New Puppy Question and Poll

[ahundredtimes]

Right here's the question:

When can he wear a collar or rather when is a good time to put a collar on him? Do you put on and leave, or take on and off? I don't think I like collars much.

Poll:

Where in your house is your dog allowed to go? Everywhere? Just downstairs? Or upstairs and downstairs?

I think once he's more house-trained, he should be allowed everywhere, dh thinks just downstairs.

Look in to training - obedience and socialisation from 12 weeks old. It is absolutely necessary to give the dog the best life otherwise it will assume top-dog status and you will be on here saying how the chew everything/snap/bark/yap/pull etc etc.

NO TOYS... ESPECIALY soft ones. Get 2 Kongs - fill with soft treats (food), freeze. Give one kong in morning - let it have it all day; will spend hours and hours licking frozen treat - great fun! Refil in evening and freeze; you have one ready for the next day already.

Cardboard boxes (cereal/loo roll etc - nothing fancy). Allow to destroy to their little heart's content.

Rawhide chews - the little shoe-shaped ones from Wilkinsons and the tiny rawhide bones; great for chewing but can leave marks on dark carpets.

A pup won't know the difference between "their" teddy and the kids teddy/your sofa/your slippers/clothes so it is best to stay away from them. DO NOT buy a rope with tassles on unless you don't mind if your sofa gets wrecked!!

This is the advice my mum/her boss would give and between them they have over 40 yrs dog training and psychology experience.

I should add - you can get one toy to play with them (a ball on a rope or something like that - 2 sided though so you can interact). This is YOUR toy though - it comes out when YOU want to play and goes away when YOU have had enough; don't leave it lying around.

Something like this but the ball bit should only be 2 inch diameter - really tiny.

Haven't read all the replies so apologies if I am repeating things but I would get your dog, with a name and address tag, to wear a collar at least during daytime hours and that way if they escape they have their tag on. I would also keep your puppy downstairs at least initally, that way you can keep socks and toys out of their way. Despite my intial misgivings I am glad we have a stairgate otherwise she'd be into everything. Also the stairs are a danger as I've found out dogs don't have the same righting mechanism that cats have and would be far more likely to take a tumble down the stairs.

[thud] Lewis Fan!

kicks toy rope bone with tassles
eyes up soft squeaking turtle
Views ominous shoe-shaped squeaky toy

Oh dear. Bit late.

There's a lot of conflicting advice on this isn't there? Yours was good, I mean your Mums was very sound, thank you for it.

We are enrolled in puppy classes. He already knows I'm in charge, and he is rather submissive it seems, not too mental either. Possibly a bit dopey. Strange, I wish my children were as obliging.

[brightens]

But he does have the cardboard recycling to play with, and he does, and rawhide bones. [phew].

He is much better today on not chewing us but the toys.

What is a kong?

Ooh, I've got a Cocker Spaniel! They're gorgeous aren't they? And such lovely natured dogs. My dog has had her collar on from the beginning, I think. She has never seemed to mind it. She doesn't really go upstairs, and definately wasn't allowed when she wasn't housetrained. She can go up there, but chooses to stay downstairs mostly. I think this is for fear of us trying to give her a bath . She does tend to lie on the stairs, as I think this is the best place for her to get a view out of the living room window! They're a very nosy breed! She used to climb up onto a chair to sit on the window sill, but we moved it so that she can't .

Kongs are great. They are dome like thingies made of indestructable rubber and they've got a hole in the middle that you can fill with food. There are these cans with liver paste in, that you can buy, or you can just fill them with pate or something similar. It keeps them entertained for ages as they are trying to get at the food, just like they would in the wild.

puppy kong - £5 ish

Also remember that a puppy isn't really going to challenge you until they hit the "teen" years at 6months age (ish)

This is when the chewing furniture/walls (yes - walls!), nipping, biting, growling etc will start to come out and this is where you will need to up the training - until then, don't assume that because he hasn't chewed yet doesn't mean he won't!

With pups, check their collars daily as they can tighten overnight!

Ahundredtimes, our vet suggested putting a bit of washing up liquid on the lead to stop them messing/chewing with it, said wouldn't do harm but they don't like taste so give up. Worked with ours, we've got a cav kc spaniel.

Hi,

brought our 10wk puppy home today. We are moving to a house in a few weeks but currently still in our flat in central London. So have been reading a bit about crates etc we have one. When we go to bed tonight do we put him in the crate and shut the door or leave the door off and allow him to wander the kitchen with one of those pee pads on the floor? Also have put a pee pad by the balcony door and he has a couple of times taken himself off there to pee, should we continue this or take him out onto the balcony to do his stuff (no-one below us so no need to worry about accidently peeing on someones flowers).

You need to have a collar with an ID tag on it, I take my dogs collars off at night though before the go to bed and on again in the morning. www.identitags.co.uk is where I got my tags from, good prices, nice selection and speedy delivery.

As for access, my dogs are allowed anywhere they like. big fella sleep on his armchair in the sitting room and little one sleeps on my bed.