Puppy advice from Merin for those of us new dog parents (or future new dog parents)

This is my friend Merin who lives in Florida. She's got great puppy training advice! (See below.) I thought it would be helpful for all of us dog owners/future dog owners to read up on this!

Merin
June 20 at 7:47pm
Falcor is so cute!! If you need any training advice hit me up - we spent the last two years dealing with a puppy with the worst separation anxiety I've ever encountered :)

congrats on the the new puppy!

Celesté
June 20 at 8:37pm
I do! Please advise me!!

Merin
June 20 at 9:54pm
:) so cute

I'm actually driving up to Tampa tomorrow to pick up my dad's new dog that we're adopting from a rescue - she's a cute little Pekingese that my dad is insisting on naming Hillary haha.

This is what I can tell you - I have two French Bulldogs - one is crate trained the other is not. Crate training is actually a really good idea. Many dogs actually like having a small safe place that they can go. Daschunds I have heard really like to burrow into blankets and feel safe underneath things.

If you crate train get a good sized crate - if you get one too big she'll go to the bathroom in it. Then when you and Chad are home hanging out just put it on the floor with blankets, treats and toys in it and leave the door open so she gets used to it. She'll probably start going in herself. Get her GRADUALLY used to being in there - make sure she's ok for 15 minutes, then come back and work up from there. Puppies can't be in a crate for more than a couple of hours at first - they can't hold it. Also, make sure you walk her BEFORE she goes in the crate.

You can also always gate her in a bathroom with pee pads, food, water, bed, etc. if you don't want to crate train her. That's what we did with Baxter and it worked out fine. If you're not going to be home at least gate her someplace safe like bathroom or kitchen - puppies chew everything especially cords and wires and they swallow small things so it is not safe to leave them roaming around the house. Even if you don't crate train her for potty reasons invest in a crate and let her be comfortable in it so that if you want to take her on trips you can, you can take her in the car safely in a crate and in case of hurricane/earthquake anything like that you can pack her up safely if you need to stay anywhere.

Always walk her before you go out. Make sure you feed a great food - Merrick, Orijen, Fromm, Wellness are all good. Supermarket and Pet store brands are usually crap - Eukanuba all that stuff - garbage. Also feed her an egg every couple of days - cooked - hard boiled and cut into pieces or make it in a pan with a small amount of butter - no margarine/soy, etc. Eggs are really good for dogs - you'll see how shiny her coat gets.

She's super cute - you guys lucked out! Good luck with potty training :) Lemme know how it goes. Talk soon!

-m

Celesté
June 20 at 10:16pm
thanks merin! do you mind me posting this on my blog? i think it can help lots of people.

i'm weary about crating Falkor because she was neglected/abandoned. Thoughts?

Merin
June 21 at 7:11am
Sure post away :)

I think it depends on the dog - thats why I would suggest getting one and letting her decide. They all have totally different personalities.

Baxter HATES crates - will not go in one - even for scrambled eggs - so I don't crate him. This poses some problems though - when he had to have bladder stone surgery I had to find a 24 hour vet that would provide a "run" instead of caging him - this was NOT easy to find. I can't ever take him on a plane, and in the car he is a MAD MAN.

Violet, on the other hand, took one look at the crate I got for Baxter, grabbed her bone, ran in and didn't want to come out :) She's smaller - only 17 lbs. and doesn't like to ride in the car unless she's in her crate. I could easily take her on a trip with me because she's small enough to go in the cabin. (Don't EVER fly your dog as cargo.) I also have a giant dog tote bag that she LOVES. She doesn't even move if I put her in it and I can take her anywhere in it.

Try to remember that dogs will pick up on what you project to them, but on their own they can easily let things go. My suggestion is that even though she had a rough time starting off, she now has wonderful, caring parents so even though you're aware of what she went through that doesn't have to be part of who she is. (Netflix some Dog Whisperer - fo real)

Also, its GREAT to take her personality and preferences into account but at the end of the day you also have to be willing to do what's best for her even if she doesn't always like it at first. That's what I learned with Baxter - he's a GREAT dog but had I been more firm with him in the beginning there would be many more things that he could do now. Like I said since I never taught him about crates he won't go in one and can't go on trips with me, since I didn't train him early on he has dog aggression issues so I can't take him to the dog park, can't take him downtown, have to be careful with him with kids, etc. That's why its also good to do a basic obedience class with her when she's young - having a well-behaved dog makes their life so much better because they get to do so much more.

Obedience classes at Petsmart and those places are all reward based and probably perfect for you guys. When Baxter developed aggression issues, I talked to different trainers and the first one I talked to wanted to put a prong collar on him, but I didn't feel comfortable with that so I said no and found another trainer. You'll know your dog the best so don't let anyone tell you to do anything that you don't feel comfortable with. That's why I say if you don't want to use a crate for potty training and you have a tiled area like a bathroom where you can set her up with a baby gate and pee pads for accidents then that could be best for everyone. (Don't forget to walk her before you put her in there) Thats how Baxter was trained. He's 4 now - I still gate him but he has the whole living/dining/kitchen area, but since he will go on pads I always have pads down so if I have to stay out for some reason he'll go on the pads. Not all dogs can be trained for both, but it works for him. I also always leave my dogs' dry food down for them so they just eat when they want to - they don't overeat and if for some reason I can't get home I know they have access to food, water, and can relieve themselves if they need to.

Last thing - I was reading your post that they found her just before you got her so I don't know if you took her to the vet yet - she'll need vaccinations and Flea Control and Heartworm prevention ASAP.

Sorry for the super long response. Talk soon!

-m