A Step by Step Guide to Helping You Be Puppy-Ready!

GETTING STARTED

1.) Pick your vet! If you already have a vet, call them ahead of time to schedule your next vaccination appointment if you know how old your pup will be when going home. First set of shots are done at 6 weeks (sometimes 7 weeks) and the next set should be done about 3-4 weeks later (or whatever your vet recommends).

2.)Where will you keep your puppy? Pups can get into trouble FAST, and in one second disappear from a room! When you’re not sitting with your puppy, have a space for pup to sit or sleep. We like this baby pen system, with 3 panels plus 1 door panel it’s the perfect size for 1 frenchton! The remaining panels can be made into an outdoor playpen. https://www.amazon.com/Regalo-192-Inch-Super-Adjustable-Mounts/dp/B003VNKLIY/ref=sr_1_16?dchild=1&keywords=white+panel+dog+pens&qid=1596055211&sr=8-16

3.) How will you train your puppy? Now is the time to figure out what type of training you want to do with your puppy. What commands do you plan to use? How will you leash train it? Figure it out now and draft a plan so you can hit the ground running with your new addition!

If you’d like to learn more on puppy training, click HERE!

4.) Baby-proof your house! If a baby might get into it, so will a puppy. And they will chew it. Kids’ toys are favorites for puppies . . . legos, Barbies, stuffed animals . . . all are appealing to puppies, but NOT good choices for toys!

5.) Puppy-proof your yard! Remember puppies are small, and WILL get into trouble. Check your fencing for ANY gaps, think about fencing off a small portion of your yard for containment, or using a ground tether. Just because your pup stays close to home, doesn’t mean she’s safe from wandering dogs . . . or HAWKS!

6.) Puppy Equipment:

• 1 small-sized kennel. The kennel is needed for teaching potty-training and keeping pup out of trouble when you cannot watch her.
• water and food dishes that CANNOT be tipped over. Preferably metal or puppy will chew them.
• 2 collars. Your pup will come with one, but buy another collar for a 10 lb dog, and one for a 15 pound dog. Your puppy will outgrow ALL of them before you know it!
• small, lightweight leash. A heavy leash will make leash training difficult for puppy.
• Puppy shampoo. Organic baby shampoo might work as well.
• Purinia Pro Plan PUPPY Food: Focus. Frenchtons can be PICKY eaters, and Purina PRO PLAN has been great for parents Carl and Ginger (we tried LOTS of foods).
• Toys: most toys for small dog breeds work well for puppies. Small stuffed animals, squeeker toys, rubber rings or bones, long tube socks tied with knots. DO NOT GIVE RAWHIDES OR BONES — these can break fragile puppy teeth!
• Tiny, soft treats for training (recommended). I prefer soft, easy to break treats 1 inch of size that I break into 4 pieces. Used for potty-training, leash training, and all command training.
• Ground Tether kit: a kit for dogs up to 25 pounds is fine and consists of a spiral stake and a plastic-coated wire cable with snaps on both ends. You’ll want two cables: one 10 feet long (used until 14 weeks old) and one 15-20 ft (depending on your area). Ground tethers allow pup to get fresh air and exercise and are a great option instead of kenneling. Please remember NOT to leave puppy on tether while out with young children (they WILL get tangled), or while you are NOT HOME. Be sure there is nothing for puppy to wrap the line around and that she has shade and water within reach

Life The First Few Months

Your pup has been living with a pile of brothers and sisters the last 8 weeks. Now she’s suddenly alone. And cold. And scared. Things smell funny. There’s a monster in the corner making weird sounds . . . getting ready to EAT her!

Your pup has only seen you a fraction of her life and you are still a bit scary! Don’t be sad if your pup is nervous around you or seems disinterested. They have a LOT to look at and figure out, and once they’ve had a good nap they’ll be ready to play and snuggle!

Make sure your pup sleeps in her pen. It’s not a “naughty pen”. Don’t use it as punishment. This should be a safe area for puppy to relax and sleep, and stay safe when you cannot be with her. Her pen should have a few chew toys to keep her mind stimulated for longer periods of time.

At night, a “sleep sack” might be nice for your pup to snuggle into, and a heartbeat sounds machine might help her drift off to a deep sleep. The pups by this point have been sleeping through the night without crying.

Keeping  pup sleeping through the night takes a bit of planning and routine.

The pups, like babies, thrive on routine. They have been waking up at 6:30 each morning, hungry, thirsty and ready to potty! Try to catch your pup BEFORE they wake up, and take them out instantly for potty time. Once they go, give them lots of praise and attention.

Food and water are next, with a small amount of playtime, then back out to potty just 20 minutes later. Pups eat LOTS so don’t play too hard after eating!

Plan for naptimes, eating times, potty times and playtimes. With a schedule, a pup is less likely to whine.

POTTY TRAINING

Frenchton pups have TINY bladders and often take a LONG TIME to be fully trained to potty outside. On average, they need to pee every 15 minutes, so keep a stopwatch handy and each time they GO on the floor, start your timer until they go again.

Puppies drink a LOT of water. They are also prone to urinary tract infections, so try NOT to limit water intake, unless puppy will be penned up, but be sure to let her out frequently to drink and pee.

If a urinary tract infection is suspected, add a tiny splash of organic apple cider vinegar to her water bowl. Urinary Tract Infections result when the natural acidity of the tract grows too basic and bacteria in the outside environment travels into her urinary tract and it’s not acidic enough to kill it off.

BELLS!!!

Potty training is MUCH smoother for everyone with a bell by the door at puppy height. Before taking puppy outside to potty, take her paw and swipe the bell with it. Once it rings, take her outside to potty. She will eventually ring the bell herself to go out . . . just make sure you can hear her and LET HER OUT INSTANTLY!

The more proactive you are watching and listening, the better potty training will go!

If puppy seems nervous of the bell, you can try adding a tiny smear of peanut butter to it to encourage her to interact with it.

FOOD (DON’T DO IT!)

Frenchtons have VERY sensitive tummies! Human food CAN and WILL give them terrible stools, and room-clearing gas. Even dog treats can cause issues.

We HIGHLY recommend Purina Pro Choice dog food as it does well with their tummies and gas is less of an issue.

Giving them human food (at all) is HARD to train them out of. While tossing a french fry to little Joey seems adorable, it only serves to fuel a passionate desire for foods they CANNOT have.

The last thing you want for your little pup is a quick trip to the vet for stomach issues . . . especially when vets are already booked out more than a month in advance!

BITING . . . It HAPPENS  🙁

All puppies chew, and all puppies BITE their teeth are growing all the time. SOME puppies turn into DOGS that BITE. It’s all in the training. NEVER let your pup chew on you. You are NOT a chew toy . . . neither is the shoe on your foot. Keep a small toy with you and you can stuff it into your pups mouth when they try to bite.

Another option is to calmly but firmly pick them off you (careful not to rip their teeth out) and set away from you 12-24 inches. When they turn back around, give them gentle pets and kind words. The goal is to REINFORCE POSITIVE behavior in the pup. When they choose to bite, they no longer get to be next to you. This is punishment enough. When they choose to approach you nicely, they are rewarded with extra attention.

WHINING AND CRYING

Much like human babies, puppies cannot talk. They get hungry, tired, and thirsty and desire attention. They cry, bark or whine to let you know.

The best way to avoid relentless barking is to NOT give them attention when they are barking. Otherwise they will ALWAYS bark to get your attention.

If they begin barking, ignore it until they stop. THEN go see what the problem is. You might have to stay close and wait for that SPLIT SECOND when they stop. Eventually they’ll realize barking doesn’t solve their issue, and that you are mindful of their needs whether they bark or not.

It gets tough when they need to potty, and bark to let you know. You might add an extra bell at puppy head height at the BACK of the pen for them to use. At the back they are less likely to hit it on accident.

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