I have many people ask what do I do with my  ?

        Why did you buy your puppy?  I bought mine to spend time with. I am amazed by how many people buy a puppy, yet haven't thought about what they will do with it!  They just put it in the back yard to run.  How does such a puppy learn any thing?

        You need to be ahead of all this before you buy the puppy.  Where will the puppy sleep?  If you have a 8 hour job, consider also, how long does it take you to get home.  I have a 8 hour job that takes me a half hour each way.  That means my puppy will be alone for 9 hours.

        We live in a wonderful time! We can buy kennel, x-pens, metal water and food dishes, cleaner that takes out the smell if the puppy has an accident, tooth paste, and tooth brushes.  Good dog food.  We have so many choices!  I only named a few.

        Here's how I begin with a new puppy.  I start by taking a few days off work so I can help the puppy get used to its new surroundings.  I like to try to give it some idea of the house rules.  I also feel its best to get a puppy when it is about 10 weeks old.

        If you can, send your kennel for the puppy to the breeder.  Then they can have the puppy sleeping in the kennel at night.  Otherwise, buy a kennel that they will be able to use when they are full grown.  I like to put the kennel next to my bed.  I also like to give the new puppy a treat, like a dog biscuit, each time I put it into the kennel.  By using a command, such as, "Kennel," each time I have it get into the kennel and close the door, it soon begins to mind very well.  Should the puppy makes a fuss in the night, I can reach down with my hand and let the puppy know everything is all right, because the kennel is close.  It is not wise to have a puppy running around the house all night as they are great at making real good messes.

        After a couple of weeks, I leave the kennel door open to see what the puppy will do.  If the the puppy wanders around and doesn't stay in the kennel when its time for sleep, I return to shutting the door for a few more days until the puppy understands.  I have found that puppies soon learn the kennel is their own place.

        When I leave the puppy alone, I put the puppy in the kennel. Remember, to, puppies need something to chew on.  I like to use the new nylon bones.  I have found that if I put a pillow or blanket in the kennel, the puppy generally will chew it up.  This is why I recommend "chew toys."  As the puppy gets older, I try to give it more freedom.
 
        When the puppy is about a year old, I leave the puppy alone for about 15 minutes without being closed in the kennel.  If the puppy is good and doesn't make any type of mess, I praise it.  Then the next time, I leave it for increasingly longer periods, like 30 minutes, and so on.  By building up the time the pup is left alone, I find the puppy is soon doing very well, without making any mess in the house. I like my dogs to be house dogs. I feel they learn faster what is right and wrong.

        When I leave in the morning for work, my dogs run to their kennels and lay down .  I have forgotten something on ocassion and have had to return home, yet, not one of them came to see what I was doing.  My dog's kennel are in my home office so they may be close to me and my computer.  When I go down the hall to my office, my dogs beat me there and into their kennels to lay down.  When I go to bed, my dogs find their own places and stay for the night.