best time for a Pup
 

Hi all,

I know i said I was going to wait till spring to get a pup seeing as its way too cold now to do it.

my question is does it really matter the time to get a pup, since these are basically indoor dogs anyways? doesn't pee training begin indoors anyways.

thanks in advance

Jem - It is my opinion and experience that the best time is in the fair weather. I never potty trained mine inside - always outside as I never wanted them to associate pottying in the house.

I got a baby one year for Christmas (years ago) and it was so darned cold. I wouldn't want to go outside either to learn to go potty! Brrrrrrrrrrr

Spring, after the rains, is a perfect time as you have all summer and fall and it doesn't happen overnight! You have to be consistent during the entire time.

Good Luck!

Well, I can't tell you if there is a 'right way' of doing it, but I do understand your logic. We got Turkleton back in October and my plans have been to keep him pad trained until winter is over and once spring gets here, work on training him to go outdoors. I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about how it will go, but I'm going to give it my best try because I'm just not the biggest fan of this pad training. Best of luck to you! :)

Hi there, we got ours in September and Logan never wanted to go outside, he trained himself with in 2 or 3 days on pee pad, last winter we were snowed in so mutch that he couldn't even go outside without being lost in the snow.... to my opinion, it doesn't matter. Last summer he went outside and now he goes inside on a pee pad... ;)

Puppies are supposed to use pads really until 3-4 weeks AFTER their last puppy shot, was what I have been told, because they aren't supposed to be outside anywhere another dog could have been since many of the viruses dogs contract is done so through contact with an infected animals excrement (including urine!) That being said, I have also been told (don't know if it's true or not) that Parvo can live in the ground for several years. Soooo, if you get a puppy that is 10-12 weeks old, they will have already had all but 1 or 2 shots, so you'd have 7-10 weeks until they should be allowed outside anyway (unless you have a fenced in yard at a house you've been at for several years, of course).

I say, it doesn't really matter! I think keeping them on pads a little longer until it warms up a bit can't hurt anything! They already use pads until they are 16+ weeks old (or should anyway), so what the difference in waiting a bit longer?? Just watch 1 or 2 episodes of "It's Me Or The Dog" and you'll see an adult dog that has never been potty trained really (goes inside on the floor! consistently) and the trainer will have the dog potty trained in a week's time!!

I got Pixie, Dixie and Roxie all in the dead of winter and pad trained them so it wasn't a problem. It just happened to be the time they were meant to come to me. If you find a baby you really want I say go for it.

Unless you find a baby you can't live without I suggess waiting. I bought Chloe in Oct and after a few weeks had to come in and use pads. She would just climb up on my feet and stay there untill I picked her up. Also there is absolutely no inside place to exercise your puppy when they really need an outlet. Any ideas?

I say, if you find one you want, get it. You can pee pad train, and either leave him/her pee pad trained, or when the weather gets warm, you can start moving the pee pad closer to the door. I've gotten all my dogs at different times of years, the last one in November

ANYTIME is the best time to get a yorkie!

Bella spends LOTS of time indoors and always has. She makes up her own games running laps around and around the couches and the living room.....she'll jump on a toy and then run away growling, running a lap, and then pounce on it again when she gets back around to it! And we play lots and lots of fetch inside with her toys.....she LOVES to run after it, give it a good shake, and then bring it back so she can do it over again (we didn't teach her this, this is just what she always wanted us to do!) And we play lots of tug too. She runs around and around until she's out of breath, which is actually exerting more energy than when I take her for a walk! Puppies do zoomies when they have extra energy anyway, even when they're playing on their own....I think there are plenty of indoor outlets if you use your imagination :D

Thanks, we do the same things with Chloe in the house she loves running laps from room to room and I'm sure she is getting enough exercise I just felt if she could get out to walk and see different things it would be good for her. I know I would like it to. I hate cold wet weather.

Oh, I agree! :) It's hard to keep Bella's nose off the ground when she's out walking because she is super curious and LOVES to explore. But, again, that would have made taking her out until she was close to 20 weeks very dangerous because she definitely would have had her nose in any pee/poop she came across!! She didn't stay completely indoors when she was <20wks, though, simply because it was beautiful outside, but I only let her go in SAFE places that I knew no other dogs would have been in (NO front yards at all!!)....I just didn't want to risk her catching something even if it could be treated because she was so, so tiny!

I got Chachi in February and it turned out fine. They dont need exercise outside of your home when they are small and you really shouldnt be taking them out until they have had all their shots anyway

When I was able to take her outside it was only in my own (fenced) yard. I would never expose a new puppy before she had all her shots

So far, we've never gotten to do the neighborhood. She was too young then it got too cold. But I'm looking forward to showing her off. She loves people and of course attention so our walks will probably be a favorite thing for her.