We recommend taking notes while you are getting to know your puppy. Does he poop in the morning, afternoon, evening, all three? Does he eat more in the morning or is he an evening eater. The more you take note of his habits the easier it will be train him because you will know “oh, it’s 11:00 am, he always does _________ at 11. So you know what to expect and can plan for that.

Limit your puppies access to your house, the puppy should always be in whatever room you are in. Whenever you can't supervise the puppy put her in her crate. 15 minutes here, half an hour there will help keep your puppy accustomed to her crate and relate to it as "her" place.

Don't leave your puppy with existing pets without supervision. They need time to adjust to each other and establish their own unique pack order. Don't force a new puppy on another pet, let them work it out on their own.

First Night's Success

At MollyDogs all our puppies have been crate trained. Before you put your puppy to bed for the night take him out to do his business that will reduce the need for going during the night. A really good hard playtime will also help to tire your puppy out and help him have a good long sleep. :) Give him the same command every time you put him in the kennel. With Molly we always tell her “good night”. Now, the difference for you will be that your puppy will now be in the kennel alone, he may miss his brothers and sisters.

If you’ve purchased a large kennel that will fit your puppy as an adult but is a bit too big right now you can divide it with a piece of cardboard or stuff a pillow in the back. Sometimes its better to just start with a smaller one (borrowed) then as the puppy grows switch him to the bigger one. Put in some nice soft bedding, it can be an old towel or flannelette sheet, you can also put in one of the puppy’s chew bones.

A really good idea that I’ve used is to take a 2L pop bottle and fill it with really warm water and cover it with a thin pillowcase or small blanket (something the heat can come through) and place it inside along the side or back of the kennel and your puppy will snuggle up against it.

Some have also suggested a ticking clock can be put in, however, I personally have not tried this.

Keep the kennel in your bedroom at first if you like. That way the puppy is right there and can hear you and smell you nearby. You can put your finger in the kennel and talk to the puppy to let him know you’re there. The puppy will find that comforting. (Please read the section on crate/kennel training)

Some people want their puppy to sleep on their bed with them. If you really want to do this wait until after your puppy is completely trained. But it just isn't a good idea because for the dog if she sleeps where you sleep she sees herself at the same level or equivalent to you in pack order. For dogs its all about pack order and YOU need to be the leader of your pack. Very important message, especially for your puppy, to learn.

In the daytime keep the kennel wherever your family spends most of its time or somewhere central, like the kitchen.

Routine, Routine, Routine

Success with a new puppy means routine. It also means having a plan, have a plan for your puppy's day before you bring the puppy home. That way you are more prepared and will know what to do and the message for the puppy will be clear.

The puppy knows what to expect and learns very quickly. A bedtime routine, puppy goes out to the bathroom, gets big cuddles for being a good dog, goes to bed with his command, has his chew toy in the bed and settles in for the night. Have an early morning routine as well, puppy wakes up, goes outside, cuddles, playtime, food and water, back into crate, etc. Having a routine will really help puppy settle in the first few days when he’s had so many big changes to get used.

Throughout the day follow the same type of routine as mentioned above, eating, crate, nap, potty, playtime, etc. If you work have a safe closed off area like a laundry room where you can put down some newspapers, food and water, toys and his kennel. That way you know he is safe and has everything he needs while you are at work.

A puppy can only stay in the kennel with the door shut during the day for 1 hour for each month of his age PLUS one. So, if the puppy is 3 months old he can be in his kennel with the door shut for 4 hours. So if someone cannot come home over the lunch hour to let the puppy out and play with him, take him out, etc he should be set up for the day as mentioned previously.

Use the same words and phrases all the time with your puppy. We know that dogs can learn up to 200 words and phrases, a lot of them just from hearing and observing the same ones being used repeatedly. When you come in the door from outside say “in the house” and when you go to the car say “car ride”. We say “let’s go outside Molly” and she runs to the door. Whenever we come back from a walk and come inside we say "leash” and she knows to stand still while we remove it.

These are just examples, you use whatever fits your family and activities. You will be amazed at how these little dogs catch on. Also all family members should use the same words and phrases for the same commands.

Socializing Your Puppy

A well socialized puppy is a happy puppy; that also becomes a happy dog. No one wants a dog you can’t take anywhere or you have to put in another room when you have company. These little dogs are affectionate and social by nature.

Expose your puppy, in your home, until all shots are complete, to other people. Let them hear different voices, different faces, men with beards, etc.

Don't let them be overwhelmed by lots of visitors, have people get down on the floor at the puppy's level and roll a ball to the puppy, or drag a rope toy across the floor and watch the puppy follow it. Offer a treat, coaxing the puppy to come to them.

Take them in the car for short trips to the store. This will also help them get used to the motion of a car which will help reduce any car sickness they may have.

Once their shots are finished expose them to other people’s pets, take them different places, a park, maybe a gravel road, a beach, different types of experiences with different smells are all good things to do for your dog to help accustom him to new environments.

Of course, keep your dog on a leash as young puppies and dogs are easily distracted and curious. They will follow/chase anything.

Puppy play groups are excellent to participate in.

Feeding

Our puppies are fed Royal Canin Mini Puppy33, we find it the best for the puppies. Our adults are on the adult version, Small Breed Adult as well. This is a high end quality food that has no preservatives, no additives, and no by-products. The food is made in Canada and is always tested and screened for toxins. Read more about this high quality food at www.royalcanin.ca

You can soften the food if you like by pouring some warm water over it and letting it sit for a few minutes. This is not necessary though as by the time your puppy comes home he will be eating the food the way it comes out of the bag. Also if you soften the food sometimes the puppy will eat too much and be sick.

If someone is home all day we recommend feeding puppy three times a day. This helps with the potty training, it also helps with a very subtle training tool – in the dog world, whoever controls the food is the leader of the pack – so if you are visually providing the food and taking it away this signals that you are the leader of the pack.
Water should be available at all times.

Your puppy should only eat his puppy food or puppy milkbones. No human food  as it is too hard on his little digestive system and can cause diarrhea which can get serious very quickly with little puppies.

Hold off on changing their food, if you decide to, until your puppy is older then do so gradually, mixing the new in with the old until eventually the switch is complete.

If you are interested in a raw food diet talk to your Vet about this and read up on it.

Use metal or ceramic dishes as plastic dishes can lead to discolouration of the nose pigment.