COLLECTING YOUR PUPPY Going to collect your new puppy is an exciting time, but it is important to ensure you are well prepared. It is important to stock up on puppy food which your breeder has used and recommends, a sudden change in diet could cause your puppy an upset tummy. Have feeding bowls, toys, leads and bedding all sitting ready for when your puppy arrives home. Decide on where your puppy will sleep at night and spend its day. An outside run is advisable for larger breeds for daytime free run, it is advisable to have this in place and prepared before your new puppy arrives. Be prepared to spend time with your breeder when collecting your puppy. Your breeder will offer you sound advice on how to look after your new puppy. It’s also advisable to have a list of questions prepared in advance so as not to forget anything. Ensure you have a travel crate to transport your puppy home in. This will keep him safe and secure. Play relaxing music in the vehicle during the journey home, this will have a calming settling effect and makes your pups likely first car journey as stress free as possible. YOU SHOULD ASK THE BREEDER FOR THE FOLLOWING: A Contract of Sale It is recommended that the breeder provide you with this. Amongst other things this should detail both the breeder(s)’ and your responsibility to the puppy. The contract should also list any official Kennel Club endorsements (restrictions) that the breeder has placed on the puppy’s records, and in particular on what basis the breeder may be prepared to remove the endorsement. Endorsements the breeder may place on your puppy include not for breeding and not for export. Before or at the time of sale, you must give a signed acknowledgement of any endorsement placed. Written advice on training, feeding, exercise, worming and immunisation. A pedigree detailing your dog’s ancestry – this could either be hand-written or a printed pedigree from either the breeder or an official one from the Kennel Club. Copies of any additional health certificates for the sire and dam. Ask which vaccinations your puppy has had and which ones are still required. EARLY SOCILISATION Never under estimate the importance of early socialisation for your puppy. Introducing your puppy to lots of different sights and sounds will help him grow into a happy confident adult dog. If you’ve bought your puppy from a reputable breeder he should have already experienced a home environment. Ideally he should be familiar with children, television, radio, vacuum cleaners, hairdryers and other household appliances that make noises such as the washing machine or tumble-dryer using sound therapy. Speak to the breeder to find out about what the puppy has been exposed to before you bring him home. Even before your puppy’s vaccinations are complete there is still a lot you can do to help socialise him. Take him on short car journeys to the vet or supermarket. Puppies should learn to enjoy being handled by different people of all ages in a variety of environments. Research shows that the early months of a puppy’s life are when he is most open to learning. It is important to make the most of this time and introduce him to as many social situations and experiences as possible. Fears and phobias are often created by the reactions of anxious owners, so try to remain relaxed and happy and pass confidence on to the puppy. Here are some different situations that you can gradually introduce a puppy to after vaccination: A market place or town – to accustom him to being walked among crowds of people and to get used to traffic noises. Confined Spaces – under the stairs or in cubby holes to accept confinement in a small place. Different Surfaces – such as walking on a laminate floor, and going up and down metal fire escapes or open stairs & steps Loud Noises – including thunder, fireworks, cars backfiring or doors slamming. You can buy noise CDs that have been developed specifically to help anxious pets or acclimatize your puppy. Bus and Railway Stations – to experience travelling in a crate, and seeing and hearing trains and buses. Veterinary Surgeons – to prevent anxiety during your puppy’s check-ups. Farmyard – to meet other species of animals and birds. Household Noises – including the vacuum cleaner, hairdryer, doorbell and telephone. A Variety of People – including children, adults, wheelchair users, people wearing hats or carrying umbrellas, people with facial hair, glasses or wearing a uniform. Bridges and Tunnels – to accustom him to heights, darkness, trains, water and passing vehicles. Invite visitors, relatives and your children’s friends and their pets to meet your puppy. Children are not naturally able to read a dog’s body language, so ensure they are supervised whenever the puppy is with them. Encourage everyone to handle the puppy and stroke him in a calming way so that he becomes happy and relaxed with strangers. THE CRATE An indoor crate can make a perfect bed and help keep your puppy safe and secure. It satisfies the natural den instinct of your puppy. Make it a positive place for him by making it comfy and providing toys. Get into the habit of leaving your puppy alone for a few hours every day, by putting him on to his bed or into his crate with a toy. This will help to prevent separation anxiety. When you return don’t make a huge fuss of the puppy, or you will give him more importance to your return than is needed and make an issue out of the fact that he was left alone. THE GARDEN For many puppies, the garden will be their first outdoor experience and they will love exploring, so make it a safe place for them. Use your imagination and create an outdoor space full of areas for your puppy to hide, sunbathe, shelter and observe from. Don’t allow him contact with other dogs unless you’re certain of their vaccination programme and your puppies is complete at 12 weeks or so. GROOMING Grooming is a good way to build your puppy’s confidence, strengthen your relationship and keep him tidy. Your puppy should enjoy being groomed, and this is a great opportunity for you to bond and spend some time with each other. Some breeds need more attention than others, but all puppies will benefit from a pamper session once or twice a week. If it’s nice weather you can sit outside in the garden and relax in the sunshine as you work. NUTRITION By the time your new pup comes home, which is usually between seven to ten weeks of age, he will probably be eating 4 small feeds a day. Although he is growing incredibly fast and needs lots of calories, his stomach is very tiny which is why several smaller meals are better than one or two large ones. You can gradually cut down to three meals a day by 12 weeks and two feeds at four or five months, but if necessary check with your vet. GOOD FEEDING MANNERS It is dangerous for dogs to snatch food, particularly from children, so teach your puppy to be patient and wait for permission to eat. This also helps to reinforce the concept that he is not the pack leader and will make future training much easier. TEACH YOUR PUPPY "CALMNESS LEADS TO REWARD" Approach the puppy with a bowl of his food. Hold the bowl above the puppy’s head so he has to look up. This encourages him to drop his back end down so he goes into a sit easily. Ask the puppy to ‘Sit’ and then kneel down and put your hand on his collar before placing the bowl a little distance in front of you. Tell the puppy to ‘Sit’, putting him back into a sit if he stands up again. When the puppy relaxes into a sit and makes eye contact with you, give a release command such as ‘OK’. Eating the food is his reward for showing self-control. Remember “Calmness leads to Reward”. GUARDING FOOD Although it may look cute if your puppy growls and puts up his hackles when someone approaches his food bowl, it definitely won’t be cute if he continues to do this as an adult. You should be able to approach your dog when he is eating. If your puppy starts to exhibit signs of food guarding behaviour consult a behaviourist immediately. "START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON" Early Training – Start As You Mean To Go On In order for your puppy to grow into a confident, obedient, well trained dog you will need to train him. Dogs are descended from the wolf. In recent years this knowledge has enabled us to understand many of the domestic dog’s behaviour patterns and its incredible ability to live in harmony with us. It is well known that wolves live in social groups or packs which have a rank order, or hierarchy. At the head of the pack there is usually an Alpha pair - a male and a female - which are recognised as leaders. In many ways, the domestic dog is a wolf in pets’ clothing, but through the pack instinct a dog is quite happy to operate in a human pack as well as an animal pack. In a human ‘pack’ the domestic dog needs to understand that he or she is not the leader figure but follows a subordinate role, accepting and trusting human decisions and actions. This understanding is not achieved through intimidation, physical force or aggression, but through simply affording the privileges of life to the leaders, not to the dog. Training your new puppy starts the moment you get him home in other words what I call boundary training or house rules. Formal obedience training should start around the 4 months/16 weeks when your puppy is more able to concentrate. Although there is no upper age limit its never too late to start training your dog. Most people don’t seek professional help until they have got a problem, which could have been prevented had they sought professional help sooner. Training the older dog can be achieved with a high degree of success it simply takes more consistency, patience, love and understanding. Don’t allow your puppy on your sofa unless you have granted him permission. Make your puppy sit before getting its food or a toy. Remember calmness must always lead to reward. It is important as your puppy’s pack leader you put restriction on his freedom within your home therefore it is advisable not to allow your puppy up your stairs, if necessary place a child gate on the bottom step to prevent your pup from going any further. When you return after a period of separation from your puppy don’t make a fuss of him, don’t look at him or touch him until he is calm. Remember calmness leads to reward. CHEWING All puppies chew as part of their teething process, unfortunately they may decide to chew your favourite pair of shoes or furniture or your hands. Provide your puppy with lots of teething toys and if necessary place them in the fridge so when they chew it cools their inflamed gums. TOILET TRAINING - CRATE TRAINING Crate training is a fantastic method of managing the safety and well being of young puppies. When used properly the crate is an invaluable tool for establishing good habits and also preventing behavioural problems. Crate training is the best way to quickly teach your puppy to eliminate (go to the toilet) outside. The speed and success of the crate method far out weighs the traditional toilet training methods of ‘wee wee’ pads and newspapers, which only encourage your puppy to eliminate in the house. What is a dog crate you may ask? Well a crate basically comes in 2 styles durable plastic or wire mesh. Its purpose is to provide confinement for security, protection of household goods, safety during travel and to assist with toilet training. Now some of you may think that putting your puppy in a crate is inhumane. Au contraire. By placing your puppy in a crate you are providing the security of its own space. Somewhere they can sleep, chill out and relax and thus satisfying the ‘den instinct’ which your puppy would have inherited from his den dwelling ancestors. The concept behind crate training is that a dog naturally strives to avoid soiling the area where it eats and sleeps. By placing the dog in the crate, this instinct is enhanced. The dog will come to see the crate as its den, and it will try to avoid soiling it. When the puppy gets used to his crate, you can keep it in it gradually building up to about two hours at a time. When choosing your crate choose a size appropriate to your dogs age at the time. The crate should not be too large or he may soil in the farthest corner from his sleeping spot. If the crate is big, put a small cardboard box in it. The crate should be just large enough for puppy to turn around and lie down with comfort. The best location for the crate is usually the kitchen or utility room. Soon after getting your puppy home, get him used to his crate. Put a nice treat or something he likes to play with inside the door and have him go and fetch it. Say something, like “Bed” or “Kennel”. Praise him and give him a treat for going in. Repeat many times, so that going into the crate is associated with something pleasant. Then try closing the door, without locking it, as you continue to put a treat or toy inside first. Soon you will be able to lock the door for just a few seconds. Then open it, but don’t make a big fuss when he comes out. Gradually extend the time until the dog is comfortable staying inside. Then you can put him in his crate for a couple of hours at a time, when you have to go out or just don’t want him underfoot. If he cries or whimpers, don’t open the door until he stays quiet for a minute or two. Dogs are quick learners. Don’t teach him that by crying he can get his own way! Your new puppy needs lots of rest. He can take several short naps each day in his new den. You can leave something comfortable like a blanket or towel, and a favourite toy inside to make it feel like home. When he wakes up take him outside immediately. When you cannot watch the puppy, he should be confined either to his crate or a safe play area. Don’t lock him in his crate too often though. After waking, after each meal, or drink, and several times during the night say something to the puppy like, “Toilet?” and take him out to the spot where you would like him to go. (Eventually, when you say the phrase, he will show you by running to the door that he needs to toilet.) When outside, wait until he starts going to the loo, then while he’s in process, say something like “Toilet” or “Be Clean” and give him lots of praise. It may take a while, but after some months he will have an irresistible urge to go to the loo whenever you say the command word. This can be very useful when you are on a trip with your dog and you make a pit stop on a rainy day. Be ever watchful and take him out often for the first week. Wait with him each time you take him outside until you’re certain he’s really empty before you let him back in the house! This may take a long time for a new puppy, but the fewer accidents he has indoors, the quicker the housebreaking job will be. You can’t lock your dog in a crate and just expect the whole concept to work – it won’t. You will need time and patience to introduce the crate to successfully ensure your dog sees it as its home and safe haven. Put your pup in its crate at regular intervals during the day up to a maximum of 2 hours at one time. It’s a good idea for the crate to be your dog’s only bed. Plan to use the crate until the puppy is ten or twelve months old, well past the chewing stage. You will not need to continue crating once your dog becomes an adult (and is trustworthy), but your dog will probably enjoy the continued use of the crate as its own den. If you decide not to keep the crate, slowly wean your dog off it. Don’t crate only when you are leaving the house. Place the dog in a crate while you are at home as well. By crating when you are at home AND while you are gone, your dog becomes comfortable in the crate and not worried that you will not return, or that you are leaving them alone. This helps to prevent separation anxiety later in life. Although the crate is your dog’s safe haven, it must not be off-limits to humans. Acclimatise your dog from the outset to letting you reach inside at anytime. Finally but most importantly: Never use the crate as punishment and never discipline your puppy while in the crate, it is their safe haven and should never be associated with any negative experience The key to successful crate training for a puppy or an older dog, as with other forms of dog training, is to establish a good routine. This routine will enhance the ability of the dog to toilet in the right place. It is important to shower the dog with praise each and every time it eliminates in the established toilet area, and not to express frustration or anger when the dog makes a mistake. Good luck with your conquest as long as you follow the above plan with consistency and patience and adopt a positive mental attitude (PMA) I’m sure you will achieve great results.