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To a puppy, the world is
brand new and fascinating! He's seeing it all for the very
first time and absolutely everything must be thoroughly
investigated. Puppies do most of their investigating with
their mouths -- "Look at this! What is it? Something to eat?
Something to play with?" Murphy's Law says that a puppy will
be most attracted to the things he should least have --
electrical cords, the fringe on your expensive oriental rug,
your brand new running shoes, etc.
Preventing destructive and
dangerous chewing is easier than trying to correct the puppy
every second. Look around your home. What objects could be
put up out of the way of a curious puppy? Bitter Apple spray
can be applied to furniture legs, woodwork and other
immovable items. Are there rooms your puppy should be
restricted from entering until he's better trained and more
reliable? Install a baby gate or keep the doors to those
rooms closed.
Take a walk around your
yard looking for potential hazards. If your yard is fenced,
check the boundaries and gates for openings that could be
potential escape routes. Puppies can get through smaller
places than an adult dog. If your yard's not fenced, make a
resolution right now that your puppy will never be allowed
to run off lead without close supervision. He won't ever
know enough to look both ways before crossing the street to
chase a squirrel. Keep him safe by keeping him on leash!
Use a
schedule
Work out a schedule for
you and the puppy. Housetraining is much easier when the
puppy's meals, exercise and playtimes are on a regular
schedule throughout the day. Housebreaking is a whole
subject in itself, one there isn't time for in today's short
column. Your book on puppy care and training should have a
section on housebreaking with suggestions and a recommended
schedule. Read through it and create a game plan before the
puppy arrives. Many people like to bring their puppies home
on a weekend in order to devote extra time to settling in
and housebreaking those first few days.
Everybody needs their own place
Decide where to put the
dog crate, and have it set up and ready for his arrival.
Where to keep the crate will depend on what's most
convenient for you as well as the puppy's response. Many
puppies don't like to be isolated in one part of the house
while their family is in another but some puppies won't
settled down in their crates if there's too much activity
going on around them. You might have to experiment with
different locations until you learn what works best for both
you and the puppy.
Visit
your vet
Make an appointment with
your veterinarian to give the puppy a complete checkup
within 72 hours of your purchase. If you don't
have a vet yet, ask the breeder or local kennel club for a
recommendation. Although the puppy has most likely been
health-checked by the breeder (or should've been!), an exam
is additional security against health defects, problems that
weren't apparent the first time. If your vet offers
microchip ID implants, this an excellent time to get one!
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