Many medical professionals agree that the numbers of dogs with cancer is growing, and the rate of cancer in dogs is, in fact, even greater than in humans. However, just as there is consensus on the statistics, many professionals also agree that diet plays a significant role not only causing canine cancer, but also in alleviating the effects and in some–possibly many–cases acting as a cure.

When dealing with dog cancer, the first priority is to stabilize and strengthen the immune system. However, the next priority, which is intimately connected with the immune system, is diet. In fact, diet will be a key factor in maintaining the health of the dog with cancer.

How important is diet? Canine Cancer Awarness.Org has this to say,

The main rule of thumb for feeding your cancer dog, according to Dr. Ogilvie who worked alongside the Morris Animal Foundation, is to feed a diet which consists of limited quantities of simple sugars, moderate amounts of complex sugars, high quality digestible proteins (in moderate amounts), and specific amounts of certain types of fat.

Examples of simple sugars would be anything with processed sugar, which would include, molasses, honey, corn syrup, milk, fruits, vegatables (carrots, beets, squash, turnips, sweet potatoes), and fruit. The reason to avoid simple sugars is that sugar feeds cancer. I repeat, cancer cells feed on sugar. So, keep the simple sugars out of the diet as much as possible.

Fatty acids are also essential in fighting canine cancer. According to K-9 Immunity,

Certain fatty acids called Omega 3, 6 and 9 are required in fighting cancer. Fish oil is a good source of these specific fatty acids. We HIGHLY recommend fish oil be added to any cancer dogs diet. . . . One 1000 mg softgel capsule per 20 lbs body weight per day is a good dose for dogs. (60 lbs dog gets 3 capsules per day).

Unfortunately, there is no clear cut, one-size-fits all, best canine cancer diet. We know that in general, we should keep simple sugars, and complex carbohydrates such as grains to a minimum. Howeve, complex carbohydrates also supply muscle energy, so we don’t want to cut them out altogether. Generally speaking, we want to feed our dogs protein in sufficient quantity along with correct amounts of fats, oils, vegetables and starches.

Later on, I will provide examples of diet and even a sample recipe or two that would generally be appropriate for a dog with cancer. However, when it comes to diet and your dog, the best advice I can give you is to consult a vet, preferably someone who specializes in canine cancer.

For more information and an innovative approach to treating cancer, see Canine Cancer Secrets for more information.

I’ve just come across some helpful information from CBS News, of all places. CBS News, in a story reported by Alfonso Serrano at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/03/earlyshow
/contributors/debbyeturner/main2641638.shtml, writes:

As the pet food recall grows, so does the number of people cooking for their dogs and cats.

But is that wise?

The Early Show’s resident veterinarian, Dr. Debbye Turner, suggested Tuesday that it might not be.

“I cannot recommend that you cook for your pet,” she told co-anchor Hannah Storm. “They have very specific nutritional needs. If you’re going to cook for your pet, you need to formulate a diet that has all the right nutrients, plus supplements, and all in the right proportions.”

Turner says people “absolutely shouldn’t” stop feeding Fido or Fluffy commercial pet food: There are still plenty of commercial pet foods on the shelves that are believed to be safe. Of course, check the recall list on the Menu Foods Web site to make sure you’re not feeding one of the affected brands.

Since it’s believed wheat gluten is somehow involved, you can help assure the food you’re feeding is safe by looking at the ingredients listed on the package or can and making sure wheat gluten isn’t one of them.

Also, cautioned Turner, cats and dogs have different nutritional requirements. Dogs need 38 nutrients daily. Cat need 40. Dogs are omnivores, like people. So they need protein, carbohydrates, fats and fiber, plus vitamins and minerals. Cats are obligate carnivores. They need a high protein diet that contains animal fat and taurine.

Do Not Feed Your Dog These Foods

What’s more, pets can’t eat everything people can. Most spices are upsetting to pets’ systems and will cause gastric irritation and diarrhea. So, you definitely shouldn’t season food for pets the way we season it for ourselves. Plus, there are some foods that we know are toxic to cats and dogs. They include onions, garlic, raisins, grapes, chocolate and macadamia nuts.

For more information, be sure to see the Complete Dog Food and Nutrition Guide.

Another good dog food “how to” read is, Healthy Food For Dogs: Homemade Recipes.

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This chart is not complete but it should begin to give you an idea of how to approach making your healthy, nutritionally corrrect dog food. 

Keep in mind that dogs require a variety of food sources.  As much as dogs may appear to love different meats, they still need carbohydrates, starches, and vegetables, and just like us, they need protein, fats, carbohydrates, aand fiber.

To prepare a proper canine meal, you will also have to add vitamin and mineral supplements.  Here is an example of one such meal courtesy of CBS News:

Rice (white, long-grain, regular, cooked) 3-7/8cup
Oil (vegetable, corn) 4-1/4 tsp
Chicken (breast, cooked) 5-1/8 oz

You must also add these human supplements:
1-1/8 tablets of One a Day Maximum Multivitamin/mineral supplement
3-7/8 of Posture caplet (600 mg elemental calcium)
1-3/8 tablets of generic choline tablet (600 mg tablet w/250 mg choline)
1 tsp of Morton Lite Salt Mixture
1/8 tsp of Morton Salt Substitute
3/4 tablet of generic zinc gluconate tablet (250 mg tablet w/30 mg elemental zinc)

There is some controversy over whether or not to cook meats for dogs.  However, this recipe requires that you prepare the food in the following manner:

• Bake the chicken in the oven.
• cook the white rice without adding salt.

When you finish cooking the chicken and rice, chop the chicken into small pieces, and then place the white rice in a bowl and add the oil and the supplements. Mix well.   Add the chicken to the rice mixture and then feed your dogs.

Want more information? See the Complete Dog Food and Nutrition Guide.

To find out how to feed your dog for astonishing nutritional results, click on, Healthy Food for Dogs.

Technorati Tags: healthy dog food, home made dog food, canine nutrition

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Insufficient total protein in the diet

This is caused, not surprisingly, by the dog not receiving enough protein in its diet. Often, the dog’s owner may be trying to reduce its diet, and so many dogs with this condition have high quantities of cornbread, biscuits, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, and cheap, cereal-based commercial dog food in their diet.

Imbalanced, poor-quality dietary protein

This situation might occur where dogs are fed low quality protein. This is the sort of protein often found in ultra cheap canned dog good and other cheap dog foods. The protein in these kinds of foods is often gelatin, collagen, or those found in cereal wastes. An example of this would be dog food made from rejected pinto beans.

Bulky, low-energy diets

So-called “bulk” diets are largely composed of indigestible or partially digestable filler material. This sort of diet tends to cause what little protein there is to be converted to energy and used up. These sorts of foods would contain cereal wastes, tendons, and other items of marginal or no value.

You owe it to your dog to know as much about healthy nutrition as possible.

Discover more with the Complete Guide to Dog Health and Nutrition.

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We discovered this excellent blog post (from Jeff Dunham at http://www.gourmetcoffeeonline.net/food-and-drink/home-made-dog-food):

How can you ensure that the dog food you feed your pet is safe? The best way is to consider making homemade dog food. Do not worry about recalls on spoiled dog food. Instead, you can know exactly what goes into your dogs food by mixing foods on your own.

When you make homemade dog food for your pet, you will need to add meat, starchy foods and vegetable into the mix. The most basic meals have meat, rice and carrots or other vegetables. If your dog deserves a gourmet treat, use tasty meats and a variety of vegetables along with potatoes and rice. Just be certain that every meal contains starches, vegetables and a meat product.

Dogs love kidney and liver meats as well as turkey, chicken and beef. Rice, pasta, potatoes and other carbohydrates are the tastiest for your pooch. Carrots, celery and any number of vegetables will work well in the homemade dog good you make for your pet. Just do not forget to have starches, meat and veggies in every homemade dog food mix.

You will want to cook meat products before you mix them with other ingredients to make your homemade dog food. Many recipes call for you to mix all ingredients together and then cook or bake them for awhile. Think of it as making a casserole for supper, the only difference is this meal is for your pooch not your family.

Homemade dog food can be made by purchasing a book with recipes for homemade pet foods. You can also use the internet in order to locate an assortment of recipes so that you can prepare safe and healthy meals for your pet from home.

Homemade dog food can provide the healthiest and safest meals for your dog. You can find recipes online or by talking to your pets veterinarian. You should talk to their vet in any case before you start mixing up homemade dog food. They can aid you in preparing menus that will provide your dog with food they love and ingredients they need.

Later on, I’ll do a short report on my own commercial dog food choices for my own dogs. But there is nothing like taking extra time to make a little homemade dog food. With the correct, fresh ingredients, your dogs really can tell the difference.

Who Wants Healthy Dog Food Recipes?!

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All right. To stop your puppies from chewing on your oriental rugs, I now recommend getting them up off the floor and replacing them with some sort of “training” covering. Let the puppies chew on that. But more importantly, you can use that as an aid to train them out of chewing on your rugs. I warn you that this requires unflagging persistence, patience, and consistency of practice. You must also never get angry with your dogs. You must remain gentle, firm, and never let on that you may want to roast them alive.

When you catch your puppy in the act of chewing on your rug, make a sharp, distracting sound, such as a shout or a clap. You want to break thet puppies attention on chewing. Immediately after distracting the puppy, gently,very gently hold its muzzle shut until it starts to whine. Let it whine for a few seconds. If you do this gently, you will not harm the puppy in any way. Immediatel upon releasing the muzzle, give it a chew toy. You must repeat this each and every time you catch your puppy chewing. The earlier in the act of catching the puppy, the better.

If your puppy is crate trained, then you can use the crate to assist in training your puppy out of chewing. Follow the steps above, but put the puppy in the crate with a chew toy for 10 to 15 minutes. You must do this without any anger, rebuke, or scolding as you do not want your dog to associate the crate with punishment. Also, you are not punishing your dog. You are training its behavior, and in doing so properly, you will also show the dog how to make you happy.

To find out more about this, sign up for a free news letter. Discover step-by-step dog training instructions. Feel free as well to watch a free video lesson.

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Uneaten food should not be left around for more than 30 minutes. lf you feed only one or two dogs, removing the uneaten food within 30 minutes should offer no problem. You should begin to pick up the food containers just as soon as you have completed feeding the last dog. Pick up the feeding containers in the same order that they were put down. Don’t get in such a hurry to get them, however, that you forget to record each dog’s food intake.

Tip 2

Dogs should have regular elimination times. Dogs that are kept in relatively close confinement should be taken out for eliminations immediately after feeding. This will establish a regular pattern. Such a pattern promotes regular eliminations, stimulates better digestion, and increases food utilization. Perhaps equally important from the multiple dog owner’s viewpoint is the fact that a regular elimination time allows you to keep your dog well-trained to know when it is time to go, and without having accidents inside.

If you are interested in a comprehensive, easy to understand handbook of dog health care, see the Ultimate Guide to Dog Health Care.

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Are you seeking advice for potty training your puppy? Do you agonize over how to get your puppy to stop biting? Have you been struggling how to train your dog to stop barking? And what about dog begging behavior–have you begun noticing the tell-tale signs in your dog?

Have you ever wondered why someone else’s dog always sits and stays on order when your dog doesn’t? Do you watch other dogs–not yours unfortunately–heel perfectly while yours just wraps the leash around your legs? Have you ever shouted yourself horse and furious calling your dog in vain?

This may sound familiar. If so, you have my sympathies. However, all of these problems in dog behavior and obedience can be corrected if you are willing to invest a little time every day into basic dog training. While there are probably dog training courses offered by local businesses in your area, there is no reason why you can’t resolve most problems and start training a new puppy–or even an “old dog”–with regular training at home. Here is how you do it.

Six Basic Puppy Training Steps

Generally speaking, all new puppy training techniques and techniques for adult dogs come down to just 6 key steps.

And here they are, the six basic dog and puppy training steps that work like magic:

1. Note the incorrect behavior.
2. Show the dog the correct behavior.
3. Reward the correct behavior.
4. Repeat the desired behavior until it happens easily at least 90% of the time.
5. Add a verbal cue as your dog does the behavior to associate the word with the right response.
6. Use the verbal cue to elicit the behavior in your pet.

Although you can certainly teach an old dog new tricks, it is generally best to start training your canine the basics from an early age. The first few months of your dog’s life will be when you can potentially exert the greatest influence over him (or her), and this is where you have the opportunity to shape your pet into the sort of dog he’ll be as an adult. Keep in mind, as well, that dog obedience and behavior problems can be resolved as an adult, but it is potentially much easier to deal with these if you can get an early start. As an aside, we’ve had very good results with our Humane Society rescue dog, who was a terror when got him but is now an ideal, loyal pet.

Generally, you start new training around 6 to 8 weeks. Most basic puppy training techniques start with introducing your dog to its new home, potty training, crate training, and getting your dog to understand “come,” “sit,” and “stay.” Those commands are essential for your success with more complicated training. These particular commands are also important for other reasons. For example, if your dog is off leash, and you see it start to wander into the street, you want him to come immediately, not when he feels like it. There will be times when you let your dog off leash in public, and it is essential that you can trust your dog to sit and stay and go chasing after other dogs or running off to sniff or jump on other people. If you have already experienced the embarassment of one of these episodes, you know how frustrating it can feel.

The secret to teaching your dog to come is repetition. The simplest way to start is to have your dog on a five or 6 foot length of leash. You start out standing closer to the dog and telling him to come. You may hold out a small treat such as a piece of kibble. When the dog comes, give him the treat and lavish him with praise. Repeat this for about 10 to 15 minutes a day. You may need to start with 5 minute sessions repeated throughout the day. Always praise your dog when he comes but do not always give him a treat. You want your pet to respond to your approval and praise, not just to the expectation of a treat.

Getting him to sit could be a slight bit harder but again only requires basic dog training. When you have mastered the come command call him to you, place your hand on the end of his back and say “sit” while gently pushing down on his backside, when he sits his bottom down give him a treat and a lot of praise. If you want him to sit longer just delay giving him the treat and the praise, get him to sit but take your time bending down to him and feeding him his kibble.

Once you have got your dog responding to “sit,” start working on stay. Even if the dog obeys “stay” for just a few moments, start out by rewarding with a treat and of course lots and lots of praise. Work on this for 5 or 10 minutes and varioius times throughout the day. Be sure not to tire the the dog, go step by step, and expect to work on this for two to three weeks.

The 6 basic foundational steps discussed above should provide you with the nitty gritty, basic puppy training preparation you’ll need to successfully handle basic puppy training and most other puppy and dog training techniques. If you are a new dog owner, this advice will see you through your most immediate training needs, generally potty training your puppy, stopping biting and chewing, reducing and putting a stop to excessive dog barking, and begging. Just remember that all new puppy training–and all dog training–requires, patience, consistent and persistent application of the technique, and gentle, assertive firmness.

Basic dog training is simple and very effective. Please see our review of Sit, Stay, Fetch for information on a step-by-step course that will help resolve most dog training issues.

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To start off, I have a shortlist of supplies to have on hand when your puppy arrives at your house:

• leash
• collar
• I.D. Tags (as soon as possible)
• food
• food and water bowls
• a few toys
• bedding
• a place for your puppy to sleep
• a space to confine your puppy when you can’t be there to watch it

Personally, I get a huge kick out of introducing a puppy to its new home, and I even like to have a camera on hand to save a few mementos for years down the road. My wife and I have experience with larger breed dogs such as Labradors and German Shepherds as those just seem to suit us.

First–The very first time you bring your puppy home, give it a grand tour of your house or apartment or dorm room. I advise leading the dog on a leash as you do this. Make sure that you identify as many of your belongings as possible that you don’t want the puppy to have access to. Put those items out of reach.

Second–As you lead the puppy on its tour, give a gentle but sharp tug on the leash when it shows interest in items that are off limits. This is not to be punitive, and do not say “no.” You can make a sharp, distracting sound, but do not at this time use the word, “no.” At this stage, you are starting to familiarize your pet with limits. Be sure to lavish praise on your puppy for all right actions.

Third–After you have shown the puppy around the house, introduce your pet to its food and water bowls. It is important that you do not change the location of the feeding place. Let the puppy say “hello” to its bedding. If you have a crate, you can let the dog start sniffing and investigating it. If the dog is 8 weeks, you may want to start crate training. The object of crate training is to let the dog assume ownership of the crate so that it will consider it as a sort of den.

Fourth–When you feel that the dog has become accustomed to the residence, after a day or two, you can begin introducing it to the surrounding environment. However, if your puppy is under 8 weeks, you might want to wait a bit before you walk it around busy urban environments. Also, before you introduce your puppy to the outside environment, it would be a good idea to wait until the essential immunizations have been done so as not to risk violating city codes.

Although we could write a book on this subject, this quick-guide gives you the basics. You won’t go wrong if you follow these pointers and apply your own common sense.

Discover step-by-step instructions to handle almost any basic puppy training situation, and find out the secrets to almost any puppy training technique.

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• stopping your dog from barking
• housebreaking your puppy
• training your puppy to stop biting

I want to reassure you that in most cases, you can train your dog to stop barking without taking it to obedience school. However, to begin with, there are a few basics to to familiarize yourself with.

Tip Number 1

It is important to understand that it is natural for your dog to bark. Dogs generally bark for a reason, such as alerting to danger or in response to a territory violation. Some dogs also bark as a result of poor socialization.

Tip Number 2

You cannot teach your dog to never bark. What you can do is teach your dog certain instances where it is not acceptable to bark. And likewise, you can teach your dog the specific occasions where you do want it to bark. In fact, one of the standard dog training routines teaches your dog to bark or “speak” on command.

Tip Number 3

Introduce your dog to each situation one at a time. We suggest not mixing or combining no-bark situations. If your dog barks when the paper delivery person tosses the paper on your porch, you will need to be up with dog when this happens. When you dog barks, you can gently but firmly hold its muzzle shut and say, “no bark,” or any other command you want to train the dog to recognize in a strong, firm voice. Do not punish, scold, or otherwise rebuke your dog. Be sure to praise it for complying. You might even give it a treat.

You can also use an “accomplice” to help you recreate specific situations so that you can train the no-bark command. You will need to be inexhaustibly patient and persistent. You may need to do this every day over a period of several weeks.

These three tips should get you started quieting your dog. And remember, once your dog thoroughly understands one situation, the next no-bark situations will be easier and quicker to train.

Discover revolutionary step-by-step dog training instructions that work for any dog. Find out for yourself how you can be master of the pack!

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So, what exactly is pancreatitis and how do you identify it in your dog or puppy? Well, the job of the pancreas is to make digestive enzymes–chemicals whose job is to asssit in breaking down food for digestion. Pancreatitis is a severe inflammation of the pancreas, and yes, if severe enough can kill your pet.

What do table scraps have to do with pancreatitis? A diet of low quality scraps can lead to this condition. The scraps from a meal made from pre-trimmed, pre-battered, pre-buttered, pre-cooked, and pre-packaged foods consists of only bits and pieces which are either inedible and generally unwanted by humans. Such a diet of scraps is not balanced and provides only inadequate nutrition, if any at all.

Symptoms of pancreatits may be your dog suddently vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, and/or diarrhea. These symptoms also belong to many other diseases, but if you suspect pancreatitis, take your dog to a vet immediately. Generally, high amounts of fat, a high-fat meal, the dog feeding out of the garbage can lead to canine pancreatitis. Ingestion of pesticides can also manifest as pancreatitis.

When wondering whether or not to feed your dog table scraps, ask youself what you would do with the scraps otherwise. Would you throw them in the garbage or eat them yourself? If you would throw them in the garbage, don’t feed them to your dog. This is a good rule of thumb–if you won’t eat it yourself, don’t feed it to your dog.

Most table scraps are fats and carbohydrates, providing a plethora of low quality calories and little else. As a consequence, the dog obtains a sizable portion of its daily caloric need from the useless scraps and loses his appetite entirely for the commercial food. By refusing to put table scraps on the food, you may feel that you are leaving your dog with unpalatable dog food. This is not true if you are feeding your dog a good quality dog food for such a food will have balance nutrition.

If you feel you must feed your dog something extra from the table, then save some of the good portions of meal, such as rice, potatos, or meat. Add just a tiny bit to the dog food and blend it well. Remember, just a tiny bit of good quality table food (not scraps, as such) All you are doing here is enhancing the aromatic quality of the food, and this, in turn will heighten the dog’s sense of tasting the food.

Discover everything you need to know about your dog’s health with the guide we recommend for solving and understanding dog health needs.

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1. A foundational rule regarding dog begging is to ignore your pet when it begs. You must never reward this behavior. If your dog has only recently begun the begging behavior, this may be sufficient, and you can stop at this point. Otherwise, read on.
2. Reproduce situations in which your dog normally begs. When the dog begins begging, tell it no (or say some other command to be used only for this situation), and put it out of the room, or in a or in some other different space. Praise the dog when obey even for a moment, and give it a treat.
3. Repeat the above. When the dog begs, put it in another room or some other specific location. Continue to provide praise and a treat.
4. Each training session should last 10 or 15 minutes. You can do this 2 or 3 times a day if you have the time. Never make any exception and give the dog food when it begs. This is essential. If you break this rule even one time, then you are teaching your dog that begging works, and you will have undone all of your work.

As a final word, here is tip number 5 to stop your dog begging is to put it in its crate with a toy whenever it starts to beg. But only do this if your dog is already crate trained. If you have not crate trained your dog at this point, putting your dog in a crate to resolve the begging problem could only complicate matters.

At this point, I’ve given you some solid rules of thumb to apply to this situation. These pointers, if applied consistently should train your dog to stop begging.

However, for a more complete understanding, take action and discover step-by-step instructions to resolve this and other training and dog behavior problems.

Puppy behavior training follows what amounts to a few steps that depend on conscientious application and repetition for success. These steps even apply to problem dog behavior training, though in the case of true problem dogs, dogs with clear psychological trauma, we recommend the help of a pro in that particular specialty.

What you need to know boils down to 6 key tips that you must understand to be sucessfull with any new puppy training. These 6 tips will underlie almost any basic dog and puppy training you engage in.

Here are the 6 basic puppy training preparation tips that work like magic:

1. Identify the undesirable behavior.
2. Show the dog the correct behavior.
3. Validate the correct pet behavior - that is,give it a reward.
4. Repeat the desired behavior until your dog performs consistently about 90% of the time.
5. At this point, train a verbal command or cue as your dog performs the right behavior. This will associate the command with the behavior.
6. Start using the designated command to get the dog to perform the response.

These are the concepts that support most basic puppy training and serve as the ground for preparation. Understand these tips, and you’ll be able to solve most dog training and behavior problems you face.

However, for the rest of the story, examples, and step-by-step instructions, read our complete article on our 6 Step Dog Training Method. Discover step-by-step instructions forbasic puppy training. Watch a free video lesson right here!

Although the how of bringing your new puppy home is important, keep it light and have fun. After all, your puppy, like you, is full of excitement and anticipation. This is one of the best times you’ll ever share with your dog.

I could probably write a book on this, but I’ll try to keep this short and give you the essential steps to guide you through this wonderful first day.

To begin, let’s talk about supplies. Here is my stripped down basic list:

• A special space to put your puppy when you have to be away for a short time and can’t watch it. This will be an area where it will be safe for the puppy to make its toilet before you start potty training. It must be large enough for the puppy to walk around, have a separate place to sleep, and enough space to make its toilet when you are not there to take it outside.
• This is not essential, but I suggest having a camera on hand to record these special moments for the future.
• Food
• Bowls for water and food
• I.D. Tags (to be obtained as soon as possible)
• a few toys
• bedding
• Supplies to clean up after your puppy

Step One

Identify all belongings you do not want the puppy to have contact with and remove them, if possible, from immediate access.

Step Two

Bringing your new puppy home. Take the time to give it an introductory tour or your residence. Put a leash on the puppy and guide it throughout the space. During this stage, you want to introduce it to the layout of your residence.

Step Three

As you lead the puppy around your house, apartment, or dorm room, give it a quick tug on the leash and make a sharp sound when it shows interest in things that you want the puppy to avoid. This is not to be a rebuke,or scold, or punitive in any way. Do not use the word “no” at the point because you do not want the puppy to think that its name is “No.” Whenever your puppy does something that you approve of, give it lots of praise.

Step Four

After you are satisfied that you have familiarized the puppy with its new surroundings, show your puppy its food and water bowls and the place where it will be eating and drinking. Do not change this location around, as you want the puppy to feel secure in knowing where its food and water will be. Show the puppy its bedding, and let it sniff and become accustomed to it. The puppy will very quickly realize that the bedding belongs to it and gladly assume ownership. If you have a crate, you can let the puppy begin begin sniffing it and going in and out at this time. No need to worry about crate training yet, but if you have it, just keep it around so that the puppy starts getting used to its presence. Later, the puppy will easily and happily assume ownership of it.

Step Five

When you feel your puppy has sufficiently accustomed itself to the immediate environment of the house (or apartment or wherever), you can begin letting it say “hello” to the surrounding outside environment. I suggest letting your puppy be at least 8 weeks old before you take it out in busier city locations. I also suggest making sure that you have the puppy immunized before taking it out in order to be in compliance with city health codes.

In all interactions with your puppy, whether you are bringing it home for the first time or not, treat your dog with firm, assertive affection. If you follow this basic structure for bringing your new puppy home, you can be confident that your puppy will have a smooth transition from the kennel to its new home.

Discover step-by-step instructions for basic puppy training and the essential steps for understanding all aspects of dog and puppy training preparation. Find out how I became master of my own pack, and how you can do the same. Your dog will love you for it!