New puppy arriving in the household on Saturday.

Its been 12 long years since the last puppy in the house (sadly lost just before Christmas to Leukemia) so I was wondering if people had any useful hints and tips

Obviously we have been reading up on the standard stuff again but im after anyones own 'hints and tips' rather than the 'puppy book' type

Have lots of cleaning supplies!

Try to get in five minutes of training every day and start loose lead walking from day one. Teach them to be alone from day one.

Try not to compare them with your older dog, they're all very different and will develop their own little quirks in time

Up until at least 18 months, socialisation is much more important than exercise.

And enjoy them, it's not a competition, everyone struggles with their pup from time to time and has setbacks, most things can be overcome.

HTH a bit

If you have children, don't let them give it chocolate either. I know people say it can make dogs unwell, but a large bar of dark chocolate is enough to actually kill a small puppy! It's all down to theobromine which is metabolised more slowly in animals. If I remember correctly it causes them to go hyper due to it being a myocardial stimulant, they'll have decreased blood pressure because of the vasodilation effects. and they'll pee all over the place too due to it also acting as diuretic. Chocolate is also toxic to cats by the way, but as cats don't generally have sweet taste receptors then they're less likely to eat it.

How can you stop a puppy screaming the house down the first few nights you have them home and whats good at getting rid of smells by puppy accidents.

I house trained my pup very quickly by using a crate. I had her in the crate in my room at night and when I heard her crying we'd go for a pee. Then if I was out for an hour or two she'd save up her pees until she got out of the crate - the first thing I did was let her out onto the grass. Remember, it takes time to housebreak a pup completely and even though almost everything may be done outside, give the dog a good year to become totally accident free. I think so many dogs wouldn't be abandoned if people really understood housebreaking and took the time to do it properly.

Remember to move everything out of chewing and peeing on reach. Everything!!!

Isn't keeping a puppy in bedroom with you first few nights a big no no.

Never heard that but it worked for me. Just do what works best for you and pup.

I know the crate thing seems to be the way to go these days with puppies.

But oh.....how sad. To be taken away from their mother and siblings and isolated in case they should mess in their new home environment.

I have had puppies for over 40 years now ....and I know I have done it all wrong. These tiny shivering scraps have come into my home and been adored and loved. They have been scooped up and cuddled by my kids in their beds, totally spoilt and loved and adored.

And surprisingly - they have all turned out to be wonderful faithful and well behaved dogs. With just a little understanding, they got house trained. Lead and obedience trained too.

I do understand there are many scientific reasons for crate training .....but I just don't understand it. In the end - isn;t a new dog intended to be part of a family - not a caged animal?

Thanks for the replies so far..... One more sleep till puppy !!!

We have teenage kids who are aware of the 'chocolate' thing. We do have a crate but are undecided whether to bring it to the bedroom over night or to sleep in the kitchen on the sofa right next to it and puppy the crate was recommended by our vet as crates apparently provide the puppy with a sanctuary where he/she can go for quiet time - we very much intend for him to be a part of the family and so are not looking at the crate being any sort of prison !!!!

I felt like this until two years ago when we got our puppy and my husband said he wanted to get a crate. I argued that it was heartless etc etc but you know what? It was the best thing ever, our bouncy lab puppy had her bed in there and thats where she went when she wanted a nap or whatever, she certainly never seemed to be disturbed or frightened by it. After a couple of months we took the crate away and left the bed in the warm corner of the kitchen and thats where she sleeps to this day.

Just because you use a crate to train the puppy does not mean that you cant scoop her up, hug her and love her - we now have the most georgous social loving dog ever, she possibly would have been exactly the same without the crate, but if used properly and not for too long, it worked for us.

I think folk should do what is right for "them", obviously with input and advice from others, but its just like children, what works with one wont be the best thing for another.

Good luck for tomorrow - your life will never be the same again - in a good way

Crate training works on the theory that dogs see it as a den, a safe retreat when they're tired or overwhelmed. They don't tend to soil where they sleep so it can help in housetraining. A gentle introduction with treats and praise and door open so they see it as a good place. They're not intended to imprison the dog for long periods and it should never be used as punishment.

Good luck Stuart! What kind of pup is it? We can be pup support pals - I'm also taking on a puppy this week - all my previous dogs were rescues so this is a new one for me. I have DAP spray and a warm puppy pad to put in it's bed to help settle it in. I'm expecting sleepless nights! How do you know if pup is whining for a pee or just because it's away from mum for the first time?

I had my dog in a crate next to my bed at first and the first night I fell asleep with my hand through the bars (woke up with a rather cold, tingly hand lol).
The idea is to move them away slowly, my old flat was all open plan so this was difficult and I ended up with a dog with separation anxiety which at 2 years old is still an issue.

A crate is a tool for training, used correctly, it can be helpful.

I could suggest Gwen Bailey's book, The Perfect Puppy . I think Sarah Whitehead has released a similarly excellent book but cannot think of the title

Its a very cute golden labradoodle. First 24 hours went great although wife was up most of the night with him !

We said "never again" when we lost our Tibetan terrier last year but once a dog owner always a dog owner

Aww, what did you call him? Yeah this is the longest I've been without a dog I think. I really miss long walks in the fields and woods. If you're feeling low and want to pull the duvet over your head having a dog makes you get up and out. It's therapeutic and eases my anxiety disorder. I always feel better after a walk in the fresh air, just listening to the birdsong and watching your pooch exploring.

Hope your pup settles and your wife gets a better sleep tonight!

No matter what any 'trainer' says. I think it's deeply cruel and selfish to take a puppy away from its family and put it in a brand new environment, only to lock it in a cage.

If we did that to humans the toddlers would get taken away from us.

My dogs are both beautifully well rounded, one sleeps in the kitchen and the other in my bedroom, and neither gave so much as a single whimper on their first night as they were loved from the moment I got them and I made sure they were as comfortable as possible.

They might get used to their crate and grow to love it, but those first few nights, the pup is crying because it's terrified, distressed and confused. And it feels entirely on its own.

And that's nothing I want a part of.

Now, let the rebuttals begin!

I agree, If I wanted something in a cage I'd have got a hamster.

When we got our dog she slept downstairs in a box with a couple of old cuddly toys and a fleecy blanket to snuggle up to and after the first night was very happy. I put a load of newspaper near the back door and whenever she was looking like going to the toilet, or actually going I picked her up and moved her onto it. It took about 3 days for her to learn that's where she went and then a few weeks later when she was big enough to get down the back door step I moved some soiled paper into the garden so she got the message. She was completely housetrained by about 3 months and has never soiled indoors since (she's now 4).

The not going upstairs didn't last though as my son took her to bed with him and now when I saw 'bedtime' to him she goes up there and is in his bed before he is.

Putting the puppy "in a box with cuddly toys fleecy blankets etc etc" isint that much different than what I did - she was in a crage in her bed cuddled in blankets. To be honest I slept beside her in the kitchen, stroking and patting her if she whimpered, which was only for the first hour or so, but I slept there anyway.

As I say, you do whats right "for you".

This is a fantastic place, but just sometimes it reminds me of "mumsnet" - Ive brought up four kids and have a menagerie of animals all happy healthy and well adjusted, but there is always someone who loves to tell me how Im doing it wrong, and they are right...................in my opinion you just love them and do what feels right ...............for you.

Cardboard box or crate ? Is there a difference ? Its a huge crate that dwarfs him and it has a very comfy bed in it full of toys !

We lost our last dog after 12 years in november and he slept under our bed. Eventually Wilbur the labradoodle will do the same. For now he simply cant be trusted not to gnaw at electrical cables for starters !!! He certainly doesn't see it as a prison and has taken himself to his crate for peace and quiet several times ! I also slept on the kitchen couch next to his crate last night (although i didn't actually get much sleep !) So I'd hardly count the crate as something to make our nights easier !!!

That was exactly my point Stuart! I spent the night beside Phoebe also - and for the first few months before it was taken away she used it as a little kennel! When my grandchildren arrived down to our house she skeddadled in there to get out of their way.

Wilber is a fabulous name and I wish you LOADS of wonderful times with him! Keep us updated on his progress! x

I keep seeing the word 'crate', I misinterpreted it for being a bed, and no it's a cage. A fancy word for a cage. Dogs should be brought up without being kept imprisoned. They are lovely clever creatures, and if not it's your fault for bringing it up wrong. My dog is pregnant and at the moment she's leaking everywhere, but I feel tight leaving her in the kitchen (I wouldn't want to stay in there alone, in the dark - it's haunted.) so she lies on a blanket on my bed. She is one of the most behaved and affectionate, cute springers you could meet, everyone loves her. Why on earth you'd want to lock up your dog is beyond me and it's disgusting. Would you lock up your kids in bars?! They aren't birds, they're man's best friend

Getting a bit fed up with these "holier than thou" responses regarding crates. We have used a crate on advice of our very experienced vet who us also a neighbour. All domestic pets have restrictions whether it is a crate/cage or a front door. Im guessing none of those being critical let their dog run wild - for their safety as much as anything else. Same with our puppy. His crate is BIG. It prevents him from chewing through electric cables for which he has a strange fascination. He LIKES his crate. He takes himself to it when he has had enough of playing with the kids. Hardly a sign of a prison ?? If he was left in it all day every day then i could see a problem but whilst he still doesn't know what he can and cant eat he will go in there at night FOR HIS OWN SAFETY. I grew up with dogs. Our last dog was euthenised in my arms after struggling with leukaemia. I do know how to bring up and look after a dog in a loving home thank you very much. You choose to lock your dog in a house - still a cage just bigger. If you want to start a moral crusade against crates please start your own thread and take it up with the RSPCA who also consider crates a good idea to provide your dog with a "safe haven" and replace their concept of a "den" that they would have had in the wild.

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Would you make your kids ride in the boot of your car ? Would you make your kids eat from bowls on the floor ? Do you make your kids pooh outside on the grass ? Would you let your kids sleep at the end of your bed every night ? The kid analogy can be useful but never really works except for people who have never had kids. Dogs are part of the family and are loving and caring companions. They aren't the same as kids by their very nature though.

..... And personally i think its equally disgusting that people who think their kitchens are "haunted" are allowed to be responsible for animals

We had loads of dogs over the years and we had all the usual chewing through telephone wires, messes in the house, chewing sofas and lots more whilst being puppies. Then a few years back we got a rescue dog who was fostered out to a family who looked after 6 dogs and was used to a crate/cage whatever you want to call it. So we bought one first time ever and never looked back. We have 3 dogs and all sleep in their den (cage) and love it. The puppy we have has her cage next to the JRT ones and we did not have a peep out of her from the first day. She gets fed in the cage, and jumps in it when she knows its food time. One old dog we still had was the only one without a cage and he went into the big one of our seluki-x because he liked it. They go into the cages to sleep (door open), they have the run of the house, but they feel safe in their cage. We had no chewing stuff that is dagerous since we started the cages, no messes anywehre, the puppy was house trained in 1 week. When they needed operations, they went into the cage at surgery without crying and trying to get out, the Vet always says how good they are and its because they are used to being in a cage.

My one and only eperience was when we puppy walked a guide dog puppy for a year. My wifes family had had a number over the years, I felt that I was being trained as well as the pup.

Firstly take it out to do its business after its eaten, after its played and after it wakes up.

second get a whistle. blow the whistle before you give it its food and eventually make it sit, then put its food down, blow the whistle and then let it eat.

This means it will always come to the whistle especially if whenever you use it you give a treat. I still called it by name when on walks but if I wanted there immediately I blew the whsitle

Lastly and most useful was to train to go to the loo on command, I know it sounds weird but it works and is the reason guide dogs don't stop to relieve themselves on harness.

When you take it out to go after its eaten, after its played and after it wakes up repeat the phrase busy, busy, busy or busy boy, busy boy, then praise it and give it a treat when it doe the business, the dog then gets the message that busy boy means goes to the loo and you will praise it , and treat treat it and like a good pack animal it will want to please you .

You then a have dog who becomes cleaner quicker, will return to you when you need it, and less need to carry a dog mess though the streets because you get it to go where you want it to go and the walk is for fun.