Puppy Preparation!

THE BIG DAY IS ABOUT TO ARRIVE!!!

NOW WHAT?

Below is a list of preparation suggestions that you will want to check out, everything from training preparation, food, vitamins and supplies to a suggested schedule for house training success with your new puppy.

TRAINING

We recommend BAXTER & Bella!

Pretty much, this is your one-stop place for everything that has to do with training your new puppy. There are classes both on demand and livestream online, unlimited one-on-one trainer coaching, a gazillion how-to-videos, printable charts, checklists, etc. It is one price for a lifetime of unlimited access.

USE THE CODE: GH25 for a 25% discount

You can learn more about who they are, what they offer and how to get started by visiting: https://www.baxterandbella.com/learn-more

Or simply watch their overview video by clicking on the following quick link (Such a cute family): https://youtu.be/VdbrmycYiNM

GROOMING

A clean, well-cared for dog is a loved dog. Daily brush your dog’s fur. Daily brush your dog’s teeth. Daily remove any eye discharge from under the eye. Groom your dog about every 6 weeks including fur trims, nail trims and as your dog gets older, be sure to not let any hair build up inside of the ear canal.

SUPPLY IDEAS

Crate – 24” https://amzn.to/3MjNPtj https://amzn.to/3xHDlzU http://amzn.to/2T3CcB0
Plastic crates https://amzn.to/3jXrsxM
Travel crates (check with both your domestic and international airlines first) https://amzn.to/3McOv3Q https://amzn.to/3MmBYLb https://amzn.to/36zQT5B https://amzn.to/3jXsZnw
Crate bed (for later – size 23 x 18) http://amzn.to/36nAmht http://amzn.to/3jW6IYy
Crate cover or blanket http://amzn.to/3hpIXGC
Bed for outside the crate https://amzn.to/3xZGdsn https://amzn.to/3v2xB1Z
Snuggle Puppy/Heartbeat Stuffed Toy Sleep Aids https://amzn.to/3MiVKqX https://amzn.to/3Eyeyjj https://amzn.to/3hRazDE
Puppy pads – small https://amzn.to/3BeQ7Em medium https://amzn.to/3b6gCRP
Dog food (ideally at least 30% protein & 20% fat) We highly recommend Proplan Sport All Life Stages. It is the best we have found for our pregnant mommies, puppies and all of our dogs through their life stages. https://amzn.to/3jAwbWs or Proplan Puppy https://amzn.to/3e3djfT
Adult & Puppy Vitamins: NuVet is very high quality & we love them! We noticed a difference right away when we started using them. NuVet Plus
Adult & Puppy Preventative Hip and Joint Care: Again, very high quality & we love these vitamins! NuVet Joint Plus
Optional Adult Dental health supplements Grin | Dental Soft Chew Supplement For Dogs
Water and food bowl https://amzn.to/3LBDDNe
Toothpaste (brush daily) https://amzn.to/2VvpcoJ
Waste bags https://amzn.to/36o6scT
Heartworm (from your veterinarian) – We have always used Heartguard as it is safe for pregnant mommies, puppies and all life stages
Flea & Tick – We have always used Frontline as it is safe for pregnant mommies, puppies and all life stages https://amzn.to/3KUZdvn https://amzn.to/3jXNWi1
Tick removal tools – https://amzn.to/3jPB11B https://amzn.to/3KVWkuB https://amzn.to/3Oyp1A3
Gates to confine depending on the size you need these are good ones https://amzn.to/36s9Qn8 https://amzn.to/3r18rNS free standing gates https://amzn.to/3AKrJLG https://amzn.to/3AKrJLG
Playpen https://amzn.to/3s87WmH
Puppy harness and leash SIZE SMALL ADULTS / X-SMALL PUPPIES 2VshVpK https://amzn.to/3fDIYFE https://amzn.to/3k1rHsX https://amzn.to/3APTanA https://amzn.to/3k7waKR
Puppy lightweight slip leads https://amzn.to/3BdlsHs https://amzn.to/3b74jEz
Treats to train with (the fresh dog food logs are great to cut up into eraser size pieces – you can locate them in the refrigerated section of the dogfood area too) https://amzn.to/2TT1uSK https://amzn.to/3k0VDFv
Carpet cleaner for the accidents https://amzn.to/3ekjJYr https://amzn.to/3ekj3ST
Porch Potty – We love this for rainy days and balconies! It is also a great way for puppies to potty train outside with. https://amzn.to/39c5bud https://amzn.to/3KaDMFO
Slicker brush https://amzn.to/3k1xK0D
Metal Comb https://amzn.to/3hrQdBF
Fine-toothed metal comb for face & ears https://amzn.to/3AOhkyL
Ear cleaner https://amzn.to/3e300vV
Eye tear stain cleaner https://amzn.to/36sdfSF
Small toys (most stuffed dog toys are a choking and ingestion hazard so be careful) https://amzn.to/3rZPE7g https://amzn.to/3uV5QZc https://amzn.to/385c93y https://amzn.to/3EqbK7P https://amzn.to/3JPQ0Dj https://amzn.to/3KYxNoG
Kongs https://amzn.to/3wuhoAe https://amzn.to/3hO48B8
Chewing aids https://amzn.to/36rwCPB https://amzn.to/3jABoO0 https://amzn.to/3EcYkL4 https://amzn.to/3manjZl
Door training bell https://amzn.to/3EBBK0f https://amzn.to/3EyLo3z
Bitter apple spray https://amzn.to/3k1DcR9
Shampoo & conditioner https://amzn.to/3k3mMaW
Bathing faucet sprayer https://amzn.to/37uViY3 https://amzn.to/3LhvMUs
Nail clippers – the cat kind that look like child’s scissors https://amzn.to/36nDmu4
Dog grooming kit https://amzn.to/3r0PkTZ
Professional straight shears https://amzn.to/3hvi6ca
Professional curved scissors https://amzn.to/3qZA9dx
Professional blending shears https://amzn.to/3ALEwNQ
Set https://amzn.to/3AOYZ4i
Professional dryer (quieter than most and super fast drying) https://amzn.to/2VvwqJn
Grooming table https://amzn.to/3wukVhY
For a bit of glam check out Baxter Boo https://www.baxterboo.com/shop-for-dogs.cfm/
For Custom Dog Portraits there are many good artists on Etsy ranging from everything cute, to whimsical to traditional.

Strandholm Havanese is an Amazon Associate and earns a small amount from qualifying purchases.

CRATE TRAINING/HOUSETRAINING

The absolute fastest and most effective way to housetrain your new puppy is consistency with a crate, a schedule and a chosen potty spot. Have a family meeting and make sure everyone in your family is on the same page and knows how this is going to be done.

The crate is so useful because as den animals, dogs love their crates and see them as a place of safety and security. They do not want to soil their space so they will hold it as long as they can, which is perfect for training. They are also primed to learn habits right now (both good AND bad) so let the good ones be carefully, consistently built and don’t even give the chance for a bad habit to form.

An 8-week-old puppy is on an approximate 90-minute cycle. They naturally wake up, go potty, play, go potty, eat, go back to sleep and start all over again. This is what we use to housetrain. It is possible to train your puppy with no accidents!

THE BEST HOUSETRAINING PLAN

Put your puppy in the crate with a treat or their meal. They will eat and fall asleep. Set the timer for 60-90 minutes – if they wake up earlier proceed to step #2
Get puppy out of the crate, put the leash on and go to the designated potty spot
Stand still. Tell them to “go potty” and just wait. As soon as puppy is finished offer praise. Wait again just in case they need to go #2
Playtime inside for 15-30 minutes completely supervised or on a leash with you. This is a critical. The key point to understand in all of this is that if they are allowed ANY time alone it is very likely they will sneak off and potty inside. This is so bad because it immediately creates the pathway in their little brains to a habit.
Potty time again like step #3
Start all over with step #1

and That’s how it’s done!

Kong Ideas:

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the inside of the Kong. Insert a large apple piece inside.
Spread a thin layer of canned food on the inside of the Kong. Put a teaspoon of crumbled bacon on the bottom. Add a hotdog or sausages cut very small, the size of a pencil eraser. Next dry treats or kibble. Top off with cream cheese, peanut butter or canned food. Freeze for an hour. You can even make these in bulk so they are ready to go.

There are many recipes for Kongs. Have fun with it.

Be careful with peanut butter to be unsweetened or only sweetened with sugar. Some have artificial sweeteners added that are harmful to our little dogs.

If you have to be away longer, give them a couple of Kongs to keep occupied.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE:

Morning:

6 AM Potty: Take puppy out of crate for potty time. Say “go potty” (or whatever you have chosen). Stand still at the spot but don’t look straight at them. Let them sniff around and go. If they stand and stare at you or play with the leash, walk around a little. Immediately when done offer praise. Give little more time for going potty #2.

Play: Supervised indoor play

Breakfast in crate: After 15 minutes remove the dish to both prevent picky eating and to regulate poo times

Nap: You can place a Kong or chew toy in the crate to entertain them

9 AM Potty, Play, Water in crate & chew toy, Nap

Afternoon:

12 PM Potty (give time for both ways), Training, Lunch in crate, Nap

3 PM Potty, Play, Water in crate & chew toy, Nap

Evening:

6 PM Potty (give time for both ways), Training, Dinner in crate, Nap

9 PM Potty, Play, Bedtime & chew toy

Tips:

Puppies have one long period overnight where they can hold their bladders longer than they can during the day, giving you a good night’s sleep.

Know the signs they are getting ready to potty inside – pacing, turning in circles, sniffing, trying to sneak away…and be ready to take them out when you see this behavior. If you catch them in the act, say “NO,” immediately take them to the potty spot and praise them if they finish out there. Never scold them after the fact – sorry, but it was your fault for either not picking up the signals, not keeping your eye on them or not sticking to the schedule.