High Plains MALSHI PUPPY
When you bring your puppy home…
Covering the three basic elements of life: Food, Shelter, and Companionship!
Food: The food we are giving the puppy when you take it home is Purina ProPlan Focus, Puppy, Lamb and rice formula ( https://www.purina.com/pro-plan/dogs/dry-dog-food/focus-puppy-lamb-rice ). If you choose to change the food you give your puppy just do so slowly by mixing the two kinds of food until the pup is totally on the new type of food. This keeps it nice and easy on their little system. Just make sure you stick with a puppy formula at first.
When you get your puppy they will be used to having food available at all times except at night. We recommend you always have water available for your puppy.
Something that we recommend that you get just to have on hand for your new puppy is called Nutri-Cal (This can be found at most pet stores, online or from your vet). It is basically a vitamin supplement that I love to have on hand for my dogs just in case life gets a little too stressful. I encourage it with all puppies because it is so easy for them to run themselves to low on energy and it is a great pick-me-up for them. Also, if the puppy doesn't like to travel well, or is not getting comfortable in their new home right away, it will help them stay well nourished. It can be found easily at Petco or PetSmart, but it is up to you to if you want to get it.
At Night: For my dogs, we did not take them out at night (8 hours) from the very beginning. They learned quickly, and by the end of the first week they were sleeping through the night with no messes in their crates. There is a lot of good information online about how to work your puppy through the crate training process, but really it can be very simple and easy with some extra patience at first.
Bedding: We encourage that you give your new pet a nice place to sleep and rest that is entirely their own (not shared with other pets or with people). We have found it to be very important that our dog beds be washable as messes do happen, especially while potty training. Even old towels can be very sufficient until they are potty trained. Once they are older they may graduate to a larger crate and bed. We use waterproof pillowcases slid over their dog bed (and crate tray) to keep things tidy and easy to clean. Lastly, with Malshi’s we have discovered that they prefer a less fluffy bed because they have such soft thick coats and they can get to warm and uncomfortable. As we all know, bed should be a comfy spot.
Crate: We recommend getting a small sized crate for your new puppy to call home when you get him/her home. (About 19Lx 13Wx 16H) The first reason is that your puppy needs a “safe spot”. This provides the puppy an area that they know that they won’t be in the way, that know they are always safe there (from anything they may be intimidated by: i.e. they can get away from other dogs/children/strangers), and that they can go to rest.
Potty Training: The second reason to have a good crate would be to help with potty training your puppy. We have experienced “crate training” as the most effective method and we recommend it to everyone who is taking home one of our pups. Already your puppy has the natural instinct to “keep clean” and we like to encourage them to obey in as natural a way as possible. To crate train your puppy will take some time and there will be some messes to clean up, but once your puppy is secure that a crate is their personal space, they will want to keep it clean. You can teach your dog to “hold it” by keeping them in their crate for short (1-2 hours or so) then extended periods of time. Just be sure to take your puppy outside immediately when you bring them out of the crate so that they learn the proper place to go potty. When they do make a mess where they shouldn’t, be aware that they only will be able to associate the discipline with the action if done so immediately. Always remember that with any kind of training that reward for good behavior is at least so much more effective then discipline. Your dog will want to please you!
Training tips from personal experience: The first and biggest thing I can say about training your puppy about anything is to reward with relationship! Discipline is good in moderation once your puppy understands what he/she is supposed to be doing, but we have found that more than anything your dog will want to please you. Remember giving attention (even negative) can be seen as a reward! Attention is everything to your puppy! This does not necessarily mean you need a constant flow of doggy treats (we use very few, but they can help), but mainly genuine praise from you. Never chase your puppy unless they are in danger or you know you can catch them within 3 seconds. Be patient. The key to teaching them anything (sit; stay; roll over; come; etc…) is making sure they understand what you are asking them to do. Reward them when they do it. Withdraw your attention when they are not obeying or overly excited.
Secondly, when just starting out with your puppy it is easy to let them get away with a lot. For instance it might be cute when your puppy comes to you with a sock in their mouth, or when they want to nibble and lick your ears. We advise that you keep one simple thing in mind: Cute now…maybe not so much later. We have found that having laundry strewn all over the living room or
having holes in your favorite sock because your dog turned it into a chew toy is not something we enjoy. For most visitors who comes to our home they would prefer that our dogs not jump up and lick their face uninvited. Same goes with barking and play biting. These are simple little things that people often let their puppies get away with simply because they are puppies and for the time it is not bothersome. Just keep in mind that they will turn into little dogs and those things you allow will only intensify and solidify into habits as they get older and more familiar with you and your lifestyle. Replace negative action with one you can support. For instance, when your puppy comes out with a sock, take the sock, show disapproval, give them a toy, and then reward and approve of the toy. Your home will have it’s own guidelines, so go with rules fit your home and lifestyle. Make sure they always understand what you are telling them, and this kind of training will very effective even now as they are still just a pup.
