I am bringing home a little sable puppy in about two weeks! I have a few questions..
1. How do I act towards the puppy when she first comes home
Act like you do every day. Puppies are exciting and fun and full of energy. It's easy to lavish them with attention and all your time. If you can keep that up the rest of their lives, great, but most of the rest of us have jobs, families and other responsibilities. Working to acclimate the puppy to your lifestyle immediately will help both of you adjust.
2. Fun toys to play with, chew on, ect.
Puppies like sticks. They like strings (especially the ones in my shoes
) but more importantly, puppies like what they like. We have had many puppies over the years and each one will figure out what their favorite toy will be. What you need to establish right away is what is
NOT a toy. To puppies, the whole world is their chew toy and it's up to you to educate them. small-ish knotted rope toys and nylabones are good. I'd stay away from the rawhide chewies to start only because if they swallow a chunk it can make them sick.
3. Introducing her to other animals
If you have a happy friendly puppy, introducing them to other socialized animals can be immediate. Make sure of the other animal first, though because puppies will not respect boundaries and might cause a cranky old dog to react badly. This could put your little guy off to more socialization and instill a future fear reaction. And, make sure you are in control of the situation. Don't just throw them together and hope for the best.
4. When to start training
Training begins day one. Simple things like house training and behavior correction will be first. Just understand that you must be patient. Young puppies (8+ weeks) have short attention spans and little control. A few minutes a day to start and increase that a little at a time. Some things they will latch on to right away, some things they will fight you with and others they just won't understand. Be patient and if you find yourself getting frustrated or angry, give yourself a timeout.
5. Any necessities that I am forgetting (I have puppy food, a crate, bowls, and will get toys)
Thank you!
Restrict your puppies access to areas where you can monitor and easily clean. When they are out of the crate, let them out frequently and praise them like they just won a Nobel Prize if they relieve themselves outside. When (not if) they have an accident only correct them if you catch them in the act. After the fact will mean nothing to them. And make sure you clean it up. We've always had good results using full strength white vinegar. Never use an ammonia-based cleaning product (it smells like pee and they'll think it's okay to go there).
Stock up on paper towels and get plenty of sleep.
Remember that there is nothing better than puppies ... except maybe MORE puppies.
Don't forget a leash, collar, a spray that takes away the scent of where she peed in the house (I forget what it's called, but it's in the cleaning isle at pet stores and walmart..walmart is cheaper)