Crate Training/ House Training/ Feeding

I am going to link a wonderful video from Simpawtico about the first week with your dog. Please watch the video and read below for tips on how to use the first week to set up a wonderful life with your pup!!!

video here......https://youtu.be/LHHXfkk4qV4

Day time:
The largest and most common mistake here is too much freedom!!!! Your pup has been raised to keep its living area clean and has been using a dog door reliably  since about 5 weeks of age. The pup knows to wander far from its sleeping and playing area to do its business.  When you change this to a new living/playing area, it will take time for the pup to know that this "new space"(your home) is its new living space. Your job is to prevent accidents during this time by ALWAYS watching your pup and having them on a leash, in a crate, or in a small puppy proof area in the home. And remember...exercise is your best friend when house training!!

*****If you give your puppy too much freedom in the home too soon, they WILL have accidents and the HABIT of going indoors will set in quickly making house training difficult! Keep them right with you, on a leash, in your arms, or  in a crate for those first few weeks to make house training a breeze! Having them on leash will also allow you to communicate the rules of the home at a young age. WIN WIN!! google "umbilical cord training dogs" for more info.**

Night time:
The most common mistake people make when getting a new pup is to take them home and put them in a crate the first night!! This will make for a horrible nights sleep for many nights to come!! Not to mention the possibility of setting in seperation anxiety:(
 I recommend while you are doing your initial crate training(see video below) to leash the pup up to the bed post or build a bed on the floor that your older child(or you) can sleep in with the pup for the first few nights. Always keep them leashed as you don't want any accidents in the night. If they wake up, get them out quick, then right back to bed. Avoid talking, petting, or playing with your pup in the middle of the night to set up a good sleep schedule. A long walk before bed is super helpful in getting a good nights sleep as is taking up food(by 6pm) and water (by about 7:30 pm. ) After your long late evening walk, give a small amount of water and no more until morning.

Please note this video suggests a plastic crate, these can be way too hot for Newfypoos! I would recommend starting with a wire crate for more air circulation.
Crate training video here.......https://youtu.be/n4K_lNLw83k


Schedule and Feeding

Please get on a good schedule with your puppy. Feeding time, walking time, training/play time, and crate time.  A nice walk before bed also helps.

 Please check the "Getting Ready" page for litter specific food for your pup!

You puppy has been free feeding twice a day for 10 min. Continue this for a week or so after the pup comes home to get a good idea of the amount of food they are eating each meal. At the farm they eat around 8 am and again around 5 pm. Food is then picked up until the next mealtime. 

And here is a great tip on using your dogs daily kibble for treats and training!!! After you have been feeding for a few days you will get a good idea of how much food your pup is eating at each meal.  Instead of setting the bowl down, use that meal as treats for training instead! You will have a mentally happy pup that has “worked” for their food!:)) 

HOW MUCH TO FEED?????

 This will be dirterent for every dog depending on their exercise level, growth rate, and individual metabolism. 

     As your puppy grows you will need to closely watch their body and adjust their food intake accordingly. This is an art not a science. Do not go blindly off the recommended ration on the food bag as every puppy is different. They have different energy levels, different metabolisms, and different food drives.   If they are getting a bit "thick" cut back the daily ration. If looking too "thin" add a bit more food to the daily meal. Please remember that large breed dogs should be on the thin side during their growth time to help protect joints from long term damage. DO NOT OVERFEED YOUR PUPPY!!! Here is a link to a bit more reading on overweight pups and the problems it can cause....
https://www.thesprucepets.com/fat-puppy-2804761



Here is a bit more on how we raise our pups for ease of house training!!!


House Training/ Potty Training

I realize it is hard to believe when I tell you that our puppies start keeping their indoor living area clean by 4-5 weeks old but they REALLY do!!! I rarely see an accident in their indoor area after 5 weeks of age. 

How we do it!!! 

Step #1

ENVIRONMENT!!!!! 

 Most breeders raise their puppies in the home in a swimming pool or whelping box. The mother is taken outside to do her business and the puppies are trained from a very young age to go to the bathroom IN THE HOUSE as they have no other option!!!! This is NOT how we raise our pups!!!!

Our puppies are whelped in a specially designed birthing suite. This allows them indoor/outdoor access at all times. They have a large indoor room with waterproof flooring for easy clean up and access to about an acre of land outdoors. This room has a dog door that leads outside as well as a man door that can be propped open during nice weather. Not giving puppies constant access to outdoors and training them to go indoors on potty/pee pads can give new owners months of heartache and headache with house-training!

Step #2

Attentive, Mature Mothers!!!!

For those of you that don’t know, the mother dog does the first 2 weeks of house training. Puppies cannot eliminate without the stimulation of their mother. Thus, if you have a young mother that is not so interested in her pup…..housetraining issues can start for those pups in the first couple weeks of life!!!  All of our mothers are mature enough to be VERY attentive to their pups and keep them VERY clean during this time!!! 

Step #3

Keep It Clean!!!!

Our stalls are washed from top to bottom daily from birth!!! Bedding is changed out and washed daily. It is VERY important for puppies to LIVE clean to learn to BE clean!

During weeks 3 and 4 when puppies start moving around on their own and eliminating on their own ,we step up our game!!! This is when all accidents are happening and we clean the stalls 4-5 times a day if not more!! Often times we will even just move the puppies out on the lawn all day during this phase to habituate them to ONLY going outdoors. They pick this up REALLY fast!! 

Step #4

Indoor Socializing

Puppies also need to be use to all the sights, sounds, and smells of life inside a house! We have a rule that puppies indoors must be held or in a “safe pen” this way they never have the chance to “go” indoors. As they get closer to 7-8 weeks, their indoor time extends to time on the floor playing. But we are always actively watching them and take them outside to potty often never allowing accidents. 

Step #5

The Transition

When you take your new pup home much time, consideration, and work has already gone in to making houstraining your puppy to your home a breeze! 

BUT!!!! you can mess this all up in a hurry by ALLOWING YOUR DOG TOO MUCH FREEDOM TOO SOON!!!!! 

Your dog does not know your home is it’s new living space!!!!! This takes time!!! Your job is to ALWAYS be actively watching your puppy until it figures out that this place it is in is it’s new home! Keep it on a leash or in a crate until the pup has enough time to understand that your home is the living area it wants to keep clean. Do not let your puppy have accidents in your home!!

 If you are going to be active and play with the pup….do it outside for the first few days/weeks as puppies need to “go” when they are active. 

Get the pup on a feeding schedule so you know when it needs to defecate. And take water up a few hours before bed in the evening.

Know that if your pups wakes from a nap to get it out quick!

Carry the pup from the crate to the door for the first few days.

And CALL ME if you have any questions!!! I am so excited for you all!!!