Apartment Rearing

[Brookelynn]

New Parents - My husband and I are picking up our new baby this weekend (9 wks) and could not be more excited. Having always raised dogs in the country, I was hoping that someone here might be able to provide me with some insight on raising a puppy in the city.

1) Do you have any hints for getting a puppy down the elevator without peeing everywhere?? (we live on the 8th floor)

2) Potty Training - We would like to start going outside day one, but am worried about Parvo and other diseases that I think might be more of an issue on the sidewalks of NYC. Thoughts?

3) Other dogs - There are numerous dogs in my building. Should I make a point to avoid any contact with these dogs while the puppy is still undergoing his shots??

Any other insights you can provide on apartment rearning would be very appreciated!!!

 

[Boxer_21]

First off, welcome to Boxerworld and congratulations on your new puppy!! I can't wait to see pictures and hear some more puppy stories!!

1) Do you have any hints for getting a puppy down the elevator without peeing everywhere?? (we live on the 8th floor)

Seeing as I live on the level floor of a house, I don't have any tips on this. Do you have a porch or balcony that you could set up as the potty area??

2) Potty Training - We would like to start going outside day one, but am worried about Parvo and other diseases that I think might be more of an issue on the sidewalks of NYC. Thoughts?

I think your puppy will be ok if you go out for short outings until the shots are complete. Do not allow your puppy to sniff other dogs feces though as that could make your pup ill. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will touch this subject better than I can.

3) Other dogs - There are numerous dogs in my building. Should I make a point to avoid any contact with these dogs while the puppy is still undergoing his shots??

Personally, I would wait until the shots are complete. After that, I'd encourage meeting and greeting new dogs and people as much as possible. Socialization is very important for young puppies. Of course, you'll want to use your judgement as to which dogs would be appropriate (non aggressive and well socialized) to meet a new puppy.

 

[Nedra's_momma]

Hi there,
Having been there myself (we raised Nedra in downtown Cleveland, Ohio), I know it can be more difficult in some ways, but also easier in others. Here is what we did:

1) Do you have any hints for getting a puppy down the elevator without peeing everywhere?? (we live on the 8th floor)

What we did was to carry her down the stair well (we lived on the 8th floor as well). This was easier for us because our building was a renovated warehouse and it didn't really matter if she peed in the stairwells - there was no carpet to worry about, just painted wood floors, so clean up was easy - we just returned with some paper towels to clean it up after our "out".

Usually, if you carry puppies, they won't pee on you (I'm on my second puppy and I have yet to have one do so), so you will have to get most of your potty training done while she is little enough to be carried out. Having said that, potty training in an apartement is harder because first, you have to potty train *in* the apartment, then you have to potty train in the common areas *outside* of your apt. So, you virtually end up potty training twice. Whichever route you decide to take, make sure you consistently take that route every time. She will have to become very familiar with the surroundings if she will ever accept them as a place that shouldn't be peed in.

2) Potty Training - We would like to start going outside day one, but am worried about Parvo and other diseases that I think might be more of an issue on the sidewalks of NYC. Thoughts?

As long as your puppy is up to date on her puppy boosters, she should be fine. We took Nedra out from day one and all of the dogs in the apt complex used the same spot to potty in. Unfortunately, there were many irresponsible pet owners that did not clean up after their dogs :( Which reminds me... Make sure to start stocking up on poop baggies now! You will need them!

As far as puppy shots go, all they are are booster shots. They are given to boost the immune system until a puppy's body has had the chance to fully develop (immune system and all). As long as your puppy is current on her boosters, she should be fine. Our second puppy has been all over to shows, PetSmart, the dog park, etc, and she is just fine. She will be 4 months on the 21st of this month. Socialization is such an important part of a puppies life, and as far as worries about "contamination" go, she would get that anyway just from sniffing around common areas, not to mention the outside areas where all of the other dogs pee and poop.

Good luck! Congrats on your new addition, and welcome to Boxer World! :D

Jessica

 

[Brookelynn]

For those who might read this thread later, I wanted to report back that we have had great sucess training (Fletcher) outside on the mean streets of NYC at 9 weeks. For health reasons we tried paper training him for a couple days (what a disaster!), but after realizing that Fletch had in effect been trained by the breeder to go outside (Amish Family), we got the go-ahead from the vet to go outside, providing that we were careful. Turned out to be a great thing, no only because he has caught onto it so quickly, but it has helped enourmously with his socialization. We must get stopped every 5 minutes by someone who wants to pet him, and now all our neighbors call him by name.

The key for those thinking about doing it is to just be mindful of all other droppings, pick up the puppy when other dogs come near since most owners don't understand that your babe is still going through their shots, and to be diligent about cleaning off thier paws when you get back inside should they have encountered anything.