Puppy Owners - I need some advice

I just picked up my 8 week old Boston Terrier yesterday from the airport. And we're so excited to have a new member to our family.

We've been reading about crates, pens, feeding schedules, housetraining, etc.

And just have a couple of questions that we would love some advice/insight on.

We try to feed him regularly but his attention span doesn't keep him at his bowl for more than 2 minutes. He eats a little and starts to wimper. We're feeding him in a large pen that's lined with newspaper and watching him eat. Should we be feeding him in his crate? I know we're supposed to get a crate just big enough for him to sit, stand, and spin, nothing too big.

When it comes to after eating (normally we give him like 20 minutes to eat, then take it away), how should we go about the house training, we read about lining the area with newspaper, praising for when he goes then gradually taking newspaper away reducing the area, but what happens when he doesn't go on the paper?

Also should we have like 2 pens, 1 for feeding and play and the other for potty? the pen we got is adjustable and fairly large so i thought 1 side for bed , food, and play and the other for potty.

Finally is the question of newspaper, wee wee pads, doggie litter, etc. We got a package of wee-wee pads as a gift, but they don't stay on the ground very well, most of the time, the little guy just bites it and walks away. We also got doggie litter and a doggie litter pan as a gift too, should we be trying that?

I'm sorry for the long questions, but i want to make sure we are doing this right, i don't want to tramatize him or mistreat him in any way.

One more thing, sorry, at night when we sleep, should we put him in his crate or let him roam is pen area? i thought a better bond would be made if we crate him and place him next to the bed when we sleep. Also when we go out is it better to crate or pen the puppy?

thanks in advance to anyone who can point us in the right direction...

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

Hi - congrats on the new puppy!!! What did you name him? I love Boston terriers!!!

It is suggested not to feed them in their crate. Because if you are crate training, you are going to line the pen / crate with newspaper for peeing etc and dogs will not pee where they eat. Start with that, and then gradually start taking him outside to pee. Bring some treats with you so everytime he pees or poops outside you can reward him. Worked like a charm when I got Casey!

Are you planning on always letting him pee in the house ( I know some owners of small dogs do) - if not, I suggest only having the paper / wee wee pad down as a backup and really emphasizing going outside.

As far as sleeping, it depends. My Casey sleeps in the crate at night but only bc she is a chewer. Once she gets out of that stage, she'll sleep outside. See how the puppy reacts to sleeping in the crate or pen. Casey never whined in there during the night but some dogs do.

When you go out in the beginning, I would suggest crating him for his own safety. After time, (you'll see! ) you'll be able to leave him on his own. But puppies get into everything. I wouldn't leave any rawhide sticks in there or anything but you can leave squeaky toys. When he is a bit older, you can get him a "kong" which is a rubber ball with an opening and I usually fill it with peanut butter and freeze it over night for Casey to work on when I leave for work and she's in the crate.

Hmmmm that's all I can think of for now. Post some pics please!!!

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

Hi!
Congrats on your new pup!
re: feeding: what are you feeding your dog? It took me 3 or 4 different types of foods until I found one my dogs would eat- now they gobble in 15 seconds and are finished- they eat 2 times a day. Like MrsTC said, don't feed the dog in the crate.
re: potty pads- we use the wee-wee pads, but you need to get the "tray" for them- it's $20 from any pet website- it's well worth it.
re: training- how you get your dog to not pee anywhere else is you have to confine them in an x-pen to the wee wee pad area during the day- or to the crate, letting the pup out to use the bathroom.. Or you can do what I did- and basically follow the dog's every move for about a week- every time they try to go, pick them up and put them on the wee wee pad and then give them praise & a treat. This really worked with my dogs and I have no problems- the only down side is it takes a lot of HUMAN dedication!

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

His name is Zeke, 8 weeks old.

Here is a pic, thanks for the advice...

Message edited 11/7/2005 9:13:14 AM.

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

oh, he's adorable!!!!

I have 6 1/2 month old lab puppy...

as far as feeding: you should leave the food out and let him eat at his leisure, my vet said that puppies should have a little weight on them 'to keep them warm, and cause they can be clumsy, and then slowly start picking it up when they hit 4-5 months (having regulated times)

feeding in crate-the only time I have heard of feeding them in the crate is if they don't like the crate, or if they go potty in the crate....however, I've heard (and it works) of every now and again putting a biscuit in the crate, like a little surprise for him.

wee wee pads, newspaper-DON'T DO THIS, EVEN IF YOU HAVE A PEN. Dogs have a long memory and they won't distinguish between area rugs, and welcome mats from the wee wee pads. get him used to going outside NOW, you'll have a much easier time later.

Buy the book "the art of raising a puppy" or "how to be your dogs best friend"...it helps explain pack mentality, and how to make you pet understand that your house is like a large crate, and that he should treat it like that (not going potty in it, not chewing things)....

Good luck!

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

When our dog was a puppy and we were trying to train him our vet told us:

1. if we plan on having him go outside exclusively, don't even try to paper train him. he told us to train him from the getgo outside

2. if we always left his bowl of food on the floor, he would only eat when he was hungry and would be less territorial with regard to his food.

I know that this does not ring true for every dog, but we followed his instructions and he never ever has an accident, he only eats when he is hungry (sometimes it takes him 3-4 days to finish a bowl of food) and he could care less if I put my hands near him or his food bowl when he is eating.

I think most dog owners would agree that training a dog is a lot of hard work, but it is SOOOO worth it!!!!!!

Enjoy your puppy, he is absolutely beautiful

Re: Puppy Owners - I need some advice

Posted by doggielover

When our dog was a puppy and we were trying to train him our vet told us:

1. if we plan on having him go outside exclusively, don't even try to paper train him. he told us to train him from the getgo outside

2. if we always left his bowl of food on the floor, he would only eat when he was hungry and would be less territorial with regard to his food.

I know that this does not ring true for every dog, but we followed his instructions and he never ever has an accident, he only eats when he is hungry (sometimes it takes him 3-4 days to finish a bowl of food) and he could care less if I put my hands near him or his food bowl when he is eating.

I think most dog owners would agree that training a dog is a lot of hard work, but it is SOOOO worth it!!!!!!

Enjoy your puppy, he is absolutely beautiful