Puppies For Dummies

Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Conventions Used in This Book 2 Optional Reading 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book is Organized 3 Part 1: Choosing a Dog to Love for a Lifetime 3 Part 2: Living and Loving Your Puppy: The Early Days 4 Part 3: Training with a Positive Spin 4 Part 4: Conditioning Good Manners in Your Puppy 5 Part 5: Creating a Wellness Plan 5 Part 6: The Part of Tens 5 Icons Used in This Book 5 Beyond the Book 6 Where to Go from Here 6 Part 1: Choosing a Dog to Love for a Lifetime 7 Chapter 1: Welcome to the Puppy Love Club: Here’s All You Need to Know! 9 Looking at All Your Options 10 Helping Your Puppy Jump into the Family Groove 12 Understanding your puppy’s point of view 12 Raising a puppy in the modern world 13 Positively overdoing bonding and socialization 13 Tackling Training Throughout Your Puppy’s Growth Phases 14 Teaching words your puppy should learn and love 15 Picking a consistent approach 15 Handling Day-to-Day Frustrations — and More Serious Problems 16 Ensuring a Clean Bill of Health 17 Chapter 2: Finding the Puppy That’s Right for You 19 Living Your Dream: Pinpointing What You Really Want 20 Getting in the right mindset 20 Considering yourself before you choose your puppy 21 Interpreting your answers 24 Deciding on the age to bring your puppy home 27 Considering Your Household 28 Me and my shadow 28 Just the two of us — plus pup 29 A family with young kids 30 A family with older children 31 A whole menagerie (other pets) 31 Other dogs 32 Chapter 3: Browsing Breeds and Rescues: Choosing One That’s Right for You 35 Figuring Out Whether You Want a Purebred, Mixed-Breed, or Designer Dog 36 Choosing the breeder route versus the rescue route 37 Deciding on a purebred dog 38 Opting for a random-mix puppy 39 Designing fancy (and expensive) mixed breeds 39 Choosing the Type of Dog That’s Right for You 41 Different Breeds for Different Folks 42 The Sporting group 43 The Hound group 43 The Working group 44 The Herding group 44 The Terrier group 45 The Toy group 45 The Non-Sporting group 46 Chapter 4: Deciding Where to Go to Get Your Puppy 47 Searching High and Low for Your Puppy 48 Finding puppy love on the Internet 49 Adopting a pup from a shelter or a rescue organization 51 Buying a puppy from a professional breeder 54 Checking out a home breeder 56 Avoiding puppy brokers, puppy mills, and pet stores 57 Meeting and Assessing Puppies 59 Finding out what to expect when visiting puppies 59 Profiling puppy personalities 60 Testing a puppy’s temperament 62 Going for an Older Puppy 67 Considering the source 68 Testing older pups 70 Chapter 5: Shopping for Your New Baby and Looking to the Months Ahead 73 Shopping for the Early Days with Your Puppy 74 Your puppy’s safe place 74 Rewards, toys, and self-soothing activities 79 Freedom lines (indoor and out), collars, and early leash skills 82 Exploring Future Needs, Modern Gadgets, and Training Tools 86 Compassion wear (also known as walking restraint) 86 Leash training 89 Clicking and targeting tools to simplify learning 91 Bringing Puppy into the Digital Age 92 Two-way camera 92 Automatic feeder and water fountain 93 Treat dispenser 93 Tracking collar 93 Automatic poop-picker-upper 93 Treadmill and hamster wheel 93 Mechanized brush, hair remover, and bathing apparatus 93 Bluetooth music cube 94 Light-up leash and collar 94 Activity monitor 94 Part 2: Living and Loving Your Puppy: The Early Days 95 Chapter 6: Bonding with Your Puppy Using the Science of Modern Dog Parenting 97 Domesticated Wolves or Little Children? 98 Brain science 99 What the nose knows 100 Master emotions 101 Your Puppy is Talking — Are You “Listening?” 103 Posture 103 Eyes: blinking, social gazing 105 Tail talk 106 Ears 107 Mouth: Grin or grumble, stress panting, play panting, yawning 108 Vocalizing 108 Fur 110 Understanding Your Puppy’s Basic Needs 110 Sleeping 111 Eating 112 Drinking 112 Going to the bathroom 113 Playing 113 Chapter 7: Establishing Good Habits from the Start 115 Preparing for Your Puppy’s Arrival 116 Puppy-proofing a free-play zone 116 Setting up a food and water station 117 Establishing your puppy’s sleeping area 118 Sleep training 118 Crate training 119 Establishing a route to the bathroom area 121 Bringing Puppy Home 122 Introducing Puppy to Your Household 123 Forming a welcome circle 123 Calming the kids 123 Saving your friends for another day 124 Managing resident dogs, cats, and other animals 125 Planning Out the First Days and Weeks 130 Surviving the first 24 hours 130 Time for bed 131 Adjusting, week one 131 Bonding with Your Puppy: The First Month 132 Handling fears 133 Knowing when to pick them up — and when not to 134 Handling the heart hold 134 Chapter 8: Including Everyone in Team Puppy 135 Welcoming the Help of Family and Friends 136 Encouraging Positive Interactions between Kids and Pups 136 Short, fun lessons and groovy games 137 When rowdy play ends the fun 138 Getting Help with Shaping Good Manners from Day One 139 Following early steps for house-training 139 Redirecting jumping 140 Instilling good chewing habits 140 Displaying mealtime manners 141 Discouraging nipping 141 Enlisting Outside Help 142 Your veterinarian 142 Dog walker 143 Puppy trainer 143 Ways to Get Help 144 Group Training 144 Private trainer 145 Digital puppy trainer 146 Groomer 146 Doggie daycare 147 Dog park 147 Living in a Neighborhood 148 Chapter 9: Socializing Puppy 151 Recognizing the Critical Stages of Your Puppy’s Social Calendar 152 Birth to seven weeks 153 Seven weeks to 16 weeks 153 Sixteen weeks to six months 154 Six months to one year 154 Maturity 154 Focusing on Your Puppy 154 Your puppy’s personality 155 Setting your socialization goals 156 Choosing your words wisely 157 Remembering the three T’s: Tips, tools, and techniques 159 Socializing Your Puppy, No Matter Their Age or Experiences 160 Settling your excitable puppy 160 Coping with a fearful reaction 161 Chilling out a defensive reaction 163 Adapting to Life Changes 163 Moving to a new home 163 And baby makes three: Expanding your family 165 Traveling with Your Puppy 168 Taking your puppy on a plane 169 Road trip! Traveling by car 170 Part 3: Training with a Positive Spin 173 Chapter 10: Taking Baby Steps: 8 Weeks to 14 Weeks 175 Understanding Your Puppy’s Mindset 176 Taking Care of Your Puppy’s Basic Needs 176 Making Learning Fun 178 Teaching the Find It game 178 Saying your puppy’s name 178 Learning Sit 179 Learning Come 179 Give 180 Associating words to everyday routines 181 Helping your puppy learn the 4-paw rule 182 Walking the stairs 182 Helping your puppy identify their place 182 Teaching your puppy to ring a bell 182 Leash and collar associations 183 Conditioning Your Puppy to Be Handled 184 Playing doggie-doctor 184 Touching paws 184 Remembering the Importance of Early Socialization 184 When You’re Feeling Frustrated 185 Chapter 11: Teaching Your Preadolescent Puppy: 14 Weeks to 6 Months 187 Understanding Your Puppy’s Mindset 187 Conditioning good habits 188 Practicing your lessons 188 Taking Care of Your Puppy’s Basic Needs 189 Making Learning Fun 189 Play training 190 Helping your puppy slow down 190 Teaching your puppy Stop, Look, and Listen (also known as Wait) 195 The Sequencing Method 196 Sit-Down-Stand 197 Follow-Wait-Find-It 198 Come-Sit-Lean-In or Belly Up 199 Over-Under-Through 200 Instilling Household Manners 200 Leading daily walkabouts 201 Establishing a special place in the rooms you share 201 Mealtime manners 203 Handling Run-Throughs 204 Chapter 12: Surviving Puberty: 6 to 9 Months 207 Understanding Your Puppy’s Mindset at This Age 208 Conditioning Good Habits 208 Dealing with canine backtalk 209 Teaching your puppy the concept of No 210 Taking Care of Your Puppy’s Basic Needs 211 Sleeping out of the crate 211 Phasing out the midday meal 211 Learning to hold it 211 Making Learning Fun 212 Stay, continued 212 Cooperative leash skills 215 Distance control 218 Socializing in the World Beyond 223 Off-leash dog play 223 Interactive words 224 Chapter 13: Striving for Off-Lead Control: 9 Months to 1 Year 225 Understanding Your Puppy’s Mindset at This Age 226 Training the Off-Lead Dog 226 Getting mentally prepared for off-lead control 226 Buying the Right Equipment — and Using It Correctly 228 A retractable leash 230 An indoor freedom line 231 A short lead 231 The Tether-n-Train 231 A freedom line 232 Gauging Your Pup’s Reactions 233 Training an excitable explorer 234 Guiding a more timid pup 234 Getting the Emergency “Down” Down Pat 235 Knowing When to Trust Your Pup and Other FAQs about Off-Lead Training 236 Out and About 238 Following five key rules 239 Under and back: Helpful commands when you’re out and about 239 Introducing Your Pup to People 240 Introducing the wild one 241 Introducing the scaredy-cat 241 Entering Buildings Peacefully 241 Making Friends: Introducing Your Pup to Other Dogs 242 Gaining control when encountering other dogs 242 Enjoying puppy play dates 243 Part 4: Conditioning Good Manners in Your Puppy 245 Chapter 14: House-Training for Success 247 Picking Your Puppy’s Potty Place 248 Establishing a Routine 249 Following general guidelines 250 Getting on a potty-time schedule 251 Being consistent 253 Helping Your Pup Communicate Their Need to Go 254 Quick Tips for Handling and Avoiding Accidents 256 Chapter 15: Conquering Common Frustrations 259 Understanding What Shapes Your Puppy’s Routines 259 Shaping and Redirecting Behavior 260 Talking the talk 260 Stopping the chewing frenzy 262 Grabbing, tugging and chasing, oh my! 268 Grounding the joyous jumper 269 I want to see what’s on the counter, too! 272 That couch sure looks comfy 273 Controlling Mouthing and Nipping 275 Mouthing 275 Nipping 276 Chapter 16: Addressing Extreme Reactions — On and Off the Leash 279 Recognizing What Aggression is and What It Isn’t 280 Dominant aggression 280 Resource guarding aggression (object guarding) 281 Territorial aggression 282 Protective aggression 284 Predatory aggression 284 Fear-induced aggression 285 Dog-to-dog aggression 286 Idiopathic aggression 287 Silencing Your Barking (or Whining) Puppy 289 Conditioning your puppy to everyday sounds 290 Socializing your puppy early on 291 Busy puppy, quiet puppy 291 Developing your puppy’s Off switch 292 Barking at e-v-e-r-y-thing 292 Barking for attention or protest 293 Discouraging Mounting 294 Getting Control of the Digging 295 Remedying Leash Resistance 296 The lunge-and-drag 296 Mule wannabes 298 Redirecting Your Little Grazer 298 Surviving Isolation Stress and Separation Anxiety 299 Isolation anxiety 299 Isolation distress 300 Separation anxiety 300 Helping a puppy with isolation issues 301 Knowing how long is too long 303 Dealing with a Stimulated Tinkler 303 Part 5: Creating a Wellness Plan 305 Chapter 17: Maintaining Healthy Habits 307 Puppy Nutrition 101: Your Puppy’s Changing Dietary Needs 308 Comparing different types of food 308 Looking at your puppy’s food options 309 Evaluating essential ingredients 310 Interpreting food labels to get more bang for your buck 315 Understanding Food Allergies and Special Needs 316 Pinpointing allergies to your food and theirs 316 Accommodating special nutritional situations 317 Keeping Your Puppy Looking and Feeling Tip-Top 317 DIY: Making bath time lots of fun 318 Brushing made easy 319 Performing daily care and spot-checks 320 Taking Your Pup for Regular Checkups 326 Identifying and Remedying Allergies 327 Spaying or Neutering Your Puppy 329 Playing for Fun and Fitness 331 Chapter 18: Identifying and Preventing Common Ailments 333 Controlling Diseases with Vaccines 334 Core vaccines 334 Noncore vaccines 335 Day-to-Day Health Concerns 337 Teething 338 Coughing 338 Lethargy 338 Diarrhea 339 Dry skin 339 Constipation 339 Vomiting 339 Gas 340 Bloat 341 Compacted anal glands 341 Limping 342 Bugging Out: External Parasites 342 Fleas 342 Ticks 343 Ringworm 346 Mites and mange 346 Getting Below the Surface: Internal Parasites 347 Heartworms 347 Other internal critters 348 Chapter 19: Preventing Accidents and Knowing What to Do in an Emergency 351 Accidents Happen: Preventing and Preparing Before They Do 352 Puppy first aid kit 352 Playing puppy doctor 353 Fences Help 354 Evaluating fence types 354 Training your puppy to concentrate their attention 355 When Accidents Happen 355 Restraining a hurt pup 355 Transporting a hurt pup 356 Helping a choking pup 356 Performing artificial respiration (mouth-to-nose resuscitation) and CPR 357 Stopping your pup’s bleeding 358 Treating bug bites and stings 359 Treating snakebites 359 Treating burns 360 Treating and preventing heatstroke 360 Hunting for household dangers 360 Taking care of small indigestibles 361 Part 6: The Part of Tens 363 Chapter 20: Ten (Or So) Fun Games 365 Find It 366 Tug 366 Give (Or Drop) 367 Tug Tug Give 368 Wiggle Giggle Freeze 368 Two-Toy Toss 369 Fishing for Fido 370 Swing Toss — Can’t Catch Me 370 Toy Along, Tag Along (also known as The Squeak-Toy Shuffle) 371 Hide-and-Seek 371 Superball Soccer 373 Chapter 21: Ten (or So) Crowd-Pleasing Tricks 375 If You’re Happy and You Know It, Wag Your Tail 376 Give a Kiss 376 Stylish Greeting Tricks 377 Go Get Your Toy 377 Belly Up 377 Spin 378 Paw 378 High-Five 379 Bump It 379 Take a Bow 380 Go to Sleep, or Time for Bed 381 Roll Over 381 Ask Nicely 382 Over 383 Through the Hoop 384 Index 387