New Puppy Articles

Canine Identification

Each year nearly 4 million lost dogs are brought to animal shelters throughout the United States, less than 17% will be reunited with there owners. Here are some identification measures all dog owners should consider to improve the odds of getting your dog back.

Dealing with a Puppy Crying at Night

Dealing with a puppy crying at night is often the first problem a new puppy owner must face. During the first night a puppy is separated from the rest of the litter he will often whine and fuss. This behavior is a very natural survival skill learned early in life. Whether its in the whelping box or in the wild, a puppy learns very quickly that when separated from the pack, calls for help will allow other members of the pack to quickly located him, thus reuniting him with his peers. To that extent, many animal behaviorists recommend allowing a new puppy to sleep in the same room with you to reduce this separation anxiety.

Rules to Live by when Crate Training

1. Never use the crate as punishment!
   
2. Never open the door while he is crying, even if you have to wait hours for a 10 second pause in the crying before letting him out.
   
3. Select the proper size crate for your dog. If you buy a crate that is large enough to accommodate him when he is full-sized, block off an area inside the crate to make it just large enough for him to stand up and turn around. Making it too large will allow him to soil one area and live in the other.

Puppy Proofing Your Home

The simplest technique for puppy-proofing your home is to go about it the same way you would make your home safe for a young child, except pay closer attention to items that a puppy can chew or scratch. Consider anything left on the floor or within reach of the puppy “fair game”.

Housebreaking a Puppy

Housebreaking a puppy - Although there are many different methods of housetraining or house breaking your dog, it is an essential task that should be addressed early on in the development of the puppy. This article contains many housebreaking tips for puppies.