Could the more experienced breeders and multiple dog owners give advice for new owners under various headings.  No discussion or arguement just the sort of advice you would give to your new owners and add to your single post under each heading as new ideas come to you

Christine

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CRATES & CAGES

are very good if used correctly, mine love there crate, i make it cosy like a den with a cover over and the door left uncovered, i did not put my pup straight in the crate, i let her explore her surroundings first, i had a few bits of kibble in the crate and some toys, when i felt that she was getting tired i guided her into the crate,luck was on my side she curled up and went to sleep, i did not close the door fully but left it ajar, i repeated this all the time for a couple of weeks, then began to close the door when she was asleep, some will take longer to get used to it, time and patience as with everything, they are good for using to house train and if you are going somewere in the house and you can not supervise pup, used with care they are a great, i would only use mine for two hours max during the day. not advise to use longer than that in the day.

Make the crate very comfy and interesting ... we put a big blanket on the bottom, and then have a cushion covered with a jumper, a fleece blanket, a puppy pillow and about 2 or 3 toys.  Make sure that everything you put in the crate is safe.

Cover the whole base of the crate and don't put newspaper in, so that the puppy learns that it is his snuggly den and he'll want to keep it clean.  If you put newspaper in, in my opinion it's just teaching him to wee in his bed. 

Expect some wet nights and to have to clean the bedding, but gradually your puppy will start holding it rather than soiling it.

Wash in biological washing powder as this neutralises the smell of urine. 

During the daytime, leave the door open and pup should be able to go in and out as he pleases, and left alone once in there.  Do not allow children to get in there with him, as this will stop it from becoming his safe and cosy den.

Do not put food or water in there ... have a seperate feeding area.

When it is time for bed, take your puppy out for a last wee, and then put him in the crate.  Close the door, put your lights off, say goodnight and leave him.  There's very little point in my opinion of putting him in his crate and then sitting next to it watching the tv or similar, so putting him to bed just before you go to bed is what I'd advise.   Do the same routine every night, so that he understands that bedtime is bedtime.

If he cries during the night and you feel a need to go to him, do so.  Take him outside, stand there quietly and let him have a wee.  Don't play with him or make a fuss of him.  Once he's finished or given up on trying to make you play, take him back to his crate and go back to bed. This will teach him that crying = being taken outside for a wee and taken back to bed.  If when you go to him, you make a big fuss, he'll learn that crying = getting attention and playing. 

Hope this helps.  This is our advice as the owners of a 13 week old puppy.

bump

WHAT TO DO/EXPECT WHEN YOU GET YOUR PUPPY HOME

Some puppies can be over-awed by all the changes in their life and take time to come to terms with it, others barge in as if they own the place.

If you can, farm your children out to grandparents etc when collecting the pup and for the first couple of hours in its new home - this gives the pup chance to quietly explore and find escape holes if it feels it needs them

When you first get your pup home take it out into the garden - it will almost certainly need to relieve itself after the journey. Keep an eye on the pup but don't follow or pick it up until it has satisfied its curosity and bodily needs. Then take the pup indoors and let it explore, ignore it as much as possible unless it comes to you when you should crouch down (not bend over) and make a fuss, then let it explore some more.

If you have a crate or bed that the pup is going to sleep in then put it in there when it starts to look sleepy or has already fallen asleep along with a fluffy toy or rolled up towel for it to snuggle up against.

If you are not going to let the dog get on the furniture when it is an adult then do not let this happen as a pup either - just tell it "off" and put its feet on the floor EVERY time it tries to jump up. Do not even sit with it on your lap - this is still on the furniture, if you want to sit and cuddle your pup then sit on the floor to do so.

Your pup may not eat much for the first few days - don't worry as this is normal with some pups, once it settles down and learns your routine it will soon start eating again - do not change its food for at least two weeks! You pup has had a change of home, people, water, elimination area, sounds etc it should have at least one constant in its life to stick to - this should also help reduce the risk of stomach upsets.

The pup will have had a car journey and may have been sick so the first thing to do is offer him some water. He will also need to toilet so give him some time in a safe outdoor area and praise him lavishly if he performs. Assuming that the puppy is well socialised and confident he will be excited and anxious to explore his new home. Obviously everyone will want to pet him but the move is exciting enough for the pup so do let him try to explore without fussing him too much.

With all this excitement he will need a sleep quite soon but he probably won't while the family is around. Show him his bed is and have everyone to leave except one adult who sits quietly. He will need to toilet again when he wakes up, so take him straight outside.

The puppy will almost certainly cry if he is left alone on the first night. I disobey all the 'rules' by moving into the spare room with a new pup (including one that I've bred after all the litter mates have gone) for the first 10 days or so. I've never had a distressed crying, crying puppy and contrary to popular wisdom I've never had the slightest difficulty in getting the puppy to sleep where I want him to later. I get up in the middle of the night to take the pup outside during this time as I find it helps with the house training.

I tell new owners that most pups are very 'good' for the first couple of days, and are often quite clean (maybe because they are not drinking/eating enough). After that most of them find their feet and become little terrors, but a few become quiet for a bit. Neither is anything to worry about but the puppy that goes quiet will need extra reassurance and quiet company.

Although all of my pups go fully vaccinated, I ask new owners to take the puppy to their own vet 2 or 3 days after they get him home. This is so that the vet can meet the pup (and vice versa!) and in case there is any problem I and my vets have missed. Minor tummy upsets are quite common due to a change in water and excitement and are nothing to worry about as long as they are mild and short lived.

FEEDING

Young puppies should be fed frequently - I advise:
Give 4 meals a day until 14 - 16 weeks (when pup starts consistently missing one meal - add extra to other meals)
Give 3 meals a day until around 6 months - again when the pup starts to be disinterested in its midday meal stop it.
Give 2 meals a day for the rest of life (unless pregnant, lactating or sometimes in old age).

It is generally believed that a thin (not skinny) dog, like a thin human, will have a longer more healthy life than a fat one, and that puppies which are grown slowly are less likely to have bone deformities and growth problems than those which are fed as much as possible and grown quickly. (Think of a fast growing plant for comparison - how many of these can stand up by themselves, the more food it received and the faster it grows the less dense are the cells supporting it - the same with puppies).

PUPPIES & CHILDREN

i have children from 6 years, two years and ten months,my children are taught to be gentle and kind to puppies/dogs and i do not allow unsupervised time alone with them regardless of breed.we have a time to sit down on the floor for socialisation, love and cuddles, no chaseing by pup or children,puppy has a quiet place to rest and sleep away from children if need be, at two of the feeding times my two oldest ones sit by the pup while it is eating and hand feed pup a bit of food, giving praise and a gentle stroke, once the relationship between pup and child is established then it's time to have fun and this should develope over the months ahead, look at nine months onwards for a pup to begin to settle it does not happen in weeks.

Always remember.. Never leave a child and puppy/dog together alone.
No matter how trustworthy either may seem it only takes a second for an accident to happen.
I always supervise my childrens interaction with my dogs, children like to explore, and they don't always consider that a dog might not want to have it's ears or nasal passage examined! Dogs are just that, Dogs, they don't know that having a wrestling game with your 2 year old who was trying to hang of it's neck is not acceptable.

INTRODUCING NEW PETS

I have always rubbed a cloth over my existing dogs when collecting my puppy and give him/her a good going over with it before I get home. I introduce puppy to my other dogs one at a time starting with my top bitch. This seems to work and the initial interest quickly dies down.

I wrap a new puppy in one of my jumpers on the journey home I also introduce them in the garden and walk in the house together (obviously the pup being carried)
Also when established if you have another dog dont let the pup torment your other dog too much and if your other dog puts the puppy in its place that is ok as the puppy needs to learn his/her place.

I was advised to let the older dogs find the new puppy and this worked very well for me. I put the puppy in the back garden and the other two come running out to find him. I believe this approach is sometimes used for re-homing dogs as well.

EATING POO OR STONES

INTRODUCING COLLAR AND LEAD

If you get your pup at 8 weeks then it does not really need a collar and lead at this stage but if your circumstances permit you could plait and tie some wool loosely around your pup's neck. This is light and will get your pup used to the feel of something there - do not use it to restrain your pup unless it is very thick or it could cut into its neck.

Once you put a proper collar on your pup it should not find this such a shock. To introduce the feeling of a lead, tie a piece of string to the collar and let it trail around (but only when you are present in case it gets caught up somewhere). Hold the string and call pup to you, gently reeling it in so it gets used the feel of being restrained

Also remember to check the collar daily as the puppy is growing all the time.
I always start my labrador puppies walking on a rope slip lead from them being tiny just a little walk round the house then garden I can honestly say I have never walked my Labs on anything but a rope lead and they only pull slightly on setting off with excitement.
Its surprising how a little an often approach to lead training pays off in the long run and saves a lot of trouble later on.

When we first had our puppy, we put a collar on him about 3 days after he'd arrived with us, but put it on quite loose so that you could easily slip two fingers under it.  It didn't bother him at all, and so we left it on for quite long periods.

Make sure you check it on a daily basis though because puppy's grow so quickly and seemingly in spurts, so a collar really could be loose one day and snug the next.

BASIC TRAINING

Baby puppies learn to sit very easily - they also learn to get up and move when the want to just as quickly!

Teach yourself a very useful thing - use a release word from the various sit/down/stay/wait etc exercises.

Good Dog/Boy/Girl is NOT a release word it is praise and the pup/dog should remain where it is whilst you are gently praising.

Go Play, on the other hand can be used as a "release word" which tells the pup it can now move and the evercise is finished. Go play does not always necessarily mean that it can literally go and play but a quick game after a successful exercise is very valuable, more that it can get up and move.

What are the benefits of this you might ask, well, say your youngster is sitting there nicely and you want to give it some reward to encourage him to her to stay a little longer, if you have taught the different between praise and release you will quietly be able to encourage with a "gooooddooog sit/stay/whatever" then when you go back to him or her another quiet "good dog sit/stay/whatever" then a lively "Go Play"

Pick your recall command word (be it 'come', 'here', whistle etc) before you even get your puppy.

Use that command whenever you are about to put the pups food bowl down (even if pup is sitting next to you at the time).

That starts the basic foundation for a good recall, as that sound is then associated wtih good things.

As your pup gets older, keep using that recall command whenever the pup is coming to you anyway, in the garden, in the house, in different rooms, in other peoples houses, EVERYWHERE.

DONT however, use it if you are going to do something unpleasant, like groom, or flea spray, or cut nails. In those situations, say nothing, go and GET the dog yourself.
Also, try NOT to use the dogs name as a recall word, as later on when you try to do distance work, you may find he comes to you rather than pays attention.

Remember, tiny puppies are VERY capable of learning, and the lessons they learn the soonest are the ones they learn the best.

NEW PUPPIES & OLDER DOGS

This is one area where I think a crate is invaluable. I've introduced a good number of pups to adults without one, but with a crate the pup and the adults can get used to each other in perfect safety and without the puppy annoying the older dogs.

When the pup is out of the crate an adult may make dramatic sounding noises and snap near the puppy if it is getting too bolshie. Some, especially bitches that have had a litter of their own, may also grab the pup by the head when it misbehaves. This is all normal and the owner should resist the temptation to interfere. Other adults (particualrly males) seem frightened of the pup and they should always be given a way to get away from the puppy.

I've never known an adult deliberately injure a puppy but I would not leave a pup unsupervised with adults until I was quite sure that they have reached a modus vivendi

to add to taht.

When reprimanded by an adult dog, please DO expect your puppy to scream as if a leg has been bitten off. It hasnt, in fact in all likelyhood, contact hasnt even been made, this is just a puppies defence mechanism at work!

Em

My mother-in-laws youngest used to scream the house down when the older dog chastised her (and everytime rightly so as the little cow was usually chewing on her ear, biting her mouth or snapping at her legs). She would behave like she was on death's door and would loose a limb, and then she would sulk for all of 5 minutes and then completely forget about it. It was the best schooling she could have had though, as she not only had humans training her, she had an older, wiser dog teaching her how to behave politely around other dogs too.

Oh, and as I am learning, particularly when the TVr emote gets chewed and you come home to find reams of kitchen paper shredded all over your living room, and your puppyplay bites, and digs up your rose bush and brings it in the house, my best advice for new puppy owners is heaps and heaps and heaps of patience, and the ability to smile!