfortable.

If the mother leaves the puppies it will be very important to monitor their temperature closely.  It is imperative that the puppiess be kept warm, and their area should be kept at a temperature of ninety degrees Fahrenheit for the first four days of their young lives.  The temperature can be decreased gradually after that.  Remember that a large litter of puppies will still need to be kept warm, but that the puppies’ body heat will help to keep them warm as they huddle together.

The mother will be very protective of her pups and may display signs of anxiety when people come near them.  Some dogs will move the puppies from place to place in an effort to hide them from predators.  This behaviour is instinctive.  Keeping the mother and her puppies in an enclosed box may curb this problem, as the darkness will ease the mother’s mind and make her feel that she’s found an ideal location for protecting her babies.

During the puppies’ first month there should be little need for the owner to do much of anything for them.  They will be cared for exclusively by the mother during this period.  The owner’s role should be one of monitoring the puppies' progress and growth rate.  The puppies should double their weight in about a week.  By two weeks of age they will be alert and attempting to stand on their own.  By the time they’re a month old they should all be able to walk, play, and run around.  That's when the fun starts! 

At about four and a half weeks, the puppies should be eating solid food.  One way to train them in so doing is to start feeding them a mixture of canned or dry dog food mixed with a little water, or milt, to soften it.  The puppies will lap this up like they are drinking, but will be taking food in at the same time.  Day by day the amount of liquid being used should be reduced until eventually the pups are eating the canned or dry food on its own.

One activity that a new mother will engage in will sometimes alarm dog owners.  In an effort to teach her puppies how to urinate and defecate, the mother may lick their’ hindquarters.  This stimulus will make them “go.”  The mother will often eat the resulting excrement.  She does this both to keep the puppies’ area clean and remove the scent of her puppies’ droppings, which could alert predators in the wild.  The puppies will sometimes mimic such behaviour, and eat each other’s excrement for a short time.  Most puppies will cease this behaviour by the time they are weaned.