Welcoming your puppy home...

The most important thing to remember on the first day, is that you have removed your puppy from it's pack.  Although small and squirrelly... your puppy's brothers and sisters made it feel safe.  You are going to spend the next couple of weeks assuring the puppy that you are it's new pack and that you will keep it safe.  The first sign of this "pack withdrawal" will come tonight... you'll know what I'm talking about when it happens.  Natural instinct will kick in, and your puppy will be calling out to it's brother and sisters... just in case they are out looking for him.  He's not crying because you are mean, he's just "signaling" the others. 

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 Crate Training   

     Crate Training speeds up potty training and protects your home from curious puppies.  If you are planning to crate your puppy at night and during the day while you are at work, that is too long.  The crate should be treated like a bedroom.  It's a safe place for your den-dwelling pet to curl up at night.  Like a person taking a nap, a short afternoon crating is ok as well (1-2 hours max).  However if you use the crate too frequently the puppy will grow to despise it... and will begin rebelling against you. 

     Take a day off (or two) to get the Puppy used to the crate before expecting it to run in and fall asleep at night.  This is not going to happen.  Your pup is going to immediately being "signaling the others".  This can be heart breaking, but remember that your pup is not in danger and once they quiet down they will begin to really appreciate their space.  The first time, only place the puppy in the crate until they stop crying.  After they have been quiet for about 2 minutes let them out.  Take them outside to potty and play with them.  Wait at least an hour before doing another crate exercise.  Each time, increase the quiet time by 5 minutes.  Do not let them out if they are crying!

      Be sure the crate is big enough for them to turn around and lay flat in.  You can place a blanket over the crate at night so they don't dwell on the fact that someone might be coming to let them out.  This also creates a more realistic den for them.  Most puppy's go from howling and crying to understanding and loving their crates within a couple of days!  They will  use them in the future as a place to go hide from the puppies when they are tired of playing.  PetMate crates are some of the highest rated...  they withstand a LOT.  They will last you a very long time. 

     Petmate Portable Kennel

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Potty Training  ...must start immediately. 

Your puppy is going to go potty in your house.  In fact, if they make it five minutes without going potty in your house... it would be very surprising.  Up until now your puppy has had the whole world as it's bathroom.  You have to make sure to teach the puppy that your house is "den" and the yard is 'bathroom".  All of this communication has to take place with no conversation, so be prepared for a lot of action. 

The best way to do this is by taking the puppy outside every 20-30 minutes.  Wait until the puppy finishes going then give your chosen command.  "Good Girl/Boy!  Go Potty!!".  Be sure to make a very big deal about it.  Asking them to go first at this point is useless... say the command after they go.   If you can catch them going in your house... scoop them up in the act and put them outside.  Do not punish them!  It won't take long before the puppy trusts that you are going to take it outside soon, and it will wait.  But you have to be persistent on taking it outside often so you build that trust.  

Leaving your puppy in it's kennel all night is not acceptable until the puppy is over six months old (seven to eight hours is possible if they are well trained).  Leaving your dog (over 9 months old) in it's kennel for more than eight-nine hours is never acceptable.  If you leave your dog in a place overnight where it can roam (in a bathroom or laundry room) the potty training process will take longer.  They will go potty in a corner, and since you are not there to stop it... they will be confused.  They will almost never to potty in their kennel, it's too close to their sleeping area.   But again... they still have to go out every couple of hours in the night. 

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  How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With is one of the highest rated puppy training books on Amazon.com. 

The 1981 edition (now out of print) of this little classic on puppy rearing was a word-of-mouth best seller. This substantially revised and expanded edition benefits from an additional decade of observation of puppy behavior by its authors and   includes effective, up-to-date methods for educating puppies to become good canine citizens.