Practical Dog Training Tips

Before you bring the new puppy home!

Outdoors

Before the new puppy arrives, build an outdoor kennel. An area five or six feet wide and twenty feet long is large enough for even big dogs to get up to speed. Six foot high chain-link fencing makes the best runs. Panels can be purchased, or 4 x 4 posts can be sunk in the ground and the chain-link fastened to the posts.
The run should have shelter in the form of a dog house at one end, and partial cover to provide shade in hot weather.
Provisions must be made to prevent climbing over or digging under the fence. Light, welded-mesh wire can be stretched over the top of the run to discourage climbers.

The surface of the run should be concrete or patio stones for easy cleaning and disinfecting. Grass will soon become fouled and unusable. It's better to surface the run and be done with it.

I consider an outdoor run the single most important element in raising a puppy. Even more important than a leash. In an emergency, a belt or piece of rope can substitute for a leash, but there is no acceptable substitute for a safe, fenced area. And please don't tell me that you have a chain attached to a doghouse or the back step. Dogs and chains are not compatible and keeping a dog on a chain is nothing but a recipe for disaster.

Indoors

Preparations indoors start with puppy-proofing the rooms your new puppy will have access to. Much like child-proofing, you need to temporarily remove from harms way all items of value that an exuberant puppy might knock over, shred, or otherwise make short work of. Check for hazards such as extension cords, cleaning materials, poisons, etc., and make sure he can't get to them.

You should have a crate handy until he is completely house-trained. I also use a short length of very light chain (about four feet long), available from the local hardware, with a snap on each end, to make house training easier. Stainless steel water and feed dishes are easy to clean and stand up well to puppy wear and tear.

Small puppies should only wear flat buckle collars, so you'll need one of those, and a six foot leash (light nylon - it will be replaced later when serious training begins). While you're shopping, pick up twenty-five feet of light cotton rope ( sash cord or indoor clothesline) with a small bolt-snap on one end, used to gain control at a distance.

You need to decide what to feed your new puppy and have it on hand. If it fits your lifestyle, I recommend avoiding commercial dog foods. Check out the B.A.R.F. sites on our "links page".

Now, I think you're all set for the new puppy.

Good luck with your training

Neil

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