A new puppy

Without knowing it there it is Your Puppy, staring right back at you in the shop window lovingly and making you feel weak at the knees, he had to come home with you it was fate and low and behold of course that is exactly what happened.

You only went for a look while buying food for your fish and before you knew it your new bundle of joy was in your home.

7 days later and suffering with severe sleep deprivation you now realise your bundle of joy loves to cry and bark when left alone during the night, toileting in the most random of places in the house and has fallen in love with anything on the floor that he can pick up and chew. How can this loving puppy you saw in the window which made you weak at the knees turn in to a miniature Tasmanian devil that destroys everything in sight?

This happened to my friend not so long ago and what did she really bring home…?
She originally wanted a lapdog and came home with a Terrier. Unfortunately my friend like others didn’t think about what would be involved with looking after the cute puppy, did not research the type of breed she really wanted that would fit in with her family’s lifestyle and therefore was unprepared for the ongoing hard work to follow.

She rang me the other day as she could not understand what was going on. She thought the puppy would just settle in straight away, know exactly where to toilet, be fine when left alone, never chew anything and would be happy with lots of cuddles on her lap.

"Oops, wrong breed" I said, as terrier type breeds are very active and inquisitive dogs.

I worked with my friend to help her understand the puppy she had brought home, what its requirements are and the basic training techniques she needed to know to make her and the puppy's life much happier and more settled.

One of the training tools was to help the toileting issue in the home. Crate training is a great solution to help a puppy with toileting issues so long as the puppy is introduced to the crate by lots of rewards so that it is a good experience having his own little den where he can relax.

Dogs do not like to toilet where they eat and sleep and also crate training helps the owner know that when she can’t watch the puppy for even 5 minutes he is safe in his crate and is not having unwanted toileting accidents and becoming confused about where he should or shouldn’t go to the toilet.

My friend’s situation is the case for many others out there. It is very important to know exactly what type of dog you want, find out what it is bred for, and decide if you can offer the physical and mental stimulation for your new dog and most importantly will he fit into your lifestyle?

Try not to make the same mistake as my friend!