I need some advice. I've never had a puppy before, and since my disability benefits were approved Zach and I can go forward with buying a Keeshond pup.

I imagine we'll get a baby around 10-12 weeks old. I need as much help as I can get. Anyone who has owned a puppy, I need advice on anything and everything puppy related.

Some subjects are:
*Housebreaking

*How to socialize (where it's okay to walk a really young puppy, etc.)
I was planning on taking my baby to Petsmart and Petco, but I read on a Craigslist discussion forum that taking a young pup there might not be a good idea, because a puppy that young won't be fully vaccinated yet. I read the same thing about going to the park, and walking on trails.

*Puppy-proofing the house

I have several books, they are:
"Keeshond" by Martin Weil
"ASPCA Complete Dog Training Manual" by Bruce Fogle, D.V.M.
"Dog Tricks for Dummies" by Sarah Hodgson


Any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated!

Hope you don't mind me replying as I just joined today but I have had pups all my life and thought I would just jump right in.
Taking pups out to parks and pet stores isn't good until they have had all their vaccinations. Until then they are not protected. And even though most places such as groomers and boarders etc say they want proof of vaccines, some of them will do without it.
And at pet stores they don't ask for proof any pet can go in.

My opinion on housebreaking, the best and quickest way to go is crate training and it comes in handy in alot of ways other than just the housebreaking. Some people think it's "cruel" and that your caging a dog. But you don't just throw them in a cage for hours and hours at a time and just leave them. Puppies teeth also and the crate training is useful then also. And alot of dogs who were crate trained but don't need to stay in it anymore choose to use the crate to sleep in or just for some quet time. It becomes a den or safe place for them.

socailizing a puppy to anything and everything is the best way to get an emotionally healthy happy dog who will be safe around others but definitely not until vaccinated. Introduce the pup to all kinds of things and places.

And just research alot on crate training, housebreaking, socializing, and especially researching the breed you are interested in and if it's temperament will fit your lifestyle...such as if your family is laid back and more of the couch potato type you don't want a border collie as they need lots of activity, training and preferably a "job" to do.

Also, a quality food for the dog...it can be very overwhelming to pick a good dog food because there is so much info. Basically if you can buy the food in the grocery store, most of it is garbage. If it has alot of fillers, that isn't digested by the dog and it becomes waste and the dog will go out more often and bigger amounts.
The ingrediante list on dog food starts with the largest quantity first.
anything listed as by-product is not good. Corn is just a filler and isn't digested. Alot of dogs seem to be allergic to wheat and wheat products.
Dog food can be very expensive as they now have organic, raw diets, and human grade foods. I would by the best you can afford.
I would love to be able to buy all organic human grade for our pets but the price makes it impossible. We feed eagle pack holistic.

You can find alot of info on the internet and I know there were some websites where you could take a quiz and find the dog breeds that fit your family and lifestyle best.
Anyhow, sorry so long and if you have questions just PM me.

Wow, thank you so much, Susan and welcome to the forum!! I'm so glad you feel comfortable enough to just "jump right in"!

About the dog food, we will be feeding either Orijen, Innova or EVO brand dry food or raw food. My husband, Zach, works at a store that only sells top-grade pet foods. We feed our cat the Orijen brand and he's extremely healthy.

Thank you so much for confirming what the person on Craigslist said in the pet discussion forum, about walking in parks and taking to pet stores. I'll be sure not to do that until fully vaccinated.

Thanks again, and welcome to the forum!!

Awww that's awesome Dani!! Can't wait to see the little fluff ball

Do you ever watch "The Dog Whisperer" ? He is my hero and has a lot of good logic for dog training.

There is a great book called "Don't Shoot the Dog" that is an excellent read. It is about applied behavior analysis and using different positive training methods to avoid or modify undesirable behavior. The methods taught in the book can be used for more than dogs. It's one of the prerequisites for the "Living and Learning With Parrots" class.

I've had dogs all my life, too, and raised a couple of orphaned puppies who barely had their eyes open when their mother died.

For housebreaking, I know the crate is the current thing and you put the puppy in there because they won't foul their own bed, but what if he really, really has to go and holds it for that reason, and gets himself an infection? Since you're going to be home a lot, consistency and being alert will work. Take him out first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Take him out right after he eats and anytime he seems restless and when he's been playing and being active. Take him out right after a nap. Remember he's a baby and he'll have some accidents, but don't make a big deal out of it and definitely don't rub his nose in it. He can't help it. I suggest Woolite Pet Stain Remover and a wet sponge. When he goes outdoors, praise him like nobody's ever gone outdoors before. Dogs LOVE to make you happy. When he has an accident in the house, just very calmly say something like, "No, we potty OUTDOORS," and take him to the door to show him. When he seems like he wants to go and is running around in circles sniffing the floor, say "Wanna go out?" and take him out. Repetition and more reptition and he'll get it.

Puppies are babies and taking him among other animals where he could catch something isn't a good idea, so wait until he's had all his puppy shots, but there will still be lots of time for socializing. Have friends over so he gets used to people besides you and Zach. Let him hear babies crying and kids yelling and loud noises from the TV to desensitize him to those things. If you take him for walks, don't let him get near other dogs until he's had his shots, but short walks close to home should be okay. He'll get tired easily, and you'll have to carry him home, most likely.

Start with simple commands like "sit" and always give him a treat when he does what you ask, even if he does it accidentally. So he won't get chubby, the treat doesn't always have to be food. It can also be praise. If he sits when you say "sit," go absolutely bonkers about it. "WHAT A GOOD BOY!!!!" and lots of kisses and hugs. If he doesn't do it, no big deal. And keep training sessions short, because puppies have the attention span of a gnat. Ten minutes two or three times a day. When you're just playing with him, if he sits down on his own, say "Sit! That's 'sit'! What a smart puppy!" He'll learn to associate the word with the action. Again, it's repetition. Dogs learn words they hear a lot. When I tell Gigi to "get on the couch" (which is equivalent to "go lay down and get out from under my feet for five minutes"), she's heard that often enough that she goes and does it.

If he nips you while you're playing, and he will, put your hand on his little muzzle and say "no bites" just like you would with your bird. If he's really getting nippy, you can put your hand on his muzzle and tap that hand with the other hand (not hard, just enough so he feels it) and say "no bites" again. His mother and other pups would bite him back but that's not something you can do. And then refuse to play any more for a few minutes. He'll get so he understands that if he bites, the game stops and he'll want to play ALL THE TIME, so he'll learn to do what you want so he gets what HE wants.

I sure watch the Dog Whisperer all the time Catherine.., like you said, he is my hero also...and what he can do looks like magic sometimes... and he certainly is good....

And to you Dani, yes we want to see pictures of that fluff ball, or even a picture of one that you are thinking of getting....

Tootles to all....

I sure can show pictures, but not tonight.....we're going on a date tonight, and I need to go get ready...but I'll post pics tomorrow!

And thank you so much for the information!

Well, we went on a date to Wendy's drive up window. That's good enough for me!

Anyway, here is a picture of a Keeshond puppy:



And some pictures of adult Keeshonden:





They're so cute! We love them!!

Yes, I watch both the Dog Whisperer and It's Me or the Dog, with Victoria Stilwell. They're both very good trainers, with good information and techniques.

Dani,
Congratulations I guess are in order.......the Keeshound is a beautiful dog. Everyone gave you great advice.

Yay! I just wrote an email to the President of our local Keeshond club, asking if any breeders are planning litters, and will have puppies available around December! Hopefully the answer is "Yes" and we won't have to wait too long for a puppy.

I love puppies
I have 4 dogs. My youngest just turned one.
In fact she and I are going to bed now. Goodnite.

Most puppy classes offered do have vaccination requirements. The one I went to also required us provide a health certificate signed by our vet. I used Petsmart's training classes and we had an excellent teacher. When we adopted our boxer mix, it was decided that she was going to learn a few manners due to her size and her myserious background. We also now have 1 dog that actually takes treats nicely from our hands. The other two...like a little finger with their treats.

Discuss the training classes with your vets since one of the vaccines you will want to have is Bordatella (Kennel Cough). This is a must for dogs exposed to other dogs. When I adopted my girl, she ended up sick right away - Kennel Cough & Tape worms. Her first vet visit was to get her the right meds to treat both of those issues.

I believe in crate training. Providing a puppy with a save place when you are not able to supervise their activities or are away from home is as crucial to their safety and your piece of mind. This also helps with seperation anxiety (which often leads to destructive behaviors) because it gives your puppy a safe place to go. My dogs even go to their crates when they are scared. I use treats to reinforce the behavior of going to their crate when we are leaving or I need to scrub floors and need to protect them from chemicals used to clean things. They are the point when I open "that" cupboard they are off to their crates (though we call them their rooms). I also crate them when I let them chew on special treats otherwise next thing I know they are fighting. My dogs dont spend the night in their crates - they sleep with me & hog the bed. When Mystique was a puppy, I got up around 2-3am and took her out for an extra potty check to avoid accidents in bed and it worked well. The big thing about potty training is be observant and take the puppy out a lot. They often give cues like they stop playing and start running around sniffing. If you work with them, they might learn to go to the door and bark to tell you as they get older.

One of my pups favorite rewards is her ball. She loves to play ball and balls are better than treats. I learned that she is much more obedient on walks if she carries her ball. Its rather funny but cute until I get stuck carrying it home.

my technique for house breaking is as soon as they wake up take them out as soon as they eat or drink take them out.CONGRATS!!!!

Thank you guys!! I haven't heard back from anybody yet.

I hope you hear from them soon....I have also had dogs all my life and currently have 3. Our Black Lab, Coal, who just turned 2 yrs old last month, Amber, our female Chihuahua, who is approximately 9 yrs old and Poncho, my rescue male Chihuahua, who just turned 1 year old in April. Poncho was a fun dog to potty train, NOT.....I had never "crate trained" a dog before but I had to in Poncho's case. As it turns out he loves his crate. When he is ready to take a nap or go to bed at night, he just gets in his crate. I have to use the crate because of the birds and also Poncho is a chewer. When the birds are out, Poncho goes in his crate.

Hi Sandi. I'm planning on crate training Freya, but I also am hoping to train her to leave the birds alone, so they can hopefully be out at the same time.

I'm so excited, I just found out that Freya is a Danish name, and that's where Keeshonden originated from! That was a complete accident! It was really funny, I was watching one of my favorite shows on TV a couple weeks ago, called "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" and one of the stories ended up with a baby girl who the parents named Freya. Zach was on the computer and called in to me "What did they name her??" and I said "Freya!" He told me that a long time ago he decided that if he ever had a daughter, that's what he wanted to name her, so said "We can name our Kee Freya, if you want." So that's how our invisible Keeshond got her name.

I just heard back from several people from the local Keeshond club!!! There are two litters due in October, one is due October 1st the other October 28th!!!! I've actually met the breeder of the litter due on the 28th, so I've already sent her an email inquiring about the puppies.....yippee!!!!!

Oh, last week someone on the Keeshond forum I belong to sent me an EXCELLENT site on grooming....I've been having fun studying it! I printed the entire thing, and it's something like 43 pages long! LOL

I had a keeshonden when I was a teenager and they are such a sweet breed. I remember my "Candy
dancer A lamode"! I know shes waiting on ahead I sure loved that dog! You sure homed in on a lovely
breed. I cant wait for you! xox

Awww, yes, she's there waiting for you. Yes, they are so sweet!

Dani

Dani,
I hope you will get your puppy soon. I have tried tremendously to train my newest Chihuahua to leave the birds alone, but he is a BIG jumper, which my 9 yr old is not. Sad because he could be out of his crate while the birds are out if he didn't JUMP SO HIGH.....

That's a good point, I guess we'll just have to see how it goes.....

LOL It's a little late for me to be asking this, since I already did it, but here goes:

I emailed a few trainers about puppy classes....is it too soon to be asking? From everything I've read and heard about Keeshonden, they truly are a breed apart (very smart with a well-honed sense of humor, which could make training interesting)...I just want to make sure the trainer I choose (if I don't decide to train on my own, using books) will be up for the challenge.

I'm so excited about our puppy!!!!!! Yay!

I'm excited for you!!!! YAY

I too luv dogs. I'm glad you posted a pic. of what your pup would look like. I v'e never heard of that kind of dog before.Congrads on getting one at xmas.

Thank you Juana and Esther!! I've gotten responses from both of the training facilities I sent emails to, and both have experience with Keeshonden, and they both also invited me to sit in on their puppy classes, to see how they're run.

I think that is a great idea! It would be fun too.
I had a friend who took her puppy, who was a golden retriever, to puppy classes.
That dog was the best trained dog for its age when they finished.

They are around other dogs while they train so it also socializes them.

Wooooo Hooooooo!!!!! I got an email from my breeder today, and she said that Zach and I can send a check to reserve a puppy now and we have an agreement that we'll pay her when we get my backpay check, if we don't have it when the puppies are born!!!! Yippeeeee!!!!!!