Also, it is very important to expose him to different types of people while he is young. Make sure he has good experiences with children - but be sure they are kind and gentle with him since this will be his life long impression of them. However, always supervise young children playing with him while he is so small and 'breakable'. Children who want to play with him should sit on the floor so as not to drop him on his soft little head and seriously injure him. Don't allow them to carry him around the house. Their hands are small and when he squirms as all pups do, they will drop him. Teach them how to handle him safely or he will always be afraid and not like children.

Get him socialized the first year of his life, but keep him at home until he is finished with his series of shots. Parvo and distemper and other viruses can kill him in a week or two - just enough time for you to spend a fortune trying to save his life at the vet. It is not worth your broken heart to show him off while he is small. He is most vulnerable to deadly viruses until he is about 16 weeks old, however, for the first year of his life, his immune system is still developing and he should be protected from exposure to strange dogs and public areas.. If you want to take him to the pet supply or anywhere else, remember that other dogs can be carriers of disease that may not be serious to an adult dog but could be deadly to a pup like him. Also, note that often people may bring a dog into a pet supply store that they just got at the animal control. He could be incubating distemper or parvo and look just fine. Your puppy is not safe from these viruses until he has all his boosters!!! Keep him in your buggy or in your arms and not on the floor! Do not let him touch noses with other dogs and do not let him potty where other dogs may have gone in this crucial time. We go to great lengths not to expose him to disease while we have him and you should continue this until he is protected by age and boosters. Also, the vet's office can be a danger for the same reasons. Keep him close and absolutely don't let him get on the floor there.

We offer you whatever distemper booster vaccines he still has to get at cost - usually $5. Just call and let us know you are coming and what you will need. Your medical sheet in your folder should tell you how many shots he has and how many he needs. He should get 3-4 DHPP vaccines 3 wks. apart and 2 wormings 2 wks apart. We do not furnish the optional bordetella (kennel cough) shot which he will need if he is boarded. A vet must give the rabies shot if he is too young to have had it when you adopt. Rabies can be given at 12 wks or more. The rabies should be given on the same day as the last DHPP so you may want your vet to do this one.

Give him several safe toys to play with. Pick a stuffed animal with no plastic parts he can chew off and swallow. Pick something hard rubber that he can enjoy teething on. There are many rubber toys with little nubby things that stimulate his gums. Several are made by Nyla-bone. An appropriate sized ball is good for him too. He'll enjoy playing tug with a sock or small towel. Often a pup will feel comforted if you give him an old T-shirt or something with your smell on it when you are gone. If he is ingesting part of anything immediately take it away and clean up remnants. He could become seriously ill by eating his toys.

Try not to board him away from home while he is so small. If you must be away, have a pet sitter come to the house. Always choose someone who is trained and old enough to be trusted. Too many tragedies happen in the care of an untrained 'kid in the neighborhood.' Often adopters find out too late that their friend or neighbor didn't have their high standards of care and their beloved pup paid the price. Your vet should have a list or a bulletin board with cards of pet sitting companies that are bonded. You can board at your vet also.

No crate until he is 12 wks old

Try to establish a potty and eating schedule and keep it. Your puppy will learn faster with routine that he can count on. While he is under 12 wks old, he really doesn't have much control and you shouldn't expect too much from him. However, a lot can be accomplished and you should start his training as soon as you get him. Just don't be too hard on him while he is so young, remembering that a pup's control will vary from one to another. Take him out as often as you can and try to take him to the same place in the yard. Praise him a lot in a high-pitched voice when he does 'the deed'.

Don't use a crate until he is 12 wks old. Instead, put down some paper or puppy pads for him to use. Some people use an old bath matt or two and wash it regularly. A puppy will virtually use anything you lay down on the floor. Since he will be too young to have much control, there will be accidents and if he is in a crate he will get the mess all over himself, thus teaching him something very bad called 'living dirty'. This is when a dog cannot help but relieve himself and cannot get away from the mess thus dirtying himself so often that he loses his natural instinct to stay away from his mess. It is this instinct that is crucial in crate training from 12 wks on. So just plan on keeping a mop handy until he is a bit older. However, if you get him outside often enough, you can get a head start on housebreaking and may not have too much to clean up. For more information on housebreaking your puppy, click here.

At 12 weeks start using a crate regularly. It is wise to get him used to a crate for many reasons. It is automatic housebreaking for one. As we said, dogs do not like to dirty where they sleep. Put a bit of water (not a full bowl) and maybe a few pieces of kibble and a good chew toy in his crate. We recommend putting towels in his crate for comfort. Towels are easily washed and not as fun to tear up as a comforter full of stuffing. By this time you will know that all pups will need to poop and pee 5-15 mins. after a meal. So be ready and take him out at the right time. Be sure he gets to potty before going in his crate.

He should not have to stay in his crate for a period longer than 4 hrs without a potty break at this age. By the time he is 6 mos old. he may be able to hold it for as long as 8 hrs while you are gone to work. But remember, it is an individual thing; just as bladder control varies with people, it will vary with dogs.

If you must crate your dog all day, we don't like to see him crated at night for any longer than it takes to housebreak him. Crating a dog all day and all night too is just cruel - he cannot possibly receive enough contact and stimulation. However, it’s OK to use it briefly in order to train him.

You may want him to sleep in your bed when he reaches an age that he is housebroken. At this time, make sure you close the bedroom door. This way he is not likely to awake during the night, wander and pee or poop. Dogs usually automatically understand not to mess our beds as they would not mess their own. If you use a crate at night try to place it next to your bed in your room. It helps the dog feel secure and makes for a more well adjusted adult dog. Of course, a dog will cry if you place his crate off in the basement. Naturally, they are pack animals and feel exiled so far from the pack - which is you under the circumstances. Dogs are extremely social animals and crave our company since we are their family in modern society.

A dog should be able to stand up with his head extended and turn around easily in his crate. If it is too large for him as a pup, however, he will be able to mess and get away from it - thus not using his natural instinct not to dirty where he sleeps to housebreak him. Therefore, if he is expected to need a bigger crate later, you can put a box in one end to take up space giving him just the right amount of room for his size now. Then when appropriate, remove the box.