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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.242



Up until 8 weeks or so, the shots should consist of Distemper,
Measles, and CPI.  After that, it should be DHLPP (Distemper,
Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus).  This is at
minimum: you may need to add other vaccinations appropriate to your
area, such as Lyme, Heartworm (actually a preventive medicine), Rabies
(most places), and so on.

You should keep your puppy away from all strange dogs.  If you know
that a particular dog is current on its shots and not carrying
disease, then go ahead and let your puppy socialize.  The same holds
true for people.  Ask them to wash their hands before they play with
your puppy.  It can't hurt and it could save you a great deal of
grief.  As your puppy gets its shots, you can slowly add more and more
exposure to its life.  But keep in mind this is an infant and needs
gentle care!

4.  Worms

Worms can present a serious problem to puppy health.  There is no good
way to prevent puppies from having worms, for a variety of reasons.
You should take your puppy in regularly for worm-testing.  Worms can
interfere with the puppy's growth if left unchecked.  See Worms in
Health Care Issues for more detailed information.

5.  Acclimatization

Accustom your puppy to many things at a young age.  Baths, brushing,
clipping nails, cleaning ears, having teeth examined, and so on.
Taking the time to make these things matter of fact and pleasant for
your puppy will save you a world of time and trouble later in its
life.

For example, every evening before the dog eats (but after you have put
its bowl down), check its ears by peeking in the ear and touching it
with your fingers.  Do this every evening until the dog stops fussing
about it.  Continue to do it and you'll always know if your dog's ears
are okay.

Brushing is important, especially for double coated breeds when they
begin to shed.  A little effort now to get your puppy to enjoy
brushing will save you a lot of trouble later when it begins to shed
and shed and shed...

6.  Puppies and small children

Keep puppies and very small children apart or under close supervision.
Small children do not understand the need for keeping fingers out of
puppies' eyes or refraining from pulling painfully on their tails,
among other problems.  So keep children 6 years or so and younger away
from the puppy until it is grown, for the safety of the puppy.

7.  Puppies crying at night

Your puppy wants to be with the rest of the "pack" at bedtime.  This
behavior is highly adaptive from the standpoint of dog behavior.  When
a puppy becomes separated from its pack it will whine, thereby
allowing it to be found and returned to the rest of the group.  This
is why so many books on puppies and dog behavior strongly recommend
that you allow your puppy/dog to sleep with you in your room.

Try moving the crate into your bedroom.  If your puppy whines, first
make sure it doesn't have to go outside to eliminate.  This means
getting up and taking it outside.  If it whines again, or doesn't
need to go outside, bang your hand on the crate door and say something
like "NO, SLEEP" or "NO, QUIET".  If the puppy continues to whine, try
giving it a toy or chew toy and then simply ignore any continued
whining.  If you don't reinforce the whining by comforting it (other
than to take it outside -- which is OK), it will eventually learn to
settle down.  Also, be sure to have a vigorous play session JUST
BEFORE you are going to go to bed.  This should poop it out and it
will sleep much more soundly.

Alternatively, you can designate a pad for your puppy on the bedroom
floor.  Keep the door closed or put a leash on it to keep it close to
the bed.  When it whines or moves about, take it out to eliminate.
Otherwise, as above, say "NO, SLEEP."

Puppies that cannot sleep in the bedroom for whatever reason may be
comforted by a ticking clock nearby, and a t-shirt of yours from the
laundry.

8.  Reinforcing good behavior

Puppies want attention.  They will do a lot to get that attention --
*even if i t is negative*!  Thus, if you scold your puppy for doing
things you don't want it to do, and ignore it when it is being good,
you are reinforcing the wrong things.  Ignore the bad things (or stop
it without yelling or scolding) and enthusiastically praise it when
its doing what you want, even if it's as simple as sitting and looking
at you, or quietly chewing one of its toys.  This can be difficult to
do, it is essentially inverting your entire normal reactions.  But it
is very important: you will wind up with a puppy that pays attention
to you and is happy to do what you want, if it understands you.

9.  References

There are several books that focus on the care and needs of
puppies:

Monks of New Skete, The.  _The Art of Raising a Puppy_.  Little, Brown
and Company (1991).  ISBN: 0-316-57839-8 (hardback).
  The monks of New Skete have put together an excellent book that
  discusses puppy development and the things that should be done at
  the appropriate stages and why.  First they follow a newborn litter
  through its various stages of development and at each stage they
  discuss what is happening.  They discuss testing puppies'
  temperaments and what you want to look for, under which
  circumstances.  They discuss briefly dog breeds, and how to find
  reputable breeders.  They then launch into a series of useful
  chapters: housebreaking, preliminary obedience, laying the
  foundations of training, understanding (reading) your dog, how to
  become the pack leader, basic training, discipline, and general
  care.  A good bibliography is provided at the back.

Randolph, Elizabeth.  _How to Help Your Puppy Grow Up to be a Wonderful
Dog_. ISBN 0-449-21503-2.


F.  Puppy-Proofing Your Home.

It is essential to puppy-proof your home.  You should think of it in
the same way as child-proofing your house but be more through about
it.  Puppies are smaller and more active than babies and have sharp
teeth and claws.  Things of especial concern are electric wires.  If
you can get through the puppy stages without having your pup get a
shock from chewing a wire you are doing a great job!  When puppy
proofing your home, get down on your hands and knees (or lower if
possible) and consider things from this angle.  What looks enticing,
what is breakable, what is sharp, etc.  The most important things are
watching the puppy and, of course, crating it or otherwise restraining
it when you can't watch it.

Another step in puppy proofing is house proofing the puppy.  Teach it
what is and isn't chewable.  The single most effective way to do this
is by having a ready supply of chewable items on hand.  When the puppy
starts to chew on an unacceptable item (be it a chair, rug, or human
hand), remove the item from the puppy's mouth with a stern, "NO!" and
replace it with a chew toy and praise the puppy for playing with the
toy.  If you are consistent about this, the puppy will get the idea
that only the things you give it are to be chewed on!  Don't stint on
the praise, and keep the "No!" to a single calm, sharp noise -- don't
yell or scream the word.

There are some products that can help make items unpalatable and thus
aid in your training.  Bitter Apple and Bitter Orange (available at
most pet stores) impart a bitter taste to many things without
staining, etc.  You should not *depend* on these products to keep your
puppy safe, but *use* them as a training aid.

G.  Feeding Your Puppy.

Premium pet food tends to have higher nutritional value.  In
particular, foods such as Science Diet, Eukanuba, Nature's Recipe.
This means you can generally feed your dog a smaller amount of food.
Also, they tend to be highly digestible which means that there is less
waste to clean up in the yard.  For these two reasons, many people
feed their pets premium foods over grocery store foods.  But the
decision is yours and many healthy, happy dogs have been raised on
plain Purina Dog Chow.

There are two methods you can use to feed your puppy: free feeding and
scheduled feeding.  Free feeding is when dry food is left out all day
and the dog eats as it wishes.  Scheduled feeding gives the dog food
at set times of the day, and then takes it away after a period of
time, such as a half hour.  In most cases, you are best off feeding
your puppy on a schedule.  This better controls elimination when
trying to housetrain.  In addition, many dogs will overeat and become
overweight on a free-feed schedule.  But for other dogs, such as dogs
with gastric problems or older dogs, frequent small meals may be
better for them.  If you are unsure, you may want to discuss your
particular situation with your vet.

Something to keep in mind is that many veterinarians and breeders
(particularly of larger breeds) recommend that you NOT feed puppy food
for the first year as is recommended on the bags of food.  They
recommend that you feed puppy food ONLY for the first two months that
you have the puppy at home and then switch to adult food.  A good
"rule of thumb" is to switch to adult food when the puppy has attained
90% of its growth (exactly when this is reached varies by breed and
size).  The nutritional formulation (especially the extra protein and
calcium) can actually cause problems in puppy development.  The
problem tends to be with growth of bones vs. growth of tendons,
ligaments, and muscle.  The growth rates are not the same and so the
connections are strained and if the dog jumps wrong or is playing too
hard, the connections can be torn.  This typically happens in the
front shoulder and requires surgery and several months of confinement
to repair.  The added calcium in puppy food may deposit on puppies'
bones causing limping.

If the puppy has hip dysplasia, its clinical symptoms may be
aggravated by imbalanced growth rates (or obesity, for that matter),
and a puppy with mild HD that could have lived out a happy life as a
pet may have to be put down instead.


H.  Teething Puppies.

Around 4 to 5 months of age, puppies will start to get their permanent
teeth.  There are several things you can do, both to ease the pain and
control the chewing.

  * Make some chicken soup (low sodium variety or make it yourself)
    ice cubes and give them to the puppy.
  * Soak a clean rag in water, wring it out and then freeze it
    (rolling it up helps) and give it to your puppy to chew on in
    place of rawhides.
  * Soften the kibble a bit with water.
  * Discourage biting on your arm or hand for comfort.

I.  Chew Toys.

1.  In summary

Nylabones are best for keeping teeth clean.  Followed by either
Gumabones or Nylafloss.  Rawhide and cow's hooves can cause problems.

2.  In detail

Nylabones are most highly recommended.  They cost about 3 times as
much as a rawhide but last for a very long time.  Some dogs don't like
them and may need some encouragement; most will happily use them.

Gumabones are similar to nylabones, but a bit softer and without as
much tooth cleaning ability.  The manufacturer says that Gumabones are
more likable and serve as toys, but the Nylabone is necessary to
satisfy frustration chewing and chewing due to a need to chew.  Some
dogs have trouble with flatulence when they ingest the small pieces of
gumabone that they chew off.

Nylafloss is also well accepted and is the best tooth cleaner of all.
To many dogs, though, it is only interesting when you wave it in the
dog's face.  (Nylafloss looks like very a thick, knotted rope.)

Rawhide is not recommended by most people because the dogs tend to
swallow large pieces, which swell in the intestines.  Also, if the
shank gets slimy but the knot is hard, the dog can swallow the shank
and then the knot gets sucked down into the throat and chokes the dog.
Lastly, and much more commonly, they cost a fortune if you have a
mid-to-large dog or a dog with powerful jaws.

Organic bones may splinter and cause tooth wear or even gum and mouth
injuries.  Eating the pieces often results in constipation.  There are
specially treated bones that resist splintering, and you can hide
treats in the hollow center, giving your dog hours of enjoyment trying
to get them out.

Cow hooves are better than rawhide because they break down into
smaller pieces and are much cheaper and more durable.  However, like
organic bones, they can cause gum and mouth injuries when they chip.
They smell somewhat and may cause tooth wear.  Hooves are available in
a beef basted flavor that doesn't smell badly.

Another chew item out on the market is called CHOOZ, by the makers of
Nylabones.  This item looks like a nylabone but is crunchy like a dog
biscuit (but harder).  It can also be tossed into your oven or
microwave to change its texture (makes it lighter and more like a hard
bread).  CHOOZ has been involved in at least one case of gastric
blockage; you may not want to use it.


J.  Preliminary Training.

It is essential for every dog, no matter how big, or small, or whether
you want to show, or work, or just play with, to have basic obedience
training.  If you want to go beyond the basics, that's great.  But at
least do the basics.  One way to think of it is that without basic
obedience, you and the dog don't speak the same language so how can
you communicate?  But with basic obedience, you can tell the dog what
you want it to do and it will understand you and do it.  Another way
to think of it is getting your dog to be a Good Citizen: it doesn't
jump on people, or run off, or indulge in other obnoxious behaviors --
because it knows what you expect of it.

Find a good class and attend it.  Many places have puppy kindergarten
classes; this also helps socialize your puppy.  Do 10 minute training
sessions every day.  And if you like it, keep going.  You'd be amazed
at all the activities you can do with your dog once you and the dog
learn the basics!  Training is fun and simple if approached that way.
Enjoy it!

Puppies can be started far earlier than many people believe.  In fact,
waiting until your pup is 6 months old to start training it is VERY
late, and will be the cause of a LOT of problems.  Start right away
with basic behavior: use simple, sharp "no's" to discourage chewing
hands or fingers, jumping on people, and many other behaviors that are
cute in puppies but annoying when full grown.  Don't be severe about
it, and praise the puppy *immediately* when it stops.  Tie the puppy
down in sight of people eating dinner to prevent begging and nosing
for food (if you put it in another room, it will feel ostracized and
begin to cry).  If your puppy bites and scratches you when playing,
give it a toy instead.  Give a good, loud *yelp* or *ouch* when the
puppy bites you.  This is how the other puppies in the litter let each
other know when they have crossed the line, and it is a good way to
get the puppy's attention and let it know that biting is not
acceptable.

The other side of the coin is *immediate* praise when your puppy stops
after a "no".  You may feel like this is engaging in wild mood swings
(and you may well get odd looks from other people); that's all right.
You're making your wishes crystal clear to the puppy.  It also needs
positive as well as negative reinforcement: how would you respond if
people only ever yelled at you when you did something wrong?  Also,
introduce things in a fun way without "corrections" just to lay a
foundation for formal training later on.  *Formal training*, demanding
or exact, is not appropriate at this stage.  Instead, concentrate on
general behavior, getting its attention, introducing things that will
be important later in a fun way, and some other preliminary things,
such as discouraging it from lagging or forging on the leash (but not
making it heel!).  In sum, lay a good foundation for its future
development and behavior.

Benjamin, Carol Lea.  _Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way To Train
Your Dog_.  Howell Book House, New York. 1985.  ISBN 0-87605-666-4.
$15.95 hardcover.
  "No matter how the pup transgresses, no matter how angry the bitch
  becomes, she never denies him his nourishment.  He never goes to bed
  without his supper.  Nor does she offer tidbits of food, treats
  beneath the table, extra portions of dessert to reward good
  behavior. Eating is eating and education is education."

  She uses praise, contact, play and toys to motivate puppies, but she
  does not recommend food training a young puppy.  She does recommend
  crate training and she also recommends sleeping in the same room
  with the puppy.  She provides methods to teach no, OK, good dog, bad
  dog, sit stay heel, come, down, stand, go, enough, over, out,
  cookie, speak, take it, wait and off to puppies. She talks about
  canine language and talks some about mental games you can play with
  your dog such as mirror games, and copying your dog and having him
  copy you, chase games and even playing rough with your puppy.

  Most training methods rely on the foundational relationship between
  an owner and his dog, and this book provides some ideas on
  establishing that relationship while the puppy is still young.

Brahms, Ann and Paul. _Puppy Ed._.  Ballantine Books.  1981.
ISBN:0-345-33512-0 (paperback).
  Describes how to start teaching your puppy commands.  This is a
  thoughtful book that discusses in practical detail what you can and
  cannot expect to do with your puppy in training it.  They stress
  that by expecting and improving good behavior from the start, later,
  more formal training goes much easier.

Burnham, Patricia Gail.  _Playtraining Your Dog_.


K.  Socialization.

During your puppy's first year, it is very important that it be
exposed to a variety of social situations.  After the puppy has had
all its shots, carefully expose it to the outside world.  Take it to
different places: parks, shopping centers, schools, different
neighborhoods, dog shows, obedience classes--just about anywhere you
can think of that would be different for a little puppy.  If the puppy
seems afraid, then let it explore by itself.  Encourage the puppy, but
be firm, not coaxing.  If you want to take the pup in an elevator, let
it try it on its own, but firmly insist that it have the experience.
Your favorite dog food and supply store (unless it's a pet store) is a
good place; dog shows are another.  You want the pup to learn about
the world so that it doesn't react fearfully to new situations when it
is an adult.  You also want it to learn that you will not ask it to do
anything dangerous or harmful.  Socializing your dog can be much fun
for you and the dog!

Do not commit the classic mistake made by many owners when their dogs
exhibit fear or aggression on meeting strangers.  DO NOT "soothe"
them, or say things like "easy, boy/girl," "it's OK..."  This serves
as REINFORCEMENT and ENCOURAGES the fear or growling!  Instead, say
"no!" sharply and praise it WHEN IT STOPS.  Praise it even more when
it allows its head to be petted.  If it starts growling or backing up
again, say "no!"  Be a little more gentle with the "no" if the dog
exhibits fear, but do be firm.  With a growling dog, be much more
emphatic and stern with your "no!"

If you are planning to attend a puppy class (and you should, they are
not expensive) ask the instructor about her/his views before you sign
up.  If socialization is not part of the class, look elsewhere.

The _Art of Raising a Puppy_ has many valuable tips and interesting
points on the subject of socializing puppies.


L.  Housetraining.

The idea is to take advantage of a rule of dog behavior: a dog will
not generally eliminate where it sleeps.  Exceptions to this rule are:

  * Dogs that are in crates that are too large (so the dog can
    eliminate at one end and sleep at the other end).
  * Dogs that have lived in small cages in pet stores during critical
    phases of development and have had to learn to eliminate in the
    cage.
  * Dogs that have blankets or other soft, absorbent items in the
    crate with them.
  * Dogs that are left for too long in the crate and cannot hold it
    any longer.

If the crate is too big (because you got an adult size one), you can
partition the crate off with pegboard wired to the sides to make the
crate the correct size, and move it back as your puppy grows.  RC
Steele also sells crate dividers.

To house train a dog using a crate, establish a schedule where the dog
is either outside or in its crate when it feels the need to eliminate.

Using a mild correction when the dog eliminates inside and exuberant,
wild praise when the dog eliminates outside will eventually teach the
dog that it is better to go outside than in.  Some owners correct more
severely inside, but this is extremely detrimental to the character of
puppies.  To make the dog notice the difference between eliminating
inside and outside: praise more outside rather than correcting more
inside.

The crate is crucial because the dog will "hold it" while in the
crate, so it is likely to have to eliminate when it is taken out.
Since the owner knows when the dog has to eliminate, the dog is taken
out and eliminates immediately, and is praised immediately.  This is
ideal reinforcement for the behavior of going out to eliminate.  Thus
the dog is consistently praised for eliminating outside.  In addition,
the dog is always supervised in the house, so the dog is always
corrected for eliminating indoors.  This strengthens the inhibition
for eliminating inside.

In general, consistency is MUCH more important than severe corrections
when training a dog.  Before a dog understands what you want, severe
corrections are not useful and can be quite DETRIMENTAL.  Crating
allows the owner to have total control over the dog in order to
achieve consistency.  Hopefully, this will prevent the need (and the
desire) to use more severe corrections.

2.  Puppies

Housetraining is relatively simple with puppies.  The most important
thing to understand is that it takes time.  Young puppies cannot wait
to go to the bathroom.  When they have to go, they have to go NOW.
Therefore, until they are about four months old, you can only
encourage good behavior and try to prevent bad behavior.  This is
accomplished by the following regime.

  * First rule of housetraining: puppies have to go to the bathroom
    immediately upon waking up.

  * Second rule of housetraining: puppies have to go to the bathroom
    immediately after eating.

With these two rules goes the indisputable fact that until a puppy is
housetrained, you MUST confine them or watch them to prevent accidents.

This means that the puppy should have a place to sleep where it cannot
get out.  Understand that a puppy cannot go all night without
eliminating, so when it cries in the night, you must get up and take
it out and wait until it goes.  Then enthusiastically praise it and
put it back to bed.  In the morning, take it out again and let it do
its stuff and praise it.  After it is fed and after it wakes up at any
point, take it out to eliminate.

Make it aware that this is not play time, but understand that puppies
get pretty excited about things like grass and snails and leaves and
forget what they came outside to do!  Use the same spot each time if
you can, the smell will help the puppy remember what it is to do,
especially after 12 weeks of age.

To make life easier for you later on, use a key phrase just when the
puppy starts to eliminate.  Try "hurry up," "do it," or some similar
phrase (pick one and use it).  The puppy will begin to eliminate on
command, and this can be especially useful later, such as making sure
the dog eliminates before a car ride or a walk in the park.

Don't let the puppy loose in the house unless it has just gone
outside, and/or you are watching it extremely closely for signs that
it has to go.  The key to housetraining is preventing accidents.  If
no accidents occur (ha!), then the dog never learns it has an option
other than going outside.

For an idea of what this can involve, here is a hypothetical
situation, assuming that you work and it takes you about 1/2 hour to
get home from work:

03:00   Let dog out, go to bathroom, return to crate
07:00   Let dog out, go to bathroom
07:15   Feed dog in crate, leave dog in crate
08:00   Let dog out, go to bathroom, return to crate
08:15   Owner goes to work
11:30   Owner returns, lets dog out
11:45   return dog to crate, owner returns to work
17:00   Owner returns, lets dog out, go to bathroom, play
19:00   Feed dog in crate, leave in crate
19:45   Let dog out, go to bathroom, play
23:00   Let dog out, put dog in crate, go to bed.

3.  Reference

For a comprehensive discussion on housetraining dogs, see

Evans, Job Michael.  _The Evan's Guide for Housetraining Your Dog_.
ISBN: 0-87605-542-0.
    Evans was a monk at New Skete for some years.  He discusses all
    aspects of housetraining puppies and dogs, giving many
    constructive solutions for all kinds of specific problems.


M.  Living with Other Pets.

You may need to introduce your dog to another pet that will share
living quarters (as opposed to simply meeting them while walking
along).

It depends on the temperament and ages of the animals involved.  In
most cases, you can simply introduce them, let them work it out, and
after a week or so, things are fine.  However, sometimes this is a
lengthy process that you will have to work through, especially if it
is cross-species.  In general, this will work:

  Put the dog in its own room, where the original pet can smell it,
  but not see it. After a day or so of this, remove the dog from the
  room and let the original pet smell and explore the room thoroughly.
  Put the dog back in.  Depending on the reactions involved, let the
  pets meet under supervision.  If there is some hostility, separate
  them while you are gone until you are certain that they get along.
  It is best if you can arrange a "retreat" for each animal.

Meeting first in a neutral area such as someone else's house or in a
park, if possible, may help.

1.  Establishing a hierarchy

You may find there are problems with establishing dominance between
dogs.  If one dog seems to be overly dominating the other, use your
position as alpha to stick up for the lower dog.  When the one
dominates the other, turn around and dominate the one.  Support the
lower dog in some (not all!) of the disputes, especially over food and
sleeping places.

This is an established behavioral pattern of the topmost dog in the
pack; it will look out for the lowest dog under some circumstances
while leaving the general hierarchy intact.  But don't over do it, as
the lower dog will learn to play on your sympathies.  Be sure to stop
stepping in once the hierarchy settles.


N.  People Food.

Feeding your dog "people food," i.e., table scraps and such is a poor
idea.  First, you may encourage your dog to make a pest of itself when
you are eating.  Second, feeding a dog table scraps is likely to add
unneeded calories to its diet and your dog may become overweight.
Third, if your dog develops the habit of gulping down any food it can
get, it may seriously poison or distress itself someday.

Some guidelines.  Do not feed the dog anything but dog food and dog
treats.  You might add vegetable oil or linatone to the food to
improve its coat.  There are other foods that you may want to add to
improve its diet (check with your vet first for appropriate food to
meet the dietary need you want to address), but always feed them to
the dog in its dish, never from your plate or from your hand while you
are eating.  Discourage your dog from begging at the table by tying it
nearby (so that it does not feel isolated from the social activity)
but out of reach of the table.  Give it its own food to eat at the
same time, and do not give it any treats during your eating time.
Tell your dog "no" or "leave it" if it goes for anything edible on the
floor (or on the ground during walks!), praise it when it obeys you.
Teach it that the only food it should take should be from its dish or
someone's hand.

If you are concerned about the "boring and drab" diet for your dog,
don't think of food as a way to interest it!  Play with it, take it
out on walks -- there are many other and better ways to make life
exciting for your dog.

Both _Mother Knows Best_ and _The Weekend Dog_ have good sections on
feeding your dog and what food should mean to it.


----------------
This file is Copyright (c) 1992 by Cindy Tittle Moore.  It may be
freely distributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice
is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit nor incorporated in
commercial documents without the author's written permission.