Austin Dog Rescue

General Puppy Development Information

HOUSETRAINING… CRATE TRAINING… CHEWING… OBEDIENCE TRAINING… SOCIALIZING

Making a commitment for the next 10-15 years

Written by: Joyce Martin, K9 Transition Dog Training

A lot of thought need to go into deciding if you are ready for the commitment of raising a puppy.  Do you work from home, have a flexible schedule throughout the day for the next 3-6 months?   Are you willing to get up 1-3 times per night for the next 2-6 weeks?  Are you willing to be patient as they become accustom to their crate and work on house training?  If you do not currently have a dog, the puppy may take up even more of your time if they are use to having a another dog that provides them with a playmate and companionship.  Do you resided in an apartment or other common wall community?  They may bark and cry when you’re away from home.  Are you financially able to care for the puppy?  It cost an estimated $600 - $800 a year to provide, food, toys, boarding/daycare and medical care for one dog. These and MANY other things needs to be considered and answered honestly by you before committing to a puppy.

Adjustment Time and Socialization

It will take your puppy a few days to get use to you and their new environment and within a week’s time should begin to feel comfortable in their new surroundings.  Do not rush introduction to too many new people and places for the first week.  Give the puppy time to bond and be comfortable with you before introducing them to their new world.  But as soon as they are, get busy socializing them!

Enough cannot be said for how important socializing your puppy is.  It is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do for your puppy that will assure they mature into the wonderful adult dog you want them to be. Without it, expect behavior issues relating to people and other dogs as they mature and get older. 

Every week your puppy needs to meet new people.  Take them with you every chance you get.  A simple car ride is important too.  Meeting other friendly KNOWN dogs is very important, even if you have another dog. Do NOT TAKE YOUR PUPPY TO A DOG PARK to socilaize them. This is not the type of environment that is suited for a puppy or dog under the age of 12 months development.  You need to assure that at this young age your puppy is only going to have postive experiences with other dogs and you can't do that with dogs you don't know.  Set up play dates with friends and family.  Visit, observe and interview day cares. (See our Resource page for recommended day care facilities.)  With day cares and enrolling your puppy in a puppy class, you can be assured that all of the other puppies have been vaccinated and are parasite free and will be closely supervised in your absence.

There are also health concerns related to dog parks.  Until your puppy has received 4 DHPP and their rabies, they are still susceptible to disease, espeically parvo which lives in the ground for months, sometimes years.  You have no idea if the other dogs there are fully vaccinated or have intestinal parasites that can be passed on to your puppy.  Until your puppy has received all of their vaccinations, this includes taking them to pet stores. Keeping them off the floor and putting them in the basket is not always safe as other dogs have been in there as well. So stick to friends, family and reputable day cares for a few months!

House Training

Puppies indicate when they need to go outside. Look for sniffing, circling, whining coming up to you, going to the door, etc. Within 5-10 minutes of eating, drinking, as soon as they wake up and during or after playing, they will need a potty break, along with the many other breaks throughout the day and evening. If you cannot watch your puppy, place the puppy in their crate or tether them to you (which also helps tremendously for leash walking and training!)  Though they may have been housetrained in their foster home, they need to learn the rules all over again in your home Remember... anytime a puppy has an accident it's your fault for not supervising them.

Chewing

Chewing is a natural and normal behavior and all puppies and dogs chew.  It is very important to find what type of toy or chews your dog likes the best and provide those for him.  It is up to you to prevent them from chewing on inappropriate things.  Chewing can last up to 6 - 24 months of age. Provide them with desirable and appropriate toys and encourage them to chew on those items.  High quality rawhides may be a good choice for a puppy.  Once older, some dogs (espeically larger breeds or heavy chewers) may begin to "eat" them in a very short period of time which is not good for them.

Crating/Indoor Confinement

A puppy under the age of 8 months old (depending on the specific dog, their breed/size) are not old enough to "hold it" all day while you are at work. And just as importantly, a puppy this young needs human interaction throughout the day and not left alone to become board, destructive or develop unwanted habits or behaviors.  The average time a puppy can be crated is one hour for every month old they are, plus one hour (Example: 3 month + 1 Hour = 4-5 hours.)  If they are fed early enough in the evening, their water is restricted a few hours before bedtime and they have had several opportunities to eliminate, those hours may increase.

For very young puppies (under the age of 4 months), if you choose to confine your puppy to a bathroom, laundry room, etc. BEFORE they are house trained, they may go in one corner and sleep in the other.   The same can be said for the size crate they are in.  While they are puppies, their crate should only be large enough for them to stand up, turn around and lay back down. We recommend that you buy a large enough crate for their adult size that comes with a divider so that you can only purchase one crate and increase the size as they get older.

It may take several months or up to 2 years for your puppy/dog to become trustworthy being left alone and uncrated. Some dogs never earn that privilege. Every dog is different and has no bearing on how good an owner you are or how great your dog is.  Every puppy is different and matures at different times. You'll need to start out slowing and "test" the waters, as you puppy gets older. It would be advisable not to "test" the waters until the puppy is at least 8-9 months old. Always try to set you and your puppy up for success! How much does the puppy still want to chew? Reliably house trained?  Do they "worry" when you leave the house"

DO NOT leave your young puppy outside unattended. They need constant supervision at all times. Puppy’s can get through very small holes or gaps in a fence and could get stuck and harm or sadly die trying to free themselves. Other dogs that maybe not as friendly as your puppy could dig their way in to your yard and harm your puppy. Gates can be purposely or accidently left open. Please make certain there is a lock or your gate is bolted. Many dogs and puppies become bored, lonely and destructive if left outdoors alone too much.  Too many things can go wrong or injure the puppy if left unsupervised.  Ingesting rocks, digging, chewing on lawn furniture (or the house itself), finding that one loose board in your fence are just a few. Visit our website under RESOURCES/LINKS/BOOKS for more information about “outside dogs.”

Food, Health and Fitness

Your puppy is fed twice a day.  Your average size puppy (med/large adult dog) will eat 1-1.5 cups of food twice a day. Be sure and ask the foster family about the puppies food needs and schedule.  If you are adopting a "Large Breed" puppy, put them on adult food at 6 months of age.

If your puppy is going to be crated, feed them at least 1-2 hour prior to crating and take them to go potty again right before leaving. If fed and taken outside at specific times on a regular schedule, your puppy/dog will learn to eliminate at the times you set for them. As long as you stick to a regular feeding schedule, their potty habits will develop in to a schedule as well.

Exercise and play time is a must regardless of how high or low your puppy’s activity level is.  A dog that is not getting enough attention and exercise will be much harder to train and manage and can easily develop bad habits.

Keep in mind that some chew items are high in calories and too many treats for an adult dog can result in the dog becoming overweight. Once you dog has reached maturity, you should be able to press gently and feel their rib cage and should always have a "waist." 

Obedience Training

We highly recommend you enroll your puppy in a puppy socialization/training class.  The ideal time to start is about 3-4 weeks after you have gotten your puppy and they have settled in and are comfortable with you and their new family.  If your puppy is shy or shows signs of being fearful of people and many new things, it's even more important that you get them in a class.  (Visit our website under RESOURCES for referrals and discounts.) 

At any time your dog develops a behavior you are not able to work with and correct, contact a professional before you become frustrated and want to give up on the dog. Very few issues cannot be resolved by working with a trainer as long as you are commitment, consistant and determined to work with the trainer and your dog.

Even though your puppy is a "baby," just remember it is not a human baby so try not to "humanize" your dog’s behavior based on your emotions. Purchase books on dog behavior and learn how a dog thinks and views humans. This will help you understand your dog, training your dog and why sometimes we have to approach them in a "dog" way instead of a "human" way.

The Top Three Things to Work on NOW  With Your Puppy:

1.  A puppy that is allowed to jump on you at 15 pounds will continue jumping on you when they weigh 70 pounds.  Don't "knee" the puppy or push them away with your hands. (Anytime you look at your dog, talk to your dog or touch your dog, they view that as a "reward.") So instead turn your back until they stop jumping.  If they continue - walk away.  As soon as they are calm, reward them with a "good boy!" If they jump again, walk away again.

2.  The same can be said for pulling while on leash.  Most young puppies naturally want to walk next to you even while on leash.  Encourage that! Praise them, give them treats when they're walking where you want them to be!  It's easy to physically handle a 10-20 pound puppy on a walk but think what it will be like controlling a 50+ pound dog on a walk.  Even small dogs need to learn to walk politely on leash! When the puppy pulls stop - don't say anything - wait for them to look back at you - call them to you - reward them with a "good boy!" or treat and start again.  In this exercise we're not asking the dog to walk in a formal heel position.  It doesn't matter if their in front of  you, behind you or beside you.  Think of position like hands on a clock.  Anwywhere from 8 - 11.  You want your puppy to walk without pulling and without tension on the leash.

3.  Discourage nipping and biting by giving a loud "OUCH!" and ignoring the puppy.  Give them a toy  they can play with instead of your hands.

Our expectation is that your puppy is going to be a valued member of your family for the rest of their life and you are going to be the guardian that you have committed to us and them to be.  Your puppy will rely on you for love, leadership, their health, behavior, manners and overall well being for the rest of their life. 

It is a fact that throughout your life time, where you live, your job, relationships, family and your lifestyle WILL change.  Think ahead.  Be prepared.  If you move, the dog goes with you. If you find yourself in a new relationship or a relationship ends, plan ahead and know who will be responsible for your dog for the rest of their life.  Even if you do not have children or grandchildren, or plan to never have children, socialize your puppy around children anyway.   Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Click here to download more information for puppies 2-4 month old.