# puppy questions



## tripp (Jan 13, 2011)

My puppy was born last week so that means il bring her home in 7-8 weeks. What advice could u give to "puppy proof" my house . Also I'm worried about the dogs behind me I don't think there well taken care of. What techniques work to keep fleas, ticks, and sickness out of my yard. I'm moving soon but not before she arrives, so I want to make sure I'm doing all I can


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## raps702 (Dec 19, 2010)

With regards to "puppy proofing", keep anything and everything off the floor that could harm your puppy, and what you don't want destroyed. We puppy proofed all our electrical outlets so he wouldn't chew them, also we put puppy gates/baby gates in the area that we only wanted Axel to beable to roam. (his area) We have a fairly big house (4 floors) and we only let him in the dining area/kitchen area where he is with us at most times, we also have hardwood floors in this area which makes it easier to clean up messes if he has an accident. He is 5 months old now and still does not have freedom of the whole house, eventually when we can "trust" him completely he will be able to have free range of the house, but probably not for awhile. We do let him run up and down the stairs occasionally now that he's older, however even this excitement has led him to pee, or grab something he shouldn't. When they are this young they do not need alot of space, as long as they are near you, they are content. Also make sure all toxic cleaning products are out of harms way (well that's a given), but they can get into kitchen cupboards if they are easily accessible. (ours are puppy proofed) And when your puppy gets older you will learn the new term "counter surfing"), which you can research on this site to find excellent resources to help with that issue. Also outside if you have a yard make sure puppy size gaps are very small.
With regards to the flea issue, our vet recommended capstar or frontline when we were going out of country (Canada) to visit in laws where we thought we may encounter fleas.. (not on them hopefully, but on their cat). We never used the drug though as the cat did not have fleas, and thankfully our puppy never encountered any. I do know that our vet talked to us for along time about this issue though as it seems to be a problem in many areas, thank goodness not so much up here in the northwest. Ok, good luck..


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Not leaving items within a puppy's reach & supervision, supervision, & more supervision is best in the early stages, IMO. You got some good advice in the last post. Be careful about any flea products you use on a young pup. Read labels carefully &/or ask your vet. Congrats on the birth of your pup! I I would encourage you to get her later rather than sooner. That is an unsolicited opinion, but 7wks (8 bare minimum) is too young to leave momma. Best wishes


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Just want to pipe in to agree with kellygh about bringing home your puppy too soon. A week or two longer with Momma and siblings is best, because during this time, still in the nursery so to speak, the puppies learn important skills... one of them being "bite inhibition". This means they learn not to bite down too hard during play. The extra time adds to your wait, but really will be worth it.


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

When Kobi was young he never left my sight. If I was sitting at the computer, he was in the room with the door closed. Based on how the first few months went, I'd say that's a solid way to start out. You just can't puppy proof enough to make up for supervision. Kobi managed to eat most of the way through the USB cord on my $80 computer... while I was typing on it. I thought he was just at my feet taking a nap like usual. Supervision and deterring bad behavior (with stuff like Bitter Apple) is the only way to go.

Just like others have said, 8 weeks is the bare minimum to take your puppy home.


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## Mercutio (Jan 18, 2010)

> Also outside if you have a yard make sure puppy size gaps are very small.


Yes! Part of our fence is picket fencing and we thought the gaps were too small for a 9-week V....... We went in the house to watch what he'd do in the yard on his own and he made a beeline for the fence and stuck his head straight through, by the time we got outside he was firmly wedged in the fence. Poor thing, I had to hang onto him whilst my other half banged out a paling so we could free him. We then spent the afternoon putting chicken wire along the entire fence.

I agree with everything that's been said in previous posts about supervision and removing everything you don't want him to chew or swallow. Also be aware of anything that can be knocked over by a tail at full-speed (tails aren't docked here: took me several spilt cups of coffee and wine to learn) :-\


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Do all of the above! And then, before your puppy comes home, sit down on the floor in any room your puppy will spend time initially and survey everything within reach. Also, sit down in the hallway along the route to go outside. He/she will 'taste' everything in reach, not just the interesting things. Anything that tastes satsifactorily or has an unusual texture will be tested for chew value (move your shoes now; from what I gathered on this forum, shoes are a habit more easily avoided than changed). Anything that can be pulled, will be cause for an exploratory tug-of-war game (dish towels were an item I missed).

Also, before the puppy comes home, get some chew toys of different textures so you can offer an appropriate toy as a distraction from an inappropriate one.


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## tripp (Jan 13, 2011)

Thanks for the advice! Has anyone used seven dust, sulfer, or even bleach to kill bugs or parasite that may already be present? I've heard of people doing this I'm just not sure. I don't think there is any but like I said the dogs behind me aren't taken care of very well.


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