puppy-proofing house

[bobby]

hi all,
Am bringing home an eight week old puppy from the breeder's next week. I've never had a dog before and am not really sure what needs to be done before bringing him home. Was just wondering what everyone else did before you brought your dogs home - any useful tips or anything you wish you'd done?
I live in a single-storey house with a big garden. I've made sure the garden is fenced pretty well, but don't really know what else to do.
The puppy is a Great Dane/Doberman/Lab cross.
Thanks inn advance

[mickey]

Im also in the same boat, I haven't actually found a puppy yet, but just getting into the research stages and sucking up all the information I can find. I've got the basics sorted like fencing, clear yard space, saving for hidden expenses, putting off recarpeting the house (I've been warned about that one.) Im sure there are a few things I haven't thought of yet so Im all ears to advice.

Thanks and all the best for next week bobby

[Holly&Dex]

Hi to both of you.
I had a dog growing up but was young when we got her so didn't really remember all the prep that went into it, so when I got my Cocker Spaniel puppy Dexter 4 months ago, I wasn't sure what to expect.
The main thing I would advise is to get everything you can before you get your new bundle of fluff as if they are anything like Dex, you won't get much time to go shopping for a while!
Make sure you decide and place things like beds and food/water bowls as it can confuse their learning if you re-position them later on.
If you are getting a puppy, buy some teething toys now as when Dex started teething he didn't like the new ones I got him and only used the old ones. This may not be the case with you guys, he may just be picky!!
There are a thousand and one things you need to do, know and have when you bring a new dog into your home but the final thing I will suggest is buying a book about the breed you are getting as every breed is different.
Dexter is 6 months old now and we are still learning new things about each other everyday, it's hard work and i've had sleepless nights but I wouldn't change him for the world.
Good luck and I hope you and your dog enjoy each other as much as Dex and I do.

[kuritsa18]

A good thing to do is to make sure anything you don't want chewed on is put away so your puppy can't reach it and to make sure they have lots of chew toys and things to play with. If you are going to give it bones to chew I recommend raw hide bones and not regular bones because they can break and have sharp edges which can hurt your puppy. Also, if you have any house plants keep them up and away from the new puppy. If your puppy will be spending a lot of time in your yard it is also a good idea to make sure any plants in the yard won't make him sick if he decides to chew on them because I think some plants are poisonous. Also, it is a good idea to get a crate or kennel for your puppy. This will be their "safe-place" or "house". You can put blankets and toys in there and it will make them feel more comfortable. Plus, it is a safe place for them to be if you have to leave the house or leave them alone then your puppy won't get into anything while you are gone and you'll know they are in a safe place This what we did for our dog and she loves her kennel. Good Luck and have fun with your new puppy!

[bobby]

This is all so helpful. Thank you all heaps!
About the kennel - I'm thinking about making an outside one (with a run) that I can shut puppy up in when I'm out. Do you buy kennels or make them yourself? And I don't know how long I can reliably leave a young pup outside for. Am not planning on more than about two hours at a time at this point, but at what point can you increase this a little? I've got a week off from work, but a week isn't really THAT long.

[davidson]

Hi Bobby,
Sounds like you've got some pretty solid advice so far about what to expect re preparing for the pup - I'd just like to add that you may want to consider arranging a vet visit for within the first three or so days of bringing the pup home, just to make sure everything's in working order and there aren't any nasty surprises lurking around the corner.
About the kennel, you can buy them from pet stores, but they're generally pretty overpriced and don't come with a run. I made one myself for Lola (my Shepherd cross) out of some planking and chicken wire that I got from the DIY store. I made the kennel itself (where the dog sleeps) like a long oblong box. I made it with quite thick wood, and nailed some carpet onto the inside walls, ceiling, and floor (to prevent the cold seeping through). The run itself is about fourteen feet by five feet, with the kennel in a back corner. I attached my run to the house, sharing a wall (so I had to build less walls for the run!) and is made out of posts set in concrete in the ground, with several layers of wire so Lola can see out but not escape. The walls are pretty high on mine, but judging from the contributing breeds to your pup, you probably won't need to worry too much about jumping (from my experience with Danes and Labs, they're not great jumpers - not sure about Dobermanns though and obviously it's up to you).
Anyway good luck with that - if you really don't have a clue about carpentry or anything like that, you can hire someone to do it for you, but it's not that difficult - just use your common sense, really (for example, presuming your garden is fenced, you might be able to place the run in a corner, thus removing the need to build too many walls yourself).

[Dog Obsessed]

Hi Bobby,

Dogs love to have their own space, a place to call their own. It makes them feel more secure, and it starts when they're puppies. I'd make sure that your puppy has it's own space, such as a corner with it's bed, food, water, and toys all layed out for him. Make sure you have a variety of toys: stuffed, rope type, ones that squeak, and a rubber one. That way your puppy can explore different textures and he'll be more comfortable that way. As another tip: make sure you don't leave your socks and shoes lying around. If a puppy gets a hold of your shoes, then they'll think that "shoes" are toys too. Teach your puppy that their toys are the only toys they're aloud to play with. I've personally learned that one the hard way. One more thing, teach him that nipping at you and biting is unacceptable. If you allow him to nip and playfully bite, then he'll learn that biting is ok when he's older too, when it's really not. Yourself and other people can get hurt if you don't teach him that. Say a firm "No" and pop him on the nose if necessary, but only hard enough to get the point across.

Best Wishes & Good Luck!
-Dog Obsessed

[kuritsa18]

When I say kennel I mean a crate; I call it both. Not the one you build outside and have dog run with but the one you use inside and to carry your dog in. You can get them at the petstore and they come in many sizes ranging from $50 to $200. This might seem expensive but they are actually a good investment since you only have to buy them once. You can use them inside for a bed for your pup and if you are taking them in the car and need a place to put them so they stay safe and don't climb all over everything or a safe place to to leave them alone in the house. A dog run outside is totally different and you would have to would that yourself. It would be ok to leave your pup out side for a period of time as long as it has shelter and food and water and maybe some toys to keep it occupied becaus ethen it can go to the bathroom. If you are leaving your pup inside you shouldn't leave it more than a few hours because their bladders are still weak and they have to go every 2-3 hours. You can extend the lenght of time left alone as they get older and they learn to hold it.

[melissa]

I'd just like to add that a crate is pretty much mandatory for having a puppy.
It's the quickest way of housetraining a dog, and it REALLY comes in handy for containing the pup especially at night, when you can't be watching him - pups have a habit of going wandering through the house at night, which can be dangerous for them, and can cause a huge mess for you to have to clean up.
You don't have to buy a crate, you can make one yourself. I have absolutely no carpentry skills whatsoever and I just hammered some boards together into a box, and then for the door I used a grilling tray for the oven bordered by wood. This let my pup see out, while still being safely contained (and also it alerted me to if she ever needed to get out, because she'd paw the door and the grill would make a rattling noise).

[kuritsa18]

if you are keeping your pup outside most of the time then build a carte, dog-house ect out of wood but if your dog is inside i still sujest getting a plastic one from the pet store or try looking in the local adds or at flee markets to get a good deal. with wood lots of dogs will try to chew them and this can be a problem not only with creating bad habits with chewing wood but getting slivers in their mouths a plastic crate inside would be a lot cleaner and they are really easy to clean and can be disassembled to clean or store if needed. also, if you are going on a road trip , need to take them to the vet or where ever or camping you can't really pack around a wooden crate in the car; a plastic one is much more practical. Plus they are very sturdy and practically indestructable.

I agee with mellissa about kepping them in the crate at night. that's what we did so our pup didn't get into trouble alos, that's how we house trained her. yuo can get information about kennel trianing on the internet.