New puppies! Who can resist these little bundles of joy? Adding a dog to the family is a time-honoured tradition and while they bring much happiness and responsibility, they are, after all, animals that eat, drink, sleep, and make all the messes that a new baby does.
Unless you are a member of the .01%, at some point your new puppy will poop, pee, or barf in the house. This is something puppies do. Establishing a routine and crate training will definitely be helpful in housetraining your new puppy.
Take them outside at least every two hours and immediately after waking up, during/after play and after eating or drinking. Praise them for “going” outside. If your pup has an accident, don’t make a fuss, just clean up the mess.
If you catch your puppy starting to squat to “do their business” indoors, pick them up immediately and rush them outside. If they do the job outside, give praise and attention. Prevention is the key to avoiding accidents indoors. Never punish your dog. This will only cause them to distrust you.
You may never want to buy white carpet again. If you already have a white carpet, give it away. I’m kidding. This stage will pass and with training, your dog won’t have accidents inside. Fortunately, there are some great products out there that will help you keep everything looking and smelling clean. Products like Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odour Remover and even a small portable steam cleaner can be a rug and upholstery saver!
Puppy Proof Your Home
While you are working on mastering the poop, pee, and barf, remember that your home is also their new home and it is filled with wonderous new smells and things to chew!
Here are 5 Home Puppy Proofing Tips!
- Be sure all poisonous items are out of reach: household cleaners, laundry detergents, bleach, disinfectants, insecticides, cleaning fluid, fertilizers, mothballs, antifreeze, insect poisons, rat poisons…put them in cabinets that are locked or out of reach.
- Unplug, remove or cover any electrical cords in your puppy’s area. Chewing on these cords can cause severe mouth burns, electrocution, and fires.
- Close off balconies and high decks. Puppies - and small mature dogs - can slip through openings and fall.
- Place shoes, glasses, purses etc. out of reach. When your puppy is very young, he or she does not yet know a bone from a Louis Vuitton so if you don’t want it chewed, place it behind a closed door or out of reach. As your puppy matures you’ll be able to loosen the reins.
- Scan your home and clear anything small your puppy might swallow. Small toys, needles/thread, stray nails, buttons, all of these things can cause harm to a naive puppy.
Capturing Your Puppies Personality!
When booking your photography session with Deborah, know that your puppy will be treated like one of the family on shoot day and will not be expected to 'behave' and 'pose' in a way that would cause them any distress. All our sessions reflect years of experience, professionalism and our love for dogs!
[The images for this blog topic were sourced from the pexels.com platform which supports international photographers by making their imagery and contact information accessible. Supporting and building a positive community for photographers everywhere is something Cedar and Bark Photography is invested in.]