To get your puppy off to a good start, schedule a veterinary check-up within the first 48 hours of bringing it home. You can then get a clean bill of health, a schedule for future vaccinations and spay/neuter surgeries and advice on food, training, parasite preventatives and trainer recommendations.

What to consider before getting a puppy?

* Investigate the breeds and mixes.
* Ensure you are familiar with the breed’s adult size & personality traits.
* Estimate costs of regular veterinary care, flea/tick and heartworm prevention.
* Estimate costs of grooming, food and how it fits into your lifestyle or family life.

How to keep your puppy safe?

* Create a safe environment at your home. A puppy, just like a human baby, finds the tiniest nooks and crannies to get into and they often get into trouble playing with computer cables, electric cords, cleaning products, pantyhose, etc. Hide or contain wires and cables, put baby locks on low cabinets (little paws and noses can pry doors open), pick up stray strings, needles, paperclips, shoelaces, and move valuables, books and breakables to new heights.

* Crate – search for one with enough room for your puppy to turn around, lie down and sleep but not too spacious as this leaves room for it to eliminate in areas where it doesn’t sleep.

* Until your puppy has finished all rounds of immunisation, he should not mix with a lot of strange dogs or be where there is a high volume of other dogs walking, as he needs to be fully protected before venturing in public places.

What are the handy things you need to have to care for a puppy?

* Use non-tipping metal food and water dishes – this helps keep the dishes from sliding.

* Buy some stain and odour neutralizer – your puppy will always be drawn to areas where “accidents” took place, a good neutralizer will eliminate odours from its urine or stool.

* Buy a brush, nail clipper and a comb if your puppy will eventually grow into a dog with a medium to long coat.

* Get an adjustable collar, identification tag and a six-foot nylon or leather leash with a small clip. Try to avoid chain collars or leashes.

How to house-train (potty-train) your puppy?

* House-training a puppy is not difficult if you’re consistent and stick to a schedule. You will probably be feeding three times a day. First thing in the morning, take the puppy out of its crate and quickly take it outside to where you’d like it to eliminate. Be patient, and as soon as your puppy starts to eliminate, CALMLY praise it with “Good dog” (or whatever term you’d like to use). When your puppy has finished all its business, take a few minutes to play or cuddle it. What you want to teach your puppy is the sooner it eliminates, the sooner it gets to play with you. When playtime is over, bring it inside, feed your puppy breakfast and let it have water. In about 15-20 minutes, take it outside again and repeat the routine. Once back inside, if you have time to monitor your puppy, you may let it explore its surroundings. After that, put it back in its crate.

* Never leave your puppy in the crate for more than its limit in controlling its bladder. Usually a puppy can hold it for as many hours as its age in months. For example, a 2-month old puppy can stay in the crate for no more than 2 hours, as long as it has eliminated before being crated. Repeat the feeding, elimination, play routine at lunch and dinner, then no more water or food 2 hours before bedtime. If the weather is very warm, a few ice cubes in your puppy’s water bowl will quench its thirst but not stimulate its bladder like water will. Generally, at 8 weeks to 3 months, your puppy will have developed better bladder and bowel control and is capable of sleeping through the night. But remember to take your puppy out first thing in the morning!

* When your puppy pees on one spot, he tends to go back to exactly the same place over and over because your puppy recognises the smell. Therefore take your puppy to the same spot every time. If your puppy does it in the right spot, lavish him with lots of praises! Use your happy voice, your puppy will soon know he did it right and will want to do it right the next time.

* If your puppy had an accident somewhere inside the house, make sure you clean the floor or the carpet thoroughly to neutralise the smell. A good quality pet odour remover should do the trick.

* Each time you want your puppy to defecate or urinate, teach you puppy a specific word by repeating the same word many times, for example “go poop”, “go potty”. By repeating the same words each time, it will become another command for your puppy and he will be able to do it when you mention the command.

* Ideally you will have a dog door installed so that your puppy can be trained to go outside when it needs to eliminate. If this is not practical, keep an eye on your puppy, try to observe how your puppy normally acts before he pees, and take him outside as soon as you see the signs. You can also teach your puppy to ask for the door, but that might take some time.

* Establish a routine – for example, after a nap or before play time, take your puppy outside to eliminate.

What are the development stages and behaviours you can expect from a puppy to a dog?

* The Juvenile Stage: 3 to 4 Months

The Juvenile stage typically lasts from 3 to 4 months of age, and it’s during this time your puppy behaves a little more independent – he might start ignoring the commands he’s only recently learned and tries to exert his new-found independence with its “I don’t have to listen to you” attitude!

You will need to apply firm and gentle reinforcement of commands and training at this stage. Your puppy might even start biting you, play biting or even a real attempt to challenge your authority. A sharp “No!” or “No biting!” command, followed by several minutes of ignoring him should take care of this problem.

When you bond with your puppy, avoid games like tug of war or wrestling with him. He may perceive tug of war as a game of dominance – especially if he wins and wrestling is another game that can rapidly get out of control. As your puppy’s strength grows, he will want to play-fight to see who is stronger – even if you win, the message your puppy receives is that it’s alright to fight with you but this is NOT the message you want to send out!

* The Brat Stage: 4 to 6 Months

Your puppy will demonstrate even more independence and wilfulness during the Brat Stage which begins at about 4 months and runs until about 6 months. You may observe a decline in his urge to please you – expect to see more “testing the limits” type behaviours. During this time he’ll be going through a teething cycle and will also be looking for things to chew on to relieve the pain and pressure. Frozen doggie bones can help sooth him during this period.

Your puppy may try to assert his new “dominance” over other family members, especially children. It is common for puppies at this age to ignore commands to return or come to their owners, which can be a dangerous, even fatal, breakdown in your dog’s response to you. If you turn him loose in a public place, and he bolts, the chances of injury or even death can result – so don’t take the chance. Continue his obedience and basic commands training, but make sure to never let him off his leash during this time unless you’re in a confined area.

Your puppy will now begin to go through the hormonal changes brought on by his growing sexual maturity and you may see signs of rebelliousness. (Think adolescent teen-age boy!) If you haven’t already, you should have your puppy neutered (or spayed if you have a female) during this time.

* The Young Adult Stage: 6 to 18 Months

From 6 months to approximately 18 months, the Young Adulthood stage takes place and is usually a stabilising time in your puppy’s life. He’s young, he’s exuberant, he’s bursting with energy and yet he’s learning all the things he needs to become a full-fledged adult dog. Be realistic in your expectations of your dog at this time, just because he’s approaching his full growth and may look like an adult dog, he’s not as seasoned and experienced as you might expect.

Slowly increase the scope of activities and training for your dog. You can start more advanced training during this period, such as herding or agility training. Otherwise, extend his activities to include more people and other animals – allow him to interact with non-threatening or non-aggressive dogs.

Related posts:

1. How To Train A Puppy – Obedience Training
2. House training English Bulldogs / Potty and crate training Bulldog puppies
3. Guide To Bringing Home A New Puppy

CRATE TRAINING:

By putting your Bulldog puppy in a crate you are giving him or her a sense of security and a place they can call their own. Dogs actually like having a “den” to cuddle up in. By putting your Bulldog puppy in a crate while you are gone it will also give you peace of mind knowing that they are in a safe place, away from harm, and not doing any damage to your belongings or themselves.

Crate training will also help with potty training. Make sure you put Bulldog puppy on a regular schedule for meal times & potty breaks and use the crate when you are gone or need your pet to rest. Bulldogs will typically not “go” in their home. They like to keep it clean and will hold it until you can take them outside to eliminate. Remember to always praise your Bulldog puppy when he or she eliminates in the area you want him/her to outside.

Bulldog Puppies have very small bladders so they cannot physically hold it for very very long. I would suggest that you take your puppy out every 2 – 4 hours. As your puppy gets older, naturally they will gain the bladder control and be able to hold it longer. Eventually this time should increase to 8 hours or more.

Another thing to consider when purchasing a crate is to make sure that you buy a crate big enough to accommodate the full growth of your pet. When your pet is a puppy and you are crate training, make sure that the crate has a divider panel. You can adjust the placement of the divider panel so that the puppy does not have full use of the crate thus creating the “den” feeling that will make your dog feel comfortable and cozy. In this situation the dog will not want to go in its den and will keep the area clean. If you give the puppy the full area of the crate it may be too large and the dog will make one area of the crate his potty area and the other area as his sleeping area. Adjust the divider panel so that your Bulldog puppy has enough area to get up and stretch but not enough room to eliminate. I like the life stages crate you can view it here: http://www.champbulldogs.com/bulldogbooksupplies.htm

Crate training your Bulldog puppy or dog is just a smart thing to do for you and your new bullie baby. It will give you the sense of security and peace knowing that your pet is not getting in harms way while you are away

 

HOUSE TRAINING:

So how do we house train our new Bulldog. What if he or she just doesn’t seem to get it? Believe it or not, it’s simple.

I have two key words for you:

Confine and Observe.

While there is a great deal to know about food and water scheduling, timing can vary from dog to dog. (Feeding only two times daily “first thing in the morning” & again around “4 – 6pm in the evening” is a good start. Try to limit water after 7pm.) Now w e’ll just concentrate here on the main concept which is to confine your Bulldog dog to an appropriately sized crate when you cannot observe him.

A properly sized crate is large enough for your Bulldogdog to stand up and turn around, but hardly bigger than that. If you have a puppy in a large crate, he’ll think he’s got a bedroom with a bathroom built in. He’ll wee in one corner and sleep in the other.

The correctly sized crate consists of bedroom only with no “bathroom.” So if your crate is too large, go to the pet store and purchase a crate divider so you can temporarily reduce the accessible area.

Your Bulldog should be in his/her crate unless you can observe him 100%. This means that when your Bully is loose, he/she has your undivided attention. Consider attaching a 6 foot light cord to the collar so you can more easily locate the dog, and prevent her from leaving the room without you. Simply step on the cord to stop him/her.

At the first sign your Bulldog puppy needs to go, whisk him/her outside. Those signs include circling, sniffing, anxiousness, whining among other symptoms.

When you’re not observing your bully puppy with full attention, you confine her/him to the crate. That being said, you do need to ensure your dog has liberty periodically so he’s not all day in the crate. By being diligent now, you’ll be able to give your Bulldog years of liberty with no worries. So it’s well worth the investment in time at this stage.

Be sure you spend time playing with your Bulldog puppy, and also let him or her wander outside the crate. Avoid tossing your bully in the crate as punishment. Alleviate your guilt feelings by placing toys in with him/her.

This method makes it impossible for your bulldog to have an accident. You’re either right there to take him/her out, or he’s in the crate where your bulldog normally won’t want to go. When you’ve had a month with no accidents, you can begin to let you bulldog earn a little more liberty, five or ten minutes at a time.

That means he/she can be out of your sight for a few moments at a time. But only a few. You want to build slowly on a record of success until your dog literally forgets that the house ever contained a bathroom.

For each week with no accident, you can give your bully a few more moments of liberty at a time. However, if there is an accident, go back a step, and reduce that liberty. One accident in the house erases progress made for the several previous days.

Confine and Observe your way to house breaking success. In the course of just two or three months, you’ll have a dog you can trust in the home. It’s going to be worth the effort!getting hungry?

TO or NOT to use puppy training pads. If you use pads it will be harder for your puppy to understand it must go potty outside.

Potty training a dog is one of the most frustrating things you will have to do. Take heart in the fact that once your dog gets the potty training, you won’t have to teach it again. In many ways, potty training can be rewarding too. Not only can you help your bullie to stop making messes on your favorite carpeting, but you can develop a strong relationship of trust and bonding with them to.

Here are 5 steps to make potty training successful in your home.

1.Use a crate. Crate training is very effective. A crate is used to allow your pet to have a place to sleep and teaches them to control their bladder. They won’t soil their bedding. Then, when it is time to get up and go out, you can easily do just that. The bulldog learns from the start that you control potty time.

2. After meals, give your bulldog puppy 15 minutes and then take them out. Food is a trigger not only to eat but also to go. When it comes to potty training success, allow your pet to get outside when the urge is approaching. What’s more is that you shouldn’t leave food out. Put it down for them at the designated time and allow them to eat for 15 minutes to 30 minutes and remove the bowl. Soon he will learn and that again allows you to control potty time.

3. At Champbulldogs.com we always pick a potty spot. Select the area of your yard that you want your pet to go in. Take them to that spot every time to go. This will help your puppy to learn that when he needs to go, he needs to come here. What’s more is that the smell of urine is yet another trigger to your pet to go.

4. Remember that rewards need to be emotional, and therefore it is more successful to give them a reward of a patting and rub down then it is for you to hand them a treat. Also, treats are food which triggers potty time again!

5.Reward success, and limit punishing accidents. Although you will be angry and you will want to punish your Bulldog remember Bulldogs respond much better to love.

Caring for your bulldog is hard work, but very rewarding! When it comes to potty training, success will come much faster when you install these five tips into your program! Best of luck potty training! Champbulldogs.com

Related posts:

1. Free Cute Lovely English Bulldog Puppies for Adoption,
2. 5 Puppy Training Tips for a Better Dog
3. How To Train A Puppy – Obedience Training