cosmick, Author at Furry Babies Portage

Potty Training in 5 Steps

Potty training is one of the most important first lessons that you have to teach a new pup. Since they haven’t been told otherwise, they wouldn’t see anything wrong with messing the floor up or doing their business anywhere they deem fit. However, you do not want a house-turned-pup toilet on your hand. So, here are some 5 steps to potty train your pup:

1) Set Up Your Home

The idea behind potty training is teaching your dog that the entire house is their extra-large den simply because they are known for being averse to soiling their own space. For this, you would need to restrict your pup’s movement around the house until he is old enough to roam without incident.

You would be needing a dog crate or a baby gate that would restrict your pup to that particular area. The more time they spend there, the less they would feel inclined to mess the place up, hence, potty training would move swiftly.

2) Use a Potty Cue

The idea behind a potty cue is so that your pup knows exactly what time it is when you use the word or phrase. It would imply that it’s potty time and at a point, you would be able to get your pup to go potty just by saying it.

The phrase can be anything, just one that doesn’t come up in regular conversation. The idea is to use the word or phrase just as your dog is starting to do its business in the right spot. 2-3 days after, once you think he’s connected the cue to potty, start mentioning it just as he is getting in potty position.

After this, the next step is to give it before he even gets into position. This would register as the word or phrase for ‘time to go’.

3) Treating

Pup training consists of a great deal of treating for positive reinforcement. When you give your dog a treat for doing something, it implies that it is a desirable one and he starts to connect the action to the treat.

During potty training, if your dog goes to the potty in the right spot, and gets a treat, but never does during accidents, he would start to note that it is the right thing to do.

Since timing is crucial, you might need to add an approving sound like a click or “yes” at the precise time, and then give the treat later. This way, your pup knows that the treat was for that particular action.

4) Create a Schedule

You shouldn’t be alarmed by the fact that you might have to take a puppy to potty up to 10-15 times daily. As a rule of thumb, the bladder develops to hold urine longer every month in pups, so, a month-old pup would be able to hold his bladder for an hour while a 5-month old pup would hold his bladder for up to 5 hours.

Therefore, it is essential to create a schedule that your pup would start to associate with potty time. For instance, you can make it: First thing in the morning, right after each meal, when your pup gets up from napping, at regular intervals during the day and evening, and right before you go to sleep.

5) Allow for Playtime

After your pup has eliminated in the right spot, you can allow him to play around for some minutes without fear that he would soil the place. After this, you can then have him go back to the restricted area. Playtime should be based on the rate of development of your pup’s bladder.

What You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Puppy

A dog isn’t merely a pet. Ask any dog owner, and they’ll tell you their dog is a bonafide family member! Dogs are full of personality, energy, and loyalty. They take their duties to faithfully protect you and your family to heart, even if they’re pint-sized. And just like people, dogs can feel down in the dumps if they don’t get enough love and attention.

In many ways, caring for a dog is right up there on the commitment scale next to choosing your spouse, and we aren’t kidding! The average dog lives a solid 15 to 20 years, while the average American marriage lasts only 8.2!

Man’s best friend, indeed…

A deep companionship between you and your puppy is formed the day you take your new, soft lump of love home, and the last thing you want is to go into the relationship unprepared or, worse, unable to properly care for your furry family member in both the short and long terms.
If you’re thinking about getting a dog, there are 9 things to consider.

THE TIME COMMITMENT

Dogs are far from independent creatures, and puppies can be a real handful. Unlike other pets who enjoy solitude, canines require attention first thing in the morning and quality social time with their owners daily. We’re talking a total of at least two hours each day, which includes meal times, potty walks & play walks—yes, there’s a difference!—and plenty of snuggling in the evenings.

KEEPING YOUR DOG HAPPY WHEN YOU’RE APART

Are you a socialite or a world traveler? Do you frequently leave town for work trips? If so, who will care for your dog during your away time? This is an important aspect to consider as part of your decision to get a puppy because to keep your dog happy, healthy, and cared for, you’ll need to make arrangements ahead of time to ensure all of your dog’s needs are met while you’re away.

But don’t worry, you have options. Hiring a dog walker or even a dog sitter who can stay at your home overnight will do the trick and is an ideal solution compared to using a boarding kennel. That being said, the right boarding kennel could work. Just be sure to research the facility and the company’s reputation beforehand. Alternatively, having a friend or family member stop in on your dog multiple times a day is a way to keep your dog happy while you’re away.

Tip: If you lead a busy life and aren’t home much, you may need to better accommodate your dog’s need for social time and space by hiring a dog walker, bringing your dog to doggy daycare, or asking a trustworthy friend or neighbor, or loved one to stop in to walk, feed, and play with your pup.

DOGS NEED SPACE

No one likes to feel cooped up, and dogs are susceptible to feeling penned in. For this reason, it’s essential to ask yourself, do you have room for a dog, and how much space do dogs need? Depending on the breed and temperament, your dog may need a lot or a little space to feel comfortable inside. Still, even if you live in a small apartment, your playful pup will feel fine as long as there’s quality playtime outside each day during which they can run, jump, and get their energy out.

RAISING A PUPPY & DOG TRAINING

If the burning question at the forefront of your mind is, how much work is raising a puppy? Then you are right over the target! Raising and training your new puppy requires patience and consistency, which could be challenging if you’re also employed full-time, caring for your children or other loved ones, or just plain juggling several balls in the air. The most important aspect to remember here is that the first two or three weeks will be the most intense due to initial housebreaking training as soon as you bring your puppy home.

Getting your new puppy not to go wee-wee in the living room is one matter, but training your puppy to be well-behaved and listen on command is quite another endeavor. Ask yourself, who will train your dog? Can you commit to training your dog, or should you hire a trainer?

FIND THE RIGHT VETERINARIAN

Your dog’s health will directly impact its overall happiness, and there are many healthcare milestones along a puppy’s journey to adulthood and beyond. Within the first year, your puppy will need to receive vaccinations every three weeks until they are about sixteen weeks old and start prevention medications for heartworms, fleas, and ticks. After your puppy matures, it should get spayed or neutered, and beyond that, you can expect to bring your dog to the vet annually for checkups, according to to Fetch by WebMD.

CONSIDER ALL RELATIONSHIPS

We’ve all cherished those movie moments when someone opens a present, and an adorable puppy jumps out. Still, in real life, you want to avoid surprising your family, significant other, or friend with a puppy if doing so will be entirely out of the blue. Bringing a dog into your life and the lives of those around you is a big decision with long-term impacts, so it’s critical to not only consider your family and their potential new relationship with the puppy but to also discuss the possibility of a puppy with them so that everyone understands that having a new dog at home will mean significant changes for everyone.

PUPPY-PROOFING

To elaborate on raising and training a puppy, we want to emphasize the importance of puppy-proofing your home. Puppies are curious by nature and playful at heart. Still, if they get curious about the wrong thing, such as the kitchen trash, they could quickly turn their curiosity about all those exciting garbage smells into a game that ends with your home covered in trash—yikes! Or worse, your new puppy could accidentally get injured by venturing into the wrong room with hazardous materials, for example. Like the precautions parents take with their toddlers at home, you must puppy-proof your house.

Puppy-Proofing Checklist

Buy garbage receptacles that have locking lids
Remember to always keep the exterior doors and windows of your home closed and locked when you aren’t around
Make sure dangerous and sharp objects, including knives, scissors, and tools, are never left out or within your puppy’s reach if you are using the item
Keep all potential choking hazards like marbles, coins, jewelry, thumbtacks, etc., in closed containers, and be sure that your prescription medications remain in the medicine cabinet
Make a habit of keeping your toilet lids down, or buy toilet clamps to lock your toilets closed
Puppies love to chew, so keep all electrical cords either out of reach or use cord concealers
Resist the urge to sneak table scraps to your puppy since several foods are poisonous to dogs, including chocolate, raisins, and Xylitol, as found in sugarless gum and other sugarless food items

PURCHASING VS. ADOPTING A NEW DOG

If you’ve made it this far, considering everything you need to know before getting your first puppy, then it’s time to decide where you will get your new dog. Should you purchase the dog? Or should you adopt a dog from the local animal shelter? There are many differences between the two options, but the main one is this—you can purchase a puppy, but adopting a puppy from a shelter is virtually impossible. Animal shelters tend to home adult-age dogs and cats who have been dropped off by their prior owners. Rarely will someone bring an unwanted puppy to a shelter. That being said, adoption has pros; the greatest is that you won’t have to housebreak the dog.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHY DO YOU WANT A DOG?

The big takeaway is that having a new puppy requires a significant, long-term commitment. The deep bond and long-lasting relationship formed starting the day you get your first puppy can change your life and fill your heart with joy. Please make sure you’re in it for the long haul. Caring for your new dog will take time, money, and a lot of know-how, but along the way, you will experience the daily joys of loving and watching your puppy grow into a mature, charismatic dog.

Puppy Teeth Stages: What You Need to Know

Like children, puppies go through several stages of development before they grow up, and one of these stages is teething. Puppy teething is your puppy’s process when baby (milk) teeth fall out and their permanent (adult) teeth settle in.

Puppy teething stages are just like human ones.

Puppies start out with 28 milk teeth (also called baby teeth), and these teeth fall out over time while their permanent teeth erupt. Once your puppy matures into an adult dog, it will have 42 adult teeth.

Now, teething is no accessible business, and it can be painful or irritating for most puppies, and this leads to chewing on anything your puppy gets their chompers on. Nothing is spared from your furbaby’s teeth: furniture, shoes, and toes!

We know your puppy’s teething habits can be annoying, but we promise it’s only temporary! In this blog, we help you understand what your puppy is going through with a quick timeline of your puppy’s teething stages.

2 to 4 weeks old

When your puppy is 2 to 4 weeks old, they depend heavily on its mother and breeder for its well-being. Whether it’s food, warmth, or comfort, your furry friend will only have their mother and caretaker for all their needs.

Along with being blind, their milk teeth are just starting to come in. Don’t worry about your puppy’s teeth during this age period.

5 to 6 Weeks Old

At 5 to 6 weeks old, your puppy should have 28 baby teeth. Your furry friend is also weaned or in the process of weaning.

Weaning is a transitional stage in a puppy’s development, in which it switches from drinking its mother’s milk to eating solid food. Your pup’s breeder is the main person who will help your puppy undergo the weaning process.

12 to 16 Weeks Old

During the 12 to 16-week period, your puppy is independent and ready to go to its new home.

At Furry Babies, we get our puppies at 8 weeks old, to give them some time to adjust with us and their new environment and also to help them form an independent relationship with us.

We also ensure that every puppy receives adequate dental care from a licensed veterinarian before they go home with their new owners. Once your puppy is home with you, you may notice little teeth around your home. Don’t panic!

Like human children, your puppy is shedding their baby teeth so that its permanent teeth settle in. According to The SprucePets, your puppy’s teeth should start falling out at around 8 weeks.

Of course, the teething process is excruciating for your little fur ball. They may start to chew on everything they can sink their teeth into.

Make sure you give your puppy chew toys, puzzle games, or Kong toys to prevent potential destruction of your property. It would help if you also visited the vet to ensure your puppy’s teeth and mouth are okay.

Additionally, your puppy is old enough to start a consistent dental routine. Take your time with the process. Instead, start with the basics.

Hold your puppy near you and open their mouth, touching the outside and in. This helps your puppy grow used to having its mouth opened and touched when brushing its teeth.

Avoid getting nipped or bitten by your furbaby. The teeth are razor-sharp, so if your fingers get caught, this can hurt!

6 Months and Beyond

When your puppy reaches 6 months, all its permanent teeth should have settled in. All dogs have around 42 adult teeth, though this may vary with some breeds.

It’s essential to check that your puppy has no milk teeth left. If left untreated, your puppy’s baby teeth can cause dental problems such as overcrowding and malformation. Your vet will assess your puppy’s mouth and remove any extra baby teeth.

Now that your puppy has adult teeth, it’s your responsibility to keep them pearly white and healthy. We know it’s common for dog owners to forget about their furry friend’s dental health, but we recommend maintaining a routine.

Dogs cannot take care of their teeth, leading to the buildup of plaque and other debris. Without proper dental care, this plaque can develop into tartar, which causes bad breath, dental disease, and even organ damage.

Brushing your puppy’s teeth regularly prevents numerous medical issues that can harm them. As a precaution, ensure the toothpaste you use for your puppy is designed for dogs.

Human toothpaste can make your puppy sick if they swallow it. It would help if you also used a dog toothbrush to brush the corners and outer edges of your puppy’s teeth.

Don’t take it to heart if your puppy bites at your toes or fingers. Teething often causes sore gums, and the only way puppies can alleviate their pain is by chewing everything in sight! Be patient and offer alternatives for your puppy’s comfort.

Remember the tips above when you start your pup’s dental care. Never leave your puppy alone during their early teething stages unless you want a mess inside your house.

If you need to leave, place your puppy in its crate to prevent them from chewing and getting into mischief while you are away.

Also, remember to have fun with your puppy! It’s a frustrating experience for both of you, but there are plenty of ways to make the process less stressful.

For example, establish a dental care routine early on, and this routine can become a bonding experience for both of you. When you understand your puppy’s teeth stages, you’ll be able to help your furry friend make that critical leap from puppyhood to adulthood.

So pack up on chew toys and love your puppy without boundaries so that you can have years of unconditional love and friendship!