New Puppy Schedule!

[nadz]

Hello everybody :D This is my first post but I've been lurking around for a while hehe. Such a great resource and great advice!

I'm getting a new puppy soon and have been researching how to care for him/her. I think I've come up with my "strategy" but I just want someone more knowing than myself to give it the thumbs up! I'm mainly following Ian Dunbar's suggestions, but if there are any other good techniques I'd love to hear recommendations!

So I'm thinking I will crate train my pup but I'm not intending to crate him in the long run. So I'll teach him to love it (with the chew toy suggestions) and then he'll sleep with the door closed next to my bed until he can last the night without needing to go outside for a toilet break. When he is kept in there overnight next to my bed, should i include a chew toy? Or just try to get him to settle down all night? Once he is toilet trained overnight I'll decide whether he'll sleep on my bed, in his basket somewhere around the house, or in his crate with the door open if he wants to.

I'm also going to create a "puppy play pen" using a pen (I think it's 4.9m in length) with his bed in it and a toilet area (litter tray with a square of grass in it), as well as a water bowl. I'll have plenty of chew toys with food stuffed in there for him to play with. I will be using this when I am out of the house. Should this pen be inside in a spare room, or outside in the garden? I can make sure he has both sunlight and shade if it is in the garden.

When he is with me, I'll train and play with him. When i am occupied, for example cooking dinner, I am unsure whether he should be put in his crate with a chew toy or in the play pen? Ian Dunbar says his crate but I just want to make sure that is the right thing to do? I do not want to keep him in the crate longer than an hour.

If he is not in his play pen then I'll be taking him outside for a toilet break on the hour, every hour. Should I keep a leash on him during these toilet breaks, or let me have free run of the yard? I would be watching him. After he does his business I'll reward him with his favourite snack (whatever it turns out to be, granted that it's dog appropriate lol!)

I have decided not to leave a collar on him when at home. We have a very secure yard and the pup will be micro-chipped so I think I'd rather avoid the risk of him choking. I know not to walk him until 14 days after his 2nd vaccination, but at what age should i teach him to walk on a lead? I will probably take him out before this vaccination but not allow him on the ground and not take him to dog parks etc. I'm going to make sure he meets lots of people and vaccinated dogs before i take him out! And when appropriate he will be taking puppy classes at the local vet clinic.

Lastly, I'm thinking I might also move his bed out of his play pen and sit it next to the t.v when I'm watching the t.v, and settle him down there with a chew toy so he knows he can occupy himself even when people are around. Does this seem like a good idea? Or should I put him in his crate in this instance instead?

Oh and I thought that I should add, I am intending on using his daily dry bit allowance for all these chew toys! I do not want a chubby puppy!

Looking forward to your feedback!

[Lucy's mama]

I have followed a lot of Ian Dunbar's suggestions and we have put the puppy pen in the lounge room, attatched to the crate so the crate opens into it. I would think he would not like to be in a spare room - it could get a bit lonely. If I am busy with something whether or not he goes into the pen depends on his mood at the time. If he is happy to lay and watch me work then I leave him out, if he is chewing/jumping/rough housing I either put him on lead attatchd to my belt loop or into his pen.

I have found the pen a godsend. He immediately settles when popped in the pen, has a chew f his toy, watches us as we go about our business then and goes to sleep.

So far I have left him inside in his pen if I go out with out him for a short time. When I need to go out for a longer stretch I plan to take his pen and crate out into the garden in a shady spot, then drag the trampoline over it, then put a painters drop sheet on the tramp to ensure he will definately be shaded in case I am longer than planned.

I started teaching loose leash walking the day after he arrived.

Edited December 9, 2009 by Lucy's mama

[nadz]

Thanks for your reply Lucy's mama! I have a large living room so I will keep the pen in there, and If it's going to be a nice day and the pup is settled enough I'll put the pen outside. Very clever idea with the trampoline I might try that!

edit to add: I think I'll give loose lease walking a try nice and early too, I'll definitely get him used to the collar asap!

Edited December 9, 2009 by nadz

[*lablover84*]

Hi Nadz,

Your plan is very much like the one we have implemented for our new puppy we picked up on Friday, probably because we're also following Ian Dunbar's method.

We introduced Bronco to his crate immediately, when we picked him up from the breeder. He is very happy in his crate, though we don't do short-term confinement (shutting the crate door) often. We still have a towel in there which has his mum's scent on it which probably helps. We have a pen set up inside and outside, which the crate moves between depending on whether we're home or not.

We regularly take him outside to go to the toilet, and the only time he soils inside is during the night, when he does it on the newspaper in his pen. We will need to build up the confinement I think though, as he won't be in the pen forever and can't go to the toilet in the house!

We also introduced him to the leash and collar from day one, but he doesn't wear it all the time as i'm also worried he could get it caught. For toilet breaks he either goes in his outdoor pen or just nearby. We haven't let him have free run of the whole yard, but in the mornings I put his leash on and take him to the back of the yard where the garden beds are for some interesting smells, etc.

Bronco doesn't get access to the whole house, just one area of the living room in the evenings near where our older lab sleeps, but this is always supervised as he's taken to harassing the big dog. He sometimes actually prefers to be in his crate inside his pen rather than out, which is positive. His inside pen is in the kitchen so he gets used to us walking around and different noises, etc.

[nadz]

thank you for your feedback *lablover84*! You'll have to update and let me know how Bronco is going with the method. I don't think I'll be using the crate as short-term confinement much either, Just pop him in his pen if I can't keep an eye on him.

It's great to hear about other people's experiences! Makes me feel more assured, I just want a happy, healthy puppy!

-edit for punctuation-

Edited December 9, 2009 by nadz

[W Sibs]

Wow.. you sound so organised and have everything planned!!

When he is kept in there overnight next to my bed, should i include a chew toy? Or just try to get him to settle down all night?

Depending on your puppy. Personally, I would try to settle him down for the night. With Charlie. From day dot.. I tell him 'Lights out' and he goes to his bed. But, there are times where he won't settle down, I still turn the light off, but I can hear him playing with his toys in the dark. I just ignore it the sound. He would get tired and go to sleep. If I really want him to settle down, I will put him on the bed.. he will give me a huff, but in seconds, he will start snoring.

Should this pen be inside in a spare room, or outside in the garden? I can make sure he has both sunlight and shade if it is in the garden.

Place it wherever you feel comfortable on doing so. If it's a nice day, I will put the pen outside, and if it's cold day, I will put it inside

When i am occupied, for example cooking dinner, I am unsure whether he should be put in his crate with a chew toy or in the play pen?

First thing I trained Charlie (aside from sit and stay) was to stay out of the kitchen. Especially when I'm in there. So, when I'm in there, he usually lays outside the kitchen waiting for me or he is in the backyard doing whatever out there.

Should I keep a leash on him during these toilet breaks, or let me have free run of the yard?

I would let him wander and smell stuff. Let him have a free romp and wait outside till he does it. If he has been out there for a while, bring in him and within 5 seconds, take him out again (sometimes puppies forget to do their business )

I have decided not to leave a collar on him when at home. We have a very secure yard and the pup will be micro-chipped so I think I'd rather avoid the risk of him choking. I know not to walk him until 14 days after his 2nd vaccination, but at what age should i teach him to walk on a lead? I will probably take him out before this vaccination but not allow him on the ground and not take him to dog parks etc. I'm going to make sure he meets lots of people and vaccinated dogs before i take him out! And when appropriate he will be taking puppy classes at the local vet clinic.

Charlie doesn't have a collar on at home either... there is no way he can escape the yard unless someone leave the front door open, and he doesn't step out of the house until I tell him it's ok too. You can teach your pup to walk on the leash as soon as you get him if you want. Just clip on the leash and let him walk around the yard or house with it, so he gets use of the feel of it. But, good idea to take your puppy out to meet different people and get use of strange sounds.

Lastly, I'm thinking I might also move his bed out of his play pen and sit it next to the t.v when I'm watching the t.v, and settle him down there with a chew toy so he knows he can occupy himself even when people are around. Does this seem like a good idea? Or should I put him in his crate in this instance instead?

It all depends on your pup. If you have a mellow and easy going pup, that's easy to give him a chew toy or treat while you're entertaining people, then do that. I would try to avoid locking up the pup as much as I can. Let him hang out with other people and stuff... when he gets to much, then I would put him in his pen. Most of the time, if you are a calm person and the pup is in a calm environment, the pup usually is calm too. Well, most dogs I've had is like that.

Oh and I thought that I should add, I am intending on using his daily dry bit allowance for all these chew toys! I do not want a chubby puppy!

Along as you exercise your pup every day (there is no excuse not to walk your dog everyday unless he/she is sick or injured), feed it a good diet.. there is no chance your pup will go chubby. Even if you give it a few snacks here and there :D

Could try giving him raw veggies to chew on (carrot, corn etc). Bones are good too :D Charlie has these calcium treats for after dinner, he has liver treats and cheese for training everyday... also if he did something really cute that we haven't seen he do before. Charlie has never ever been chubby

[nadz]

charleswentworth thanks for your comprehensive reply! I love being organised, it's like bringing a new baby home my OH thinks I'm mad haha but he'll appreciate it when we get the pup!

[pmiller]

We followed Dunbar's suggestions when our Cav was a pup, although we tweaked them to suit. He's about 13 months now and is a fantastic dog with no real behavioural problems.

Shiraz was crated from day 1. He spent a lot of time in there with the door shut in the first two weeks, and even at 11 months, was still sleeping in his crate with the door shut in the laundry. He never loved it, but didn't seem to mind all that much. Dunbar suggesting stuffing kongs with kibble. Sadly, Shiraz just wasn't interested in chewing them and is a dog that isn't really motivated by food all that much. Every night since we got him, he sleeps with a soft toy. He doesn't touch it, but it is just force of habbit that we always give him one.

We put a baby gate on the laundry door and kept him in there throughout the day for about 10 months. As of about 1 year, we have let him loose around the house. No problems, he sleeps all day and is toilet trained. He isn't all that interested in going outside. Spends some time out there doing his business and is walked for about 30-40 minutes a day.

We put a collar on him from day 1. He got used to it really quickly. His fur is a lot longer now and it is a nightmare to clip and unclip so we just leave it on.

Your toilet training plan is pretty much what we did. Persist with it, we still had the odd accident with Shiraz even at 7 months.

As I said earlier, our boy just isn't motivated by food all that much and skips meals all over the place. Feeding him through kongs just wasn't an option. We just fed him twice a day and left it down for 15 minutes. If he didn't eat, we just presumed he wasn't hungry! He is 8kg, perfect weight for a Cav and in great shape.

I don't think there is any perfect way to raise a pup and they all will be different. We used Dunbar's book for suggestions rather than bible. A lot of the other little difficulties have been solved by posting questions here!

Good luck with the pup. It is hard yakka, but loads of fun!

[nadz]

Thanks pmiller, very glad to hear about Shiraz being a good boy! I'm hoping my baby will be food orientated, being a dachshie I'm thinking he will be!

[luvsdogs]

I'm glad to hear that you've learned all you can b4 getting your puppy. I always recommend Ian Dunbar's site to ppl wanting puppy info. & like his methods, but adjust to suit your lifestyle.

[nadz]

thanks for the kind words luvsdogs! Everything I have learned has come off DOL so I'm very grateful! And I'm sure my pup will be too

I have another question! Now it's about car transportation. I think I'll get him a harness in the future and have him in the back seat (front seat has airbags). While he is still a puppy am I best off to have him in his crate in the car? Where do i sit the crate? I have a 2 door coupe. And if I do have him in the crate in the car when he's a pup, at what age should I start using a harness in the car? I'll buy a cat harness and get him used to that when he is a puppy though.

edit to add: He's a dachshund puppy so will be small! thought i should add that!

Edited December 10, 2009 by nadz

[newfsie]

I am not using anyone in particular, but I have raised a few newfie puppies, since the eighties and a Golden cross recently. I use the crate method, but only for a short period. I also use the umbilical system, which is puppy on lead, whilst we are inside the house. this gives lots of lead training and contact and gives the puppy opportunity to communicate what she wants. I have a seventeen week old newfie pup right now and she has only had two mishaps,and they were our fault for not being quick enough. I totally ignore mistakes. We take our puppies out 1/2 hourly when they are awake. And it starts as soon as they are awake. And we have a few night time trips.

If Katy has been asleep and she wakes I take her out immediately. She gets lots of praise and rewards when she does her potty. I also seem to sleep with one ear open, because as soon as she winces at night I take her out for a potty run. We also have bells on the door handle and i always rang them on the way out.......She now rings them when she wants out. Or she barks a loud sharp bark in my ear at night. I make a huge effort to sound happy and full of praise when she wants out. Which on some nights, when you are tired, is difficult. But we have had success. Katy is now loose in the house. We only use the crate at obedience and shows. And she is potty trained and has only had those two mishaps. I aim not to have any mistakes in the crate either, when they are small.

This also works for mature dogs. We got Annabelle as a 13month old rescue newf, who had never lived indoors and she was not toilet trained.........It was bad. Now she had a few huge mishaps. But is good now

Addon, I use a harness from day one...............I have all sizes to adjust to the huge size difference

Good luck with your future puppy, enjoy

Edited December 12, 2009 by newfsie

[Cazwah]

I can't remember whether I have already sent you a message or not Nadz but your plan is my plan almost word for word! And we are also getting a miniature dachie! I am relying on him being food motivated as well, I have six puppy kongs ready to go! Not to mention the long term confinement area with a fake grass doggy toilet, water bowl and dog crate.. still a few things to get but we've got most of what's on our list! When do you get your pup? We are bringing our Chestnut home around the 9th of January, hopefully a little earlier. Have you looked at the dachshund breed sub forum? Lot's of proud dachie owners there.

Actually, I have been wondering about the car harness too.. I want to get one before he arrives so I think I'll get the crate/seat belt attachment first then maybe a seatbelt attachment for his harness later... Also have you seen the "Ultimate Puppy Toolkit"? I got one form a pet store after being reccommended it by a puppy school. It has LOADS of practical information on obedience, games, prevention training etc. Well worth it if you can find it.

Anyway, good luck! I hope to hear more

PS- I've found selecting harnesses difficult too because he will be so small. In the end I just bought a collar and a harness and will adjust them or get new ones if they don't fit.