Here  i would like to give some handy pointers, gotten by experience or that are just facts.

This is just a part of the puppy-book i provide to people that buy one of my puppies.

The home-comming 

Today is the big day. The puppy is coming home ! U will come to get the puppy, armed with a leading string, collar, (paper) towels ( due to the fact the puppy never travelled this far, it could be that it vomits on the way home). The appointment is very soon, so the puppy has enough time to adjust to its new environment, its new “pack”, it’s new territory. It will have a lot of new impressions to process on its first day ... Driving in a car, new people, new sents, strange new environment, objects ...

Make sure your puppy has plenty of time to adjust. Give him enough time and rest. On coming home, put him immediatly on the spot where you would like to have him. Leave the nestlapje there ( peace of cloth U left with us in the nest ) and perhaps a bone.

Leave him doing his thing. He loves exploring this new environment. Let him sniff around. Try not to follow him around all the time. Don’t pick him up all the time/ If U want him to come, call out to him with a high, friendly voice “here” accompanied with it’s name and reward him with some sweets ( most dogs love Frolic ). Like this, U immediatly teach him one of the most important commands. Give him his sweets, give him a hug, and let him go on with his exploration. This way the puppy will addapt quickly to its new environment and will love its new pack ( they give him sweets ;-) )

After a while U will see the puppy getting tired and looking for a place to rest. Probably U already know where your dog will get its own place. Calmly pick him up and bring him there. He will wake up. Just stay with him for a while, untill he falls asleep again. Then U leave him. Check up on him to see if he woke up ( this way he will know, even if he is alone, U will allways come back, and he will quickly learn to be alone if neccessary )

Everytime U put him on that spot ( or when he goes their himself), give the command “place” and he has already learned a new command! NEVER punish the dog by putting him there, because this place, for him, has to be a safe and nice place !

 The first nights

The first day away can be very intrusive for a puppy. Away from it’s brothers and sisters, its mother (and off course us ) ...

The best thing to do is to tell the neighbours of the new family member, just in case those first nights become very long and loud...

U have to understand, he has had full attention of this new family that addopted him, and during the night, he will feel all alone. Best thing to do is, together with the nestlapje, to put a jar and an old fashioned ticking clock with him in his baket, to imitate his mother.

If he doesn’t fall for this, U will soon find out. He will start squeaking, followed by howling (he is a descendant of the wolf, and they howl looking for their pack when alone)

Even if U don’t want your dog to come in the bedroom when grownup, still the best thing to do is to  put him there those first nights, within reach, in a box or bench, so U can soothe him with a few words and caresses. U will soon learn when your puppy will be ready to sleep alone.

House-training

There are dogs that are house-trained in 3 days. Others can take up to 6 months. Your influence is very important when it comes ot getting your puppy house-trained. Keep an eye on him. U can be sure it will need to piddle / relieve nature when:

-         he sniffs around for a long time

-         turns round in the same spot

-         he just ate/drank

-         he just played

put him outside immediatly, preferably where U want him to go in the future, wait untill he does something and give a big praise when he does. In the beginning , puppies tend to start playing when outside, and the moment they get back inside they relieve themselves. Pick him up immediatly and put him back outside. By picking him up, he will stop piddling, and will restart when U put him back down.

Whatever U do, never punish the puppy when he relieves himself inside the house. The only thing that U will accomplish is he will get scared of U. He doesn’t understand he cant’ do that. Before, he did it where-ever, and his mother cleaned up after him. It’s madness to put his nose into it !!!

If U can’t find any regularity, go outside every 2 hours, to prevent accidents.

Socialization

Before U come pick up the puppy, we have done a lot off things to bring your puppy up to be social. We took it for a car-drive, he got lots of huggs, has seen lots of visitors, has seen the veterinarian, etc...

This is called socializing. When the puppy becomes a part of your household, he is in one of the most important parts in his life. It’s very important U take him with you where-ever U go. He has to see and experience as many things as possible. This way he will be able to cope with our hectic society.

If the puppy is a bit frightened of this big, mad world, try to take it one step at a time. Try to keep his attention, playing with him, having him enjoying himself. He will soon feel his master is the best one in the world

If he gets frightened by loud noises, mopeds, big trucks, children, don’t react. He will quickly understand there is no need to be frightened as U aren’t.

NEVER SOOTHE YOUR PUPPY WHEN HE GETS FRIGHTENED BY SOMETHING !!

U will reward him for his fear and the next time he will be frightened again

If that nasty truck passes by, distract him by playing with him, keeping his attention and reward him when he gets back in a playfull mood ( “nice dog”, huggs, etc... )

Leave the neighbours thinking U are a nutcase. In the beginning every neighbour kinda thinks like that... ;-)

Children are very important in the dogs life at this age. U don’t have any ? Borrow them !

Let them play with the dog. Children are very unpredictable, loud and entusiast. The dog will learn a lot from their behaviour. Children should never pick up the dog, play wildly or be alone with him. A dog can only deffend itself in one way, by biting when it gets hurt.

Not so long ago there was an article in the papers, talking about a Sint-Bernard killing a 3 year old toddler. What the article didn’t say was the baby was left alone by her mother (went shopping) and the toddler stapled the dogs ear 100 times( !!!) Finaly, the dog couldn’t stand the staples anymore, and finaly did the only thing it could do to defend itself. Bite.

This dog wasn’t aggresive. It was a great dog. It did nothing while it got it’s ear stapled 99 times. It only reacted the 100th time...

One good advice, go to puppy-training with your dog. For your puppy, nothing is more fun than playing with other puppies. U will learn the basic commands U can use with your dog and U will have a great relationship with your dog. U will see U will want to continu training with your dog, as nothing is more fun than doing things with your dog, and he will think he has the greatest master in the world.

What’s OK now, is allways OK:

Your puppy is intrigued with the world, so he pulls on his leading string ( It’s just a puppy )

Your puppy lies on the bench, or in your bed, and U let him ( It’s just a puppy)

Your puppy is sitting next to U at the table when U are eating, looks up in a pitiful way, and U give him something ( it’s just a puppy)

à When your dogs gets to adulthood, with his full weight and strength, and startsn pulling, resluting in U flying after your dog. Not a pleasant prospect... So, at the puppy age, when he pulls on his leading string, give a little pull, releasing immediatly. He will stop, and look up surprised. When he does, reward him. This way he will learn that pulling gives him a bad experience, and when he doens’t pull U are happy.

à If your puppy is allowed to go onto the bed or sofa, he will be allowed when he’s an adulr dog ( he just went swimming, rolled around in durt, ran through the mud, ...

à As a puppy he got something at the table, as an adult he’s still sitting there wanting something, slavering, in time shacking his head so the slaver flies around. Even when your future mother-in-law is visiting...

So start the right way and u will save yourself a whole lot of problems...