Over the past few days I've been trying to design up a kind of program for the development of a puppy I'll be getting pretty soon based on all the information I've read as well as watched from the training DVDs "your puppy 8 weeks to 8 months" and "basic obedience".

I've gotten the general idea that in the house puppy should be tethered or crated and should be brought outside to potty as well as play /train. The times outside and in should both happen (in other words, puppy shouldn't be inside the majority of the time)

So with that info I started making a schedule as a guideline that also accomodates what I was hoping to do. Only after well into making it I learned that it wasn't going to work because of new info like looking out for bloat and a puppy shouldn't be trained for more than 5 mins.

Many of the suggested schedules out there have puppy essentially fed, watered, taken out to poo/pee and than crated for more hours than I feel is right... especially considering I'd be home anyways. So I guess, I was hoping for a suggestion of what to do when... now that I have a great idea of "how" to do =P

Now I also have a cat who's previously been actually quite good with a dog (husband and I dog sat for his parents' dog) so of course I read the article on introducing cat to dog or vice versa. I was wondering just how closely I should take the advice in it, do I really have to be so careful? And do I really need a prong collar for such a young puppy? On top of that the cat does tear around the house at times and I understand wholeheartedly that it can trigger a prey drive... Do I really need to get the cat to stop if the puppy's tethered to me? how would I do that anyways?

Previously I mentioned that my in-laws have a dog, and living nearby of course the two will have to be introduced. Most of what I've read about dogs meeting each other and such apply to 2+ dogs that would be living together. I read also that the other dog should not be considered more amicable and fun than me, so it got me wondering when and how should the two be introduced to another? keeping in mind that I won't have full control over the other dog to throw it in a crate or other room.

I know that puppy shouldn't be untethered and should be calm inside the house... what about other people's houses? can I unleash puppy and kind of ignore that rule?

Also, what if the house puppy and I were visiting is the complete opposite of what I am expecting to teach puppy? (The dog(s) of the home running around, dominant, allowed on furniture, toys freely available and everywhere... just to name a few examples)

Apologies for such a long post, but I really hope to do things right the first time. Mostly because I know how detrimental it is.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (10/19/2011 05:34 PM)
Edit reason: deleted one topic to move to separate thread

silly me, I forgot to mention what may or may not be important...

The puppy I'm getting is a male Siberian Husky.
My cat is a DSH (no particular breed) that was roaming our driveway as a young kitten (less than 8 months).
The dog that belongs to the in-laws is an adult male bichon frise that's untrained for the most part.

Lots of topics for one thread ....


Just to keep folks from being overwhelmed in one thread, how about I take out the topic of raw feeding and make it its own post in the feeding section over here
http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=347347#Post347347

My comments are in bold, but I left yours as well to make it easier to understand.

I've gotten the general idea that in the house puppy should be tethered or crated and should be brought outside to potty as well as play /train. The times outside and in should both happen (in other words, puppy shouldn't be inside the majority of the time)

Basically, if the pup is out of it's crate, it should be tethered to you or contained in an area where you can watch it closely (baby gates come in handy for that). I am not sure where you got that a pup shouldn't be inside the majority of the time...I have never raised any of my pups this way. We spent most of our time in the house. I started all training in the house (even have a 12 by 24 area in my basement specifically for this purpose). Lots of play and training inside, outside, everywhere, all the time.

So with that info I started making a schedule as a guideline that also accomodates what I was hoping to do. Only after well into making it I learned that it wasn't going to work because of new info like looking out for bloat and a puppy shouldn't be trained for more than 5 mins.

Could you be more specific about how bloat would affect your schedule? I make sure my dogs are cool (not panting, riled up) before eating and make sure they are quiet for an hour or two after eating.

Training time will vary as the pup gets older...your pup will let you know how long is too long at first. Don't get stuck with 5 minutes only.

Many of the suggested schedules out there have puppy essentially fed, watered, taken out to poo/pee and than crated for more hours than I feel is right... especially considering I'd be home anyways. So I guess, I was hoping for a suggestion of what to do when... now that I have a great idea of "how" to do =P

If I was home, my pup was with me as long as I could properly supervise. I like my dogs to spend as little time as possible in their crates, although those with working dogs might feel a little differently so the dog is always *ready* to work.

Now I also have a cat who's previously been actually quite good with a dog (husband and I dog sat for his parents' dog) so of course I read the article on introducing cat to dog or vice versa. I was wondering just how closely I should take the advice in it, do I really have to be so careful? And do I really need a prong collar for such a young puppy? On top of that the cat does tear around the house at times and I understand wholeheartedly that it can trigger a prey drive... Do I really need to get the cat to stop if the puppy's tethered to me? how would I do that anyways?

I cannot offer good advice here as only 1 out of my 3 dogs can behave around the cat. My cat is an old cat that is crabby and likes to dart around. He lives in the laundry room during the day and is allowed out and about at night when the dogs are crated. Just make sure your cat has somewhere to escape the pup...baby gate across a room entrance would work great.

Previously I mentioned that my in-laws have a dog, and living nearby of course the two will have to be introduced. Most of what I've read about dogs meeting each other and such apply to 2+ dogs that would be living together. I read also that the other dog should not be considered more amicable and fun than me, so it got me wondering when and how should the two be introduced to another? keeping in mind that I won't have full control over the other dog to throw it in a crate or other room.

Keep your pup on leash. My pup was introduced to the family dogs from the day he came home. I kept him leashed and he has learned to properly behave around them all (ranging from a tiny yorkie to our GSDs). This is important to me because we travel as a family...seven dogs all together. He is around them all a lot.

Introduce on neutral territory, both dogs leashed, take a walk together and go from there. Your pup is probably going to be distracted by the other dog and be more interested in it than you at that moment...it's not the end of the world.

My dog loves to play with my other dogs and my aunt's beagle mix. When he was younger, I pretty much expected him to ignore me when he was playing, but that's ok because I wanted him to experience healthy pack play. I was just careful not to give him commands in this highly distracting environment. As he got older and his obedience and attention span improved, I used these opportunities to slip in commands that I knew he would obey. I never gave him the chance to blow me off.

I know that puppy shouldn't be untethered and should be calm inside the house... what about other people's houses? can I unleash puppy and kind of ignore that rule?

I think this is even more true at other's homes. I take my pup with me and I always kept him tethered until he was old enough to be under voice control.

Also, what if the house puppy and I were visiting is the complete opposite of what I am expecting to teach puppy? (The dog(s) of the home running around, dominant, allowed on furniture, toys freely available and everywhere... just to name a few examples)

I don't know if I would bring my pup to an environment; if I did, I would keep my pup tethered or expect that he would be running around like a wild man, picking up bad habits

Apologies for such a long post, but I really hope to do things right the first time. Mostly because I know how detrimental it is.

It's all a learning experience, you even learn from the mistakes and dogs are generally very forgiving

 Quote: Kimberley Weimer

I've gotten the general idea that in the house puppy should be tethered or crated and should be brought outside to potty as well as play /train. The times outside and in should both happen (in other words, puppy shouldn't be inside the majority of the time.

Tethered and crated keeps puppy safe and also sets the stage for succesful housebreaking. Which is a priority for your pup when he comes home.

When your pup first gets home I'd schedule his day around getting him housebroken. Every two hours out to potty and throw a party every single time he does his business outside. Play with him for a bit after. Also if you are playing with him in the house take him outside after a few minutes to let him relieve himself even if he went 20 minutes before; physical activity often triggers the urge to go in young puppies. At night I set a clock for 4 hours or if he woke me up sooner I took him out. By 10 weeks he was going 6 hours and at 12 weeks could go 8 hours through the night in his crate; but still needed frequent potty breaks during the day when he was active.

As far as a majority of time in or out; I don't really know what that is referring to but you want to expose your pup to something new every day so getting outside is important.

Also keep in mind; at 8 weeks a puppy can require as much as 18 hours of sleep a day, so 4 hours in a crate, isn't a long time if your pup is sleeping.

I'm assuming your pup will only be 8 weeks or so when you get him so his energy is going to come in spurts followed by some deep sleeping, couple frequent small feedings...bloat shouldn't be an immediate concern.

5 minutes is about the maximum time you can keep a puppy engaged and excited for training and wanting to work. AS SOON AS you start losing his attention you need to stop on a good note.(Some puppies might engage longer and others not as long it isn't a fast number just a guiding point) Think in terms of a new born. So much of their energy is needed just to grow hence the need for so much sleep.

 Quote: Kimberley Weimer

do I really have to be so careful?

If you want to do it right the first time; YES!

Also, it is great you will be able to be home a majority of the time when the puppy is young but make a habit of leaving him alone for at least a little while so that he gets used to your comings and goings because you may not always be able to spend the majority of your days home and you want him used to being alone sometimes.

One last point, any schedule you decide on should fit with your life style that is paramount to forming a good relationship with your dog. Good luck and make sure you post pictures.

Thanks a lot, has been really helpful. I will most certainly post pictures! =)

I'd re-consider the multiple-quote method when asking a second round of questions. No one but one poster knows what question of yours triggered that answer. So no one but that one poster can answer you without going back a tier of posts.

BTW, kudos for researching now!


Anyway:

Q
Also, what if the house puppy and I were visiting is the complete opposite of what I am expecting to teach puppy? (The dog(s) of the home running around, dominant, allowed on furniture, toys freely available and everywhere... just to name a few examples)

A
I don't know if I would bring my pup to an environment; if I did, I would keep my pup tethered or expect that he would be running around like a wild man, picking up bad habits.

Q
Are you saying you wouldn't bring your pup to that environment? or any environment? and you'd have puppy leashed?


My answer would be yes, I would say that I would really hesitate before taking my puppy into that environment. And if I did do it, he'd be attached to me. Again, I doubt that I would do it, at least for a while, until I was experienced and understood what kinds of things can happen with toys everywhere, dogs loose, dominant posturing allowed, etc., even aside from bad habits. And even then, he'd probably be attached to me.

JMO!

Some pictures of my puppy! got him just last week =)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24886040/panda1.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24886040/panda2.png

I've been trying to follow as closely as I can, the methods used in the leerburg puppy video I bought. Seems easier said than done!

I don't have an ex-pen and can't exactly go out and buy one at the moment, and not sure if I really need to anyways... am I right thinking there's a way to teach my puppy Panda to wait for me instead of barging out of his crate? I saw how it's done with the ex pen (kind of) but not with a crate.

I was also curious, how do I teach him "yuck" from square one? Ultimately sure I can prevent games of keep away with the leash, but by the time I get to him and offer a treat to trade he's either already dropped w/e it was or swallowed it

He's had a few accidents in his crate now, but I think for the most part it was my own fault (too quick to move the divider, offered water at a bad time)