YOUR NEW PUPPY

You've decided to take the plunge.  You've brought home your new puppy.  Now what?  Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Ask, ask, ask!  Talk to the breeder.  Talk to your vet.  Talk to your friends who own dogs.  Find out all you can about your puppy and what you can expect when you take him home.
• A basic list of things you'll need:
  • Sturdy dishes for food and water
  • Dog food
  • Puppy treats
  • A collar
  • A leash (remember, a puppy must be trained to walk on a leash, he won't know what to do automatically!)
  • A "doggie-bed", or an old blanket for a bed
  • A crate
  • A grooming brush
  • Lots of love and patience
• Be sure to stick with the same brand of food your puppy was eating when you got him.  If you want to switch, do so gradually or you could end up giving your puppy diarrhea.
• Puppies can benefit from a little plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt in their food.  The live cultures aid digestion.  Don't give a puppy regular milk or yogurt with fruit in it, or he'll end up with an upset stomach.
• Make sure you take him to the vet and keep up-to-date on his vaccinations and check-ups.
• To housebreak a puppy, DO NOT hit him or rub his nose in his own waste!  Take him outside often (every one or two hours), and praise him effusively when he does his business.  When you catch him peeing on the rug, say "NO" in a firm voice, scoop him up (he'll usually stop peeing when you pick him up) and put him outside.  When he finishes his business outside, praise him.  Remember, dogs housebreak as individually as kids potty-train.  We housebroke our male dog in one week with this method, but our female took about a month.  
• DO NOT expect a young puppy to be able to hold his bladder all day long.  Seven week old puppies (the youngest age most breeders will let you take a puppy home) should be taken out every one or two hours, and right after they eat.  If you're not going to get up all through the night to take your puppy out, or if you work all day, put him somewhere where he has access to newspapers where he can relieve himself.  Resign yourself to cleaning up after your puppy until he is old enough to hold his waste for more than a few hours.

CRATE TRAINING

Crate training a dog is a good idea.  It is not cruel (unless done inproperly).  The crate is a "safe haven" where your dog can go to sleep, or when he just wants to be left alone.  It makes traveling with your dog much easier, and when you have company in your home who don't like dogs, you have a place to put him.  It also aids in housebreaking, as a dog will generally not soil his bed.

• Make sure the crate you select is large enough for your dog to lie down comfortably.  Don't squeeze him into a tiny cage and expect him to be happy.
• Put a crate-pad or soft blanket in for your dog to lie down on.  Put a few chew-toys in with him if he's going to be in there for awhile.
• Start out by putting your puppy in his crate for an hour or so, to get him used to it.  You can gradually increase the time, but remember, don't expect a young puppy to be able to stay in a crate all day and hold his waste.  When we crate-trained our dogs as puppies, we put the crate with their bedding in it inside a small room with plenty of newspaper on the floor.  That way, the puppies could sleep in the crate, and relieve themselves on the newspaper outside.
• Take your dog out to relieve himself right after coming out of the crate.
• DO NOT send your dog to his crate as punishment.  He should associate his crate with comfort, or he will eventually refuse to stay calmly inside.
• Teach children not to bother a dog who has gone into his crate - he wants to be left alone!

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