If you take your puppy home in a
car, be sure to place it on a towel or newspapers. Young puppies
are often carsick on the first trip. When you get the puppy home,
handle it gently and speak softly to it. Remember, it is in new
surroundings. It will need a day or two to become familiar with
its new home. It needs time to grow and develop. Don’t expect
too much of your new puppy, and don’t worry if it doesn’t eat
much the first day.
The puppy should have a bed of its own in the corner of a room,
perhaps the kitchen or bathroom, where it cannot get into trouble.
An old rug or blanket makes a satisfactory bed. Another ideal
bed, which is easy to keep clean, is a piece of foam rubber
covered first with oilcloth and then with a clean burlap bag
or pillowcase. You can replace the outer covering whenever the
puppy needs a clean bed, and the oilcloth can be washed with
a little soap and water.
A wood or wire crate with a hinged door and a latch makes a
fine indoor kennel. It will keep your puppy safe and help you
in housebreaking it. Be sure to get a crate large enough so
that your dog, when fully grown, can stretch out, stand up,
and turn around. The first few times you place the puppy in
the crate, it may cry and bark. Pay no attention unless the
puppy is hungry or needs to go out. Soon it will like its crate
as much as its wild ancestors liked their holes and caves. With
patience, you can train the puppy to go out its crate whenever
you wish.
For outdoors in fair weather, you can make a kennel to protect
the dog from the hot sun. If you leave your dog alone outdoors,
you should make a strong fence in your backyard. The run should
be high enough so the dog cannot jump put when fully grown.
And it should be sunk into the ground about 15 centimeters so
that the dog cannot dig out. It should be at least 1 meter by
2.5 meters (about 3 feet by 8 feet) for a small dog and 2 meters
by 6 meters (6 ½ feet by 20 feet) for a large dog. It can be
made of turkey wire for all except large dogs. Large dogs need
chain link or stronger fencing. The gate should have a firm
closing that the dog cannot open with its nose or paw.
Dogs that are allowed to roam are sooner or later likely to
be struck by cars, to be poisoned, or pick up a disease, like
rabies. A roving dog sometimes becomes a nuisance to neighbors.
A fenced-in dog is safe and a joy to its owners and neighbors.
Don’t tie your dog to a wire or rope. Such treatment may break
its spirit or make it vicious.
