Create a Great Crate

When a new puppy joins your family, it's important to understand one of the most crucial things your puppy will need to learn: housetraining. Lack of proper housetraining is one of the leading causes of dogs being surrendered to shelters. And, let's face it, no one wants to clean up after their dog's accidents forever. Given a proper chance, every puppy can learn to be 100% trustworthy inside the house.
First things first. Crate training is simply the best method to housetrain a puppy. It utilizes the puppy's natural instinct not to foul its bed. Mother wolves in the wild use their dens to "crate train" their pups. You can too.
The size of a crate is important. It needs to be large enough for the puppy to stand up and turn around in, but not so large that he will mentally segregate the crate space into his bed and the extra area. If the only crate available is too large, it can be made smaller by simply putting a box at the back. Whether the crate is the plastic or wire variety is immaterial. It should be placed in a quiet place, away from everyday activity. Provide water in the crate. Your pup will come to regard his crate as his space, his safe place. The crate should never be used to punish the puppy. It must remain a positive place for him. Most puppies are grateful to return to their quiet crate after a boisterous romp with their families. They know they are safe and free to relax in their personal space.

Basic rules of crate training are as follows:
The puppy should be in his crate whenever you are unable to supervise him directly. You can't properly train a puppy left to his own devices unattended.
Teach your puppy separate words for urination and bowel movements rather than a single command. They are fully capable of grasping the distinction and are less likely to hold their BM just to prolong that last night walk. Give the puppy frequent opportunities to relieve himself. Every three to four hours during the day is best.
Times when a puppy should always be taken outside include immediately after awakening from a nap or night's sleep, immediately after a meal, and just before bed. Take the puppy out and give the command to "go pee" or whichever urination word you choose. As soon as the puppy squats to pee praise him thoroughly in a high pitched happy voice. Have tasty training treats on hand to reward him as well. Then give the command to "go poop." If the puppy has just eaten, chances are he'll comply. Again, major praise and a treat.
Immediately following a successful elimination outside, the pup is unlikely to have an accident for a while. This is a great time to let him play about the house under your supervision. When you need to give attention elsewhere, puppy goes back in the crate.
Inevitably, despite your best efforts to follow the above regime, accidents will occur. Here's where it's important to restrain your exasperation. Never scold a puppy for an accident. If you've only just discovered it and have no idea when he did it, it's useless to scold him. He will already have forgotten doing what you're scolding him for and will only become confused. If you manage to catch your puppy in the act, simply say in a loud, urgent voice (not angry) "outside, outside" while urging your pup to head out the door. Chances are he will pick up on the urgency in your voice, wonder what's going on, and immediately stop peeing. Once he's outside, give him the command to urinate and praise all compliance.
With consistent opportunities to go outside, and plenty of positive reinforcement, your puppy will catch on to what you want him to do and will become more and more trustworthy. Pay attention to any attempt to communicate with you the need to go outside. Circling, sniffing around, or going to the door should always get your attention. So, to sum up, the keys to crate training a puppy are supervising uncrated time, frequent opportunity to eliminate, plenty of praise and maintaining a positive approach. All your effort will be worth it in the end when you have a perfectly housetrained dog.

Crate training is simply the best method to housetrain a puppy...

If You Build It... We are very pleased with the success of our Gibsons facility-The Landing Veterinary Clinic. Over the last eight months, we have been very busy meeting new people and their furry loved ones. As we are always conscience to reserve time for our all ready established clients we have also seen many pets that we know. Gibsons, Langdale, and Roberts creek pet owners are finding the new facility to be very friendly and convenient. Cat owners in particular are very pleased to have us so close. Many people have been surprised to find that we offer such a wide variety of diets and products at The Landing. We just started with a new line of canine and feline diets called Natures Best. We are soon going to be adding more natural items- shampoos, vitamins and other products to our facility. If you haven't seen the new clinic, at Kerns Plaza, please take an opportunity to come by and see how we've grown. We are always pleased to see a familiar face-especially the furry ones!

 

Too Much of a Good Thing

If you've been following the Yodameter on our website, you may be interested to know how Yoda has achieved his (relatively) stable target weight of 7.0KG! The secret to his success lies in these simple steps, and can be applied to any healthy but overweight pet.

· The right prescription diet - In Yoda's case, he is on Hills m/d (metabolic diet) canned and dry which works for his skin, urinary tract, and weight issues. Your pet may need a different prescription diet, just ask your veterinarian
· The right amount - portion control is essential for weight control. Yoda is fed very strict amounts twice daily. He has no will power, so we have to.
· Regular weigh ins - and a sensible target. In the clinic we can weigh Yoda daily if we have to. Realistically, at the start of a diet, once every 2 weeks is ideal, then maybe once a month is fine. This helps spot diet problems before they get out of hand.
· Increase your pets exercise- for indoor pets, try increasing a variety of toys (climbing trees/posts for cats) .
· Limit treats - have rules about the type and number of treats given daily. Also, give less dinner on days when you give more treats

Having a slimmer pet is good preventative healthcare. Maintaining a proper weight reduces risks from heart disease, diabetes, liver problems, arthritis, urinary tract problems, and even some skin problems. If you suspect your pet is overweight and have some questions on how to help them, please do not hesitate to ask us.

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