Training A New Puppy - Critical Topics To Understand

This post addresses 3 critical topics you will need to address when training a new puppy: correcting puppy biting, house training, and leash training.

These areas can be tough to handle for a new owner. There's a lot of information to digest.

The first two topics (correcting biting and house training) need to be tackled as soon as your puppy arrives in your home.

Correcting Puppy Biting
Biting and nipping are common puppy training problems. Correcting them is a 2-step procedure: stop the biting or nipping with a noise that will distract the pup, and then quickly substitute an item the puppy can bite, like a toy or bone.

House Training Tips
To expedite puppy house training, you may decide you want to use a crate. Here are two important puppy crate training tips:

• Introduce your puppy to the crate before you actually crate him for a period of time.
• Once the pup is crated for the night, do not give in to his whining UNLESS you suspect he may need to eliminate.

Another important house training tip - develop a written puppy housing training schedule. A schedule takes a lot of the guesswork out of the house training process and helps with communication among family members.

Leash Training
The third topic, leash training, is probably the most requested training subject in obedience classes. Even if you are attending obedience classes, it will be helpful to read about leash training. You may pick up information to ask about in the classes.

This topic can be separated into two sections: preparation and choosing a method for leash training a puppy.

Preparing for leash training puppies involves choosing the correct collar and the proper training environment to minimize distractions.

You can choose a leash training method by researchinng the internet, talking to a trainer, reading books by training experts, watching a obedience DVD, or actually taking obedience classes with your dog.

My Dog Keeps Vomiting - What Can I Do?

When your dog keeps vomiting, there's not much you can do except call the vet or emergency clinic. Or so I found out last Friday night.

Friday’s Events
Alvin was lethargic all day, but was eating and drinking water. At 10:30 pm, he woke up from a nap and lost his dinner on the couch. I fed him water, a definite "should not do," because he vomited the water, too.

Over the next several hours he vomited about every half hour. I called the emergency dog clinic - they said to bring him to the vet in the morning or bring him into the clinic. The vomiting had stopped, so I opted to wait and call the vet.

Saturday’s Events
Saturday morning he vomited clear fluid. I brought him to the vet’s office. The vet suspected Alvin had eaten something that caused the vomiting.

Here’s how vets commonly treat vomiting in dogs

• The vet took Alvin’s temperature – it was slightly elevated.
• Alvin got a shot to arrest the vomiting.
• He got water intravenously in the form of a bubble on his back because he was dehydrated.
• He’s taking antibiotics.
• The vet gave water and feeding directions.
• The vet said that if he vomits again, stop all water and food and call the vet’s office. Subsequent vomiting may indicate some other condition; for example, an intestinal blockage.
  

As of this writing, he seems to be recovering. The real test is today (Monday) when he eats close to normal amounts of food.

valmillsy

Wooly Bear Gets Groomed - Now Resembles Cockapoo Pup

Back from the groomers and took a few shots of Wooly Bear (Simon) and Alvin. Simon now looks like a Cockapoo puppy instead of a little bear. And for a dog who constantly wants to eat, he looks a wee bit puny. Must be the hair he lost.

Alvin's eyes really stand out after the grooming. You can tell he's half Bichon. What a difference. Now I have to learn how to get these looks after grooming.

The before pics are on this post.

The after pics are as follows:

Simon: Wooly Bear as a Cockapoo Puppy

Alvin: The Eyes Are The Best Feature

valmillsy