In the home
Until house-training is well under way, you will need to restrict your puppy from unsupervised access to parts of the house that are carpeted. You will probably want to prevent him from going upstairs, too, as climbing steps at a very young age has been associated with joint problems.
You can now purchase baby gates online fairly inexpensively and you may be able to find second-hand ones at car-boot sales or online. If you buy second-hand, make sure the gates have all four large screws that attach to each corner. These are needed to brace the gate against the walls, and are easily lost when old gates are packed away. For a very small puppy, you may want to attach a fine mesh wire to the gate itself to prevent him from squeezing between the bars, or put a board across the bottom.
Most cats can walk between the bars of a baby gate or jump easily over the top, so this also makes a nice barrier through which the cat can escape when he has had enough of being bounced on and licked.
You will also need to purchase or borrow a puppy crate to fit your puppy for the first four months. If in doubt, the crate supplier will be able to advise you on size. Crate supply is a very competitive business and crates have come down in price significantly over the years, so you shouldn’t need to spend a fortune. If you decide against a crate, or are intending to allow the puppy access to any of your rooms unsupervised, you need to barricade off any electric cables securely. It takes a puppy just seconds to bite through one.
Purchasing a bed
Many puppies chew everything and have no respect for soft furnishings. Any bedding, toys or cushions that you put into your puppy’s crate will probably be damaged. Don’t be tempted to spend a small mortgage on a designer dog duvet. It is unlikely to survive the first night. The contents or stuffing will drift around your home for days and may cause problems if your puppy swallows some. Most puppies normally do well on vetbed. This is a kind of fleece on a roll that you can buy by the metre. Puppies are less likely to chew it than many other fabrics. It allows moisture to pass through in the event of an accident and stays dry and cosy. It is also machine washable and tumble dryable.
Death-wish puppies!
If you are very unlucky, your puppy may rip up vetbed, too, and even swallow chunks of it. There are some puppies that just seem to be intent on swallowing everything in sight, a habit that can easily result in a trip to the local animal hospital for some major abdominal surgery. If your puppy turns out to be this way inclined, then you are going to have to find an alternative to bedding in his sleeping area.
You can line the tray of your crate with a tightly fitting piece of hard cow matting (available from agricultural suppliers), or even wooden board, such as plywood. This seems harsh, but both these are quite warm surfaces to sleep on. If it upsets you to see your puppy sleeping on a hard surface, bear in mind that your puppy will survive without a cosy bed, whereas some puppies will not survive an operation to remove a stomach blockage. Happily, this phase will pass. But until it does, you need to keep an eye on your pup and take whatever precautions are necessary to make sure he doesn’t eat his way through your insurance premiums.
You can now purchase baby gates online fairly inexpensively and you may be able to find second-hand ones at car-boot sales or online. If you buy second-hand, make sure the gates have all four large screws that attach to each corner. These are needed to brace the gate against the walls, and are easily lost when old gates are packed away. For a very small puppy, you may want to attach a fine mesh wire to the gate itself to prevent him from squeezing between the bars, or put a board across the bottom.
Most cats can walk between the bars of a baby gate or jump easily over the top, so this also makes a nice barrier through which the cat can escape when he has had enough of being bounced on and licked.
You will also need to purchase or borrow a puppy crate to fit your puppy for the first four months. If in doubt, the crate supplier will be able to advise you on size. Crate supply is a very competitive business and crates have come down in price significantly over the years, so you shouldn’t need to spend a fortune. If you decide against a crate, or are intending to allow the puppy access to any of your rooms unsupervised, you need to barricade off any electric cables securely. It takes a puppy just seconds to bite through one.
Purchasing a bed
Many puppies chew everything and have no respect for soft furnishings. Any bedding, toys or cushions that you put into your puppy’s crate will probably be damaged. Don’t be tempted to spend a small mortgage on a designer dog duvet. It is unlikely to survive the first night. The contents or stuffing will drift around your home for days and may cause problems if your puppy swallows some. Most puppies normally do well on vetbed. This is a kind of fleece on a roll that you can buy by the metre. Puppies are less likely to chew it than many other fabrics. It allows moisture to pass through in the event of an accident and stays dry and cosy. It is also machine washable and tumble dryable.
Death-wish puppies!
If you are very unlucky, your puppy may rip up vetbed, too, and even swallow chunks of it. There are some puppies that just seem to be intent on swallowing everything in sight, a habit that can easily result in a trip to the local animal hospital for some major abdominal surgery. If your puppy turns out to be this way inclined, then you are going to have to find an alternative to bedding in his sleeping area.
You can line the tray of your crate with a tightly fitting piece of hard cow matting (available from agricultural suppliers), or even wooden board, such as plywood. This seems harsh, but both these are quite warm surfaces to sleep on. If it upsets you to see your puppy sleeping on a hard surface, bear in mind that your puppy will survive without a cosy bed, whereas some puppies will not survive an operation to remove a stomach blockage. Happily, this phase will pass. But until it does, you need to keep an eye on your pup and take whatever precautions are necessary to make sure he doesn’t eat his way through your insurance premiums.
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