new pup today - what do I need?

[Mya's_Mom]

What a cutie!!! Also, someone had told me to buy them a new toy every week. I thought they were nuts, but each week when I go grocery shopping I pick out one of those 99 cent toys and she gets a reward when I come home. This keeps her busy for about a week with the new toy and she never once destroyed any carpets, shoes, furniture, etc. Now that she is older, I just hide a treat in the bag and she gets that instead of a toy.

 

[Tom G]

ok so the first 16 hours or so have been great! he slept most of the night. I'd like some hints to get him more comfortable in the crate...I have one of my worn t-shirts in there with a nylabone and 2 toys. he did pee in there twice, but only poops outdoors, so far! what are some good treats to reward good behavior with for a 8 week old pup?

 

[Elyse]

Sounds like you guys are doing great. The worn shirt works great. The only other suggestion I have about the crate other than giving it time is to give Rusty a treat everytime he goes in it and maybe toss a treat in there for him to show him what a wonderful place his crate is.

As far as treats, we used Old Mother Hubbard Special Recipe Puppy Biscuits. Got them at Petco. They are small and made from natural ingredients and are pretty inexpensive (cheap) too. Porter loved them. Broke them in half.

 

[DaytonasMom]

When Daytona was a puppy and small, a treat that i gave her instead of a doggy treat was cheerios. they were small so i could give her many of them. whenever she did something good i gave her cheerios instead of giving her 30 dog treats a day. good luck and keep us updated

 

[Melgoglia]

Cutie... love the face! Take lots of pic they grow so fast. The crate training takes time so have lots of patience in the end it will pay off. Make the crate a place they enjoy.. after all it is their bed room and they will be spending lots of time in it. One thing I would discourage is putting papers in it for them to go on.. if you encourage it they will become confused as to what your wanting them to do. First thing I do once home each day is take Abigail right out to do her business. She learned really quick that going in her crate was not something she liked to do. However they will occ have accidents no matter how old or trained they become.

Enjoy every minute .. I use to be able to hold Abigial in my lap ..now... she takes up my entire lap but I wouldn't have it any other way. Heck she only weighs 55 pounds..

 

[perrybl]

Tom G: Thanks for this thread. Keep asking questions!! Its been very helpful for me as I begin my preparation... Thanks for all the helpful answers as well

Did you buy a big crate for him to grow into or a small one to be replaced later on?

He looks awesome! Cant wait for one of my own!

 

[Tom G]

the crate we got is HUGE! I don't think it will be TOO big though once he's full grown. I am thinking about putting a divider in it though so that if he pees in it, he has to be near the pee, not on the other side of the crate.

speaking of crates, a woman at petco told me putting the crate in our bedroom is a good idea - we don't really want to encourage the dog to go into our bedroom though...any thoughts?

I picked up some mother hubbard puppy treats today...Rusty likes them, but doesn't seem to have the teeth to break them up, even if I break them in half - maybe I'll try the cheerios thing.

One thing I have to say, Rusty is VERY good about going #2 outside only, which is awesome! no accidents yet with the ole #2.

ok last question for this post - I heard 'gentle leaders' are good trainnig tools for boxers (since they can be a little rowdy)...what is a good age to begin using one? is that the typ that goes around the neck and muzzle?

 

[Sabrina]

I put a gentle leader on Cortes when he was about 12 weeks for the first time, although if you don't want to use the gentle leader all the time and your boy pulls I would really suggest working with him on a flat nylon collar and teach him not to pull. I like how the gentle leader works, but Cortes to this day pulls if he's on a flat collar and on a leash. Its my fault b/c i didn't work with him enough as a puppy on a flat collar and now I'm having to do a lot more work with teaching him not to pull. Gentle leader also makes a no-pull harness called the Easy Walk harness (i thinkt thats right) that a several people here on the board like. I actually just ordered one online and am waiting for it to be delivered. While I want Cortes to be able to walk on a flat collar, I'm hoping the harness will make an easier transition than the head collar, especially when we're in high stress places like pet smart. Hope this helps. Sorry its so long

 

[Elyse]

Divider in the crate is a good idea. As far as keeping it in your bedroom, we didn't. Porter cried and barked quite a bit but it tapered off. We eventually gated him in the kitchen with a doggie door until he was trained. Now he has graduated to the bed with DH, Nestle and I.

Keep up the good work Rusty. Daddy is very proud!!

 

[Anna Begins]

what are some good treats to reward good behavior with for a 8 week old pup?

Luka wsan't foood motivated and didn't like hard treats. I used banana's, small slices of hot dogs and cheese. He eventually started liking treats by 4 months.
You can also give any fruits (except grapes) and veggies- Luka liked carrots, asparagras, pears and mangos. Just don't give too much- it upsets the tummy.
Oh- and about the pulling on a leash- I use just a regular harness with Luka and it works like a charm. Gental leaders and the like go over the muzzle, which I think make them look agressive, like they need a muzzle. I tried for moths to get him to walk on a normal collar, but nothing worked. I would work on just the collar before using a harness tho. The good thing about harnesses is that you have alot more control.