More Puppy Tips

Below are some additional tips, expanding on some of the things you need to get to prepare for your pups homecoming. You can find further information about these topics in our Training and Puppy Care sections.

Accidents
Inevitably, your puppy is going to have accidents in the house, it is just a fact of having a brand new puppy in a new environment. It is important to clean the messes with an enzyme remover, such as Nature’s Miracle. This will remove the smell from all kinds of surfaces. Puppies are encouraged to eliminate where they have gone before, so if you only use soap and water to clean the spot, you may not be able to smell it, but your puppy sure will and soon you’ll find he’s going on the carpet again.

If he goes on the carpet, blot the spot with paper towel to soak up as much of the pee as possible. Then spray liberally with the enzyme remover. Wait about 5 minutes for it to work, then you can blot up the excess. Wait for it to dry and then vacuum.

Collar
As soon as puppy comes home, put his collar on him, so that he gets used to wearing it. Have him wear his collar anytime he is out of his crate. While he is running around the house, periodically attach his leash to the collar so that he gets used to the resistance. This will help with leash training.

Protecting Furniture
Everything is fair game for a puppy to use as a chew toy. If you have furniture that absolutely cannot be chewed, then you may want to be proactive and spray the legs with bitter apple spray. The spray is harmless, but bitter and your pup will not like the taste of it. It will deter him from chewing on anything that it is sprayed on. You will find all kinds of interesting places that puppies like to chew, such as walls. Some pups have been known to chew right through drywall. Keep the spray handy and as you discover places your pup likes to chew, simply spray them to keep puppy away from them.