And they call it -- puppy love

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

The Norman Transcript - Transcript Staff Writer

There is nothing quite like the excitement of a family getting a puppy at Christmas.

But after bringing home the new furry member of the family, whether it's a puppy or an adult dog, the reality sets in that it's a fun time, but it can also be stressful and a lot of work to integrate a new dog into the household.

Cindy Colon, adoption coordinator for the Norman Pet Adoption Center, routinely doles out free advice to help new pet owners with animals from the center achieve success and not land the new addition in the Norman Animal Shelter when it doesn't work out.

Housetraining is always one of the major issues, Colon said.

And some of her major advice is to invest immediately in a crate or plastic travel kennel to house break the puppy or adult dog and keep it out of trouble.

"Crate training is the only way to go," Colon said.

She stresses that crate training is not mean or cruel.

"Your puppy will learn to love the kennel, his or her own quiet room, as much as you will. Dogs instinctively like small snug areas like a den in the wild making them feel safe and secure. If not given a place, you will find them under a table, bed or chair, any place to give them this feel," she writes in her "Playful Puppy Tips" she passes out at the adoption center.

The crate should just be big enough for the dog to lie down and turn around. If it's too big, the dog may soil one area and lie in the other area.

Colon advises leaving the kennel door completely open the first day and occasionally throwing in a tasty treat to encourage the dog to enter the crate or kennel on their own.

"Throw a treat in there and let a dog go in and get it and come back out," she said.

She advises taking the puppy outside before it goes into the crate and after you let it out.

"They should always be in their kennel when you are gone, at night, and anytime you cannot be watching them closely," Colon wrote, for about the first year.

She said the dog owner should give the puppy a word to call the crate or kennel and say it in a happy, excited voice and reinforce entering the kennel with a treat or favorite toy.

When a puppy first comes home, it may cry when it's crated.

"If they fuss, do not baby talk or yell, just tap the crate and say, 'no-shh-quiet' in a neutral voice," Colon said. "When they are quiet for a moment, quietly praise by saying 'good-quiet-puppy.' You would need to repeat this until they fall asleep."

She said most puppies under four months old cannot sleep through the night, similar to a human infant, and may need to be taken outside.

"After they go, take them right back to bed, do not play with them," Colon said. "And do not use the kennel as a punishment. If they have been naughty and you need a break, be calm and put them in the kennel in the same positive way as you always do."

A rule of thumb as to how long a puppy can stay in a crate equates to how old it is.

Kenneled puppies should be able to be crated one hour per month of age.

"That's one of the advantages of an adult dog," Colon said. "They can hold their bladder, if they're trained."

And if a dog owner sees the puppy or adult dog whining, circling, sniffing or going towards the door where it typically goes out -- it may be time to take it outside.

"Teach them to ask to go out," she said.

Colon recommends pet owners take their puppies or dogs outside on a leash and praise or give treats when they "go potty."

And it doesn't do much good to reprimand a dog more than a few seconds after they've made a mistake in the house.

"When you find an accident, clean it up and forget it," she writes. "It's too late for a learning experience other than for yourself. Do no scold them for not going fast enough when they are outside -- it will just scare them and take longer. They may think they are doing something wrong and not want to go outside."

And taking them out means rain, snow or shine.

"Rain or snow, they've still got to go. And that means you've got to go with them."

It's important not to get too eager to take the new puppy to the park where they might have contact with other dogs, Colon said.

"Mostly what I tell them with a little puppy, that you don't want to be taking your puppy to the park or any place like that because there is too high of an exposure rate," she said.

Colon suggests having friends or neighbors drop by and teaching the puppy to sit and stay when visitors arrive.

Another idea is to take the puppy out in the front yard on a leash where they can be taught to sit and stay by using praise or treats as a reward.

"You have to have a leash on them and you pull them back and push down on their rump a little bit and tell them to sit," Colon said. "And bring that treat up over their head and then they sit and then you say, 'good puppy' and you give them the treat."

She said you want to teach them when they are little not to jump up.

Have a leash handy near the front door for when people arrive, she said.

"Put your leash on and make your puppy go with you to the door," training the dog that, "we don't charge the door. We don't jump on the person outside of the door. We sit."

And all the same principles apply to adult dogs when they are adopted. Colon said it can frequently be easier to train an adult dog, especially when there are small children in the house.

"Puppies nip and they chase and they jump," she said, with adult dogs often being a little more quiet.