Where Does My Puppy Sleep?

At night, your puppy will have a bedtime, just like you. But during the day, your puppy will nap a lot—sometimes as much as 20 hours a day!

NAP TIME: When your puppy naps, always leave them be. There will be times when they need to wake up to go potty or move to the crate, though. If you do need to wake your puppy, remember to always use your voice and never your hands.

WHY DOES MY PUPPY SLEEP IN THE CRATE? Dogs are den animals, just like their wolf ancestors. The great-great-great-great-grandparents of your puppy went to sleep at night in safe spaces like caves, all piled on top of each other. Your puppy enjoys enclosed spaces, too, like being underneath a table or a bed.

Your home is now your puppy’s home, too. Your puppy also has their own special room: their crate. A crate might just look like a box with a sort of cage-looking door. This isn’t at all how your puppy sees it. To your puppy, it’s their cozy private fort. If your puppy has proper crate training, they will feel safe and cheerful there.

Crate Training Rules

As soon as you bring your puppy home, crate training begins. It’s the grown-up’s job to take care of crate training. This includes feeding your puppy their meals near and eventually inside the crate. It also means moving the crate to different places around your home. Ask a grown-up if you can help with any of these activities so you can learn more about crate training.

Again, this is your puppy’s private fort. A lot of kids think it’s fun to try to climb inside, but it’s important to respect the crate as a place for puppies only. You should never knock, bang, or tap on the crate. (No shaking or wiggling the crate when your puppy is inside, either.)

Your puppy really does not want to have an accident in bed. And the number-one cause of this is putting a puppy in a crate that is too big. The crate should be big enough only for your puppy to turn around inside and lie down. If you ever notice that your puppy has had an accident in the crate, be sure to tell a grown-up.

LET’S TEACH YOUR PUPPY: MAGIC CRATE

Before your puppy came to live with you and your family, they probably slept in a crate in their first home. If so, crate training will be pretty easy. But if not, it may take a little time for your puppy to fall in love with their home-within-your-home.

Let’s help with a game of Magic Crate. You’re going to have to be extra sneaky!

1 . Hide a treat in your pocket. When your puppy isn’t looking, quickly drop or toss a treat or a few treats into the crate. Your puppy will be delighted to find these surprises in there.

2 . It’s very important that your puppy not see you do this. If they see you, your puppy learns that you are the wonderful person giving them a treat, and the crate just happens to be the place where you threw it. The trick is to make your puppy think that the crate is magical. You’re not giving puppy a treat. The crate is doing it!

3 . Don’t worry if your puppy doesn’t go directly to the treats. Don’t try to lure your puppy over. Think of the treats like hidden surprises to discover later. Your puppy is naturally curious and will eventually sniff around the crate and be overjoyed that their magic crate makes goodies.

4 . You can hide treats in the crate during the day. It is especially important to do this during your puppy’s first week at home. It helps them see the crate as a happy place. But remember to be sneaky and don’t let your puppy see you tossing in the treats!

What Does My Puppy Eat?

Dogs are omnivores . That means they eat everything: all kinds of meat, as well as vegetables, fruits, and grains. But not all omnivores are alike. Some omnivores like to eat more vegetables than meat or the other way around. Your puppy likes meat the best.

For their first six months, your puppy will eat three to four meals each day. They have their own special food and should not eat table scraps. People food doesn’t have all the nutrients puppies need to grow big, strong, and healthy. Giving them your food also creates bad manners like begging.

Your puppy may beg for more food after they finish their meal. Ignore this. Your puppy isn’t actually hungry. They just think they want more because dogs are scavenger animals. This is because their ancestors never knew when or where their next meal might come from. They had to eat whatever scraps they could find. Now your puppy thinks it needs to do the same. Overfeeding is also very unhealthy for puppies and will cause them to gain too much weight.

SAFETY AROUND PUPPIES AND THEIR FOOD

Give your puppy space during mealtime and never take away their food. When you learned the Fetch game, we talked about how dangerous it is to try to take away a dog’s toy. If you take away a dog’s food while they’re eating, you could get seriously bitten—even by your own puppy.

LET’S TEACH YOUR PUPPY: GENTLE

In this activity you will hand-feed your puppy their meal to teach the Gentle command. It is very important that a grown-up supervise.

It is very important for your puppy to bond with you and everyone in your home. Hand-feeding your puppy their entire meal is a wonderful way to help build trust.

You also need to know how to give your puppy a treat without fear of being nipped. And your puppy needs to know how to gently take a treat from your hand without nipping you.

1 . Wait until it is your puppy’s mealtime. Have a grown-up measure out your puppy’s meal into a small container you will hold—anything other than the dog food bowl your puppy normally uses. You probably feed your puppy kibble, but if it’s wet food, you can still do this activity. Just use about 25 tiny treats instead.

2 . Sit in a chair near the place where your puppy normally eats.

3 . Keep your fingers all together so that your hand looks like a mitten. With your palm facing up toward the ceiling, stretch your hand out completely flat like a plate. Now place one piece of kibble in your hand.

4 . Lower your hand to just at or below your puppy’s nose level. If your puppy gently takes the piece of kibble from your hand with their mouth, say GENTLE , in a calm voice. This is how your puppy learns that the word “gentle” means eating this way.

5 . If your puppy opens their mouth too widely or seems like they’re overexcited and might nip your fingers, say AH AH in a firm but not angry voice as you quickly close your hand into a fist around the kibble and lift it all the way out of their reach. We’ll talk more about AH AH in chapter 3 . It is how you tell your puppy, “Sorry, that’s not the answer I was looking for.”

6 . Now go back and repeat steps 3 through 5. Your puppy really wants to eat, so they will learn this command very quickly. It should only take a few tries before you are saying GENTLE with every piece of kibble.

7 . Keep going until your puppy has eaten their entire meal.

Where Does My Puppy Potty?

Puppies have an incredible ability to smell. They can easily recognize the smell of dog urine. So when it is potty time, they love to pee in the same place every time, or to go where another dog has gone.

Puppy bodies hold urine in the same place human bodies do: the bladder. Your puppy is still very young, so the muscles in their bladder aren’t very strong yet. When you have to pee, it’s those muscles that allow you to “hold it in” until you can get to a bathroom.

A puppy can hold it in for about one hour for every month of age. So a one-month-old puppy can hold their pee for about one hour, a two-month-old puppy can wait two hours, and then longer as they get older.

By the time they are six months old—and often earlier—they’ll be able to sleep through the night without having to go out and potty.

PREVENTING ACCIDENTS

While your puppy can hold it in for an hour or longer, depending on age, they can't tell time. But luckily, you can. So when it’s potty time, grab the leash and a grown-up and head to the potty place.

Your puppy will also tell you when they really have to go. A puppy who has to go potty may sniff the ground as they walk around in circles, sometimes arching their back. They may also go into a corner, look all around, or whine for no obvious reason. So be on the lookout for any of these signs that your puppy may need to go potty.

WHAT TO DO WHEN ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

If your puppy goes to the bathroom inside, never scold them. Even if you are feeling frustrated that there’s now a mess to clean up, don’t let your puppy see that you are upset.

Tell a grown-up instead. Remember how we said puppies like to go potty where they smell pee? The mess needs to be cleaned up right away.

If you catch your puppy having an accident, they may still need to go to the bathroom some more. Leave the mess for now and quickly take your puppy outside to their potty place.

Stay there for a few minutes. This will give your puppy a chance to finish. Then you should praise your puppy and hand out a treat.

Even if they don’t have to go, taking them outside helps them learn that this is their potty place.

LET’S TEACH YOUR PUPPY: WHAT TO DO AT THE POTTY PLACE

Your family should decide on a potty place, somewhere outside and close by because puppies can’t hold it in for very long.

1 .  When you take your puppy to the potty place, always go with a grown-up and bring treats.

2 . Always keep your puppy on leash. Even in a fenced-in yard, the leash is needed to keep your puppy from getting distracted. It helps your puppy focus on going potty.

3 . Don’t pull or tug on the leash. Keep it nice and loose, which means sticking close to your puppy.

4 . Be patient. It may take a few minutes for a puppy to go. After ten minutes, if they still haven’t gone, head back inside and try again later.

5 . When your puppy succeeds in going potty in the potty place, warmly praise them and give them a treat.

6 . Offer to help with clean-up. Your puppy doesn’t care who picks up after them, but your grown-up will appreciate your help.

7 . Head back inside, grab some toys, and play together for a little while. This playtime is an extra reward for a potty job well done.

RING THE POTTY BELL

You’ve learned some signs that let you know your puppy needs to go potty, but wouldn’t it be nice if your puppy could just tell you, “Hey, I gotta go”?

Your wish is granted! Except your puppy will ring a bell instead of speaking. You’re going to train your puppy to ring a bell when they need to go potty.

Ask a grown-up to buy a hand bell and to supervise this activity. You will also need a pouch or bag filled with plenty of treats and a long piece of fabric.

1 . Remember the Touch exercise?. You’re going to do almost the same thing here, except instead of holding out your hand for puppy to touch with their nose, hold out the bell.

2 . When your puppy touches the bell with their nose, exclaim YES! and, with your other hand, give the puppy a treat.

3 . If your puppy shies away, you can attract them. With your other hand, hold a treat near your puppy’s nose and bring the treat slowly toward the bell. Be sure to wait for the exact moment your puppy’s nose touches the bell to say YES!

4 . Repeat this about a dozen times so that your puppy has no problem at all touching the bell with their nose for a treat.

5 . Now take a few steps away. If your puppy follows you, ask the grown-up to help by gently holding the puppy’s collar. Hold out the bell. The grown-up should release the collar. Your puppy now has to walk over a few steps and touch the bell with their nose. Say YES! and give a treat with your other hand.

6 . Repeat this about a dozen times. Now your puppy will walk toward the bell and touch it with their nose to get a treat.

7 . Next, you will tie one end of the fabric around the handle of the bell. Tie the other end around the doorknob of the door where you want your puppy to go out to go potty. The bell should be right at the height of your puppy’s nose. (When your puppy gets taller, shorten the fabric so that the bell always hangs at nose height.)

8 . You’re right back at Step 5, except now the bell is tied to the fabric. You should stand right by the door while the grown-up holds your puppy by the collar several feet away. When the grown-up releases the collar, your puppy should approach the bell and touch it with their nose. Cheerfully say YES! and give a treat.

9 . If your puppy is not going for it, try luring or have the grown-up move them closer to the door. Once your puppy has no problem going over to touch the bell, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

10 . Place your puppy’s leash on a table or on the floor. Repeat step 9, but instead of giving puppy a treat, say YES! Then put the leash on your puppy’s collar, open the door, and head to the usual potty place. When your puppy goes to the bathroom, give them tons of praise and a treat, and then head back inside to celebrate.

11 .  At this point, you might think you’re all done. But your puppy has only learned to ring a bell when they want to go outside . Outside can mean potty, but it can also mean going outside to play. Here’s how we teach your puppy it’s a Potty Bell, not a Play Bell:

12 . If your puppy doesn’t go potty when you take them out, head right back inside. You’re not punishing your puppy. You’re simply not giving them the reward they had hoped for.

13 . Inside, take the leash off. This is called resetting. When you reset, you’re starting the training over at the beginning. You will want to wait a while before trying again since your puppy doesn’t actually need to go potty.

14 . Later, when you’re pretty sure your puppy really does have to go potty, try again. Stand near the door with the leash. The grown-up doesn’t have to hold the collar. See if your puppy approaches the bell on their own. If not, encourage your puppy to ring the bell by luring with a treat.

15 . When your puppy rings the bell, put their leash on, and head outside to the potty place. Give your puppy a few minutes. If your puppy does go to the bathroom, give them lots of praise and a treat before you return home. If the puppy doesn’t go to the bathroom, go back to step 11.

Remember to use very small treats and to practice this a few times a day, every day, until your puppy has perfected the ringing of the Potty Bell. Puppies cannot pay attention for a long time, so you should make sure each training session is only 15 to 20 minutes long.

Why Does My Puppy Need to Walk?

A tired dog is a happy dog. Giving your puppy plenty of exercise every day will not only make them happy but also healthy and better behaved.

What counts as exercise? Until your puppy is fully vaccinated around the age of four months, you’ll need to stick to playing inside, running around your own yard if you have an enclosed one, or visiting a safe puppy place like Zoom Room, if there’s one nearby.

A puppy can walk about a mile a day for every month old they are. But taking a two-month-old puppy on a two-mile walk is far too long. Puppies need lots of little walks. Three or four short walks are much better than one long one for a puppy of any age..

TAKING YOUR PUPPY FOR A WALK

When you first take your puppy for walks, you’re asking your puppy to do a lot of things that don’t really make sense to them. They need to wear a collar, a harness, and be attached to a leash. That can feel pretty weird for your puppy. But you can fix that!

GET YOUR PUPPY USED TO WEARING THEIR COLLAR. Your puppy needs to always wear their collar. It is important because it has an ID tag with your puppy’s name and your phone number if your puppy is ever lost. The collar is also important when your puppy has to go potty. During potty breaks, you’ll attach a leash to the collar to save time. Your puppy is not used to their collar yet, so they may try to paw at it. Simply ignore this.

GET YOUR PUPPY USED TO BEING ON LEASH. You will use a piece of equipment called a house line to help your puppy get used to being on leash. It looks like a normal leash except it doesn’t have a handle, and it is a little thinner. Your puppy will wander around indoors wearing it, dragging the line behind them. We use a house line for this because it is thinner and lighter than a regular leash. It lets your puppy walk normally, and there is no chance it could get stuck on something and yank your puppy.

GET YOUR PUPPY USED TO WEARING A FRONT-CLIP HARNESS. Once your puppy is used to the collar, house line, and leash, it is time for the front-clip harness. Why do you need one? If your puppy pulls on the leash and you pull the other way, your puppy will just pull harder—it’s called an oppositional reflex . But when you attach the leash to their chest, if your puppy sees a squirrel and tries to chase it, the harness will turn your puppy around so that they are now facing you. Puppies learn to walk politely on a front-clip harness a lot better than they do when the leash is attached to their collar or back. Make sure to take the harness off your puppy when you are in your house.

LET’S TEACH YOUR PUPPY: STICK BY ME

Let’s play a game with your puppy and the house line. Select the room in your home with the most space. You’re going to be walking backward, so ask a grown-up to help you move furniture out of the way. You can also play this game in a fenced yard.

Only use a real house line, and never leave the house line on your puppy when your family leaves home.

1 . Get a bag filled with treats, the house line, and go to the open space.

2 . Now you dance! Start dancing around, always walking backward . Travel back away from your puppy while calling them over to you. There’s no command, so you can say, “Come on! Over here! Yay!” and keep the tone upbeat and happy. You can also clap your hands, slap your thighs, and whistle.

3 . Whenever your puppy comes near you, give them a treat.

4 . Keep moving. Be sure to always face your puppy and travel backward. You can probably guess why, right? If you turned your back and started running, that would be chasing. Remember never to encourage your puppy to chase you.

5 . Keep playing for about five minutes, always trying to put some distance between you and your puppy, then allowing them to come to you for a treat and praise. The point of this game is for your puppy to discover there is a magical three-foot bubble space around you, and that whenever they enter this space, great things happen.

6 . Once your puppy has mastered this game, pick up the loose end of the house line and hold it. Keep playing the game, exactly as before, except now your puppy will be following you around on leash . The leash should always be loose. Never pull your puppy toward you. Use your voice, treats, and clapping instead. Keep playing for about another five minutes.

7 . me a few times a day until your puppy always comes into your three-foot bubble space. Three feet is best because the normal leash you use is six feet long. Your leash will always be loose if your puppy stays within the bubble space.

TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

YANKING: Don’t yank on the leash or drag your puppy. It will make your puppy very unhappy.

There is also a scientific reason why you shouldn’t tug on the leash. Remember the oppositional reflex (here )? A reflex is something your body does automatically, and oppositional means opposite, like in the opposite direction. Your puppy has this natural response and so do you. Let’s say your goal is to walk your puppy from the corner to the door. If you tug on the leash toward the door, your puppy will pull the other way. They’re not trying to be difficult. It’s a reflex.

SO HOW DO YOU GET YOUR PUPPY TO WALK WHERE YOU WANT THEM TO GO? You should call your puppy by their name in a friendly voice, clap hands, or lure with a treat.

BOLTING: So much of the world is new to your puppy, and they want to explore. Anything could make your puppy want to run off. This is why you should have a grown-up with you on walks. You should not walk your puppy until a grown-up is sure you are big enough not to get accidentally pulled down by your puppy.

RUNNING AHEAD: When you go for a walk with your puppy and a grown-up, it is important that you stick together. If you run ahead, your puppy will want to run off, too. Keep working on the happy bubble space by sticking within three feet of your puppy.

Why Does My Puppy Need Friends?

As your puppy grows, you’re going to want to take them out into the world to all your favorite places. Think how much fun it will be when your friends come over and play with your puppy. These activities will be delightful if your puppy is happy and well behaved.

If not, even a simple walk around the block with a fearful or stressed-out puppy can be rough.

The way to a well-behaved puppy is through socialization , and plenty of it. Socialization means exposing your puppy to new people, places, things, sounds, smells, dogs and other animals in a safe, controlled, and positive manner.

Your puppy needs socialization their whole life, but during their first four months, it is especially important.

HOW TO SOCIALIZE YOUR PUPPY ON WALKS

If you are out on a walk with your puppy and you meet a man with a beard, you might think nothing of this, but a beard is new to your puppy. And during a fear phase, new things might really be scary.

You can show your puppy that new things are nothing to be afraid of. The same goes for kids on skateboards, people wearing shorts, delivery people pushing a handcart, people in uniforms, and people in wheelchairs.

What you’re going to need is some counter-conditioning and the help of a grown-up. Counter-conditioning means taking something that seems scary and making it a positive experience.

For example, let’s say you, your grown-up, and your puppy meet a man with a beard when out for a walk. You or your grown-up should approach the man and ask him if he would be willing to give your puppy a treat.

If the man says yes, give him a treat to offer the puppy. Then, ask him to squat down a little and hold out his hand so your puppy can approach him and take the treat.

If your puppy wanders right over and takes the treat, that’s a great sign! Praise your puppy. You can even give them an additional goody.

If your puppy hides behind your legs, barks, or shows any Signs of Stress, do not force it. Your puppy is scared, and this will only make the fear worse. Try again another day.

As soon as the next day, your puppy may be ready for another interaction like this. But always watch for those Signs of Stress.

HOW TO SOCIALIZE YOUR PUPPY WITH OTHER DOGS

Interacting with other dogs will help your puppy develop confidence and their own special style of play. Most important, your puppy will grow up to be easygoing and happy around other dogs.

Before your puppy is fully vaccinated, playing with adult dogs will have to wait. Even a healthy dog can be a danger to your puppy because adult dogs may have germs on their coat or paws.

There are places like the Zoom Room that have safe puppy socialization classes and playgroups with same-age puppies. If there is one near you, it is a terrific activity for you and your puppy.

Once your puppy is fully vaccinated, you will have lots of opportunities for your puppy to meet other dogs during playdates with a friend’s dog, while out on daily walks, or during visits to the dog park.

RULES FOR MEETING NEW DOG FRIENDS

Whether it’s a scheduled playdate, a chance meet-and-greet on the street, or a trip to the park, here are some helpful tips to remember:

1 . DO NOT GIVE TREATS. Getting to play with other dogs is so rewarding to your puppy that you don’t need to give your puppy any other kind of treat or reward.

2 . OBSERVE BODY LANGUAGE. Watch for lots of Play Gestures. They’re a sign that your puppy is having a fantastic time. But also look for the Signs of Stress. Dogs love to wrestle, and you might see some barking, growling, chasing, and tackling. All of this is okay as long as your puppy is still showing happy Play Gestures and not looking for a place to hide.

3 . OFF-LEASH IS SAFER. You might think your puppy is always better off when they’re on leash. At the dog park or on a playdate, leashes can actually get in the way and become tangled. Having both dogs on leashes often makes them greet face-to-face, which isn’t the way dogs usually say hello.

4 . WATCH FOR MISMATCHES. Every puppy has their own play style. Some dogs might really love to chase, but your puppy might not love being chased. If you see that another dog has too much energy for your puppy, and your puppy appears frightened or stressed out, tell a grown-up so they can help.

5 . MAKE SURE THERE’S A SAFE SPACE. In case your puppy feels a little overwhelmed, they need a safe place to retreat to, like under a chair. A good hiding spot will let your puppy calm down while still watching the other dogs play. At some point, it may look like too much fun to resist, and your puppy will join back in the fun. But if your puppy is too scared to come out, don’t force it. Put their leash on and head home. Tomorrow is another day.

6 . UNDERSTAND THE PUPPY PASS. Adult dogs greet each other by sniffing each other’s belly and bottom. They don’t greet face-to-face. Your puppy is just learning this stuff. Your puppy might do some things that an older dog considers kind of rude, like face sniffing or nipping. Adult dogs are aware that your puppy is just a puppy. They will give your puppy what we call a “Puppy Pass,” which means putting up with some behavior they would not allow from a grown-up dog. But a Puppy Pass only goes so far. If your puppy is taking things too far, the other dog might bark or swat. These are important lessons for your puppy to learn about boundaries.

7 . END ON A HIGH NOTE. Whether at a playdate or the park, always try to end on a high note. You help your puppy socialize by leaving them with all positive memories of their playtime with other pups.

8 . DON’T CALL YOUR DOG. When it’s time to go, don’t call your dog to come to you. Your puppy is having a great time and will probably ignore you. When you give a command, you want your puppy to do it. In this case, because your puppy likely won’t come when you call, just walk over, put on the leash, and head back home.