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.
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