BRINGING YOUR PUPPY HOME
THINGS YOU SHOULD GET BEFORE YOU BRING YOUR NEW PUPPY HOME
The first week you’re Maltese is with you, life will be new and hectic and there might be times when you wonder if getting a puppy was such a good idea. It was! Things will get better if you have patience and lots of love and understanding. Remember that puppy hood is temporary and the effort you put into it now will pay off in the future.
CRATES AND EXERCISE PENS
BEDS AND CRATE PADS
GROOMING SUPPLIES
LEASH, COLLARS AND HARNESSES
Your Maltese will need a leash and collar to prevent them from running away from you. A thin nylon one-piece collar seems to work best, please avoid the leather and metal type since they can be very hard on the coat. Select a lead that is made from a similar lightweight material. They make all kinds of leads, collars and harnesses that are light weight.
FOOD AND WATER BOWLS
TOYS AND CHEWY'S
FEEDING YOUR NEW PUPPY
Work out a schedule for you and the puppy. Housetraining is much easier when the puppy's meals, exercise and playtimes are on a regular schedule throughout the day. Plan your housebreaking schedule and create a game plan before the puppy arrives. Everybody needs their own place Decide where to put the puppy's crate, and have it set up and ready for his arrival. Where to keep the crate will depend on what's most convenient for you as well as the puppy's response. Many puppies don't like to be isolated in one part of the house while their family is in another but some puppies won't settled down in their crates if there's too much activity going on around them. You might have to experiment with different locations until you learn what works best for both you and the puppy.
SOCOALIZING AND TRAINING YOUR PUPPY
HOUSEBREAKING YOUR PUPPY
A puppy should have a schedule. He should be taken outside last thing at night and first thing in the morning as well as after meals and naps, and that he should be praised when he does his duty. When taking the puppy outside, don't play with him. First things first. If the pup does not relieve himself, put him in the crate for a few minutes, and then try again. Most puppies will not soil in their crates if they can possibly help it. Take your puppy out every 2 hours to "potty", whether it has eaten or not. Don't play with the puppy until he relieves himself. If he doesn't urinate and defecate within 10 minutes, bring him inside and place him in his crate for 10-15 minutes, then try again. Continue this routine until he is successful, and then praise him. The times that a puppy will most likely want to eliminate are after eating or drinking, after a nap, or after a period of play or exercise. Be patient, consistent, and regulate your puppy's food and water, so you can regulate when he has to go out.
Many Maltese owners live in apartments and have found that they prefer to train their puppies to the disposable pads. Puppy's train well to these pads and many use these for their entire life. Never punish your Maltese puppy for mistakes. Once you're fairly confident that the puppy understands where to relieve himself, scold him for mistakes, but don't spank, scream, or push his nose in the mess. The spot should be cleaned up, preferably with an enzyme odor eliminator. Failures in housetraining are human mistakes, not puppy errors. If a puppy reaches four or five months of age and is still having regular accidents in the house, make sure he does not have a bladder infection, intestinal parasites, or other medical reason for his failure to signal that he needs to go outside. Then redouble the efforts to teach him what you want him to know.
When a Maltese needs to potty they will start "looking" for a place to go. They have their nose to the floor and are "seaching". They will start to circle with big circles and then the circle will get smaller and smaller and then they will go. Look for the signs and recognize them for what they are. Keep them on a short lead and with you at all times. Until you both learn what is expected be on guard. It takes a little while for everyone to understand each other's "language:"