House training your new puppy – start early

By admin | Published: December 8, 2009

When you bring that new puppy home, it is hard to think of anything but cuddling her and making her feel at home. That is an important thing to do, but only goes so far in ensuring a great relationship between you and your dog. House training should be started almost immediately. And by house training I mean much more than just the potty training aspect.

House training is a very important phase in a dog’s life. It secures the tight bond and good relationship between the master and the dog. Experts advise that house training must start while the dog is young.

By starting young, any misbehavior issues will be caught and corrected that much sooner, before the misbehavior becomes habit.

Here are some guidelines on going about your dogs house training.

Let her have her own space

Untrained puppies or dogs should not be allowed to wander around the house without any supervision. While you may not know it, your pet might already be chewing on things. Even worse, that chewing may cause injury or electrocution, if the wrong item becomes the dogs chew toy.

While you are at home, try to keep your puppy in a place where you can clearly see her. If you have to leave the house and leave your dog alone, place her in her den or crate. Speaking of crates, make sure you make it comfortable and a place your dog enjoys being in. Make sure you have made her a bed of her own, such as a cozy towel or dog pillow. Add some toys, water, and food. She will come to love her space and need little coaxing when it comes time for you to leave.

But don’t just leave her in her crate. Regardless of how comfortable you have made it, it is still very limited and will not allow your pet to get the exercise she needs.

Introduce her to new areas

After you have taught her how to behave in her own place, it is now time to introduce your puppy to the other areas of your home. Be sure to spend time with him in those area. If you want to show him the new place where he can eat, do it under your supervision. Introduce the place and what is allowed or disallowed in that place. You can do this by initially using a leash to control her reactions. Unleash her when you think she has gotten familiar with the new area. But remember to keep watch or else he might get into trouble and cause further damages.

Potty train her

Show her the area where she can do her thing. Make sure not to confuse her. Never allow her to play in that area or she might get the idea that she can use the same place for all her activities. (note that if you have a large fenced yard, and you want to allow her to use that entire area, then the advice of not playing where she does her business does not really apply. That same yard would be the best place to get her exercise also.)

Teach her the “No Chew” command

By nature, dogs like to chew on things since it aids in the strengthening of their teeth and gums. It is also a healthy exercise for their jaws. Part of your dogs house training is providing her with toys that she is allowed to chew on, then letting her understand that not all things can be used to strengthen his teeth and gums. Be stern as you give him the “no chew” command. Praise her when she has done the right thing, perhaps also giving her a reward.

Set off limits areas

I will not be hypocrytical and tell you to keep your puppy off of all your furniture. My wife and I allow our dalmation on both our sofa and our bed. But there are certain pieces of furniture, and one room, that we just don’t want her near. So teach your puppy what “off” means, and mean it. Be stern but not angry, and reward her when she learns to stay away.

These are just a few items to work with in house training your new dog. I hope you found them useful, and know that if you apply them you will have a long and happy relationship with that newest addition to your family, your dog. Start as soon as you can!

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Dog rescue: good for both the dog and you

By admin | Published: December 6, 2009

Puppy at the Animal Shelter
Image by bossco via Flickr

I came upon this blog post/article today, and it really hits home.

I think most of us agree that if we want a new dog the first place to look is at the local animal shelter. There are so many previously unwanted, yet adorable, dogs wasting away at an animal shelter, with only one desire… a permanent home with a loving family. And they give so much more than they receive… thus the premisc for the article below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY by Janine Allen

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.
I would promise to always be by her side.
I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog’s professional dog trainer. Janine’s passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2009 Rescue Me Dog; www.rescuemedog.org

http://rescuemedog.org/dog-blog/i-rescued-a-human-today-by-janine-allen/

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That paper shredder is a danger to your dog!

By admin | Published: December 5, 2009

I was just reading one of the newsletters I subscribe to and saw a safety tip that I just had to share. It warned about the potential for your dog to get its tongue or hair stuck in your paper shredder, with potentially dangerous results.

This newsletter referenced two articles about one situation where the dog wound up losing her tongue, and almost bled to death before they got her to the veterinarian. The owner, Erica, wrote about waking up to her dog screaming in pain and her frantic trip to the nearest vet clinic. Dr. Emo, the attending veterinarian, talks about what occurred at the clinic.

In Dr. Eno’s article, he explains why this may happen:

NOTE: the most common reason for this traumatic even to occur with paper shredders is from children feeding food into them and dogs licking at the food. We recommend that you NEVER keep your paper shredder on auto feed and keep it out of the use of children.

Good advice, but I would go even further. Keep your shredder completely unplugged unless you are using it, and never walk away with the shredder still plugged in.

My dalmatian, Roxy, is extremely inquisitive, and can be seen sniffing out anything she is not used to being there. Even if it is something she has seen all her life, it becomes something completely new if the item is moved, So it doesn’t necessarily have to be the result of children putting food down the feed.

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