Potential Puppy- advice needed

I have taken the puppy classes at Cascade and they are wonderful. They don't do a lot in means of training the dog, but more train you. You will learn a lot of great tips for housetraining and socializing your pup. I've heard the classes at Leashes and Leads are excellent but have not used them.

My best advise would be to just prepare yourself. Accept the fact that for the next several months, you will be trudging outside in your boots every few hours trying to get the adorable little ball of fur to learn to potty out there and not on your carpet. Accept that said adorable ball of fur will probably still potty on your carpet from time to time - stock up on spray bottles of carpet cleaner. One of those spot carpet cleaners are a good buy too. Plan to professionally clean your carpets in 6-12 months, once puppy has a good handle on the house training. Teach everyone to put away anything that they value - shoes, toys, etc. Plan to replace a few pairs of shoes!

All of that sounds really bad - and I don't mean it to be discouraging. Its just reality. In the end, its worth it. I can't imagine life without our 15 lb chiweenie that had me pulling my hair out for the first six months of her life. Just like with a newborn baby, you eventually forget how rough the first few months were.

Oh - and if you get a dog that sheds, I highly recommend a nice robo-vacuum. BEST.INVENTION.EVER.

Enjoy your new puppy!

My daughter took her pup to Petsmart training, and she loved it! https://www.petsmart.com/pet-services/training/

Bottom line, consistency is your best bet. Make sure you stick to your guns, even if the puppy resists. This might mean several nights of puppy cries if you don't want him/her in your bed, but rather in his/her kennel, etc. Be sure to check unwanted behavior quickly, such as growling while eating or nipping when you reprimand. And lavishly praise good behavior, such as when they sit for a treat, or stop barking when you ask.

I agree with Tiguer - its work on the front end but pays off in rich reward in the long run as you welcome a new member to the household who then fits in great! Good luck!

@tiguer thank you so much for your comments. I am very excited about getting a puppy. We will be able to get one once my son stops sucking his thumb...it is his reward. I am preparing myself for the first 6 months!! I always had dogs growing up and cannot wait for my boys to grow up with a dog. We always had harm dogs so never really had to worry about the house training aspect. The big decision now will be what kind of dog to get! 🙂

@BRechtzigel Thanks for the advice! I am so excited. I am assuming training a dog will be a lot like training my toddler. 🙂

Congrats on adding a member to your family soon! You will soon figure out if your puppy is play motivated, food motivated, or both. This will really help knowing when training. Praise goes a long way! Sit is a very important thing to teach puppy when you first bring them home. I'm not sure how old your boys are, but there is a good book Puppy Training for Kids: Teaching Children the Responsibilities and Joys of Puppy Care, Training and Companionship. It works for adults too 🙂 I it has everything from Puppy supplies, first year, grooming, vet visits, housetraining, socialization, how dogs communicate, avoiding puppy trouble as well as training.

I'm sure, just like your toddler, keeping puppy on a schedule and structure helps tremendously. Have fun and keep us posted on how everything is going with the new addition!

Here is a picture of our Abigail as a little puppy, she is now 9 months old

Oh, Abilgail looks like such a sweet girl!

She is, but she does have her naughty side too 🙂 We also have a 7 yr old dog too, which helps tire Abigail out by playing a lot.

Way to be proactive! When we got our dog, 6 years ago (in the winter -- NOT ideal for potty training), we lived in the country and thought we'd be there for quite a while so did not leash train or really socialize her with other dogs. Two moves later, overall she's done well, but we've had some trying moments.

My best advice for potty training is to kennel train the pup. Even a newborn pup will not pee or poo where it sleeps. Keep the pup in a kennel whenever you are not home and are sleeping. You may need to keep the kennel next to your bed for a while. If the pup whines during the night, just shake the kennel a little and the pup will be fine just knowing you are near. When you are home and the pup is out of the kennel, every hour for a while for his business. First thing out of the kennel is outside! Nothing else, outside directly. The BEST fastest and easiest way to potty train a new pup.