BRINGING YOUR PUPPY HOME
Written by Beth Downey
Amity Hall Boxers
Q: I’m bringing home a new puppy soon! Is there anything I need to do to get ready?
A: Yes! A puppy means a big change in your life and you are in fact bringing home a new baby so it is very important that you are prepared for the new arrival. Taking time now to plan and get things in order will help to ensure you a well adjusted happy boxer from puppyhood into those wonderful gray faced years.
ARTICLE CONTENTS:
Start out with the right attitude
What you’ll need
Puppy-proof your home
Everybody needs their own place
Training your puppy
Feeding your puppy
Start out with the right attitude
The first few weeks of your puppy’s new life with you will be busy and demanding. There may be times when you wonder if getting a puppy was such a good idea. Things will go better if you have patience and keep your sense of humor. Remember that “puppyhood” only happens once. The extra effort you put into it now will pay off in the future.
What you will need
Get the supplies and equipment you’ll need. Here’s a list.
Stainless Steel Bowls- You will want a 1 quart bowl for your puppy’s food when they are small but you will need a 2 quart bowl for feeding your adult boxer. You will also need a 2 or 3 quart wide based, non-tip stainless steel bowl for water. Instead of stainless steel, you can use the heavy “crock” type bowls. I do not recommend using ANY type of plastic bowls because they are porous and harbor bacteria which can cause your dog to break out with an irritating acne rash on their chin and face. DO NOT use the type of water dish that rests in a loop and hooks to the inside of your dog’s crate. A dog’s head can get stuck in the loop if the dish is knocked out and can result in strangulation. If you want to put water in your puppy’s crate, buy a bowl for the crate that is one complete attachable unit or use a stainless steel 1 or 2 quart bucket that you can use a snap hook to clip the handle to the inside of the crate.
Zoom Groom Brush (Pink) - This rubber brush works best for short coated breeds like the Boxer. Be sure to get the PINK Zoom Groom which is the right style for short coats. The purple is designed for long coated breeds. This brush is great for removing excess hair and it gives your dog a wonderful massage as you groom!
Nail Care – I recommend using a cordless grinder instead of the traditional nail cutters but I also keep the cutters on hand as well. You can find a grinder at your local hardware store, WalMart or in most dog supply catalogs. Dremel makes a nice cordless grinder can be found at Walmart for around $20. This Dremel has a rechargeable battery with charger and because it is quieter than an electric grinder, your puppy will learn to accept it more easily. If you decide to go with the traditional nail cutters instead, I personally prefer using the “plier” style cutters but some people prefer the guillotine type cutters. If you use nail cutters, have Kwikstop on hand in case you cut the nail too short. Kwikstop when applied to the nail will aid in stopping the bleeding. You can also substitute with corn starch if you do not have Kwikstop on hand.
Crate - I recommend using a wire crate as opposed to a plastic crate Vari-Kennel style. An adult Boxer will need a crate that is at least 36” X 24” X 28”. However, I STRONGLY recommend going a size higher, especially for a male boxer but a female as well, and suggest a crate that measures 42” X 28” X 32”. This crate will allow your boxer plenty of room where he or she can be comfortable and not cramped, especially a male boxer who will likely be too big for the smaller size mentioned. You can purchase dividers for the large wire crates while your Boxer is a puppy to make the crate space smaller and adjust the divider as he grows. Crates such as the Midwest Life Stages or the Midwest i-crate are sold with a divider. Otherwise start off with a 36” crate and get a larger crate when your puppy is more grown up. The 36” crate with some Boxers can be used for travel and short stays on vacation but is too small for a Boxer to stay in for long days on a regular basis while you are at work or otherwise away from the house.
Crate Bedding - For bedding I recommend imitation sheepskin for puppies. You can use the single sided or the double sided which offers more padding. The reason I strongly suggest the imitation sheepskin for puppies is this material is designed to wick the moisture from the surface if it is urinated on. This gives your puppy a dry place to sleep should he have an “accident” in his crate. I line newspaper on the bottom of the crate and place the imitation sheepskin on top. The newspaper also helps to absorb any moisture. If you have to leave a young puppy for more than 4 hours, you can lay newspaper across the bottom of the crate and then place the sheepskin across just half of this space. Your puppy can choose to relieve himself if he needs to until you get home and he will likely leave his bedding unsoiled. Once your puppy is no longer having “accidents” in his crate, old blankets are very useful to use as bedding, however, if your puppy doesn’t chew his pads, I recommend using a thick crate pad instead. Once your Boxer is not having accidents in the crate, I strongly recommend you purchase a Primo Pad from www.primopads.com for the bottom of your crate as it will provide extra cushion and most dogs will not chew the Primo Pad.
Leash and Collar - You won’t want to put out a large investment on puppy’s first collar. Buy an adjustable collar (10” – 14” size) for an 8 week old puppy. You can adjust the size as the puppy grows until he needs a larger collar and then buy an adjustable 12” – 22” collar. I recommend you always use a flat nylon or cotton collar that is adjustable and has a snap closure. The adjustable collar allows you to adjust the size as your Boxer grows. The type of leash is totally up to the individual but I suggest it be 6’ long and an inch thick. This will be a medium to large sized dog and you won’t want a thin lead that will hurt your hand if the dog should pull. Do not use a choke or prong collar – for walking use a Greyhound (aka martingale) nylon collar (see next item below). Lupine is an excellent brand for both types of collars and they offer a lifetime guarantee on their collars and leashes.
DO NOT leave a collar on your dog when he is in his crate!! A collar can get caught on the crate and your dog could choke to death! This has happened more times than you would imagine!
Additional Collar and Lead - The best collar to walk an adult Boxer on is a 1” flat martingale collar. These collars are also known as Greyhound collars. This type of collar will give you extra control of your dog when walking without causing the damage and discomfort to your dog’s trachea that a choke collar can. An additional leash that you may like to have for an older puppy or adult Boxer is a Flexi-Lead. This is a retractable leash and is wonderful to use when taking your boxer on walks in areas that are not overly crowded with other dogs and people. It comes in lengths up to 26 ft long. Be sure you use the size designed for dogs up to 110 lbs for your Boxer.
Toys- Safe toys such as Kong toys, Cuz toys without appendages, latex (NOT VINYL) squeak toys, rope toys, stuffed dog toys, Jolly Balls and really, any balls! Boxers LOVE balls!! Just watch balls with an outer covering (such as tennis balls) as some Boxers like to remove the covering and the pieces can be ingested. Always make sure the ball is too big for you Boxer to swallow so he doesn’t choke on it. For more toy suggestions, read my article titled “ALL ABOUT TOYS”.
Shampoo - There are a variety of different shampoos on the market for dogs. My favorite shampoo is carried by PetCo and is called Finishing Touch. It is in a blue bottle and I use the Whitening Shampoo formula which is good for brightening coats of all colors.
Food - What you feed your dog is extremely important to his growth and health. Some of the kibble foods I recommend are Canidae, Taste Of The Wild, Wysong, California Natural, or Solid Gold but there are many other high quality foods on the market. One or more of these foods can be found at PetSmarts and PetCos and others can only be found at smaller privately owned pet supply stores. For my puppies I feed Pro-Plan puppy food and in the Boxers I am currently showing or are extremely active I use Pro-Plan Performance. More on food is discussed in this article under FEEDING YOUR PUPPY.
Chews- Your puppy will want to chew, chew, chew! You will need to provide your puppy with something to satisfy this urge and I recommend using Gumabones while they are young and teething. Once they are older you will need to switch to Nylabones which are harder and will last longer. The Galileo bone is also a favorite of my dogs as well as the Hercules bone. Another great chew item that I always have available to my dogs are all natural shank bones. You can buy these in any pet store and the smaller shank bones can be purchased with filling which occupies hours of a dog’s time! You can buy bones empty and fill them yourself with peanut butter or Cheese Whiz.
Always have a chew item in your dog’s crate. This will give him something to do to keep busy and helps to prevent boredom. I DO NOT recommend giving your puppy pig ears, hooves, or ESPECIALLY raw hide! Pig ears are not healthy for your dog, hooves can splinter, and I know more than one person whose dog choked to death on rawhide.
Identification – Have an ID Tag with your phone number and a secondary phone number to wear on your dog’s collar in case your Boxer gets lost. I strongly recommend you also have your Boxer tattooed AND microchipped. Home Again is my recommended microchip brand and chip registry.
Bitter Apple Spray – This is a safe spray-on product you can use to discourage chewing on inappropriate objects.
Gate - A metal, wooden, or plastic “baby gate” for blocking doorways. The metal gates
that mount to your door frame are the strongest and most reliable.
Puppy-proof your home.
Raising a puppy is a lot like raising a toddler - they get into everything! Puppy proof your home as you would for children. Puppies need to learn what is Okay and what is not Okay. Some of what they can get into can be hazardous to their health or to your possessions. You can make life safer for the puppy and your furniture by getting rid of hazards and temptations ahead of time.
To a puppy, the world is brand new and fascinating! He’s seeing it all for the very first time and absolutely everything must be thoroughly investigated. Puppies do most of their investigating with their mouths—“Look at this! What is this? Something to eat! Something to play with?” Murphy’s Law says that a puppy will be most attracted to the things he should least have – electrical cords, the fringe on your expensive oriental rug, your brand new running shoes, etc. I suggest that you cover/hide electric cords, put up smaller items and spray everything else that your pup shouldn’t chew with Bitter Apple.
Preventing destructive and dangerous chewing is easier than trying to correct the puppy every second. Look around your home. What objects could be put up out of the way of a curious puppy? Bitter Apple spray can be applied to furniture legs, woodwork and other immovable items. Are there rooms your puppy should be restricted from entering until he’s better trained and more reliable? Install a baby gate or keep doors to these rooms closed.
Take a walk around your yard looking for potential escape routes. Puppies can get through smaller places than an adult dog. Check latches on your gates and ensure they are secure and consider putting a lock on your gate. Check your yard for dangerous items such as poisonous plants, hornet’s nests, mushrooms, etc. Make a resolution right now that your puppy will never be allowed to run off lead without close supervision. After getting used to playing in the freedom of his safe fenced yard, he won’t ever know enough to look both ways before crossing the street to chase a squirrel. Keep him safe by keeping him on a leash!
Regarding Children - Remember that your puppy needs to be protected from young children, and your children need to be protected from your puppy’s sharp teeth. Your puppy will have needle sharp milk teeth until roughly 5 months of age. Also, until your puppy learns manners, they can be rough with small kids and love to grab their clothes and pull. Most small children don’t realize their own strength around animals and can hurt a puppy unintentionally. ALWAYS supervise children around puppies and be gentle and consistent in teaching your puppy good play manners. (Also see “Training your puppy” below)
Everybody needs their own place - Crating your puppy.
Decide where to put the crate, and have it set up and ready for puppy’s arrival. Where to keep the crate will depend on what’s most convenient for you as well as the puppy’s response. Many puppies don’t like to be isolated in one part of the house while the family is in another, but some puppies won’t settle down in their crates if there’s too much activity going on around them. You might have to experiment with different locations until you learn what works best for both of you.
Keep your puppy occupied in his crate by placing a dog safe toy and a chew item such as a filled shank bone (Red Barn is one brand that produces this item) which when empty, can be refilled with peanut butter. You can also freeze the bone with the filling inserted and it will take your boxer busy for hours as he works through it. If the shank bone starts to wear thin or splinter on the ends, it is time to throw it out. A Kong filled with peanut butter is also an enticing item that will keep your puppy busy. Other dog safe chew toys are also available on the market from Nylabone (who also makes Gumabone) and several other companies. Chew products are especially important while your puppy is going through the teething process.
You will find that your puppy will eventually view his crate as a safe haven akin to a den. Reward your puppy any time he is placed in his crate with a small treat. This will help to encourage him that the crate is a positive place. Never use the crate as punishment as the crate should never be enforced as a negative place to be.
Keep in mind that a young puppy’s bladder muscles are not mature enough to hold urine for extended period of time. If there will not be someone home for longer than 4 hours to let your puppy out to relieve himself, arrange for a pet sitter to come to the house to let your puppy out to go potty. A puppy’s bladder may not be mature until 5 months old or more.
Training your puppy
Join a puppy kindergarten class with your boxer pup. Most classes allow puppies starting at 2 to 3 months of age. When your puppy is 5 to 6 months old, attend an obedience class with him. It is recommended you attend AT LEAST two or more 8 week sessions. Your 6 month old puppy will learn very differently than your one year old puppy. I recommend you choose an obedience class that does NOT use a choke chain. Choose instead a positive reinforcement class that teaches using food, toys and praise rewards instead and your boxer will learn much faster and enjoy doing it!
Puppies play very rough and love to use their teeth! Young puppies have needle sharp milk teeth so if your puppy gets carried away, give him a firm but gentle reminder to play nice. You can also react to him by emitting a sharp yelp or cry like a puppy who hurts and then stop the play for a short moment. The puppy will eventually get the idea that, if he gets too rough, the fun stops.
Never strike your puppy. Dogs of any age will learn much faster if you simply use a stern voice or a simple strong “AH-AH” works extremely well. All of my dogs know if they hear me use the “AH-AH”, they need to stop whatever they are doing because it is unacceptable.
As you raise and train your puppy, it is very important that you be firm but gentle in your corrections and even more importantly, you HAVE to be consistent!! If you are not consistent, your puppy will have a hard time understanding what you expect of him.
Feeding your puppy
I suggest you feed your puppy on a raised feeder when he is tall enough to reach it. Some studies have shown this will reduce the risk of bloat (a dangerous and many times fatal occurrence known to affect boxers).
Initially, feed your puppy 8 week old puppy three times a day until he is closer to 3 months of age and then twice a day for the rest of his life. A twice a day minimum is healthier and also believed by some studies to reduce the risk of bloat.
NEVER free feed! Your puppy needs to have a stable routine in eating habits. Free feeding also can result in your dog being overweight and an overweight dog of any age is not a healthy dog.
Feed a high quality food and not a cheap food. Some of the foods I recommend were noted earlier in this article’s supply list under WHAT YOU WILL NEED. Feed your puppy an “all life stages” adult dog food or puppy food specifically made for large breeds. If you are feeding puppy food to your puppy, switch him to an adult or “all life stages” food when he is 9 months old. Feeding puppy food after this age can accelerate bone growth in a Boxer puppy and cause extremely painful and sometimes irreversible damage. The large breed puppy foods are specially formulated for large breed dogs and will not accelerate growth and incur the bone problems that large breed puppies can be faced with.
Until your puppy is 3 months old at least, soak his food in water until it is completely soft. This will help to prevent your puppy from choking on his kibble which can be fatal. I also recommend adding a small amount of plain yogurt or cottage cheese to their food. After 4 months of age, you don’t need to soak the food completely and instead add warm water until the food so that it has a stew consistency. The water in the food will cause your dog to lap as he eats and as a result, he will eat slower and inhale less air while eating which will help prevent choking on the food and this too is also thought to reduce the risk bloat. Feed your puppy in this manner even as an adult. Food that is wetted down will also be easier for you dog to swallow and digest.
Always feed adult dogs twice a day. A dog should not have to wait 24 hours for each mealtime and it is healthier if they are fed more than once a day. Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months of age should be fed 3 times a day unless they start turning their nose up regularly at one of their feedings and then they can be switched to twice a day earlier.
Recommended Books:
Raising a Puppy You Can Live With - by Rutherford and Neil
The Boxer: Family Favorite - by Stephanie Abraham
Recommended Pet Supply Catalogs:
JB Wholesale (800)526-0388 or online at www.jbpet.com
Drs. Foster & Smith (800)826-7206 or online at www.DrsFosterSmith.com
Enjoy sharing your life with a Boxer!
LAST UPDATED ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2011