i got boomer today from my uncle. he's a crossbred daschund-dalmatian-terrier according to my uncle and he's 4 human months old. i named him after that kangaroo mascot from michael johns's most embarrassing moment.

i'm not really a pet person. he's my first real pet dog. the one who died was more of a guard that i never touched. i really intend on taking care of this one. with the poop cleanig and all. he's inside the house, so he's gonna be high maintenance.

anyway, if you have any tips at all, with training dogs and everything, like, say, how to not poop all over the place, or feeding the dog, nutrition stuff... (we feed him real food not expensive dog food) please do share. i love you all.



kaye♥



oh, here's a pic. Boomer the Dog. David Puddy's Number One Fan.

Oh, goodness, he is a doll!

We used to have a German shorthaired pointer named Harley that we raised from six weeks on, and we had a heyday with him, because he grew into a monster in about ten minutes. We kept him in the house for potty training, and we basically did the whole newspaper-on-the-kitchen-floor action until we started breaking him from doing his business in the house completely. We did a simple scolding when we caught him in the act, very firm tone of voice. No yelling, because you don't want to frighten him - you just want to get it in his head that his action is wrong. And if you didn't catch him in the act of making the mistake, then don't scold him for it, because he won't know what he's being scolded for.

Nutrition varies from dog to dog. Our current little pooch, a minature pinscher (Harley became too much to handle and thus went to a co-worker of my father's), is around 10 years old, but he prefers soft food to hard food. Sometimes it's the other way around. See what he likes to eat (soft food or hard kibble), then from there, find what it most beneficial for his age. There are brands that label specific foods for specific dog ages. I'm no vet, so I don't know what particular nutrients to look for or anything, but usually, a good reputable brand like Kibbles & Bits or Mighty Dog will have age-appropriate foods.

As for human food, don't allow that to be the focal point of his diet. Our minature pinscher is now 24 pounds because of that. It's okay to feed him scraps of food every once in a while (nothing chocolate or too sugary), but try to keep him pretty focused on a dog food. It's healthier for him. Hell, it'd probably be healthier for us humans too.

That's all I can think of for now. Best of luck, and let us know how it's going with Boomer! (Lovin' that name!)

thanks!!

oh, btw, boomer pooped on my bed and i didn't find out until a few minutes ago. there was a smell in my room and we were looking all over the floor, then i saw it on my bed and i was like... DANG IT.

changed all the sheets and everything.

The best thing I can suggest for you to do until Boomer is house trained is to get a crate. Whenever you are gone, asleep at night, or can not keep a good eye on the dog put the puppy in his crate. This will help with house training because dogs will not go to the bathroom where they sleep and protect your house from accidents happening all over the place.

May I say, though, that we took care of one dog that was the absolute exception to that rule. Dog crapped in every crevice of her crate and then whined all night about it. That dog was weird, anyway, though.

But yes, for normal dogs, that's the recommended method.

Dachund-Dalmation-Terrier? I can't wait to see what he looks like as an adult.

We were lucky, I guess. Our Miniature Schnauzer, Pepper, potty trained very quickly. She is now almost 12 years old.

Good luck with your puppy.

Jeannine

Awww...your new pup is so adorable!

I was never into the crate-training thing, especially if it's for an extended period of time. My advice is to watch Boomer like a hawk and take him outside every 15-20 minutes (if you are able) and encourage him to go to the bathroom. When he does, give him lots of praise and a treat. When you're not with him, keep him in an area of the house that can be cleaned easily the first few weeks - use baby gates if necessary. When you get home, immediately take him to his bathroom area. Gradually you'll be able to trust him out of your sight and let him unsupervised into other areas of the house.

This might not be possible for you, but if you have a friend or other family member with a dog who's house-trained, let your dog observe the other dog doing their business outside. My dog pretty much 'got it' but when he observed my parents' dogs, it just clicked.

I have a little dog, too (8.5 lbs full grown). One thing to keep in mind when they're little is that even if they want to please you and go outside, sometimes they just can't physically hold it - small plumbing! Best of luck with your new dog - I love my dog so much...he really is a true and loyal friend!!!

When you aren't home, or nobody is able to watch him. Thats exactly where he should be. Put a nice bed in there with him, and his food and water. Dogs wont go where they sleep (or is it eat?). As soon as you let him out of the crate, you take him outside to go potty (or to a wee wee pad in the house). After he eats or drinks....let him out. And like somebody already said, only scold if you catch them in the act. They don't know why you're angry if you do it after the fact. I recommend a soup can with coins in it, and to shake it when he's doing something wrong. After a while, any time he sees the can, he'll know not to be bad. NEVER HIT!!

I trained my dog to ring a bell anytime he needed to go out. I don't know if you're able to, but hang a bell from the door you let him out, and every time you go outside, or let him out, ring it before you open the door. Press him into it a few times to ring it before he goes out. My dog is much bigger, so I don't know exactly what you could get Boomer to ring...but its a thought.

My dog is on a raw food diet (My dad's brilliant idea). I hate it. But its pretty healthy. But, keep you're pup lean. If he gets fat from treats and table scraps, it can take years off his life. Seriously.

When training, don't give treats every time. Start out with treats at first, then kind of 'surprise him' with them so he'll do what you want even when you don't have treats on you.

Thats all I can think of right now...

Adooooooooorable by the way. I wish my dog was that cute

so, if we get boomer/coconut a crate... where does she pee? (apparently it's a she. i'm an idiot)

we designate a place in the house, yeah?

i love the name ... Boomer! I would give you advice but I have my own issues with my puppy Gus ... he is a pure bred Doberman puppy ... he is 12 months old (we have another 2 years till he hits teenage dog years apparently) and when he stands his back is up to my waist and I am 5'6 ... all I can say is ... dont let her out of your sight, keep the vet on speed dial and buy a lot of cleaning products