Now we've all been bending her ear with our advice, but as anyone about to get a pup knows, the choosing all the goodies to buy before you get the dog is often just so thrilling you've got an endless appetite for browsing!
So the first topic we're looking for your input on is...
Have you found any brilliant national companies that can make your garden dog-proof? Or any DIY solutions for filling in gaps? We've got a pond and twice Oscar fell in as a pup, so sometimes it isn't just your boundaries you need to examine. If you've got too many hazards what will it cost to erect a secure run so your dog can be off lead at home without constant supervision? Or how about an outdoor puppy play pen or temporary fencing? Where do you get yours from? And stair gates? What's the best for little pups so they can't squeeze through.Safety – enclosing your garden, building a secure run, containing your dog in the house.
Also, a little tiny pup can sometimes wriggle under gates. Any temporary devices to get you over the really tiny phase safely?
Any other safety tips generally? How did you puppy-proof your house?
Beverley Cuddy, Editor
Katrina Stevens, Kesyra German Shepherds, says...
I have 2/3 acre of garden and I have used stock fencing with chicken wire at the bottom to stop small pups getting through, which I buy from the local farm suppliers. Having said that, I wouldn't leave a small pup to his or her own devices in the whole area, as I have a pond and lots of shrubs. I have a grass run fenced as above which is approximately 5 metres x 15 metres with a willow tree for shade. This gives small pups plenty of room to romp and play without constant supervision, but I do have to keep an eye out for them digging! I also have a large puppy pen, 3-4 feet high from Doghealth (K6) on the patio, which is partly shaded and I have bought extra panels so that is large enough for the pups' needs. http://www.doghealth.co.uk/puppy.htm.
My stair gates were from Argos, although for small pups I tend to use the playpens. The ones I have are Crufts Freedom playpens, but Doghealth do a similar one (K700), which I think is a little cheaper.
Dorothy Cullum, GSD Information Group, says...
A puppy will always want to relieve itself after it wakes, when it plays or feeds just like a baby. I always advise that one accompanies the pup to the garden for toilet training, this is how one gets a puppy who continues to be clean to co-operative, this is also a chance for bonding as well.
One has to remember a good breeder has already started this procedure of toilet training with a phrase or word to help with this very important exercise. One can reward with a titbit or play after one has seen it perform. Basic exercises can also be taught and encouraged at this point - getting used to the collar and lead, the basic come and sit. No stress and plenty of fun.
Have a base in each room the pup is allowed into so that he knows where he may find his bed and always have a reward ready for him. It is important to place hands on so the pup is not wary of being touched.
Do not encourage stair climbing this is not advisable for your growing pet. A child gate is a good item to install to prevent this happening.
Most breeders will play a radio in a puppy-pen, continue to do this when you are not present.
Gail Gwesyn-Pryce, Dogs Today GSD Advisor, says...
Dogs really shouldn't be left outside on their own without supervision, always go with your puppy to teach them where and when to relieve themselves, to make sure they don't eat plants that could be poisonous and of course to bond with them. If you are supplying an outside run make sure the mesh is small enough so that a head cannot get stuck.
My house is puppy proofed by never leaving a puppy loose in the house, always using the indoor kennel even if it is just to go to the bathroom! Baby gates are useful initially but my GSD puppies soon learn to get over them, sometimes as early as six weeks - but they are working GSDs with bags of brain! With an indoor kennel it is also possible to housetrain within 24 hours.
Excellent topic! Here are just a few ideas.
ReplyDeleteI never scrimp on secure fencing, costly, but necessary. It's worth checking for poisonous plants too (a google search can tell you which ones to look out for). A cost saving measure to prevent dogs digging under the fence is to attach chicken wire to the bottom of wooden fences and bury it into the ground, rather like rabbit fencing. Alternatively long, concrete edging panels can be dug into the bases of fencing. These make a great and 'easy to fit' way of preventing puppy getting underneath - you can even stain the blocks with fence paint (pet safe type, of course). I look after a lot of puppies and small dogs in the home boarding part of my work, so indoors I always have a puppy playpen, a crate and a couple of stairgates. The stairgates are the tall variety (Lindam) that have narrower rails. However you may still need to put a board or chicken wire across the base at first. The other stairgate is to avoid 'door dashing' habits forming. Puppy can come out and socialise when I am around, which is extremely important. When I am not around, puppy is protected from all the household dangers.
This may sounds like overkill but with a busy life and children leaving doors open at times, I like to make certain.
I buy all my supplies from ebay as they are highly competitively priced and delivered to your door. Very handy.
Lastly never underestimate the dangers of dangling electrical wiring. I am often called out to help where a puppy has nibbled through phone cables, laptop cables and even mains electrical cables!
And don't forget the car! I saw something about a super new dog guard that was crash-tested but haven't seen it advertised anywhere for ages. Frightens the life out of me what might happen if someone runs into the back of my car on the motorway - what if the tail gate pops up? Unthinkable! This Swedish one looked really safe. Anyone know who makes it?
ReplyDeleteJanet
For puppy-pen and proofing I stole an idea from a rabbit forum!
ReplyDeleteBear with me here...
Rabbit people make what they call "NIC condos", which are cages made from a shelving unit called "Neat Ideas Cubes" (google it). These shelves are just squares of metal mesh which are fixed together with connectors to makes shelves.
Or fixed together with cable ties to make rabbit cages/runs.
I found some similar type shelves in B&Q and turned them into a puppy run and then into a crate as puppy turned into a dog! A lot cheaper than anything you'll find in the pet stores, changeable for your specific situation and just as safe.
The squares can also be used to block off cables or areas you don't want your puppy getting in to. They can be made into a stair gate. Or they could even be used as shelves!
However I don't see the shelves on the B&Q website anymore so this comment may be utterly useless...
An essential item for keeping your new puppy secure in one place is the Bettacare Walk through Pet Gate which fits stairs and door openings up to 150cm wide. Easy to fit and to operate it is designed for indoor use. See www.bettacare.co.uk
ReplyDeleteI followed Ian Dunbar's excellent advice in his book Before and After Getting Your Puppy and it made everything so much easier.
ReplyDeleteThis involved getting a crate and following his recommended schedule of taking the puppy out for toilet breaks and for play and socialising, then putting it back for sleeping/quiet times, with a stuffed kong to chew.
I put the crate beside my bed to start with and got up several times during the night to take the puppy out, then cut down the number of toilet breaks gradually until the puppy could last all night.
She had only one accident in her crate.
It's really wonderful, this method, because it means you haven't got a puppy trailing around after you when you want to do the ironing or let the plumber in and the puppy gets used to being in the crate when you go to another room, which stops them getting separation anxiety later on. Obviously, it's best to have the crate most of the time in a busy place, like the kitchen, so they get used to noise and people coming and going.
And when they are having time out of the crate, you can, having taken them to the toilet, of course, have a lovely time playing or socialising them - but not for so long that you wear them out.
What is also good is that they get enough sleep (they do need lots), they are safe and not chewing things they shouldn't, and they really benefit from the regularity of the schedule.
I dispensed with the crate when my puppy got bigger but I am so pleased that she doesn't suffer from separation anxiety and rarely chews anything she shouldn't.
I couldn't recommend this more. It's much better than buying any special fencing for the garden, because most puppies want to be where you are, not outside on their own.
But you need to read the book because there are so many helpful hints in it, especially on the importance of handling your puppy and getting it used to having its paws/ears/teeth inspected.
Julia Lewis