Everything you wanted to know ABOUT PUPPIES! And more . . .

The most important thing to remember about puppies is you have to be patient! A puppy does not become this wonderful dog overnight. It takes weeks, and months of training and consistency to grow a puppy into an obedient, well behaved dog!

Patience  and consistency is key when it comes to potty training puppies!

Here are some key points to consider:

- Praise a puppy for pottying outside but DO NOT punish the puppy for having accidents inside. This will only prolong the puppy's ability to learn potty training. A young pup cannot distinguish between the inside and outside at this point. Most of its life may have been in an inside kennel where it was allowed to potty and now you are trying to teach it to go outside. Punishing it for going inside just tells the puppy that going potty is bad.

- A puppy's ability to potty train depends on its age. A very young puppy (8-10 weeks) will have little ability to hold its bladder. The good news is that as the puppy grows, so does its ability to hold its potty and therefore becomes easier to train. Puppies typically may need to potty several times during the night when they are young, because their bladders are small and they drink and eat a lot. It helps to give the last feeding early in the evening, and stop water drinking a couple of hours before bedtime.

Times to take the puppy outside for pottying include:

First thing in the morning when you wake up. If you wait too long after the puppy wakes, chances are you will have an accident.

Last thing before you go to bed.

After playing. Puppies get excited about playing and often have to go!

After spending time in a crate, or after waking from a nap.

After meals, and after eating or drinking.

- Many people use a crate to potty train. I did with my puppies. Made things so much easier. The crate becomes its den and it will typically not potty in the crate. So when you let it out of the crate, naturally it will have to go.

Here is a more in-depth link about crate training - http://www.fidosavvy.com/crate-training-a-puppy.html

Good luck on potty training that puppy! Remember - it just takes a lot of patience and consistency!

SOCIALIZATION

Socializing a puppy is not just about getting it used to people and other animals. Socializing includes new places, sounds, textures and things as well as introducing it to new people and animals. This is extrememly important in the weeks 8 - 12 of a puppy's life and sets the stage for a well-rounded dog in later life. Here is a link to the basics of socializing and why it is so important - Puppy socialization

Puppy Socialization Checklist

OBEDIENCE TRAINING

Training

Please refer to our training page for info and tips

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