Day one: the stressful transition for your pup from the pet store to your home. Let your puppy rest in the quiet safe private territory you have prepared earlier. In a new world so large and different, your puppy would feel frightened and stressed. Let it rest and rest for the first few days. Provide water at all times and food at the feeding hours. Save the training until the next few days. Just keep your puppy in the private territory you have secured. Reduce your puppy from contacting too many people at home. If possible, only limit contact to you initially until your puppy has become settled and happy.
First thing first: licensing. Get your puppy licensed- the basic step. The regulation of Singapore AVA enforces licensing for dogs above 3-month-old. For male dogs and sterilised female dogs, the license fee costs $14 per year. For unsterilsed female dogs, the license fee is $70 per year. A $6.50 one-time registration fee applies for every application.
Should this area be your bed the first day you bring your puppy home? No! Sleeping with your puppy on day one is the worse step an owner can ever make. Dogs are pack animals with the idea of ranking constantly in their minds. If your puppy would to sleep with you on day one, it would think its ranking is equal to yours. And it would think it’s the pack leader just like you. And your bed is its territory where it should pee and poo to assert its position. Do it right on the very day one. Allocate an area for your puppy close to your room- but not in your room. Confine your puppy to an area wide enough for it to jump and play. Never cage up your puppy- this would make house-training tough as your puppy would lose its basic instinct of cleanliness. And the worse is, your puppy may have constant skin problems as a result of sleeping on its waste. Never give your puppy the freedom to roam the whole house now- only do this much later under your supervision when your puppy becomes a house-trained adult dog.
After you have allocated an area for your puppy, secure its territory with playpen or a baby-gate. Lay newspaper everywhere within the confined area, put a urine tray at one corner covered with the newspaper you have laid, set a crate at one end, put a towel or old rag inside the crate, place a water bowl or water-bottle and food bowl at the other end. Dogs are den animals. This idea is to get your puppy associate the crate as its secure shelter and the outdoor area covered with newspaper as where it should eliminate. Gradually shrink the size of the newspaper until it fits the urine tray. Praise your puppy whenever it eliminates on the newspaper- react excitedly with a little treat.
Teething stage: the destructive chewing stage of a puppy. Your puppy just can’t wait to sink its teeth on anything chewable including your table legs, walls or wires. By settling your puppy in its secured territory, you have done the critical step right with a safe puppy-proof environment. Unfortunately, your puppy may resort to chewing off the newspaper you have laid or worse, the crate. Reduce its destructive chewing habits by applying anti-chewing spray at its crate, baby-gate or playpen. Get ready some chews, chew toys, treat balls or squeaker toys for a toy rotation. Rotate your puppy toys and chews every day. Do not lavish all chews and toys to your puppy at a time- it would give your puppy the misconception that everything and anything is chewable. Always give either one toy or one chew each day. Praise your puppy when it engages itself with the approved object. If your puppy tries to chew the crate even after you have applied the anti-chewing spray, try reprimanding your puppy by lifting it up from the scruff of the neck, shake him a little, look straight into its eyes and say NO!
Bark and bark. Bark as loud as possible. Bark! Every puppy barks. During its initial period at home, your puppy may bark as often as it wishes just to seek your attention. And yes, to test its limits. As your puppy’s pack leader, your role is to show that barking is not acknowledged into your pack. Simply ignore your puppy the moment it barks to get your attention. If the barking persists even for 15 minutes after you have ignored your puppy, try lifting up your puppy by gripping the scruff of its neck, shake it a little, then confront it by staring at its eyes and say a loud firm NO. Once the barking stops, go to your puppy, pat it and give a little treat as a reward. When the barking persists again, repeat the training. Only acknowledges your puppy as your pack when it is quietly waiting for you.
A pack leader is never the puppy itself. You are the pack leader. Everyone in the family should be in a higher hierarchy than the puppy. The puppy should be aware that it’s the lowest ranking in its pack. How? Simply eat before your puppy does. Never feed him as you eat as this will give your puppy the idea that its rank is equal to yours. When you take your puppy for a walk, shorten the leash to ensure your puppy is walking beside you. As it walks beside you, acknowledges its good behaviour with a reward like your pat or a little treat. Never sleep with your puppy before it’s well-trained and has recognised itself as the lowest ranking in its pack. Always leave your puppy in its private den you have set up earlier. Remember, only reward your puppy when it behaves.
Every puppy needs to be groomed whatever their coat length and texture. Short-coated breeds like Beagle or a Labrador needs their coat brushed with a hound glove or a rubber brush twice a week to remove its shedding fur. Long-coated breeds like Border Collie or Maltese simply need its fur to be brushed and brushed every day to prevent entanglements. Monthly fur-trimming is necessary to maintain its neat appearance. Semi-long coated breed like Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or Golden Retriever also need their fur to be brushed at least every alternate day to reduce shedding. A basic grooming at least once a month is necessary to remove fur covering pawapds. And no matter what breed, ears and eyes need to be cleansed daily, nails need to be clipped at least once a fortnight.
Nutrition matters. A puppy on a healthy balanced diet has a stronger immunity to defend itself against potential diseases. It would have healthier skin and coat, better joints and faster learning ability. A healthy diet is one which includes meat protein, vegetables, fruits, omega 3 and 6, vitamins and minerals plus carbohydrate from brown rice, millet, oatmeal or barley. Corn and wheat gluten must be avoided as it deprives the puppy from absorbing a proper nutrition resulting in skin allergy and weak immunity. If your puppy is already having a healthy balanced diet, you may like to continue giving this balanced nutrition.
Good luck and enjoy your upcomming wonderful days with your new furry friend!
© 2010 - Puppy Love Inc.