Basic Information

The pups will leave here eating Science Diet Original small bites. You can soak it in water for 5 minutes for the first couple of days. The pups are eating at 7:30am, 1:00pm and 5:00pm. We feed about 1/3 cup three times a day. Allow water at all times until 6pm so the pups can hold themselves through the night. You can also use the pups food for treats at first to avoid an upset intestinal track. At first they may seem to be peeing a lot but this is due to their tiny bladders which will still be growing until they are about 12 weeks old....till then they will not have great control over their bladders. We start all pups on puppy pads at 6 weeks. They have had free run time in our kitchen and family room to get use to big areas and then they are in a collapsible puppy pen that measures 2’x8’. We use the pen when we are busy and can’t watch the pups as diligently. Pups and their Mother are in our master bedroom till they are 4 weeks old. At 4 weeks they are moved to our family room until they leave.

We use a clicker on all our pups to teach them their names (if you haven’t picked one then we pick one to use here). We also teach the pups about living in a pack and having us as their leader.

Introduction to the kennel

We will have started getting your pups use to a kennel before they leave our home. The kennel should never be made as a punishment. The dog needs to feel like it is their comfort zone. At 7 weeks we have the pups each take naps alone in their kennel to get them use to it prior to leaving.

Kennel Training for Housetraining

Learning to know when your pup needs to go is the first trick to proper housetraining. Young pups don’t have very good control of bowels and bladder so using the kennel is the key to eliminating accidents in the house. When your pup is out of sight put them in their kennel. You can take them out every 30-60 minutes to see if they have to go. Always take them to the same place in the yard so they come to realize what they are there for. DON’T allow your dog to walk out of the kennel. Pick them up and bring them out. If they walk they may squat before getting to the door. Always have treats in your pocket as a reward for eliminating outside. Reward them as soon as they are done so they come to realize why they got the reward. Once they are 9 weeks then start to bring them to the door on a leash so they know where to go when needing to.

A pup will have to go outside right after eating. As soon as you get up in the morning they will have to be taken out…the sooner the better and at first maybe half way through the night. Make sure your pup eats and drinks 3 hours before bedtime to give enough time to become empty before bed. If you put the pup to bed at 10 PM then try to get up at 2am and then again at 6am for the first couple of weeks. Then try a whole night from 10pm to 6am. After play time or after 45-60 minutes of being in the house during the day. It seems close together at first but the pup is still young and learning control. With the kennel you can teach your dog control much faster. Never scold accidents instead focus on rewarding good behavior. When you take your pup outside don’t talk to them or walk them. Stand still for about 5 minutes if they don’t go then bring them back in and carry them with you. After another 5-15 minutes take them back out and try again. This teaches your dog to be prompt when brought out.

If you work during the day and no one can take your pup out for a break then you need to find a section in your home that can allow no more then 6’x6’ of space to start. Take the door off your kennel and place it in this space. Place puppy pads or newspaper on the floor, give food and water and a toy for comfort. As the pup gets older make the paper size smaller or use only one pad for the first few days paper the whole floor or use 2-3 puppy pads. Once you are home then you can start to teach the pup to stay clean in the house with poppy breaks every hour at first. Once they are 14+ weeks then you can kennel them while you are at work. Once again for no more then 6 hours, even then I suggest coming home at lunch or finding someone to help like a dog walker.

When will they be Taught

Depending on time you can give to teach your pup control the faster your pup will train. Even if you work you can still be successful it may just take a few more weeks. Be patient! It may take till your pup is 4 months or 8 months but remember you will have your pup for many, many years and a few months will soon not seem like such a long time. Remember never use force because once you scare a pup it can stay with them for a long time and be hard to earn their trust again.

You should be able to contact your breeder at any time for more help. These tips are only what has worked for us and are only to use if you like. Remember what works for one doesn’t always work for every dog. You will have to consider age and breed these tips have worked for our customers dogs and ours.

Enjoy and if you ever have any question feel free to e-mail us at any time.