The bell on the door

Potty training your puppy is a challenge. Clear communication between you and him will make the process easier. If you teach your puppy to ring a bell attached to a door, he can tell you every time he needs to go out. Here are the steps:

1. Take your puppy out the same door every time you take him outside for a potty break. Within a couple of days, he will know that when that particular door opens, he gets to go outside - which most puppies love to do. Most likely he will start gravitating toward that door when he has to go potty.
2. Get a bell. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, only something loud enough for you to hear throughout your house. And don't make it so big your puppy can't easily set it ringing with paw or nose.
3. Hang the bell on the "go outside" door knob at puppy-nose-height. Or hang it on a hook on the wall or even from the ceiling. The only thing that matters is that your puppy can see the bell as he approaches the door and can ring it with paw or nose without jumping.
4. When you get ready to take your puppy outside for a potty break, put on his leash, approach the door, and jingle the bell(s). Your puppy, being the curious sort, will most likely touch the bell with his nose. If he does (even if it doesn't ring), open the door and your happiest voice, with a spring in your step, take puppy with you, telling him he is brilliant for ringing the bell. In most cases, the only reward he will need is being outside with his person.
5. Repeat until your puppy rings the bell on his own.
   
   
   

    

   
   

   This "cow bell" (above) is a bell worn by hunting dogs on their collars and works well as an inexpensive "bell on the door". Attach with twine.

   
   

   

   And then there are the designer versions - lots of options available online. 

   
   

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Protect those puppy paws

The pads on your puppy’s paws are tender. Musher’s Secret or dog booties will protect those pads on hot sand or pavement during summer, as well as the extreme cold in the winter.

Winter warning: Products that can clear a sidewalk of ice can be toxic to your puppy. And since puppies lick their pads to clean them, wipe those paws thoroughly after a walk outside on the sidewalk, street or parking lot. Use pet, child, and environment friendly ice melt around your home.

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Crates

There are many different kinds of dog crates. The two most popular in the U.S. are the wire crate and the molded plastic crate. If you want to buy only one crate that will work from puppyhood to adulthood, get a wire crate made for the approximate size your puppy will be when he grows up. Get one with a divider and at least two doors, one on the end and one on the side. Adjust the divider forward in the crate to allow puppy only enough room to stand up, turn around, and lay down. Too much room and he may use one end of the crate as bedroom, the other as a bathroom.

Molded plastic and soft crates can be good for travel. Wait for that soft crate until your puppy is complete crate trained. Otherwise he will likely eat or claw his way out. There are even wooden covers for crates that make them look like a piece of furniture. Google "dog crates" and you will find much to choose from. Ian Dunbar, the famous trainer/behaviorist, crate trains using Kongs. Get a free download of his book, Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy online at Dog Star Daily. 

TIP: Google "pet products consignment store" with your city and state. If there is one of these near you, savings can be significant and anything your puppy no longer needs can be resold. 

 WARNING: Always remove puppy’s leash and collar before crating to prevent choking.

Above is an example of a wire crate with two doors.

 

Introduce puppy to everything!

Your puppy needs to be socialized with all kinds of people early on. He also needs to experience the world outside his own home so that larger world does not frighten him. Here's a checklist to get you started.

Harnesses

Sometimes it's all about the gear. One of the best solutions for puppies who pull is a front-connecting body harness. A couple of good ones are the Halti and the Sensation.

The key to success with both of these harnesses is that the leash is attached to a ring on the chest. Why is that important? Because it's the puppy's center of gravity. Uses? These harnesses are great for small people with big dogs, dogs with neck injuries, and dogs for whom nothing else works (including head collars).

A body harness does not replace a well trained puppy. If you do not have a positive dog trainer in your life, find one in your geographic area through the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

Google "dog harnesses" or pick one up at the nearest pet store.

Do you have a story about your puppy and his harness? A picture of him wearing one? Send it along so we can share it with our readers. Woof!

Martingale Collars

The day that I saw a frightened German shepherd back out of her collar in a pet store, run at full speed to the front of the store, and fly out through the automatic doors straight into a busy parking lot - that was the day I started recommending martingale collars.

A martingale is comfortable for your puppy while keeping him secure on leash. It is made with two loops. The large loop goes over your puppy's head and onto his neck. Then the puppy's leash attaches to the ring on the small loop. When the martingale is fitted properly, your puppy will not be able to back out of it. The tension on the leash pulls the small loop tight, which makes the large loop smaller and tighter (but not too tight) on the neck. The following image shows how the two loops on a martingale collar work.

For a standard buckle collar to be tight enough so it can't slip over a puppy's  ears, it may well have to be uncomfortably tight on puppy 's neck. The martingale collar allows your puppy to wear a collar that is only tight when it needs to be.

Should you leave a martingale collar on  your puppy all the time? No. All collars can be potentially dangerous because of the risk of the puppy getting hung up on something and choking. Plus, puppies have been known to chew a martingale off. I recommend a break-away buckle collar your puppy at all times except when he is crated or kenneled. When the leash comes out, the martingale goes on. In fact, my dog's martingale stays attached to his leash all the time.

May all your outings with your puppy be fun and safe!

 Google "martingale collars" or pick one up at the nearest pet store.

Do you have a story about your puppy and his martingale collar? A picture of him wearing one? Send it along so we can share it with our readers. Woof!

Baby gates

Baby gates are a great way to keep your puppy from wandering all over your home - when he's too young to do it safely. They are great to block access to stairs, kids' playrooms, rooms within open floor plans, etc. There are all kinds of gates in a wide range of prices. They can be spring loaded, mountable or free standing, made of wood, metal or plastic.

Read more about puppy safety in Puppies chew shoes, don't they?

  Google "baby gates" for lots of options.

Break-Away Collars

Rather than a standard buckle collar, start your puppy off with a break-away buckle collar. Choking and strangulation are very real concern for puppy parents. Puppy playtime can turn into tragedy if a puppy's regular collar gets caught on something like:

• steps, gates, fences, and decks
• shrubbery
• kennels and crates
• air conditioning/heating units, vents
• another dog's jaw (they wrestle and play and one dog's jaw gets caught in the other dog's collar)

The beauty of the break-away collar is that the buckle releases when pressure is applied. Used properly it does double duty as a collar you can attach puppy's leash to. Here's an example: the KeepSafe.

Think this can't happen to your dog? Listen to this episode of Bark Radio called "Not Ready for the Rainbow Bridge."

Do you have a story about a puppy and his break-away collar. Send it along so we can share it with our readers. Woof!

Ho, Ho, Ho ... Scary Christmas?

Your holidays may include a picture-taking event for your puppy or dog - perhaps one that includes the guy in the red suit. If this is something new to your dog, watch his body language. If upon seeing Santa your dog starts backing up or barking or tries to run away, he may be afraid. Don't force him to have his picture taken with someone who scares him. Cut him some slack. Take him to the park instead. 

And consider this: rather than paying for a portrait with Santa, give generously to a local doggy rescue group. Santa will be pleased.

Exercise Pens

If you are reading Puppies chew shoes, don't they? for Kindle, this post goes with Chapter 2.

Exercise pens are a good way to contain your puppy. They come in lots of sizes, heights, and materials. Some you can use outside: you garden, puppy plays safely in his exercise pen. Make sure you get a size appropriate to your dog's breed. Google "exercise pens" for a big selection.

Here are three examples.

Wire.

Plastic.

 

Soft-sided.

 Woofs 'n wags!

Kindle edition coming soon!

Puppies chew shoes is a great gift for anyone getting a puppy. Soon it will be available through Amazon and readable on your iPad, Kindle, or iPhone.

Choosing a veterinarian

If you are reading Puppies chew shoes, don't they? on a Kindle, this post goes with Chapter 1.

Many dog owners know only one dog professional ... their vet. Make certain that you trust yours enough to put your puppy's life in her hands. To help choose the right vet for you and your puppy:

1. Look into an accredited American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) vet clinic near you. I recommend AAHA vets because as a service dog trainer, I have accompanied families nationwide on that first puppy wellness visit. Across the board, AAHA accredited vets were consistent in their knowledge of veterinary medicine and offered appropriate recommendations for socialization, toys, training, etc. Because they have to follow standards set down by the accrediting agency, the vets seem to be those who continue their education and are, therefore, up on the latest best practices.
2. Consider an integrative/holistic vet. Learn all about this approach to keeping your dog healthy for life at the Veterinary Institute of Integrative Medicine. 
3. For complex medical issues or for a second opinion, know where to find local veterinary specialists. Start with the AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialists.

When you take your puppy the first time, make sure your puppy is comfortable with your vet. Personally, I also want friendly, helpful people at the front desk and I want to be able to call my vet with questions and not be put off.

To better understand your dog's health issues, the one of the best online resource for articles and videos is Dr. Karen Becker's Healthy Pets website.

Keep that smile on your puppy's face with good health for life!

The Fabulous Furminator

Note: If you are reading Puppies chew shoes, don't they? on a Kindle, this post goes with Chapter 1.

Lots of Labrador retrievers live at my house. They have double coats. They shed. Year 'round. The only grooming tool I need for my furry beasts is the Furminator. The company calls it a de-shedding tool. I call it amazing.

Tricky Treat Ball

Puppies tend to be underfoot all the time. It's what they do. And when they're bored, they get in trouble. When they've spent a good bit of time in a crate while their humans are away, it's even worse. Out of the crate, outside for a potty break, back inside to run and play with their people. But wait. Their people have had a long hard afternoon at work and really need to put their feet up or start dinner or sort the mail. At this particular moment, playing with puppy is not on the top of the to-do list. One solution is to provide puppy with something to occupy him.  Something that will be interesting enough to keep him busy, at least for a little. Something that does not require a human to be attached to it.

There are a variety of toys that hold treats or dry dog food. Try different kinds. Find your puppy's favorite.