Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowperson
Puppy proof your place . . . . if they can reach it or dig into it they will.
All puppies are terrorists. But they eventually become normal at about seven months to a year.
Socialize, socialize, socialize.
In the world of a dog, there MUST be an Alpha. If it's not you, then the dog will take on that role and your life will be hell. It's not about everyone just kicking back and getting along together. That's not the way they think. There's really not usually bad dogs around . . . . it's usually something wrong with the human. Although others will recommend something different, I've found the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel to be pretty intuitive about the problems humans have and how that gets translated into dog behaviour.
Did I mention all puppies are terrorists. At first it will shock you and you might wonder if you've picked up a defective product but that's not the case. They grow out of it. I'm just doing you a favour by warning you.
Cowperson
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All of this. I'd also add crate training, especially for an apartment dog. It sounds harsh (at least it did to me), but my dog is totally content in her crate and anytime she goes in it she just goes to sleep. Housebreaking is so easy with a crate. We also had a rule in my house when Callie is in the crate, the kids have to leave her alone. No poking at her, or trying to get her excited. Its become her quiet place.
My only other advice is that when you get yourself a dog who will live primarily indoors, do yourself a favor and choose a non-shedding breed. It doesn't have to be a little yappy dog like a maltese, but anything bred with a poodle or bichon frise (I think the temperament of the Bichon Frise is better) My dog is a Bichon/Shih Tzu, she's not yappy and she's not high strung and she's about 20lbs, which is about as big as I would get for an indoor dog.
If you can Tivo "The Dog Whisperer" I highly recommend it. My sister-in-law told me about it and I resisted because I thought it was going to be one of those cheesy dog psychics. But when I set the Tivo for it, it wasn't anything like that. Cesar is totally focused on how you let your dog know you are the pack leader without having to get angry at it or show it who's boss. Its really as simple as how you walk the dog. I did it with my dog and the difference in her behavior from the first 6 months and after two weeks of walking the Cesar way was day and night.
Dogs don't have a concept of time. They don't really know how long they're home alone. On rainy days, we let Callie out in the morning to do her business and then put her in her crate before we leave for work. When the kids get home from school they let her out, feed her, play with her, etc. She is no worse for wear. Its better than being outside if its wet or cold.