In addition to Cupcake, Monty (now known as Enzo) is also living in Pennsylvania. He is with a couple, and this is their second Dalmatian, although the first that they have owned since it was a young puppy, so crate training, housebreaking and those sharp puppy teeth are a new experience. They found they had more success with housebreaking when they put him in a smaller crate. (There are also crate dividers available that can be removed as the dog grows.) As far as the nipping goes, puppies have to learn that biting is not acceptable. When a puppy bites a littermate too hard, that littermate will either yelp, or nip back, or run away. All three are indicators to the biter that the behavior was not welcome. First, don’t allow the puppy to bite any part of you, even if it doesn’t hurt to begin with. Don’t play games with them that would encourage biting you. Next, when they do nip you, a loud, “OUCH” right in the face and quickly walking away and stopping play time will teach them you don’t like being bitten, and when it happens they will lose their playmate. A little jab with your fingers and a firm, “No”, may also help. As with any training, repetition and consistency is very important. Everyone in the family has to be on the same page because if one human family member allows the puppy to bite, the puppy will not distinguish between people. Also providing puppies with appropriate chew toys to help with their teething is important. Kong toys and Nyla bones are excellent. I use small rawhides and bully sticks, but don’t allow the puppy to have them without supervision so there’s no choking.
Enzo’s new family did a lot of research before choosing their pup, and plan on taking him to a puppy kindergarten. I hope they’ll comment and introduce themselves and let us all know how Enzo is going.
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 5, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Jessica Vega
I’m Enzo’s mom and I can’t say enough how a good puppy he is! We left on Sunday for a 5.5 hour ride to Mass for a funeral and he did great the whole way. He has done great with family and friends, just loving everyone and always wanting to be a part of what is happening.
He started kindergarten last week & loves to be around other dogs. He does well with playing and is learning is boundries. His potty training is going well, we finally think he is catching on. He now goes by the door & cries to go out – YES! We moved to the next size crate, that was kind of sad…we love our puppy! We’ve had 3 set of shots & are gearing up for shot set #4 in a few weeks! It’s fun to watch him grow and to laugh with him. He is a great addition to our family! Thank you Janet for all you’ve done! We LOVE our new puppy. I look forward to chatting with everyone and maybe someday we can do a family reunion. I will post pictures soon!
November 11, 2008 at 12:33 pm
kim
Hi Jessica, I am Kim (Rudy’s mom) and so glad you posted an update. Janet has done a wonderful job with this litter all around and I would love a re-union some day. We start kindergarten this week and are excited. Rudy is our 3rd Dal and is the quietest of the three. I wish he would cry when he wants to go out to do his “thing” but he doesn’t. I am hearing from Janet that Rudy is a lot like their dad, Morty in the quiet department. I have to say he is improving with each week that passes. Being a former Dal owner, I am sure you experience all the smiles from passerby’s. Everyone loves the Dal’s. My husband, Andy, has always said that walking a Dal is like walking with a movie star. Take care.
November 23, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Marilyn Howard
Hi, Everyone,
I’m Marilyn, Domino’s “Mom.” I think this blog is a GREAT idea. Thank you, Janet, for setting it up. The puppies were all really cute and I’d love to see pictures of them as they grow and love the idea of a re-union someday.
Domino is doing great and we’re all really enjoying him. He’s up to a whopping 30 pounds now, but still looks small next to our Golden, Rosie. He seems to catch on to things pretty quickly, like the commands from puppy training and the invisible fence boundary, but sometimes we’re really baffled about the housebreaking. He can be WONDERFUL at times, letting us know he has to go out, but then other times he just “loses” it multiple times over the course of the evening. Maybe it’s just the excitement of everyone being home and too many distractions. Oh well, I’m sure he’ll get it eventually.
Take care.
April 7, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Jessica Vega
I can’t believe our puppies are 9 months old! How time flies! We truly love our dal – Enzo and are so happy with how much work and energy Janet has put into her dogs. Thank you for helping to provide well trained and mannered dogs!
We love playing and watching Enzo grow, we think he is just about full grown and are so happy with him. He loves to cuddle and just come by us for hugs. We are excited that he is getting a brother (a baby) in July. We’ve had him around kids and it’s fun to watch. He doesn’t run into them, just around them. They love to chase and play with him. We are excited about the many years we will have as Enzo grows with our new family!