I understand that we are human. We have tempers and most of the time if we could have taken a second and not just reacted we would have handled the situation much better. It is the same with kids. The difference is that when we make a mistake with our kids, they are intelligent enough to know that we do make mistakes but still love them. Dogs arent so easy to forget that blow up and every time your hand goes up quickly they are going to remember getting wacked and cower or run away.

None of us want to make mistakes. None of us want to ruin our dogs. My advise is to try to plan ahead for every problem that you might run into and plan on how you will react. “If Fido has an accident on the carpet I will firmly correct with a loud NO and take him out to where he should go to relieve himself. If he finishes in the right area I will praise like crazy.” Try to think up anything that might happen and then plan your reaction. Its always easier to make the right choice when a situation arises if you have already decided how you will react.

It wont be easy but I promise you that it will be worth it. You and your dog will obviously have a much better relationship and be much happier.

I am always so excited to hear how things have been going and try to get over and visit as often as I can. Things have been going so great. The puppy has fit in so beautifully to her new home. The most fulfilling part has been seeing the relationship between the puppy and my brothers wife. She was not what we call “a dog person”. She had many unpleasant experiences with dogs growing up and never thought she would have one. As her kids grew older and some expressed their desire to have a dog she finally gave in.

My brother has always been a dog lover and has always had big dogs. With the eight kids (thats right, eight children) finding a breed that would be able to fit in with everyone and be hardy enough to take the sufficating attention small ones love to give.

There are not a large number of breeds that would have fit in to this household, but having all the background and doing our homework we came up with the perfect fit. She is proving it every day and I am excited for my next update.

Remember that the commitment to a new puppy is huge. You are talking about the next 10 to 15 years. Do your homework, dont make the choice based off the cute wrinkly face. Think it through, match up the breeds the meet your requirements and than go find some reputable breeders. Go visit lots of dogs and lots of puppies. Of course it is difficult to walk away but you will eventually find the one that is perfect for you and your situation.

Good Luck!

Consistency and diligence is the key. Dont let the dog get away with anything. Every time you let let your guard down you will have to start all over again. Don’t wait to teach them manners. Start right away with the basic commands, “sit”, “stay”, “come”, “down”, “out”, “leave it” and of course “potty”! Your puppy is smart enough to learn these commands as early as 8 weeks of age.

Your puppy needs to be socialized as much as possible. Once he has had his puppy shots make sure to take him with you whenever you can. Home Depot and Petsmart are great places to go. Let people touch your puppy and if there are other dogs go make an introduction. The more socialized your puppy is the more confidence he will have which makes for a happier, smarter, easier to train dog.

Make sure you are feeding your puppy a good dog food. Do your research, some breeds seem to respond better to one dog food over another. If you purchased from a reputable breeder they will probably have some good advice as to what to feed them.

Coming back to consistency, make sure you feed your puppy at the same time every day. Try to keep a routine that you follow as close as you can. This will help with many behavioral probems and will be very helpful with potty training.

Don’t forget to have fun!

The breeder knew what we were looking for and thought she had the perfect candidate. We did find the perfect puppy but it wasnt the one she had in mind. It was unbelievable how this puppy seemed to connect with us right away. Her eyes wouldnt leave ours as if she was trying to will us with everthing she had to take her home. If my brother didnt take her I dont think I could have resisted.

My brother has 8 kids and this is their first dog. As you can imagine, his wife wasnt sure she was ready to add the extra work of a puppy. They just got a bigger property and have animal lovers that just needed a dog. Puppies can definitely be a lot of work and I wanted to make sure they were prepared for what they should expect. I think they were prepared as you can be and my sister in law still gave the green light. Her kids are lucky to have a mom that loves them so much to take on the extra work. I know she will not regret it. The puppy really is perfect.

It has been so fun for me helping pick out the right puppy, giving puppy and dog training tips, helping them have all the tools necessary to make this a positive experience for the puppy and my brothers family. Of course we have already covered potty training and crate training. I am meeting with all the family tonight to go over basic obedience and how to stay consistent with commands, praise and discipline. I really am enjoying this and am as excited to see that puppy tonight as I am my nieces and nephews.

The best thing to remember is that your puppy can “hold it” for about 1 hour for every month of age. So your new puppy (usually 8 weeks) should be able to go about 2 hours before needing a potty break. This is good information to know so you can plan accordingly.

You want to set your new puppy up for success. With the right planning and some diligence on your part you can have the puppy potty trained without it ever having an accident in your home. Of course there may be accidents that you just cant catch. Make sure to clean the area with white vinegar solution or a good pet stain cleaner. If there is a scent left over the puppy will want to use the spot again.

I know pee or poop on your beautiful carpet can be very frustrating but please remember that the puppy will always learn and respond so much better to praise than discipline. If you didnt catch the puppy in the act than there is nothing you can do…the little stinker wont know what he did wrong and any discipline will just confuse the heck out of him. If you do catch him in the act give him a frm “no” or “ah! ah!” or whatever correction you like to use..and scoop him up, take him outside to finish releaving himself. If he does finish outside praise like crazy!

Dont give up, stay consistent and this phase will be over soon. You are well on your way to a wonderfully trained dog. If only kids were this easy!