Puppy Schedule and Training tips



Puppy Schedule and Training tips

At nine weeks, your puppy will sleep in a kennel for approximately 6 to 7 hours at night without an accident. As soon as we get them out of the kennel in the morning, we walk them at least a quarter of a mile. They will potty right away. This walk we do without a leash because of our remote location. Then we have their food in a bowl, we let them smell it, and then hold it above them until they are quiet and sitting. Several times a week we mix in a little organic whole milk plain yogurt with their food, this is good for their digestion. We feed them Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit Dog Food for Small Breeds with Bison. Petco carries this food or you can find it online at K9quizine very easily, and sometimes at a good price.

The puppies play outside with each other and us for a couple of hours (their play time has and will keep getting longer, just like a newborn baby). When we see them settling down we put them in their puppy room where they have a box that they sleep in. I would recommend you have your puppy take a nap in a kennel, possibly in a quiet room, to be sure that they actually sleep. They sleep for at least an hour. Your puppy is used to sleeping with its litter mates so getting used to sleeping alone will take some time. Be prepared for some crying. If you stand your ground it will not be long and your puppy will get used to it, they need to sleep! As soon as we see them stirring we take them outside and say “potty time”. They usually potty within a few minutes. We feed them again, sitting first, and then we do some kind of training. We work with them on “sit, come, and stay (stay is a hard one at this age). We also take them for another walk, this time on a leash up the mountain, and off the leash (as a treat) coming down and back home. They like raw hide chews and sticks. We give them a bath every other week (sometimes with just water, no soap) and brush them, to get them used to bathing and being brushed. They do not need a bath that often. They do need brushed once a week or at least once every other week. We brush them every other day as a part of their training and wipe their tummies with a wipe every day. They play some more and take another nap. And so it goes….

We feed them 3 to 4 times a day and they take at least three naps a day. They may only eat a small amount each time, 1/8 of a cup. Work towards eventually feeding them just twice a day.

Approximate Schedule

7:00 Wake up, potty, and walk

7:30 Eat

7:30-10 ish Training time, play, potty, and another hike up the mountain

10:30-12:00 Nap

12:00 Potty and walk

12:30 Eat

12:30-3 ish More training, play, potty, and walk

3:30-5:00 Nap

5:00 Potty, walk, and play

7:00 Eat

8:00 short nap

9:00 play

11:00 sleep for the night

Training Tips

• Three big ideas to keep in mind about raising a puppy are: Obedience, Exercise, and Affection… in that order!

• Before you bring your puppy into your home for the first time be sure to walk with your puppy on a leash. The leash and the exercise is a connection to you. Then you and your puppy become a “new pack”!

• For the best bonding with your puppy, please stay home with your puppy for at least a week or two. Go on very few outings with your puppy the first few weeks. And try to have as little company as possible. Once they are completely bonded with you they will be ready to start socializing…but do this slowly!

• When your puppy/dog is on a leash do not put tension on the leash except to correct unwanted behavior.

• Walk your dog with absolute confidence; your dog will feel it.

• If your puppy is chewing on something that you do not want them to have, gently put your foot on the item to “claim” it, and then pick it up.

• Decide on one room to introduce your puppy to when you first bring him/her home. Let your puppy get used to that room and think of it as their “home” for at least a few weeks before you introduce another room.

• If your puppy is doing something that you do not want them to do, you can say “shhht” or give them a little tap on the shoulder.

• In the morning when your puppy is overly excited to see you, wait until they calm down to give them affection. (I know this is hard!) Walk with them instead, and then give them affection.

• We always have our dogs sit before we feed them and we also have them sit before coming through a door with us. That way they will not charge into your home when you may not want them to, if they are muddy, for example!

• Introduce your puppy to small areas or one room at a time in your home. They will not want to potty in “their room”.

• At first, take them out to potty every hour and a half, working up to longer time in between taking them out.

• You can give them a bath every couple of weeks. Any more than that, do not use shampoo. A warm water bath every week is fine. We use Isle of Dogs Shampoo and Conditioner.

• When we walk the puppies without a leash we call them “pup pup”. Within a few days of getting your puppy, you should be able to pat your leg and say “pup pup” and their name and they should come with you.

• After a week or so a good way to train you puppy is to put a leash on them and tie the leash around your waist and have them come with you around the house as you do dishes, laundry etc…

• We recommend giving your puppy colostrum a few days a week. You can find high quality New Zealand colostrum at We also think their Diatomaceous Earth for natural worming is a great product to give your puppy once a week.

• We cook homemade chicken soup with carrots and celery (no spices) as a treat for your puppy once a week. We mix just a little soup with their food and water. You may want to continue this, but don’t feel like you have to.

• This is a wonderful book KISS Keep it Simple Series – Guide to Raising a Puppy by Liz Palika

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download