7.5 week puppies at the Vet
 

At 6 weeks pups are NOT ready to have their first set of booster shots. I like to wait till 7 or 8 weeks. They should be done a few days before the pup leaves for his/her new home, not on the same day. At this time they can also be tattooed &/or Microchipped.

This will be there second visit to the Vet, the first was at 3 days old for exam and dew claw removal.

Remember, this first set of 3, booster shots, ONLY protects the puppy for you to get this puppy home. New puppies should NEVER be socialized outside the family home or your own fenced in yard, (fenced, as you do not want strange dogs eliminating in your yard). The next set of shots is due 4 weeks after the first, and this puts minimal protection on the puppy; allowing you to socialize with friends dogs and homes that you know 100% have been vaccinated and are healthy. The last set of boosters including rabies, is done in another 4 weeks. Your puppy is now protected, and is able to go to the park, where unknown dogs have been. At 7 weeks, puppies can be taught small training skills, and they are also able to start to recognize their name.

7 week puppies are still to young to ship cargo. I Rarely ship cargo, but If this is the only way, 9 weeks would be the very youngest.

VET shopping: If you do not have a Vet you have a good relationship with, shop for a new Vet. I recommend that if you are not totally convinced by the 2nd set of shots that this is the Vet for you and your new companion, then try a different Vet for the 3rd set of shots. I Love my Vet, (there are 6 at the clinic), and they LOVE my dogs and puppies as their own.

Puppy getting examined by the vet
Salida's Sofialida of MistyTrails
Owned by Johanna and Usher

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7.5 Weeks

Litter of Havanese Puppies being house trained using the Misty Method

Poop station with the divider removed for cleaning. The divider also stops the pups from having JUST THEIR FRONT feet on the paper, and peeing 4" back on the linoleum floor. Breeders that use the Misty Method have their puppies well on their way to being house trained before they leave the breeder.

Seven puppies in this litter and they are all using the poop station. All of them. They are already on their way to being house broken and they have not even left the breeders home. There needs to be a divider between the poop station and the play area, because puppies run and play and roll and drag and chew the paper. The divider, even if it's a small one, HOLDS the paper down, and in place. The picture shown above has the divider removed for cleaning. When they are playing, it kind of sections it off and stops them from running into the potty area to play. They just don't. They play in the clean area, and even excited they can some times run on the paper, but not as much. The wood is awesome, but doesn't need to go full length and it does not need a door.

This is a shot of the pups area in the morning. This litter is exceptionally trained at 7 and a half weeks of age. ALL have gone pee and poop on the paper station area during the night, their play area is clean. I usually find an accident or two each morning, but the last couple nights have been accident free. When they have to go, they stop what they are doing and run through the door to the paper. None of the pups are in this picture, as they are running free in the kitchen. They are almost ready to go to their new homes and ready for some individual training. This IS a LOVELY bunch of smart puppies. This litter has been cared for and raised properly. They know at such a young age, that there is a designated spot to do business, and not in bed, or play area and not all over the house.

When you do not have a separate place for the pups to poop, they just poop where they play, and then roll and play in it.......  AHHHHHH... And when you try to clean it up,  they mob you and the pile of poop. The dog door works awesome. I can lock them on either side, while I clean up mistakes, or change the paper or bedding. The door can be closed.

 

Tips on Paper-training a litter of pups.... which makes house training much easier. Pre-housetraining should be all part of the process in house training a dog. One of the leading causes for dog neglect, and the dog becoming a fixture in the back yard, is from poor house habits. It is a well known fact, that no one wants a dog that hasn't learned to eliminate outside or in a designated indoor potty station, wandering loose in the house. It is also, the most enjoyable relationship, to have your dog, involved in everyday family activities. This IS why you got the dog in the first place.... Isn't It.....??? No one wants a dog that hasn't learned to eliminate outside or in a designated spot in the house.

Do not bring them up in one big box or put the paper in a corner, the pups will just drag the paper everywhere and play with it.  With experience, I have learned sectioned rooms work best.  That is how a house is.... Bedroom or crate, play living area, a place to eat, and a door to go outside. Even outside, dogs create a place to eliminate and usually go to that area repeatedly.

Do not change the paper too often in the beginning, as you are creating an odor of elimination spot, to trigger instinct. I advise covering poop and pee with a layer of paper during the day, and cleaning up each morning, leaving one piece of paper with pee smell. You cannot keep too clean, as when young, the smell is what draws them to that area, but if you leave the paper soiled, they will also find another place to go... So you have to find a happy medium, which is clean, but smelling like a bathroom. By 7 weeks, you can change the paper as often as you like, as it isn't the smell that is drawing them, they have learned that is the designated area to eliminate.

 

Removable Wood Divider, used in the Misty Method of house training very young puppies

At night it is open, as they walk over and potty, and go back to bed. But In the day, when they are active, I have a divider, mainly to HOLD the paper where it is, or they will drag it, And to stop them from playing and skidding into a land mines (poop). ;-)

Here is the room in the morning. The wood was in place in the night. This wood does one more thing, puppies will go to the paper, and stand with their front paws on the paper, and back end off, and will pee all over the floor, 4" from the paper. The wood encourages them to go INTO the potty area.

 

This one area is all clean, ready for them to come out into the playroom in the morning. they have the 10 x 10 room at night.

In the morning they come out to the playroom and use the doggy door to a big deck that is 6 x 20 approx.

On the deck, notice the potty station in the background. The outdoor potty station, is the adult station. It is paper, under a rack, as... you know when one dog goes out to pee, the rest MUST follow, and pee too. Then you have a flood puddle of pee, and they all step in it. So, pee gravel is what I have in the other runs. However, if they are in the house, and need to get out, they can get to the deck where there is the paper, under a rack. So 5 dogs, can pee, and none will get their feet wet and track it back into the house.

Pups playing with the kids in the morning

 

The pups all decide to take a nap in the small crate which is inside their area. Giving them a crate to crawl into is an excellent way to make the trip to their new homes less stressful.

 

Upon bringing your puppy home, house training should begin immediately. A dog needs to be housebroken before you give him the run of your home. TEACH your dog by Habit, Not by Hitting, that there is a spot for everything. A place to eat, a place to sleep and a place to eliminate. Exactly what he already hopefully has started to learn as a pup living with the breeder. And as the owner, you can train your dog to eliminate in a place of your choice, remember when choosing this spot, that it will become permanent.

See article on crate training for more tips.

 

Courtesy of MistyTrails Havanese

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