Tools to Help with Management
Management is necessary to keep our dogs safe to prevent them from making mistakes until we have taught them what to do and they have matured through the challenges of adolescence.
Crates- I recommend crate training (and will help you know how to do it kindly) not only to help with potty training and chewing challenges as puppies, but also so that dogs are comfortable in them as adults. Most dogs will spend a night at the vet's office at some point in their lives, for neutering, illness, or injury. If they have not been shown that crates can be happy places, then being one at the vet's will just add more stress to an already stressful situation. There may also be a situation at home when your dog needs to be confined for medical reasons, from required rest for an injury or to protect them from a danger such as broken glass. There are numerous types available, from hard sided, to wire, to fabric. It's ideal if you can borrow one from a friend to try it out and see if your dog has a preference but I think wire crates are the best default. If your dog likes privacy, you can always cover a wire crate with a cloth, but if you have a hard sided one and find they don't like not being able to see well, it's hard to open that up. The soft ones are handy for travel but it's a real risk to keep a chewing puppy in a crate he can destroy!
I really like these wire crates. They have two doors so you can arrange them either way (i.e. one way in the house and a different way in the car) and still have easy access to a door. Plus they also come with a divider so that you can buy the size your dog will need as an adult, and use the divider so it can be smaller for effective potty training as a puppy.
|
https://www.chewy.com/midwest-icrate-fold-carry-double-door/dp/45375?adId=eaae56b3-02ec-48c2-a6ff-1f4d41750fa9&adPayload=lDxWwM2CIUKoboxqiGLAHxl-fh62F3EXiNetCbGsBtNnPIBK4sK4sMCxAsXxXrLU1sUA0pt3zUITgo5UiSUysrCzbkX--WoTj8vMTx-nG0rYEYl933hfzDs99X7vLaqdmsVhTyKloAnM0rvUFJ59KjDqghT-Ah1Zz4w0A6EffUY968X0tHwYimCl3Wqiqycf5xMd3NO_GewkQXnSFyXv7xekQCXofSkpC6pLM03IzUGxEddxWxN3jrzLYOlorL8An6ciEPFjBsIHmJzm6oUUPvzWyEx2qecwQFGOCh68Tg7YZtQtHfXqT03PWhKPAlByLN9tTF4wQBIW5fC5aYc_3A36v_bs_cFCGS9h8Tn1-KxRbGqZ2bxTiIFszlXv3mSKaLflRWAjokY4yZIHpHwSrkkEy-5XS2HJqYRLaHtuPEO3BCyNjZxTyTw5-ykR55qKCKf2GyOlowsolz672mCgpx8ko_FCXJ7unEFA0WiPxUa06EJ_kYf2JU52G_k-HJTYZBsauZ_V2Xfrl5jIQg6UvGGeQ-cHBdj1JVIboPt47spLcxJ9xRGwdy9x5zD41OI96NKwUt0IUFmiGxbK7zgfvg%3D%3D
|
|
Ex pens are also really handy for many reasons- put it around the Christmas tree so the puppy doesn't pull it over, put it around the couch so you or the kids can sit on it with the puppy outside, unable to jump on it, have it be the puppy's play space with toys and crate inside to protect your house, or open it up across an open space to use as a barrier.
The wire ones are easier to manipulate....for you AND the dog. The plastic ones hold their shape (rectangle, circle, or straight) but are noisy and chewable. |