Puppy Zone

You have now got your puppy home, and this artie is devoted to the problem of correct management of your new acquisition. First and foremost, that an eight-weeks puppy is a tender plant, more so in mind than in body, and should be treated accordingly. It must be remembered that the uprooting from its home - the only home it knows - and the introduction to entirely strange people and surroundings will come as a shock to its immature mind. You must be very quiet with it, and ensure that other members of the household are the same. Young children will be overjoyed at sight of the new arrival and will want to dash at it and pick it up and cuddle it. Don’t let them do so; this very natural demonstration will only fill it with alarm which it may take some time to dispel.

It is better that one person only shall deal with it at first; then, when it has gained confidence others can be introduced, all speaking to it quietly, almost in a whisper. Every young animal responds better to quiet than noisy treatment. The youngster will be tired after its journey, so do not keep up the baby worship for long, but give it a light feed and put it away in its box or basket where it is going to sleep. It will cry during the first night: you can make up your mind to that. But do not go to it; if you once start this it will call out whenever it fancies something, and you will get no peace. The best place for the puppy is a fairly warm room or outhouse where it will not be disturbed, and with a floor suitable for cleaning “messes”. See that it has a bowl of clean water and that it does not have a jump down from the box to the floor. Continual jumping is liable to cause loose elbows which will spoil its appearance in later life. You will no doubt have obtained information from the breeder as to its feeding; I suggest you continue along the same lines, at least to start. .

House-training will be your first worry; but you will get it over reasonably quickly if you decide to make it a full time job for a couple of weeks or so. Time you spend now will be saved later on. You have a big responsibility towards this puppy; you should get inside its mind and realize that it is very innocent. Do not be impatient when it does wrong - which it frequently will - but chide it gently for its sins, rewarding its right actions with praise. Be firm, kind and patient. And, I repeat, bestow your praise and blame quietly, never doing anything to frighten it. Thus you will get along famously. These are the rules for house-training a puppy:

1) Put it outside at frequent intervals, staying with it till it has done what was wanted. Then praise it as it comes in.
2) Put it out after every meal.
3) Put it out whenever it wakes up from sleep.
4) Put it out as late as possible at night and early in the morning.

Before very long the puppy will indicate, by getting restless or going to the door, when it wants to go out. A young puppy cannot go for long periods without relieving itself; you must expect some mistakes. Even this difficulty is often got over by providing a shallow tray covered with soil or sawdust and teaching it to use this. You can help him by putting a little of the puppy’s soilings on the tray to give it a start. This is a usual practice of those with home with little or no yard.

A puppy’s limbs, like a human baby’s, cannot be expected to sustain the weight of their owner for hours at a time. The bones are soft, the muscles flabby. It is therefore essential that it is not allowed to over exert its body in any way. So let it exercise itself; it will rest when it has had enough. But, if the weather is cold or it comes on to rain you must bring it in. Do not, on any account, let it play with an older dog; the older dog will keep up the game for very much longer than is good for the pup. This is one of the worst mistakes you can make. Chewing the carpets or anything else it can get its teeth into is a favorite pastime; something to be sternly discouraged. The best antidote is an old silk stocking knotted up, or a raw marrow bone to play with. This will keep it amused for hours and will save any amount of wear and tear. One can buy an imitation bone made of rubber; but I always think this is a poor substitute for the real thing, which is a lot better for the teeth. You can usually get a real bone from your local butcher for little or no charge.

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As your puppy grows you will naturally be feeding accordingly, keeping it in nice plump condition, yet not too heavy. Do not be afraid to adjust the amount of food from time to time; if you find you are overdoing it, do not hesitate to make a temporary reduction.

Exercising and lead training now come in for attention. Until the puppy reaches the age of about four months it is better not introduced to the lead. Some can start lead training earlier, and if one is careful there is no harm done. It is not everybody that has a garden or plot where it can run about and exercise itself; but if one has, it is all the better for the pup. If not, it can be put on a lead at three months if necessary. A trial run the night before is best. Begin by letting it wear a collar for a few minutes every day so that it will get accustomed to it. All puppies resent a collar at first and will make all sorts of efforts to get it off. When the collar no longer bothers it you can start real lead training. Very short lessons, only a few minutes at first; and be patient. The first two sessions can consist of merely holding the lead a foot away from the collar so that it gets used to restraint. All the time you must speak to it kindly, encouraging it to forget its fears. At the end of each lesson give it a treat and make a fuss of it.

The next lesson you can get him moving about. But make haste slowly; he will soon find out what you want him to do and what the lead is for. At four months you can begin teaching him how he should really behave on the lead. There is no more pitiable sight than that of a dog straining on the lead all the time, pulling its owner’s arms out, and being thoroughly naughty. Put the dog on one side and hold the lead in that hand. In your other hand you can carry a folded newspaper or a leafy switch, Now walk forward. He is sure to run on in front, which you will stop by giving him a tap on the nose, at the same time saying “Heel”. Always use the same word for the one command, so as not to confuse him; and don’t talk to him as you would to a child, for he doesn’t know English. But he will soon learn the difference between sounds and associate them with what he is expected to do. If, on the other hand, he hangs back, then you must encourage him by words of endearment, coupled with a slight jerk of the lead, to come up to you, When he reacts correctly lean down and give him a friendly pat. Scold him when he does wrong, praise him when he does right; this is the way to teach the canine subject.

Hopefully you have acquired a puppy with a good temperament; bold, but not too aggressive. It should be borne in mind, however, that a temperament can be ruined by wrong treatment. It is essential that a puppy should be enabled to get out and about to see the world and all the strange sights and sounds it will have to meet with. This is where care is needed to comfort it from any bad outbursts such as the big truck which drives by, or the sight of a freight train. You can do a lot of this sort of thing after it has had it’s immunization shots; and even before if you never put it down in public places nor let it contact other dogs. The immunization is carried out by a veterinarian at about three and a half months. Before this essential treatment you can take your puppy out in the car, carry him under your arm. This is splendid training for him and will give him confidence. A dog likes to be talked to, and a puppy likes to be cuddled sometimes. He will repay you for your affection, which he will return in full measure. When you have to scold him, take him by the loose skin at the side of the head, put your face close to his, and scold him. Also; keep his nails short. If allowed to grow long they will tend to spread the feet. Dew claws, if left on, should be cut back at the same time.