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Originally Posted by Melissalyn  So excited, come May we will have a little Biewer joining our family! My daughter has already named her Scarlett! She was just born this past weekend and we are over the moon!! Now it's time to research training, food, treats, safety, etc...
A few questions...
Do some people exclusively use pee pads and never really house-train? Can you do a mix? Pee pads at night, outside during the day? I don't really know how all that works, I have only ever had medium to big dogs. At what age would I start house-training? In another post someone mentioned "baby proofing", what type of things should I do to prepare for the puppy's arrival? Any other tips that you wish someone had told you? |
Congratulations! Start potty training from the first day. I would advise against trying outdoor during the day and pads at night. It's not impossible, but it is difficult and your pup will likely be confused.
My boys are pad and outdoor trained. They have a pad at all times in our home, but they would gladly go outdoors given the opportunity. They also know that the pad is at our house but not other houses, and not public places.
Whichever method you use, limit roaming freedom in your home while training. Supervise, be consistent, reward with lots of praise and small treat (we use a couple pieces of kibble). My boys are adults and we still praise and reward.
Puppy proofing: I recommend an xpen for when you cannot supervise your pup. We used the xpen for the first year. Make sure there are no choking hazards within reach, no food, no toxic plants that could drop leaves or flowers to the floor. Place power cords out of reach. We also put baby covers in all of our outlets.