My new Puppy! What are some of the first things I should do?

Question

I get my puppy this afternoon. An 8 week old Boxer. I live in Wisconsin, so it's bitter cold. I am wondering what are a few of the things I should do in the first few days. Keep him on paper training, or try to place him outside when I see it coming? He will be crate training, but any advice is appreciated.

I heard walking him should come months later in life so he understands where HIS yard is, and where the rest of the world is and tell the difference. Is this true?

Answer 1

You can still bring your new pup outside to go potty. Just dont expect him to say out for too long. A quick out to go and then right back in. Yes the pups is way to young to go for walks. They dont have the stamina to walk for very long and then they must be taught to walk on a leash first. You can do thin in side the house to get him used to walking on the leash. Most young pups will walk for a few steps then just sit down, this is normal. Very young pups have burst of energy then crash and sleep. Yours is going to need a few days to get to know you and his new home.
I'd wait to try to take him for a walk until he has his 2nd set of shots. Then you will know he is really safe against anything he could pick up outside his own yard.

Good luck :)

Answer 2

If you can do this before you get your pet it would be best, but
if not do it the same day.
Go to the pet store and buy a crate. One the same size as your
dog. They will not be where they sleep so crating them is a
great tool for training, and it is also a place for them to sleep and
be safe. You will need good dog food, a leash and a colar,
and some food bowls. Also some toys, and a few bones for
the dog to chew on. He will be getting his new teeth soon, and
they prefer bones over shoes, but they may chew on anything
if they don't have the proper things.

To house break you pup, you should also buy some puppy pads.
They have a scent that the dog is attracted to and they will pee
on them. When you take the dog out of his crate, he will need
to pee, so take him to the pee pad and wait there, hopefully
he will go on it the first time. If not, wipe up his pee with the
pad and leave it on the floor. The dog should not be allowed to
run all over the place, cause they will forget where to pee.

Keep the dog in one area until he learns more.

After the dog eats and drinks he will need to pee soon after, so
stay with him until he does do it on the pad. No need to get
upset if he doesn't do it right away, he will eventually.
If you want your dog to pee outside, take the pee pad with you,
hopefully there is pee or the scent of poop on it, and put in on
the ground and only walk around that. The dog will learn what
to do. Also the most important thing is to reward your pup
when he does the right thing. Always give him alot of praise,
rub him and give him a treat. They love attention, and that is
something to keep in mind for several months. or longer.

I also should of mentioned that when you take the dog outside
he should be wearing his leash and colar. He won't like it
at first, but he will get used to it. Pups pee more than adult
dogs and you will some accidents, but if you take my advice, I
am sure you will be happy in the long run. Remember
everything takes time, and you need to have patience.

Answer 3

One of the First things to do with any new pup is take it to YOUR vet for a check up. Do this within the first few days even if the breeder stated it had shots etc. The sooner you start with house training the quicker the pup will pick up on it. If you see the pup has to go,take it outside and make a big happy deal about him going outside...repeating potty as you go outside and as he does it helps. It's also never too young to teach boundaries. You don't want to force leash walks on young pups but you can walk the boundaries with him. Boxers as well as all short nosed breeds are not physically suited to long periods of time out in extreme heat or cold so use your judge meant. Congrats on your new pup!

Answer 4

Be sure to get a crate that's the right size for your puppy. Crate training is clear to the dog, and is kinder and more fair than just trying to watch him 100% of the time (humans are bad at this) Here's a link that explains crate training:

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

Don't worry about the concept of "his" yard. The most important thing you need to do right now is introduce him to new situations, other nice dogs that will play with him, new environments, and different kinds of people. Reward him a lot with treats for interacting positively with new dogs and people. This is the time to call your friends who have dogs and ask for some puppy play time.
Get a copy of Ian Dunbar's great book, "Before and After you get your puppy" - or really, anything that he's written - it will help you a lot! Good luck!

http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB790

Answer 5

When we got our boxer puppy a few years ago it was December and cold we still took her out to go potty, about every half hour & after eating.If you haven't chosen a food yet I started mine on Iams large breed puppy now she's on Iams large breed food, of all the boxers I've had on other food,she is the healthest on Iams food.Large breed puppies need food made for them so there bones grow at the right rate, regular puppie food make them grow too fast.Get him to the vet as soon as you can to get his shots, heartworm med.,& a check up. Some dogs will stay in there yard and some won't. Boxers are the best!!!

Answer 6

Hello,
You are right to crate tray your pup and that will take time too. You put them in and leave for awhile then the next time you leave you go for a longer period of time and they learn that you will come back. I have 3 that are crate trained. I leave music on for them when I go out so they don't here the outside noise. As far as paper training I don't believe in it because that was a mistake I made with one of mine. She still comes back in and goes on the paper. I have to break her from that for sure. The other two are outside trained when they wake up they go right out. When they are done eating they go out and stay out till they go. I have a male lab and he definitely likes to go a lot. If you play with the pup for awhile then take him out again. He will get the hang of it. I wouldn't walk him until later after he knows where his home is and who is the boss or leader.Remember before bedtime make sure he goes out too so you don't have an accident at night.
Good Luck with your pup.

Answer 7

I can see why paper-training is tempting. But really, it's better to training him to go outside if you can: That way he won't be confused about where to do his business. That might be very hard with such a young pup, but it will pay off.

And yes, he should be shown where is his yard and where isn't. It might save you a lot of trouble later on.

Good luck, and congratulations!

Answer 8

Let him explore, he will gradually get further away in his exploration,. Let him know his boundries.
As far as potty, He will do a lot of napping as a young pup. the first thing a pup wants to do when they wake from their nap is to go potty. So when he wakes, put him outside. He will get the hint pretty quick.