Puppies

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As dog owners and people who care deeply for animals and wildlife, we wanted our Dog Encyclopedia to be a website that could empower pet owners to create the most positive, loving environment for their dogs. Dog Encyclopedia realizes that owning a dog is like adding a new member to your family.

Puppies are delightful little bundles of joy, though they can also be almost uncontrollable little bundles of energy. Your new puppy is going to be testing boundaries at every turn, and your interactions with your new puppy will help your puppy to quickly learn appropriate and acceptable behavior. These beginning interactions may also determine whether or not you have a well behaved dog in the future. If you want a well-rounded, gently mannered dog, there's one secret you must know: Overdo positive experiences during the critical socialization period in puppyhood, which ends when your puppy is about three months old. This means more than training. Expose your puppy to everything it might encounter -- objects, sounds and so forth -- and reward the behavior you want to teach.


Interacting with Your Puppy
Encourage positive behavior by lavishing attention on your puppy every time it follows instructions and good behavior including: playing with the right toys, going to the bathroom in the correct spot, and interacting properly with people and other animals. Always encourage good play behavior by using the appropriate toys during play time and interactions with your puppy. Do not give your puppy attention when it behaves in the wrong way. Any kind of attention, even negative, will encourage your puppy to repeat that behavior. Instead you should ignore your puppy when it engages in bad behavior. Do not encourage behavior in a puppy that you do not want in a dog. For example, if you do not want your grown dog on the furniture or in bed with you don’t take the puppy to bed or let the puppy on the furniture. Do not play with your puppy using your hands or feet. The puppy will begin to think hands and feet are appropriate play toys. This type of ‘play’ can encourage nipping and biting when the puppy grows older.


Housebreaking

Housebreaking is the first thing you will teach your new puppy. This should be started as soon as you take your dog home, but it takes patience. In general, puppies are unable to control their bladders and bowels until 12 weeks of age. If your puppy is younger than that, extra patience is required. Set a schedule for your puppy when you begin housebreaking. Try to get up at the same time each morning, taking your puppy outside right away. Feed your puppy at the same times each day and take him outside immediately after eating. Watch your puppy for signs such as sniffing, circling and pacing – these usually mean it is time to go. If you see these signs, take him outside immediately. If you catch him in the middle of an accident, say “no” firmly and take him outside to finish, praising him if he does. Never punish him by hitting or pushing his nose in the mess! This will only teach him to fear you. If you find an accident in the house, but do not catch him in the act – do not punish him. He will not associate the punishment with the action and will only become confused. Pick a word for the action, such as “outside” or “do your business.” Use this phrase consistently so he will learn it as a command. Always bring your puppy to the same area outside while housebreaking. The odors in this area will encourage him to urinate and defecate here again. If he does his business, praise him. When you are away from home, your puppy should stay in a crate. Instinctively, your puppy will not want to soil his own area. Be careful not to let your puppy stay in the cage for more than 4-6 hours, or he may have no choice but to relieve himself. If you are away from the house regularly, as many of us are for work, return home in the middle of each day to let your puppy outside. Arrange for someone else to let your puppy out if you will be unable to come home. If you choose not to crate your dog when you are away from the house, set him up in a room with a non-absorbent floor. Place training pads at one end of the room and his bed and toys at the other. Generally, dogs prefer to urinate on absorbent materials, but they tend to avoid doing so in their own beds. Ideally, he will gravitate towards the training pads. This method may take longer than the crate method. Housebreaking may take several months, so don’t give up. Remember that your puppy wants to please you, he just needs to learn how. Be clear with him when you praise or correct his actions. Eventually, you will see results.

How to Crate Train Your Puppy
If used properly, a crate can be a place for your puppy to feel safe and relaxed; a crate can also be used to provide a comfortable sleeping and traveling space for your puppy. In order for a crate to work in the right way, you will need to properly crate train your new puppy as soon as possible. To begin crate training your puppy, choose a crate that will fit your puppy’s size as it grows older. For large breeds you may need to change crates over time to adjust to your dog’s size, but if possible it is best to keep the same crate. Create a nice environment in the crate by providing blankets and plenty of chewy toys. Begin crate training by leaving the crate in an area your puppy likes to play or sleep. Leave the crate door open and let the puppy explore the crate at will. Once the puppy is familiar with the crate, close the door when the puppy is inside of it; choose a time when the puppy is tired, such as right after play time or eating, and after the puppy has gone to the restroom. Keep the crate door closed for no longer than an hour at first. If the puppy starts to cry, ignore the puppy and then let the puppy out after it has stopped crying. Overtime increase the length of time that the puppy is in the crate, but do not leave the puppy in the crate during the day for longer than 3 hours. If you want to keep the puppy in a crate at night, make sure that the puppy has gone to the bathroom before it goes in the crate. A crate should never, ever, be used as a punishment. Using the crate in this way will make the puppy confused as to the crate’s purpose, and the puppy will grow to fear the crate.

Puppy Vaccinations
Now that you're a puppy parent, making sure she gets her puppy shots is one of your first, and most important, jobs.  Little puppies have a certain amount of natural immunity that they get from their mothers milk, but that wears off somewhere between 5 and 8 weeks of age. After that they are at serious risk of contracting any serious, and often potentially fatal, canine disease such as Parvo. Depending on the country, or even region, that you live in vaccination regulations may vary a little. This is a puppy immunization schedule which shows the general recommendations for essential puppy shots in the USA: 6 - 8 weeks DHLPP + Corona   9 - 11 weeks DHLPP + Corona   12 - 14 weeks DHLPP + Corona   16 weeks - Rabies. The DHLPP puppy shot is a combination vaccine that protects against 5 separate diseases : Distemper, hepatitis leptospirosis, Para influenza, Parvovirus.

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