Picture taken from www.europuppy.com
From the desk of Sharda Baker.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Hi and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with another Bichon Frise newsletter.
Bring home your puppy can be a stressful and nerve wracking for both you and your new Bichon Frise puppy.
So, to help you lessen the stress and make it an experience worth remembering let me give you some tips to help preparing your Bichon Frise home.
PREPARING YOUR HOME
Making your home puppy-proof and puppy safe is critical. This will not only protect your new Bichon Frise puppy from getting into harmful things in the house, but it will also protect your furniture, clothes, and other possessions.
Remember that puppies are naturally going to use their mouth and chew as they explore their new environment, so keep this in mind when safety proofing the rooms the puppy will have access to.
When checking a house for potential hazards for a Bichon Frise puppy, it is important to actually get down on the floor and look at what the puppy will see.
Since the breed is so small, this means lying down on the floor and seeing what you can find that looking interesting.
Some things to watch out for and remove or put up high include:
- Any type of houseplant
Many houseplants including pothos, ivy, dieffenbachia, and even Christmas cactus and poinsettias are highly toxic and can make a puppy extremely ill or even be fatal if ingested.
- Any and all pull cords on blinds or curtains
These can become wrapped around the puppy’s neck and strangle the puppy or seriously damage the throat and windpipe.
- Strings, threads or tassels
These may be a lot of fun to play with, but they can also ball up in the mouth and throat and pose a serious choking hazard.
- Any and all electrical cords
Puppies, even small Bichon Frise puppies, can easily chew through an electrical cord and be fatally electrocuted. Cords that are not plugged in pose the risk of having the puppy pull on them and pull something over onto the puppy, causing serious injury.
- Anything that you feel is beyond replacement
This means favourite rugs, knickknacks, pillows or other items that you feel very strongly about. Once the puppy is completely housetrained and obedience trained, these items can be replaced.
- Anything that is easy to chew, destroy or break
Puppies may not try to destroy your things but they still don’t understand the difference between what they can play with and what they can’t.
Having the right attitude when bringing home your Bichon Frise puppy will help set the tone for the whole family.
Be sure to have routines, schedules, and tasks for each of the family to allow them to feel that they are contributing to the new puppy’s life in the home.
In addition, set down rules about when, where and with who the puppy will play and interact. Often, kids absolutely adore these little puppies, but younger children may not be able to handle the puppy properly.
Find time as the parent to supervise your child or children’s interactions with the Bichon Frise puppy and start socialization off right for both the kids and the dog.
Always plan for accidents and mistakes on the part of the puppy; he or she will do their very best to learn what you want, but they will not be perfect.
Understanding the puppy is learning just like a child will often help set the right positive attitude for training.
I hope that this Bichon Frise newsletter helps you in preparing for your puppy.
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker