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A new puppy is wonderful in pretty much every way, at least until they start having accidents around your apartment or house. But do not fear, Expert Pet Trainer Kathy Santo has all the answers. Watch as she takes you through the basics on everything from establishing a routine to rewarding your puppy when they eliminate outdoors.
House training your puppy requires more than a stack of old newspapers. It calls for patience, commitment, and above all, consistency. Hi, I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and today we're going to talk about how to house train your puppy. A trusting and consistent relationship is fundamental to successful house trading. The more consistent you are, the faster your puppy will learn. House training a puppy can take several weeks, and sometimes longer with smaller breeds. The first step to house training your puppy is to establish a routine. Puppies do best on a regular schedule, because it teaches them that there are times to eat, times to play, and times to potty. As a general rule, a puppy can control his bladder about an hour for every month of age. So if your puppy is only three months old, he can probably only hold it for about three hours, if not less. Make sure to take him right out after he wakes up, during and after play time, and after eating or drinking, because these are times he'd most likely to have to go. If you work, and are unable to take your puppy outside as often as needed, you could hire a dog walker to give your puppy his necessary breaks. I recommend picking a specific bathroom spot outside, and always taking him there first when he's on a leash. While your puppy is going, say something like, 'go potty,' so that you can eventually use that phrase to remind him what to do. You should take him out for a walk or play time after he's gone potty, or he might just learn to hold it to keep you outside. Reward your puppy every time he goes potty outdoors with praise or a treat, but make sure to do so immediately, before he goes back into the house. Rewarding correct behavior is the best way to teach your puppy. Be careful not to reward your puppy until he's completely finished, or he may forget to finish up outside, and then have an accident inside. And remember, what goes into a puppy on a schedule comes out of a puppy on a schedule. So always take your puppy out after feeding. Try picking up your puppy's water dish about two and a half hours before bedtime, so he won't have as much water to try and hold overnight. If you keep a consistent schedule, your puppy could be house trained by the time he's five to six months old. But don't be discouraged if it takes your puppy longer, or has an occasional accident. Many factors, including breed of dog, consistency, and temperament can contribute to a longer training period. If you feel that there's little to no progress, consult with your veterinarian to be sure that a medical issue, such as a bladder infection, isn't the culprit. Supervision in the beginning is critical. Exercise pens are extremely helpful while house training. Keeping your puppy in a small space within eyesight will allow you to notice and react when they start showing the signs of needing to eliminate. Those signs can be barking, scratching at the door, squatting, sniffing, or circling. If you're unable to monitor your puppy, you can confine him to an area small enough so that he won't want to eliminate there. A space just large enough for him to lay down with a couple extra inches is just fine. Many people choose to combine with a crate, which can be very helpful for house training your young dog. For more information on crate training, watch 'How To Crate Train Your Puppy.' I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and I hope that you found this helpful as you welcome your new addition to your family.
Good nutrition is as important to your dog’s health as it is to your own. But with thousands of different pet foods available, how do you pick the right one for your dog?
Learn how to choose a dog food that provides the proper, balanced nutrition your dog needs to thrive with these six tips.
In general, while a human diet should be high in fiber and low in fat, a dog needs more fat for energy and a healthy skin and coat, and less fiber for good intestinal health.
Preferably, a dog’s food should include meat, too. Even if you prefer a vegetarian diet, designing a high-quality dog diet without animal protein is difficult. IAMS™ Company research supports that meatless meals might not provide optimal nutrition for dogs. Dogs are best fed as carnivores because they have simple stomachs and short intestines that are ideal for digesting animal protein and animal fat. Dogs also need carbohydrates for energy.
Start by identifying your dog’s life stage and lifestyle. Puppies, nursing mothers and mature pets each represent different life stages, and each one has different nutritional requirements. By law, all dog foods must state the life stage for which they are recommended.
Nutritional needs also vary depending on lifestyle. A dog whose primary activity is guarding the couch doesn’t need as much energy as one who guards a flock of sheep. Another factor to consider is breed size: small, medium or large.
Finally, consider medical conditions your dog has, such as food allergies, that might require your veterinarian to recommend a special diet.
Once you’ve determined your dog’s life stage and lifestyle needs, decide whether to feed him dry or canned food. Most dogs do well eating only dry food. Dry foods promote oral hygiene for healthy teeth and gums through abrasive chewing action. Some dogs, especially finicky eaters, enjoy wet food because of its smooth, wet texture.
Remember that while dry food can be left in a bowl all day, wet food should be thrown away after 30 minutes if not consumed. Dry food is the best choice for busy people who are not normally home during the day.
After you determine your pet’s nutritional needs and preference, you are ready to go shopping.
Ingredients on dog-food labels are listed in descending order according to weight. Because dogs thrive on animal-based diets, it’s best to pick a food that features an animal-based protein source, such as chicken, lamb, fish or egg, as the first ingredient. Unlike a single-vegetable-based protein source, such as soybean meal or corn-gluten meal, animal-based protein sources contain adequate amounts of essential amino acids.
Scientific studies show that a combination of carbohydrates in the diet, such as corn meal or barley and grain sorghum, offers optimal carbohydrate digestibility and helps maintain energy levels. In addition, scientific studies show that beet pulp — the material remaining after sugar is extracted from sugar beets — is an excellent fiber source and promotes a healthy digestive tract. Finally, for a glossy coat and healthy skin, your pet needs fat in the diet. Good fat sources include chicken fat and fish oil.
Dog-food labels provide limited information about the nutritional value of the food because labeling regulations do not allow manufacturers to describe the quality of ingredients on the package.
A reputable pet-food manufacturer will be able to explain their specific methods for evaluating and assuring the quality of ingredients used in its products.
When choosing food, the price on the bag, while important, is usually not the best consideration. A low price might indicate inexpensive ingredients, or ingredients that change as market prices fluctuate.
Also, many lower-priced products have higher daily portions to provide the same amount of nutrition found in a high-quality diet. To get a better representation of value, it is the cost per feeding, not the total cost, that counts.
To figure cost per feeding, divide the total cost by the number of days the product lasts. For example, a 20-pound bag of food costs $18.99 and lasts 30 days. The cost to feed is $0.63 per day. A 20-pound bag of food that costs $15.99 and lasts 20 days costs $0.80 per day. So, when costs are analyzed properly, high-quality pet foods compare quite favorably to other brands while offering outstanding nutrition.
