I immediately fell in love with Leila the moment I saw her. She was only 9 weeks old sitting in a kennel in the pound all by herself. She had two sisters that were much bigger than her that had just been adopted. My boyfriend and I had just finished some Bloody Mary’s at brunch and found ourselves at the local pound. When I saw little Leila I walked over to pet her through the cage and she started chewing on my finger. It was love at first sight. Once we got her home I was immediately shocked at how well behaved she was. In the car on the way home she laid perfectly on my lap and took a little puppy snooze. Once home she had many accidents in the house for the first couple of days. It took her only 24 hours for her to pick up going in and out of the doggie door. Sadie was a very good teacher and Leila would jump through the door after Sadie had it opened. By the end of the first week Leila was completely potty trained using the doggie door. I was absolutely shocked that a now ten week old puppy picked up potty training so quickly. She did have a few small accidents in her kennel but that was only after being left in there for too long. When Leila had Parvo a couple weeks ago we were sleeping downstairs with her and she wasn’t sleeping in her kennel. Once she was better we continued not putting her in the kennel at night and now she sleeps in bed with us. When my boyfriend first proposed the idea I laughed and said that she would destroy our home by morning. I was and still am shocked that I can sleep all night and Leila will take herself to the bathroom if she needs to go and then come back upstairs. Her only problem is that she cannot jump back on the bed but hopefully she will get taller soon and be able to jump up on her own.
Another way that Leila has surprised me is her ability to walk perfectly on a leash. The first time she was put on the leash when we got her she followed us and walked on it without pulling or stopping once. Leila has truly been the most perfect puppy I have encountered. She does have normal puppy issues of chewing on everything in sight but by giving her lots of bones and toys this has helped with keeping our belongings in one piece.
Tips I have learned for new puppy owners:
- Having a doggie door helps immensely!!! By having a doggie door I had my Leila potty trained within one week. It is so simple to train puppies using the doggie door because once they pick it up they can take themselves outside which reduces them having to show their owner signs and having to hold their potty until they are let out.
- Have numerous bones, chew toys and stuffed toys for your puppy. Having many different bones and chew toys around will keep your puppy preoccupied chewing their toys and not your belongings. Right now Leila has at least 8 bones around the house that she can chew in her kennel, outside, upstairs, downstairs and in every room in the house. By having bones scattered around she always has something to keep her busy no matter where she is in the house. She has less stuffed toys than bones because she brings those to different areas of the house when she is playing with them.
- Keep a routine. Puppies pick up very quickly on routines. When you have a new puppy feed them and take them potty around the same times each day. After feeding your puppy take them out to the bathroom, take them out every couple hours and then take your puppy outside every time they wake up from a nap.
By following these tips the adjustment of your new puppy into your house will be easier on both your family and home.
