CRATE – this can be an invaluable piece of equipment for you puppy. Not only can it become your puppies ‘den’ area – It can also help with toilet training and helps to keep your puppy safe from harming himself and things around him when you are not able to supervise him during the early days and weeks. Your puppy needs to be introduced to his crate slowly though. Please ask about a ‘crate training’ handout.
PLAYPEN – similar to a crate but obviously a larger area, with more room for a puppy to move around. However it will still be an area that puppy can be placed into to keep them from harm/doing harm will you are not able to supervise them. As there is more room than with a crate, please be aware that the puppy may go to one end/side and use that as a toilet area!
COLLAR, ID TAG, LEAD & PERHAPS A HARNESS – although your puppy legally has to be microchipped, it is also a legal requirement that, when your puppy is away from home, he wears a visible means of identification. You can receive a fine if your puppy/dog is found out without this. If you choose to leave your growing puppy’s collar on 24/7 PLEASE remember to check the collar daily to make sure that it is not too tight. It seems an obvious thing to say but puppies grow, quite literally, overnight and a well-fitting collar one day can be too tight the next! There are many types of collars, leads and harnesses on the market. If you need help choosing which may be best for your particular puppy, ask at your vets, where you should be able to try the collar/harness on your puppy to get the best most comfortable fit.
SEAT BELT – it is again a legal requirement, that when travelling in a vehicle with your puppy/dog they are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining pup/dog in vehicles.
TREATS – lots and lots of food treats! Most if not all puppies are motivated by food, so making sure that you use this a reward during training will help your puppy learn all the faster. Just make sure that the treats are little pieces – not big bits, as you will be using a lot of food as rewards so we do not want puppy to gain weight and become fat. Nor do we want to fill him with treats so much so that he doesn’t want to eat his meals. In fact using his own puppy food as a food rewards is an ideal thing to do. You will find using the pups own food works really well if you keep your training sessions short and immediately prior to feeding him – as he will be hungry!
LONG LINE – an extra long (up to 50 feet), strong and lightweight lead is a great addition to your puppy equipment for helping your puppy to learn about recall – to come every time you call him – regardless of what exciting things are going on around him.
KONGS & OTHER TOYS – The rubber Kong toys are not only great toys as they are very hard wearing (although no toy is indestructible!) but they also double up as a food toy. Balls of varying sizes – just make sure that the balls are always too big for your pup to swallow. Interactive toys like the makes by Nina Ottosen and Trixie as well as others. Tug toys – most pups love a game of tug and there are right a wrong ways of playing this game. Please ask about a ‘TUG’ handout.
GROOMING TOOLS – Obviously it depends which breed/s of dog you have as to what sort of grooming equipment you might need. E.g. longer coated dogs may require a longer toothed comb/brush. Shorter coated dogs will require a shorter toothed comb/brush and in fact a Kong Zoom Groom brush is an excellent brush of choice for shorter coated dogs, as it very effectively removes excess hair/fur. However, irrespective of the breed/s you should begin using a soft brush of some sort right from day one. Please ask about grooming handout. Also remember about teeth cleaning – you will need a rubber finger tooth brush initially and some doggy toothpaste. You can then progress onto a harder toothbrush once your puppy is well used to having his teeth cleaned and is happy and relaxed about it.
Meet Mary – our certified behaviourist
Our dog behaviour service is led by Mary Howat, who many of you may recognise from our Blairgowrie team!
Mary started working with Thrums in 2003, and has progressed to qualify as a certified animal behaviourist and certified Elite Fear Free professional. She also runs her own dog behaviour and training consultancy, K9INTUITION, taking veterinary referrals, behaviour consultations, one to one sessions with puppies and their owners and also providing advice for clients on choosing a puppy and before they have brought their puppy home.
She shares her life and home with her husband and their Labrador, Murdo and cat, Harray.
Call our Kirriemuir team today to book an appointment on 01575 572 643.