Quote:
Originally Posted by Halanna
We did choose Blue Buffalo and Innova foods, I figure every bag or so I can rotate those two so she doesn't get too bored. But every once in a while I can give her a little piece of cooked chicken or steak for a treat, that won't hurt right?
I'm home all day, so she won't be left alone, not for the first couple of months anyway. I figured I'd have to get up during the night to take her to her "potty space", hopefully that won't last long! So, if she's in the crate should I wake her up if it's time to go?
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Be careful switching up foods. That can really mess with a dogs digestive system. If you are dead set on it, either mix the two, or be sure to gradually make the change (i.e. 3/4 one food, 1/4 the other for a week, then 1/2 and 1/2 for a week, then 1/4 and 3/4 for a week). Don't just make a complete switch overnight. Occasional meat treats aren't the end of the world, but if you want your dog to avoid begging, don't do it at times you eat, or off of your plate.
Good to hear about you being home! To me that makes crate training so much easier. What we did for the first couple of weeks is to put him in his crate for 20-40 minutes, take him out and go straight outside to go the bathroom, then let him play or whatever for an hour or 90 mins. Then we'd go back outside to go the bathroom then put him in his crate for 20-40 minutes and do it all over again. It solved two things, he became potty trained very quickly, and he grew accustomed to being in his crate.