You got a new puppy for the holidays, and it’s time to properly care for it.
Now that you’ve decided to bring home a new member of the family, do you know everything your new puppy will need?
According to Critter Caretakers Pet Sitting, Where Your Pets Are Like Family, puppies need all the obvious things:
- Food dish filled with high-quality and nutrient-rich food to help them grow.
- Water dishes filled with fresh clean water.
- A collar with identifying information, which ties him to your home or telephone number (you don’t want to lose your new best friend).
- A good leash for walks.
- Teething soothers—puppies teethe until they are 6 months of age, and like an infant, this leads to sore teeth. Provide something for relief.
- Toys—puppies need mental stimulation and safe chew toys. Consider toys you can fill with treats that puppy must figure out.
- A crate filled with comfortable padding for lying down. The crate should be large enough to allow the puppy to grow. We recommend a wire crate for crate training, so puppy will be able to see out all sides.
- And of course—potty training.
A young puppy can only go a few hours without needing a potty break. If you are at work all day, he is going to need some help. That’s where Critter Caretakers comes in.
For best potty training results, we recommend crate training. Because dogs are den animals, they come to appreciate and love their crates rather than see it as a bad place to go. It becomes their safe place. As long as your dog is getting lots of exercise, playtime, love and affection, in addition to being in his crate, he is content with being crated.
When your puppy first starts potty training, we recommend no more than two to three hours in between potty breaks. So, in an eight-hour period, we suggest a minimum three breaks for best success. Otherwise, you are looking at an uncomfortable puppy, longer time for the potty training and potential crate accidents. Now, your puppy doesn’t want to potty in his crate—dogs don’t like to pee where they are lying. But hey, if you gotta go, you gotta go—and they will if they are not getting let out.
We’ve helped many puppies get off on the right paw. Let Critter Caretakers’ sitters help support your puppy’s potty training efforts, and get him started as a successfully trained member of your family.
Critter Caretakers Pet Sitting can be reached at (480) 553-0105. Check out our rave reviews at crittercaretakers.com. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/CritterCaretakersPetSitting.