Puppy 20 questions

[Sirrahsim]

I have a lot of questions so I am going to try to condense them as much as possible so that I am not making 20 posts a day

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else?

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination??

Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while?

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?

What kind of treats do you use?

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?

I'm sure I have more but that is all I can come up with at the moment. I appreciate any input you can give me.

[Kfamr]

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else?
IMO, puppies should be fed about 3 times a day. Free feeding can lead to a fat puppy/dog. You should measure his/her intake and adjust it if needed.

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination??
I use whatever works for my dog/puppy. I have a dog who will work soley for praise, a dog that will work for a tennis ball, and two dogs who mainly work for food.

Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while?
My dogs are NEVER left alone outside. They asked to be let out and someone goes out with them at all times. A puppy should be let out about every 15-30 minutes. After sleep, after play, after eating, after drinking, etc. Until your puppy is potty trained he/she will need to be let out often to reduce the amount of accidents.


Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?
If that is your only way of containing him/her, that's fine. I would NEVER leave a puppy unattended, though. The cable will only be necessary if there is any way your puppy can get out.

What kind of treats do you use?
I prefer to stick with the high end dog treats - an often bought one is Old Mother Hubbard.

We always have several different brands of treats in our house. Be sure to pay attention to ingredients. The fewer, the better. Wheat free, grain free, corn free treats are the best. Some that I've seen at big chain pet stores are Newman's Own, Old Mother Hubbard, and Buddy Biscuits.

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?
I would put puppy in crate for big treats that require chewing, nap time, etc. Always make it a happy place, not a time out place.

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?
Put it somewhere they cannot reach.


**These are just my own person opinions and what I would do/have done with my four.

[binka_nugget]

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else?

I had meal times for Kai and Keeva as puppies (still do as adults). Kai was fed three times a day -- Morning, about 4pm and 7pm. Keeva was only fed twice a day -- Morning and night. I only fed Kai three times a day because my schedule allowed it at the time. There isn't really a big difference between two or three meals a day -- it was just what my schedule allowed and what I felt like doing at the time.


For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination??

I use the clicker for agility. If I'm using the clicker, they always, always, always get a treat (as well as vocal & physical praise).

If I'm teaching them a new command, I usually don't use a clicker -- It's more laziness on my part. My dogs understand that *Click* and "YES!" are the same thing. For example, if I'm teaching one of the dogs the sit command, I will say "YES!" everytime they sit and immediately treat and vocal/physical praise.

If I'm not using the clicker and working on fine-tuning their obedience commands, I will give a treat randomly. They always get vocal & physical praise whether they get a treat or not.


Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while?

My dogs only go out to potty (supervised). Kai and Kaedyn will usually run back into the house as soon as they're done. I let Keeva run around for a few minutes before calling her back. If they spend a lot of time outside on a particular day, they're always out there with me being supervised.


Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?

If you're fenceless, those stakes are a great idea! After you have a fence and know there's absolutely no way for the puppy to escape, a stake isn't needed. The pup should always be supervised when outside though


What kind of treats do you use?
Most treats I use are homemade. My favorite recipes for training are: Liver Lumps and Tuna Fudge. Both are very smelly and enticing for a dog.


During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?

Dogs naturally know not to soil in their "den". You want to set her up for success -- anytime you can't keep a constant eye on her, she should be in the crate. You can put in a couple puppy safe chews/toys if you'd like. Another way I made it a happy place for Kai was that I fed him his meals in there. He LOVED (and still loves) his crate!


How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?

I don't have any kitties here but I'd try putting the cat's food bowl higher up where the puppy can't reach, but the kitties can still easily access.

[jackie]

Now my dogs are all adults I feed one meal a day and to be honest I don't really measure, they can eat as much as they like and when they are done, I take the bowls away. I don't think most people would do it like that, but works for us, all of my pups are pretty much perfect weigh.

For training they get treats and praise, I haven't ever used a clicker, but always think to get one.

I live in a gated bungalow complex with no private garden so my dogs only go outside for walks so I am always with them. I think stakes are a great idea even if you have a fenced in yard. I could just imagine all the fun a puppy would have pulling out garden flowers and munching on your kids toys!

I sometimes grab milk bones or something in the supermarket, but usually I chop up apple, red peppers, cheese, ham, etc and keep it in a little Tupperware jar when we go for walks. In the house they get frozen Kong's stuffed with wet dog food, yogurt, or chicken soup. I have even filled it with mashed potatoes and tuna. I love kongs!

I have never crated my dogs.

all my cat food is kept up VERY high.

***Just wanted to add, I will definitely try the recipe that Binka posted, they sound great!

[Seravieve]

We've never really had 'puppies'.. Eli was 5 months when we got him, but was already crate trained, for the most part.

We feed twice a day (7:20am and 7pm). Eli gets a little over two cups each meal, Bunny gets 1 3/4 cups, and Zeke gets 1 cup. We've figured out what amount works to keep them at a good weight, and for their age.

We have all kinds of dog treats.. except the 'leathery' ones, like the bacon slices or whatever. Eli wont touch those. They seem to like Carvers a lot... Marrowbones are popular here too. They can give them the 'stinkies' if they get too many.. thats for sure. And my mom got them bags of mixed treats (From Petco, where you scoop your own) and they love all of those. Rawhide bones on ocassion -- supervised is a must!

We just use verbal/physical praise and treats. No clicker here..

We live in a townhouse, with a fenced backyard/patio area between the house and the garage, so we let them out there for 10-15 minutes... unless its raining or Bunny scratches to come in. Theres a glass sliding door and window so we can always see what theyre up to without being out there.

Cables - We dont use them here, but Ive used them at my moms, as her neighbors have dogs that Bunny'd like to eat. Seems to work well. I wouldnt use it unattended though.

Our dogs are all crated 8:30am -5/6pm a day, M-f, unless J calls in.. lol. When Eli was younger, he had a few accidents, but nothing in a LONG time. Eli and Bunny are together, and Zeke is in his. We have blankets, a couple toys (Kongs, Planetdog balls -- sturdy toys), and water bowls that attach to side walls.

We dont have cats either. Id keep their bowl high off the ground I suppose... dont want your doggy eating all of their food often.

[Freedom]

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else?

Have set meal times. You do not want the children or the cats to have access to the dog food. If the dog can free feed, you don't know how much she is eating, and that is what leads to weight gain PLUS you won't notice as easily when there is a health issue and the dog is NOT eating.

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination??
I don't use a clicker, as I want my dogs to pay attention to a command any time, and I won't always have a clicker available. Use voice commands consistently and ONLY for that one thing.

Rewards: usually, you start training by using treats as rewards. With a young pup running around, you don't need to worry too much about weight gain just now, but keep the treat small. Give verbal praise, pets or chest rubs, right after the treat. Over time, you can 'wean' the dog off treats as rewards and just use verbal praise, pets and chest rubs.

Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while?
Some of this depends on the breed and on your situation. My dogs are lap dogs, don't have much interest in being outdoors, so they go out to potty and come back in. Plus we don't have children who would be out playing and running around for the dog to be with. In the summer, we do keep the dog out with us while we are gardening or just sitting enjoying the fresh air. Mostly, they STILL try to get in our laps.

The dog should not be outside alone. Just like a young child, they need to be supervised. And people DO walk into back yards, through gates, and steal dogs. It is just not safe leaving the dog alone outdoors.

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?
Tying a dog will make it aggressive, over time. We got Sugar before our fence was complete. We just took her out on leash 4 times per day.

Your job when getting the fence in is to make sure it is secure. No escape routes. This means UNDER or OVER, or between the boards. The fence should be check regularly, especially if you discover your dog digs! Once the fence is in, you should not need to tie the dog.


What kind of treats do you use?
The easiest thing for me has been to cut up a chicken breast in small bits.

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?
As I don't believe in crate training and have never done it, I can't respond otherwise.

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?
The cat food AND LITTER BOX must be kept out of dog reach. dogs LOVE cat poops. I have gates across the bedrooms where I keep the cat bowls and boxes. I have heard some people say they put the cat stuff up where the dog can't jump but, with 8 bowls, 8 litter boxes, that is not practical for me.

[crazyboutanimals]

I have a lot of questions so I am going to try to condense them as much as possible so that I am not making 20 posts a day

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else? when we first brought them home we did do free feed, when the bowl was empty we would fill it again, but, not more than 3 times per day, no reall set time, but, at least 3 times per day. now, we just feed them based on activity level. in the winter months they get less, but, in the summer they will get more.

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination?? for training we use vocal praises, they seem to respond better and more happy then with anything else, all though we have never tried the clicker, mainly because they are part of the family and not into the pro training things

Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while? our pups spend anywhere from 6-8 hours per day outside playing sleeping and all sorts of things, they always always come in at night tho

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?with the cable thing i heard that it can be good, espeically if you do not have the fence up yet, and once you get a fence, you should not use the cable, but, make sure the fence is higher than that of the dog ( they do jump you know LOL), you could also put in a dogrun, those work very very well.

What kind of treats do you use? we use all sorts of treats, the ones listed are only about 1-2 times per month hotdogs,cheese,chips,chicken, pretty much anything we eat ( in moderation only), they get for being good or when we want to give them a treat.

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?i do not use the crate training so i am not help there.

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl? LOL dont have to worry about this one my hubby is allergic to cats

I'm sure I have more but that is all I can come up with at the moment. I appreciate any input you can give me.

i hope i have helped out some what, i am no pro, just love my pups.

[Sirrahsim]

Thank you everyone for your replies! There is a lot of good advice here

[Sevaede]

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?
The cat food AND LITTER BOX must be kept out of dog reach. dogs LOVE cat poops. I have gates across the bedrooms where I keep the cat bowls and boxes. I have heard some people say they put the cat stuff up where the dog can't jump but, with 8 bowls, 8 litter boxes, that is not practical for me.

I'd like to touch on the dog/litter box subject quickly.

If you find that your puppy is snacking on kitty tootsie rolls (as my late stepmother used to say. ), try using spices in the litter box! I used a combo of Tony Chacheres (cajun seasoning) and cayenne pepper. Change the box, sprinkle a little cayenne pepper over the top of the litter, and it should be none too tasty for the little pupper. Also, the spices have never bothered my kitties in any way!

[Spiritwind]

I have a lot of questions so I am going to try to condense them as much as possible so that I am not making 20 posts a day

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else? - Puppies I feed atleast 2x a day.. depending on my work schedule, and the age of the puppy I will feed 3x a day.. My adults get fed 1x per day.

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination?? - For training I use vocal praises and treats. My dogs are VERY food motivated

Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while? - Of course I think this depends on the individual dog and the breed... Most of my dogs do actually spend much of the day outside. They are very active Collies and they love the outdoors, especially the cooler weather. When I have litters, soon as the pups get their first vaccinations, weather permitting, they are typically outside (in a fenced area attached to my back patio) all day or as much of the day as possible (and inside the house at night, in the kitchen).. as more exericse and room to run and the fresh air makes for a healthy and happy puppy... and good muscle and bone development.

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary? - I have used cables when visiting other peoples homes with my dogs, but I prefer fenced area

What kind of treats do you use?My dogs are very food motivated so it really doesn't matter to them.. but I try to go for the better quality treats.. my dogs love Canidae snap biscuits

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home? - With a new puppy, if I cannot supervise the puppy the when he or she is loose in the house, they are crated. When in the crate though the have toys and treats to play with

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl? - I don't LOL I have to keep the cat bowl up on the counter out of the dogs reach because my dogs would clean up the cat bowl in 2 seconds lol and even some of my dogs (Paris) think they can steal food from up there.. she is reather bad though LOL

I'm sure I have more but that is all I can come up with at the moment. I appreciate any input you can give me.

[Twisterdog]

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else?

I've always free fed. But, I've always had A LOT of dogs. I've never had a problem with obesity. I might not free feed with only one or two dogs, though.

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination??

I use verbal, treat and toy training. I think clicker training is good, I've just never had to time to learn it myself. Different things work for different dogs. Food only works with food motivated dog, for example, some could care less.

Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while?

I have a dog door, so they are free to do what they want. Mostly they are inside, but run out a lot to chase each other or the birds.

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?

I wouldn't chain a puppy up, even for a few weeks. I would take her out on a leash.

What kind of treats do you use?

Typical doggie treats. I also give mine greenies and rawhide, with supervision, but puppies generally don't care too much about these until they get a bit older. Dogs generally LOVE freeze dried liver, and I use it to teach them "special" things.

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?

When she needs a nap or a break from being handled. This will change with her age.

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?

Put the cat's food up where the dog can't reach it.

[Giselle]

I don't use a clicker, as I want my dogs to pay attention to a command any time, and I won't always have a clicker available.

Just wanted to comment: A clicker is nothing more than a marker. It's absolutely equivalent to a "yes!" or "good!". If you're quick and efficient with your "yes!" or "good!", you don't even need a clicker.

Because a clicker is a behavior marker, it is not the reward itself. The treat is the reward. The clicker is the bridge. So to say the dog won't pay attention to a command because you don't have the clicker is confusing two concepts (at least, if I'm reading you right ) I guess it's pretty obvious now that I use the clicker and highly recommend it LOL! When I don't have the clicker on me, though, I just use a "yes!" as the bridge.

[Danegirl2208]

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else?
My dogs have set mealtimes..twice a day (morning and night)

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a are combination??
I do not use treats when training ..i use positive praise (voice)...corrections are done when needed.

Does your pup spend a lot of time outside, or does she just go out to potty and play for a while?
My dogs are inside dogs. They do spend time outdoors everyday though. On a nice day we will put them on their tie-outs while we are gone, which they prefer over the crate.

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?
yes I do agree with it..and as I said above I use them quite a bit. If you do not have a fence, have an escape artist, or multiple dogs it is one of the safest way to contain them when outdoors.

What kind of treats do you use?
Freeze-dried liver treats

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?
you want her to become familiar and comfortable with it. Let her enter and leave the crate as she pleases, feed her meals in the crate, ect., until she is comfortable with it. Then start closing her in for short intervals.

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?
I do not have cats..just leave the cats bowls up out of the dogs reach.

[BC_MoM]

Do you free feed, have mealtimes, or something else?
Set mealtimes. You can feed half a meal in the morning and the other half at night, or all at once. If you are feeding all at once, earlier in the day is preferred rather than evening, when there is more likely going to be less exercises being done.

For training purposes do you use a clicker, vocal praises, treats, or a combination??
I use treats and vocal praises. We usually start with treats, and transition to vocal praise so that we can wean them off of the treats and so that they don't expect to get a treat for everything they do.

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?
There is nothing wrong with her being on a lead attached to something if there is no fence, in my opinion. Just make sure you keep your eye on her so that she doesn't get tangled up. Personally, once a fence was up, I'd let her off the lead. But it's up to you!

What kind of treats do you use?
I like to use small bite sized soft treats such as hot dog, apple, cheese... really, you can use anything. I can use kibble for Jersey as she'll eat anything! hehe

During the process of crate training, how often should we put her in the crate and close the door when we are home?
Whenever you are unable to keep your eye on her (for house training purposes).

How do you keep your pups out of the cat's food bowl?
This is something that will have to be taught. If she is being supervised, she likely won't get into the bowl. But if she does, gently take her by the collar, or move the bowl the bowl away and say "no."

Something that would help is teaching her "leave it". Place a treat on the ground and say "leave it". If she makes a go for it, cover it with you foot. When she backs off, tell her "good girl!" and give her a reward (but NOT the treat that you told her to leave). This is quite easy to teach and they understand it well. So once she knows this, if she walks towards to the kitty's food, say "leave it" and she should. Then tell her "good girl!"

PS... I want more pix!

[Danegirl2208]

Do you agree with attaching your puppy to a cable on one of those yard stakes when she is outside? Once we have a fence (a couple weeks at most) will a stake be necessary?
Tying a dog will make it aggressive, over time. We got Sugar before our fence was complete. We just took her out on leash 4 times per day.

Your job when getting the fence in is to make sure it is secure. No escape routes. This means UNDER or OVER, or between the boards. The fence should be check regularly, especially if you discover your dog digs! Once the fence is in, you should not need to tie the dog.

sorry but this is completly untrue. Chaining does not make a dog aggressive..poor gentics and mistreatment certainly does though. There is nothing wrong with tethering your dog. And in many cases owners do need to tether when they have a fence..I can't leave my girls out together alone so they are tethered to keep them both safe.

Please do not feel ashamed if you choose to tether Sirrahsim. One thing I forgot to add to my post was that you need to make sure it is a proper tie-out..no tying them to trees, fence posts ect. And you have to make sure there is nothing the dog can tangle around. What size dog are you talking about? The tie-outs you get from petsmart often will not hold a strong dog. Also supervision is a must if you do not have a fence, you don't want a stray or loose dog to be able to reach her.

this link has some great info on how to set up a proper tie-out:
http://www.workingpitbull.com/tethering.html