EARLY DAYS OF A PUPPIES LIFE

In this section of our articles we will cover arriving home with your new pup. We will try to cover the early days with you, and help you start with some early training tips.

This is just a guide and my opinion, not a rule. There are no rules in training a dog as they are all different and you may need to adapt and change things around to achieve the end result.

ARRIVING HOME

Now that the pup is at home and you've settled him into his new environment, either a dog crate in the kitchen or utility room or a kennel outside. Make sure he/she has water, a little food and some warm bedding. I would suggest shredded paper
as this is warm and easy to dispose of.

FEEDING

Most pups at eight weeks old will be on three to four meals a day morning, mid day and evening. If you can, try to stick to this routine. But if you work and can't feed at midday, I would suggest you feed a little at first return and then again late evening. Allow plenty of time for your pup to eat his food this could be anything up to 20/30 minutes. Once you feel he has had enough remove the remaining food, this helps to stop him becoming a fussy feeder. It is best to stay on the food you have been given by the breeder in the first instance, however if you wish to change food you must do this gradually over a few weeks to avoid any stomach upsets.

I would recommend you feed one of the many dried puppy foods as they are very convenient and have all the properties that the pup needs for its growth and condition. You can supplement this with a little meat if you wish. It is essential to feed a top quality food as this is the most important time of a pups life and what you feed now will show in the future.

TOILET TRAINING

If you are keeping your pup in the house then you can start toilet training straight away. After he has had his meal take him outside to give him the opportunity to relieve himself. Puppies need to relieve themselves every couple of hours. If it is raining or snowing outside your puppy may not want to go out, if so put some paper on the floor and encourage the pup to relieve himself on the paper.

VISITING THE VET

If your pup hasn't been fully vaccinated then you will need to take him to the vets, if your vet has an appointments system let him know in advance that you need your puppy vaccinated and checked over.

When you arrive in the vets leave the pup in the car whilst you book in. Then wait with the puppy in the car until just before the appointment. Never put the pup on the floor inside or outside near the surgery as there may be sick dogs in the waiting room. Once the vet has checked the puppy and given him his vaccinations, ask for some worming tablets pups should be wormed until 16 weeks and after this 6 months and then 12 months. Also you should treat your puppy for flea's, ask your vet.

PLAY TRAINING AND EXERCISE

You can start training your pup straight away and if you follow a few simple rules you shouldn't go wrong.

COMMANDS

SIT/HUP
STAY
HEEL
HERE/COME
NO

If you follow these simply words then the pup will quickly learn what the command represents. Don't get into the habit of changing the meaning of the command, for example 'sit' means 'sit' not 'sit down there' etc. keep the commands short and crisp. Take your time and teach one command at a time until he understands then move on to the next.

TEACHING TO SIT

To get a pup to sit I would start at meal times, hold the pups food bowl above the pup and at the same time place your hand on the dogs behind and give the command 'SIT'. Most pups will look up at the bowl and sit down, if the pup jumps up at the bowl push him/her back down with a sharp 'NO' then repeat the exercise. Over the next couple of days the pup should sit on command for his food.

TEACHING TO STAY

Now that your pup will sit for its food we can move on slowly ( if your pup hasn't mastered to sit do not attempt this ). Hold the bowl as normal and give the command 'SIT' put your hand in front of the pup and give the command 'STAY' now place the bowl on the floor and if needed repeat the word 'STAY'. If he rushes for the food lift his food and repeat the exercise. Take care not to over do this exercise just keep the pup sitting for a few seconds before letting him eat his food.

TEACHING TO WALK TO HEEL

As soon as your pup has finished its course of vaccinations then you can start to take it for short walks. It is very important not to over exercise your pup at this age, but short walks will build confidence and get him used to other people, dogs and cars etc.

Most if not all puppies will hate having a lead on, so take your time to let the puppy get used to this. A good idea would be to place the lead on when the puppy is happy and playing in the house or the garden. Never drag the pup by the lead, if he is reluctant to follow you then go down to the pup and encourage it to come to you. As time goes on the pup will come to accept the lead and stop pulling once this happens then you can start to give the 'HEEL' command.

Place the puppy on the lead and give the 'SIT' command. Then say 'HEEL' and encourage him to follow you, keep him on which ever side you wish, (mostly your left leg). Check him back if he starts to pull you too quickly by giving him a tug of the lead with the command 'HEEL'. Over a few days you will notice the pup walking at your side in a controlled manner, as before keep the commands simple 'SIT' means 'SIT' and 'HEEL' means 'HEEL'

FREE PLAY

It is important that your pup has time to play this must be done in moderation as the pups young bones and joints are still growing and over exercise can cause long-term problems. It isn't easy to say how much exercise to give but I would suggest 10/15 minutes would be enough.

These few exercises should be carried out on a daily basis in short 5 minute sessions, and should not be taken as a hard rule. They are only a guide each puppy is different, some will pick it up quickly and others may take a bit longer to learn. The whole experience should be based on having fun yes 'FUN' there is no rush take your time and enjoy your pup.

Next time we will start teaching your pup to retrieve and swim etc.
We would like to thank you for you for visiting UK GUNDOGS and hope you enjoy these articles and your feedback would be most appreciated.

HAPPY TRAINING

Next Issue Basic Training

Written by Huw Jones (Ffynongain Gundogs)
For more advice you can contact Huw - Tel 01994 231229
mob 07742 116183
www.gundogs-wales.co.uk