New Puppy

[Ali37]

Hi anyone in the same boat getting a puppy tomorrow - will be 8 weeks (slightly concerned we're doing it all wrong in winter months ...)- work from home and dreading how much work this will be - daughter and dad wanted the puppy but i'm the one at home (+ working) (may not always be the case) ...... any tips - we have crate + all the bits just wondered if anyone else is going through this in now.

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

I am. Puppy is 13 weeks today-got her at 8 weeks.
Our darling old boy died earlier in the year at the ripe old age of 15 so I have forgotten how hard a puppy is.
I am knackered, but we all adore her.
Best bits of advice I have been given is re socialisation. Even before she was allowed on the ground we took her our in our arms every night, and to the pub etc.
Invited 'safe' dogs over for play dates and got her into puppy training which is really helping focus us. She is in a crate at night and to eat-she goes in very happily-often putting herself to bed. We got the same exact crate as breeder had. Never crate as punishment.
We also have been keeping back door open so she can go out when she wants as we had several accidents by the back door-and she is now very good at her toileting. Her puppy training use clicker and that is working very well-didn't do it last time.
I think to remember the early formative days very full on but important to teach good habits. Watch her like a hawk for a couple of weeks re toileting outside and she really gets it-but it is pretty intense initially!! Remember it passes quickly.
She is already very good at entertaining herself and is lapping up training like a sponge.
Good luck!!!

[BiteyShark]

I did puppy toilet training in winter a couple of years ago and it isn't fun standing outside in -4 degrees but remember it will all be done by the summer and you can both relax in the warm weather .

I worked from home although I took a few weeks off completly at first and it was bloody hard I won't lie. Fortunately as my work is flexible I ended up working late into the night when my DH was at home to supervise. Unfortunately you need to be watching them like a hawk in the early weeks for toilet training, stopping them biting things they shouldn't and that's even before you start to do all the socialisation and training required.

I found it very hard and had the puppy blues on top of that but I struggled through and now have a wonderful 2 year old dog so it was worth it in the end.

[Ali37]

Thank -you for tips - I'll probably have more questions as the weeks go by, yep the puppy training booked and clicker bought its the poo and wee that concerns me most...

[Theresahairbrushinthefridge]

In my opinion house training is largely a matter of your understanding and vigilance. We have house trained our 8 week old puppy in less than a week. Since we have had her she has only done three wees in the house. She was clean at night - sleeping 10-7 after first three (very noisy) nights.

Puppies wee lots when tiny. That gives you lots of chances to teach them. They start sniffing and walking very purposefully when they need a wee. Pick it up and carry straight out.
Then stand still and ignore until
They have been to the toilet.

Ours was weeing every 20
Mins over the first few days. Now it is probably once an hour. She goes to the back door to be let out. Though
I still constantly take her out.

Poos are sniffing and circling.

Ours is a lab. Smaller dogs have smaller bladders and may need to go more often.

I am not trying to be smug. I just think it's something that is
Up to the owner not the dog.

My parents have had dogs all
Our lives. My parents have got a bit slack in house training their last dog. He is still unreliable at 2. I was determined not to have the same.

[bpisok]

Puppy arrived 10 days ago at 9 weeks old.....feels like years already!! She had been using puppy pads indoors at her breeders. On day one we put a puppy pad in the garden and took her there every 30 mins. By the afternoon she had got the hang of it and was taking herself there. Very few accidents but we are on constant alert for circling/sniffing and call her into the garden if she hasn't taken herself out. Now trying to teach her to ring a bell on the door when she wants to go out....but she keeps ringing it and then standing on the door step wagging her tail aaarrrgggh
She is crated in the kitchen and for the first 3 nights DH slept there on the sofa.
We then download dog monitor onto the iPad and iPhone so now can hear when she wakes in the night (£5 well spent!!) First few nights horrendous!!! Up 4 times a night but last 2 nights only once a night. So she's sleeping from 11.30pm-4.30am and 4.30am-7.00am but we are wearing her out during the day. 3 x Training sessions - sit,down,come,stay, lead training (not going well hahaha), tug, fetch (great at getting the ball and bringing it back, not so great at dropping it!), gets her lunch in a couple of KONGs, 2 runs around the garden a day. We need to get the lead training sorted because she can go out in a couple of weeks.

Mind you it may be best not to feed too many treats/change her food. We didn't change her food but were using puppy training treats - ended up with diarrhoea with mucus and bright red blood in it - apparently it's not unusual (but it scared the life out of me!).

As for work at home it's nigh on impossible. You soon master playing tug with your left hand, whilst typing with your right - so we have both learnt a new trick.

Not sure what breed your new puppy is but my research tells me that some are easier than others to train.....which def influenced my choice.

[madvixen]

Get some puppy doorbells. They sound daft but they will massively reduce the time needed to train them to toilet outside. We had Boo trained in 3 days with them.

I was hugely sceptical myself but for a fiver I thought they were worth a try. I'm now a huge concert and would recommend them to any puppy owner