Golden Retriever Dog Forums banner

10 products to help survive puppyhood!

208K views 123 replies 109 participants last post by  mrswormrsm 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi All,

Yesterday, I published an article online that is my sort of "Top Ten" list for positive puppy products -- a list of things that I wouldn't dare try to raise a puppy without. I thought perhaps it might be helpful to the puppy owners here on the forum, so I'm sharing the link in case anyone is interested. You can find the aticle here:

Thanks for looking!

Kindly,
Stephanie

ETA:

Toys, toys and more toys! -- A puppy should have at least 15 different toys. Only keep about five down at a time and rotate which five toys are down every few days. This keeps things interesting for the puppy. Get a variety of toys – soft toys, rubber toys, toys that squeak, toys that rattle, toys that bounce, etc. Be careful with stuffed toys – some dogs like to “un-stuff” them and spread stuffing around the house! Online sites like Pet Edge and King Wholesale are great sources for inexpensive toys and other products. Keep the toys handy. Whenever puppy starts to chew an inappropriate object, calmly substitute a toy and praise him for correctly redirecting his energy.

KONG – A super durable, red rubber hollow toy. Great for stuffing with treats. A dog can spend a long time “working a KONG” to lick out all the good stuff. A quick search down the toy isle of any major pet store will reveal several other similar toys designed to hold kibble and treats. You can even feed a puppy his entire meal out of a KONG or similar toy. Not only will this keep him happily busy for a fixed period of time, he'll also be using his brain to problem-solve!

Appropriate Chew Toys – Puppies and dogs need to chew. As puppies, it's part of the teething process and in adolescent and adult dogs, recreational chewing can relieve boredom and stress. The trick is to teach puppy to prefer chewing appropriate items. Durable Nylabones are a wonderful choice. They come in different flavors, shapes and sizes. They also make a softer puppy version – but it’s not recommended for aggressive chewers. I like to limit the amount of rawhide products. It's often highly processed and can be difficult for some dogs to digest. Dogs can even choke on a chewed-off piece of a rawhide bone.

Sterilized Hollow Bones – Like the KONG, you can stuff treats inside the bone or smear a little peanut butter or cream cheese inside one end of the bone. Most dogs even like to chew an empty bone, too. Look for bones that are “clean” on the inside – meaning, they are free of the honeycomb texture, etc. A peanut butter filled hollow bone makes a GREAT puppy pacifier – and who can resist a dog with peanut butter breath! Try preparing in advance and freezing the peanut butter bone for a cool summer treat that takes longer to eat.

Bully Sticks -- I've yet to meet a puppy who wouldn't happily settle down and chew a bully stick! Bully sticks are made from, are you ready for this? Dried bull penis! Yes, it sounds gross, but the good news is that it's completely safe for canine consumption and a Bully Stick seems to be the ultimate in pooch pacifier for most dogs. Unlike Durable Nylabones and hollow bones, bully sticks can be completely consumed by dogs. Be sure to supervise your dog with any chew product and discard it when it becomes small enough to present a choking hazard.

Pressure Mount Baby Gate – Great for creating a “puppy safe” area in your kitchen or laundry room. Target, Wal-Mart, etc. sells wooden gates with see-though wire mesh for under $25. If your dog is bigger than “toy” size, we recommend the 32” gate. Most dogs can easily be taught not to jump over a baby gate, even if they're physically capable of doing so. Contact a local trainer if you need help with this behavior.

X-Pen – An X-pen works much like a play- pen for a human child. When you can’t directly supervise puppy, he can go in his X-pen with toys and a nice bone to chew. While in the X-pen, he can’t get to your fancy Persian rug, so it’s impossible for him to chew on it when you’re not looking!

Dog Crate – Great for creating a special, private “room” for your dog. Dogs are den animals and appreciate having a secure place to “den up.” A crate is a wonderful, safe place to put the puppy when he cannot be directly supervised and at night for sleeping. It’s also great for traveling – wherever you go, you can take your dog’s room with you! Crate training a puppy also helps with house training because a dog will instinctively not want to soil its den, so he will whine and bark to let you know he has to “go,” giving you the opportunity to take him outside and reward him for “going” in the proper place. Crates come in three styles: plastic, wire and soft-sided. Soft-sided crates are not recommended for puppies due to their tendency to chew whatever they can reach! When choosing a puppy crate, make sure it's just big enough for the puppy to go in, turn around and lie down. Any bigger and puppy may potty at one end and nap at the other. Many wire crate manufacturers now offer a divider panel that can be used to shrink down the usable space of an adult-size wire crate.

Bitter Apple – A taste deterrent spray you can apply to items you don’t want puppy to chew. For example, if you baby gate the puppy in the kitchen, you can spray the cabinets, etc. if you think he might chew them while you’re at work. Don’t let puppy see you spray the items. Bitter Apple and similar deterrent sprays are available in most pet stores. You can also try using the original yellow Listerine (or generic brand) in a spray bottle.

Nature’s Miracle – Great for thoroughly cleaning up pet stains. Also available at most pet stores.

[Admin Edit: Added referenced links and updated formatting for ease of reading.]
 
See less See more
#83 ·
Here is the List!

Here is the list, I grabbed it from Archive.org (it stores website snapshots), if you can't open ZIP files, here is the text from the article:

==================================

Toys, toys and more toys! -- A puppy should have at least 15 different toys. Only keep about five down at a time and rotate which five toys are down every few days. This keeps things interesting for the puppy. Get a variety of toys – soft toys, rubber toys, toys that squeak, toys that rattle, toys that bounce, etc. Be careful with stuffed toys – some dogs like to “un-stuff” them and spread stuffing around the house! Online sites like Pet Edge and King Wholesale are great sources for inexpensive toys and other products. Keep the toys handy. Whenever puppy starts to chew an inappropriate object, calmly substitute a toy and praise him for correctly redirecting his energy.
KONG – A super durable, red rubber hollow toy. Great for stuffing with treats. A dog can spend a long time “working a KONG” to lick out all the good stuff. A quick search down the toy isle of any major pet store will reveal several other similar toys designed to hold kibble and treats. You can even feed a puppy his entire meal out of a KONG or similar toy. Not only will this keep him happily busy for a fixed period of time, he'll also be using his brain to problem-solve!
Appropriate Chew Toys – Puppies and dogs need to chew. As puppies, it's part of the teething process and in adolescent and adult dogs, recreational chewing can relieve boredom and stress. The trick is to teach puppy to prefer chewing appropriate items. Durable Nylabones are a wonderful choice. They come in different flavors, shapes and sizes. They also make a softer puppy version – but it’s not recommended for aggressive chewers. I like to limit the amount of rawhide products. It's often highly processed and can be difficult for some dogs to digest. Dogs can even choke on a chewed-off piece of a rawhide bone.
Sterilized Hollow Bones – Like the KONG, you can stuff treats inside the bone or smear a little peanut butter or cream cheese inside one end of the bone. Most dogs even like to chew an empty bone, too. Look for bones that are “clean” on the inside – meaning, they are free of the honeycomb texture, etc. A peanut butter filled hollow bone makes a GREAT puppy pacifier – and who can resist a dog with peanut butter breath! Try preparing in advance and freezing the peanut butter bone for a cool summer treat that takes longer to eat.
Bully Sticks -- I've yet to meet a puppy who wouldn't happily settle down and chew a bully stick! Bully sticks are made from, are you ready for this? Dried bull penis! Yes, it sounds gross, but the good news is that it's completely safe for canine consumption and a Bully Stick seems to be the ultimate in pooch pacifier for most dogs. Unlike Durable Nylabones and hollow bones, bully sticks can be completely consumed by dogs. Be sure to supervise your dog with any chew product and discard it when it becomes small enough to present a choking hazard.
Pressure Mount Baby Gate – Great for creating a “puppy safe” area in your kitchen or laundry room. Target, Wal-Mart, etc. sells wooden gates with see-though wire mesh for under $25. If your dog is bigger than “toy” size, we recommend the 32” gate. Most dogs can easily be taught not to jump over a baby gate, even if they're physically capable of doing so. Contact a local trainer if you need help with this behavior.
X-Pen – An X-pen works much like a play- pen for a human child. When you can’t directly supervise puppy, he can go in his X-pen with toys and a nice bone to chew. While in the X-pen, he can’t get to your fancy Persian rug, so it’s impossible for him to chew on it when you’re not looking!
Dog CrateGreat for creating a special, private “room” for your dog. Dogs are den animals and appreciate having a secure place to “den up.” A crate is a wonderful, safe place to put the puppy when he cannot be directly supervised and at night for sleeping. It’s also great for traveling – wherever you go, you can take your dog’s room with you! Crate training a puppy also helps with house training because a dog will instinctively not want to soil its den, so he will whine and bark to let you know he has to “go,” giving you the opportunity to take him outside and reward him for “going” in the proper place. Crates come in three styles: plastic, wire and soft-sided. Soft-sided crates are not recommended for puppies due to their tendency to chew whatever they can reach! When choosing a puppy crate, make sure it's just big enough for the puppy to go in, turn around and lie down. Any bigger and puppy may potty at one end and nap at the other. Many wire crate manufacturers now offer a divider panel that can be used to shrink down the usable space of an adult-size wire crate.
Bitter Apple – A taste deterrent spray you can apply to items you don’t want puppy to chew. For example, if you baby gate the puppy in the kitchen, you can spray the cabinets, etc. if you think he might chew them while you’re at work. Don’t let puppy see you spray the items. Bitter Apple and similar deterrent sprays are available in most pet stores. You can also try using the original yellow Listerine (or generic brand) in a spray bottle.
Nature’s Miracle – Great for thoroughly cleaning up pet stains. Also available at most pet stores.
 

Attachments

#88 ·
Allergy WildCard !

Pooch or Pedigree ..

DOGs Suffer from [ Enviro ] Allergies TOO 

If You could …

STOP the Puppy [ Allergy ] Itch Before It Itches !

Would You ?

Pre-Emptively place your Best Friend on the Path to a Lifetime of Immune Health & Tolerance to Enviro Allergy Sources with Doggy GOO.

Pre-Emptively STOP Enviro Allergy Itch Before it Itches !

80+% of our Allergy DOGs = Allergy to the Same Enviro Elements as Us Humans.

While not often discussed, some of our most popular Breeds i.e Labs, Golden's, Terriers, Bully and others are Genetically PreDisposed to a higher incidence of Enviro Allergy than their other 30% incidence peers.

Atopy / Allergy to Enviro Allergens i.e. Pollens, Mites & Molds are Mis-Wired into a Dog’s Immune System and typically manifest at 9 mo – 3 Yr.

Symptoms typically include: Paw Chewing, Constant Itching, Licking, Skin & ear Issues.

Allergy MED’s only Mask Symptoms, have nasty Side-Effects and by suppressing the “Allergy Itch “ suppress the entire Immune system making the Animal Vulnerable to Secondary Health Issues …

Immuno-Allergy SHOTs Do Work, but are Costly and Pet Owner Administered SHOTs are not Pet or Pet Parent Friendly.

To address this suffering Canine population, Veterinary Dermatologist Dr. Kristin Holm has formulated Doggy GOO.

But while Doggy GOO sounds Cute & Playful, it is ALL Vet Dermatologist Business, especially when it comes to Fighting Enviro Allergies.

Whether You have an Allergy Stressed Dog..

Or…

Wish to Pre-Emptively build Immune Tolerance in your Puppy before Allergy has a chance to become Entrenched ..

Pls consider 100% Natural, GOO-Licious Doggy GOO.

Fight Itchy Enviro Allergies DVM Derm Naturally !
 
#93 ·
Here's the info again from this thread-


Toys, toys and more toys! -- A puppy should have at least 15 different toys. Only keep about five down at a time and rotate which five toys are down every few days. This keeps things interesting for the puppy. Get a variety of toys – soft toys, rubber toys, toys that squeak, toys that rattle, toys that bounce, etc. Be careful with stuffed toys – some dogs like to “un-stuff” them and spread stuffing around the house! Online sites like Pet Edge and King Wholesale are great sources for inexpensive toys and other products. Keep the toys handy. Whenever puppy starts to chew an inappropriate object, calmly substitute a toy and praise him for correctly redirecting his energy.
KONG – A super durable, red rubber hollow toy. Great for stuffing with treats. A dog can spend a long time “working a KONG” to lick out all the good stuff. A quick search down the toy isle of any major pet store will reveal several other similar toys designed to hold kibble and treats. You can even feed a puppy his entire meal out of a KONG or similar toy. Not only will this keep him happily busy for a fixed period of time, he'll also be using his brain to problem-solve!
Appropriate Chew Toys – Puppies and dogs need to chew. As puppies, it's part of the teething process and in adolescent and adult dogs, recreational chewing can relieve boredom and stress. The trick is to teach puppy to prefer chewing appropriate items. Durable Nylabones are a wonderful choice. They come in different flavors, shapes and sizes. They also make a softer puppy version – but it’s not recommended for aggressive chewers. I like to limit the amount of rawhide products. It's often highly processed and can be difficult for some dogs to digest. Dogs can even choke on a chewed-off piece of a rawhide bone.
Sterilized Hollow Bones – Like the KONG, you can stuff treats inside the bone or smear a little peanut butter or cream cheese inside one end of the bone. Most dogs even like to chew an empty bone, too. Look for bones that are “clean” on the inside – meaning, they are free of the honeycomb texture, etc. A peanut butter filled hollow bone makes a GREAT puppy pacifier – and who can resist a dog with peanut butter breath! Try preparing in advance and freezing the peanut butter bone for a cool summer treat that takes longer to eat.
Bully Sticks -- I've yet to meet a puppy who wouldn't happily settle down and chew a bully stick! Bully sticks are made from, are you ready for this? Dried bull penis! Yes, it sounds gross, but the good news is that it's completely safe for canine consumption and a Bully Stick seems to be the ultimate in pooch pacifier for most dogs. Unlike Durable Nylabones and hollow bones, bully sticks can be completely consumed by dogs. Be sure to supervise your dog with any chew product and discard it when it becomes small enough to present a choking hazard.
Pressure Mount Baby Gate – Great for creating a “puppy safe” area in your kitchen or laundry room. Target, Wal-Mart, etc. sells wooden gates with see-though wire mesh for under $25. If your dog is bigger than “toy” size, we recommend the 32” gate. Most dogs can easily be taught not to jump over a baby gate, even if they're physically capable of doing so. Contact a local trainer if you need help with this behavior.
X-Pen – An X-pen works much like a play- pen for a human child. When you can’t directly supervise puppy, he can go in his X-pen with toys and a nice bone to chew. While in the X-pen, he can’t get to your fancy Persian rug, so it’s impossible for him to chew on it when you’re not looking!
Dog Crate – Great for creating a special, private “room” for your dog. Dogs are den animals and appreciate having a secure place to “den up.” A crate is a wonderful, safe place to put the puppy when he cannot be directly supervised and at night for sleeping. It’s also great for traveling – wherever you go, you can take your dog’s room with you! Crate training a puppy also helps with house training because a dog will instinctively not want to soil its den, so he will whine and bark to let you know he has to “go,” giving you the opportunity to take him outside and reward him for “going” in the proper place. Crates come in three styles: plastic, wire and soft-sided. Soft-sided crates are not recommended for puppies due to their tendency to chew whatever they can reach! When choosing a puppy crate, make sure it's just big enough for the puppy to go in, turn around and lie down. Any bigger and puppy may potty at one end and nap at the other. Many wire crate manufacturers now offer a divider panel that can be used to shrink down the usable space of an adult-size wire crate.
Bitter Apple – A taste deterrent spray you can apply to items you don’t want puppy to chew. For example, if you baby gate the puppy in the kitchen, you can spray the cabinets, etc. if you think he might chew them while you’re at work. Don’t let puppy see you spray the items. Bitter Apple and similar deterrent sprays are available in most pet stores. You can also try using the original yellow Listerine (or generic brand) in a spray bottle.
Nature’s Miracle – Great for thoroughly cleaning up pet stains. Also available at most pet stores.
 
#99 · (Edited)
I re-posted the info-

Here's the info again from this thread-


Toys, toys and more toys! -- A puppy should have at least 15 different toys. Only keep about five down at a time and rotate which five toys are down every few days. This keeps things interesting for the puppy. Get a variety of toys – soft toys, rubber toys, toys that squeak, toys that rattle, toys that bounce, etc. Be careful with stuffed toys – some dogs like to “un-stuff” them and spread stuffing around the house! Online sites like Pet Edge and King Wholesale are great sources for inexpensive toys and other products. Keep the toys handy. Whenever puppy starts to chew an inappropriate object, calmly substitute a toy and praise him for correctly redirecting his energy.

KONG – A super durable, red rubber hollow toy. Great for stuffing with treats. A dog can spend a long time “working a KONG” to lick out all the good stuff. A quick search down the toy isle of any major pet store will reveal several other similar toys designed to hold kibble and treats. You can even feed a puppy his entire meal out of a KONG or similar toy. Not only will this keep him happily busy for a fixed period of time, he'll also be using his brain to problem-solve!

Appropriate Chew Toys – Puppies and dogs need to chew. As puppies, it's part of the teething process and in adolescent and adult dogs, recreational chewing can relieve boredom and stress. The trick is to teach puppy to prefer chewing appropriate items. Durable Nylabones are a wonderful choice. They come in different flavors, shapes and sizes. They also make a softer puppy version – but it’s not recommended for aggressive chewers. I like to limit the amount of rawhide products. It's often highly processed and can be difficult for some dogs to digest. Dogs can even choke on a chewed-off piece of a rawhide bone.

Sterilized Hollow Bones – Like the KONG, you can stuff treats inside the bone or smear a little peanut butter or cream cheese inside one end of the bone. Most dogs even like to chew an empty bone, too. Look for bones that are “clean” on the inside – meaning, they are free of the honeycomb texture, etc. A peanut butter filled hollow bone makes a GREAT puppy pacifier – and who can resist a dog with peanut butter breath! Try preparing in advance and freezing the peanut butter bone for a cool summer treat that takes longer to eat.

Bully Sticks -- I've yet to meet a puppy who wouldn't happily settle down and chew a bully stick! Bully sticks are made from, are you ready for this? Dried bull penis! Yes, it sounds gross, but the good news is that it's completely safe for canine consumption and a Bully Stick seems to be the ultimate in pooch pacifier for most dogs. Unlike Durable Nylabones and hollow bones, bully sticks can be completely consumed by dogs. Be sure to supervise your dog with any chew product and discard it when it becomes small enough to present a choking hazard.

Pressure Mount Baby Gate – Great for creating a “puppy safe” area in your kitchen or laundry room. Target, Wal-Mart, etc. sells wooden gates with see-though wire mesh for under $25. If your dog is bigger than “toy” size, we recommend the 32” gate. Most dogs can easily be taught not to jump over a baby gate, even if they're physically capable of doing so. Contact a local trainer if you need help with this behavior.

X-Pen – An X-pen works much like a play- pen for a human child. When you can’t directly supervise puppy, he can go in his X-pen with toys and a nice bone to chew. While in the X-pen, he can’t get to your fancy Persian rug, so it’s impossible for him to chew on it when you’re not looking!

Dog Crate – Great for creating a special, private “room” for your dog. Dogs are den animals and appreciate having a secure place to “den up.” A crate is a wonderful, safe place to put the puppy when he cannot be directly supervised and at night for sleeping. It’s also great for traveling – wherever you go, you can take your dog’s room with you! Crate training a puppy also helps with house training because a dog will instinctively not want to soil its den, so he will whine and bark to let you know he has to “go,” giving you the opportunity to take him outside and reward him for “going” in the proper place. Crates come in three styles: plastic, wire and soft-sided. Soft-sided crates are not recommended for puppies due to their tendency to chew whatever they can reach! When choosing a puppy crate, make sure it's just big enough for the puppy to go in, turn around and lie down. Any bigger and puppy may potty at one end and nap at the other. Many wire crate manufacturers now offer a divider panel that can be used to shrink down the usable space of an adult-size wire crate.

Bitter Apple – A taste deterrent spray you can apply to items you don’t want puppy to chew. For example, if you baby gate the puppy in the kitchen, you can spray the cabinets, etc. if you think he might chew them while you’re at work. Don’t let puppy see you spray the items. Bitter Apple and similar deterrent sprays are available in most pet stores. You can also try using the original yellow Listerine (or generic brand) in a spray bottle.

Nature’s Miracle – Great for thoroughly cleaning up pet stains. Also available at most pet stores.
 
#100 ·
GARAGE SALES! Tons of plushies for sale, just throw them in a sanitary load of wash before you let puppy play (remove any eyes, plastic noses, tags or other pieces puppy could chew off and choke on). I got this tip from a vet tech at our vet's office and am keeping my eyes peeled after spending a couple hundred at Petsmart.

Speaking of Petsmart though, they do have $1-3 toys at the checkout. We got a great durable frisbee for $2 there and a couple of good quality plushies that he really loves.

Sidenote: I wish I would have found this thread the day we adopted him, we got a lot of these tips from our neighbor who has an 11 yr old Golden. He says they always have boxes of plushies available for her and she loves to just carry them around in her mouth. Our boy Max is the same at only 4 mos old, has been since we got him!
 
#101 ·
Hi All,

Yesterday, I published an article online that is my sort of "Top Ten" list for positive puppy products -- a list of things that I wouldn't dare try to raise a puppy without. I thought perhaps it might be helpful to the puppy owners here on the forum, so I'm sharing the link in case anyone is interested. You can find the aticle here:

The Latest on AXS

Thanks for looking!

Kindly,
Stephanie
Tried to open link and it took me to an entertainment site...
 
#105 ·
I am in Ocala and recently lost my Buddy to lymphoma. Looking for a puppy or young golden to be my companion. Any suggestions?
Hi and welcome to the forum, so sorry for the loss of your pup. I will move your post to the Main Discussion forum so more members will be able help and advise you. I hope you find a new companion to help heal your heart soon.
 
#106 ·
This is a great list! Thanks so much!
 
#107 ·
Toys, toys and more toys! -- A puppy should have at least 15 different toys. Only keep about five down at a time and rotate which five toys are down every few days. This keeps things interesting for the puppy. Get a variety of toys – soft toys, rubber toys, toys that squeak, toys that rattle, toys that bounce, etc. Be careful with stuffed toys – some dogs like to “un-stuff” them and spread stuffing around the house! Online sites like Pet Edge and King Wholesale are great sources for inexpensive toys and other products. Keep the toys handy. Whenever puppy starts to chew an inappropriate object, calmly substitute a toy and praise him for correctly redirecting his energy.
KONG – A super durable, red rubber hollow toy. Great for stuffing with treats. A dog can spend a long time “working a KONG” to lick out all the good stuff. A quick search down the toy isle of any major pet store will reveal several other similar toys designed to hold kibble and treats. You can even feed a puppy his entire meal out of a KONG or similar toy. Not only will this keep him happily busy for a fixed period of time, he'll also be using his brain to problem-solve!
Appropriate Chew Toys – Puppies and dogs need to chew. As puppies, it's part of the teething process and in adolescent and adult dogs, recreational chewing can relieve boredom and stress. The trick is to teach puppy to prefer chewing appropriate items. Durable Nylabones are a wonderful choice. They come in different flavors, shapes and sizes. They also make a softer puppy version – but it’s not recommended for aggressive chewers. I like to limit the amount of rawhide products. It's often highly processed and can be difficult for some dogs to digest. Dogs can even choke on a chewed-off piece of a rawhide bone.
Sterilized Hollow Bones – Like the KONG, you can stuff treats inside the bone or smear a little peanut butter or cream cheese inside one end of the bone. Most dogs even like to chew an empty bone, too. Look for bones that are “clean” on the inside – meaning, they are free of the honeycomb texture, etc. A peanut butter filled hollow bone makes a GREAT puppy pacifier – and who can resist a dog with peanut butter breath! Try preparing in advance and freezing the peanut butter bone for a cool summer treat that takes longer to eat.
Bully Sticks -- I've yet to meet a puppy who wouldn't happily settle down and chew a bully stick! Bully sticks are made from, are you ready for this? Dried bull penis! Yes, it sounds gross, but the good news is that it's completely safe for canine consumption and a Bully Stick seems to be the ultimate in pooch pacifier for most dogs. Unlike Durable Nylabones and hollow bones, bully sticks can be completely consumed by dogs. Be sure to supervise your dog with any chew product and discard it when it becomes small enough to present a choking hazard.
Pressure Mount Baby Gate – Great for creating a “puppy safe” area in your kitchen or laundry room. Target, Wal-Mart, etc. sells wooden gates with see-though wire mesh for under $25. If your dog is bigger than “toy” size, we recommend the 32” gate. Most dogs can easily be taught not to jump over a baby gate, even if they're physically capable of doing so. Contact a local trainer if you need help with this behavior.
X-Pen – An X-pen works much like a play- pen for a human child. When you can’t directly supervise puppy, he can go in his X-pen with toys and a nice bone to chew. While in the X-pen, he can’t get to your fancy Persian rug, so it’s impossible for him to chew on it when you’re not looking!
Dog Crate – Great for creating a special, private “room” for your dog. Dogs are den animals and appreciate having a secure place to “den up.” A crate is a wonderful, safe place to put the puppy when he cannot be directly supervised and at night for sleeping. It’s also great for traveling – wherever you go, you can take your dog’s room with you! Crate training a puppy also helps with house training because a dog will instinctively not want to soil its den, so he will whine and bark to let you know he has to “go,” giving you the opportunity to take him outside and reward him for “going” in the proper place. Crates come in three styles: plastic, wire and soft-sided. Soft-sided crates are not recommended for puppies due to their tendency to chew whatever they can reach! When choosing a puppy crate, make sure it's just big enough for the puppy to go in, turn around and lie down. Any bigger and puppy may potty at one end and nap at the other. Many wire crate manufacturers now offer a divider panel that can be used to shrink down the usable space of an adult-size wire crate.
Bitter Apple – A taste deterrent spray you can apply to items you don’t want puppy to chew. For example, if you baby gate the puppy in the kitchen, you can spray the cabinets, etc. if you think he might chew them while you’re at work. Don’t let puppy see you spray the items. Bitter Apple and similar deterrent sprays are available in most pet stores. You can also try using the original yellow Listerine (or generic brand) in a spray bottle.
Nature’s Miracle – Great for thoroughly cleaning up pet stains. Also available at most pet stores. This is priceless info for new puppy owners! Thanks again!
 
  • Like
Reactions: BPell55
#108 ·
This thread saved my life! Before Maya came home I thought I had it all... thankfully I read through this list and got all of these important items. I especially recommend getting an x-pen! We have ours set up at the doorway to the kitchen. Maya can play to her heart's content in the kitchen when we are busy with our other duties in the living room, but can still look through the x-pen to see where we are, or let us know when she needs to more dedicated play time. She also has access to her "potty bell" at the front door to let us know when it is time for a potty break.
 
Top