Puppy!
 

I know, I know, there are probably already threads like this ...

THE BACKSTORY: My husband and I are puppy-sitting for the summer. My sister rescued a 6-mo. old lab/hound mix off the kill list at a shelter near her university - right before leaving for her study abroad in New Zealand. Right now, the puppy is at my parents', but starting Monday, he will be living with us until August (assuming that my sister does, in fact, come and get him - we have a fenced-in yard and she doesn't). We have been told that while the puppy is a good puppy, it is large, poops a lot, and is a bit slow-witted (probably from being in the shelter for so long). Neither me nor my husband have done the dog thing before, ever.

THE POINT: For all you GC dog-owners out there, what advice can you give us for how to care for this dog?? We want to be good puppy god-parents! (Also, we have a cat - how do we introduce them and prevent a major battle??)

This describes 99% of the men I encounter on the weekends.

1. Find out if this dog has been socialized with cats in the past. If he has done well before it is a good indication he will do well now. Has your cat been socialized with dogs in the past? It might be a great idea to let them meet a few times (supervised) but do not leave them alone together.

2. Is the dog crate trained? If so you will need to return home every 4 hours or so during the work day to make sure he goes outside to use the bathroom. Is he potty trained? If he is going to remain free in your house while gone you may be able to train him to use pee pads (which I wouldn't suggest as he'll just learn that peeing in your house is OK.)

3. He is most likely slow witted because he is a puppy-in a way, he is similar to a child-in that he only learns what he is taught. Its great news for you if you want to train him to heel, sit, down, or hell-just offer his paw to shake. There are few important things when it comes to training a dog-always set them up for success, don't repeat yourself (give one command for each action, make the dog follow through), have a lot of patience, and repeat repeat repeat.

4. Make sure he is up-to-date on his flea/tick meds, the summer season is ripe with fleas/ticks that can spread to your cat if the dog brings them in. On this same note, don't leave him outside for prolonged periods of time-and if you do be sure he has a shady place to lay (all day, even as the sun rises/sets), and an endless supply of fresh water.

Be wary that his first few days in his new home may be unsettling for him & his routine, but he will adjust in time as long you keep him on a routine. He may not eat as much at first, or need to use the bathroom as often. Just keep a close eye on him & don't let him have too much free reign of the house until his routine is settled.

Let me know if you have any other questions that I may be able to answer, I've got two dogs myself (one from a rescue & another from the humane society) and they're such great dogs (as pound dogs are often are!)

I have had a lot of experience with puppies and dogs. Crate training the puppy will save you and the puppy a lot of stress and upset. Rather he lives in your yard or in your house, you will be glad you can crate him when necessary. Almost any 'How to Raise a Puppy' book at Petco, ect. will fill you in on other details. He is still young enough to get on with your cat. The first meetings just need to be under your supervision. You may as well be prepared, it's going take a lot of your time and good nature to take care of him. The larger he is, the more exercise and play time will be required to keep him healthy and in a good frame of mind, (calm and not destructive). I enjoy working with animals and am happy to share my learned information with you.

Ok--now that's funny. :)

In terms of the puppy--patience is key (obviously!) But by and large, its not that hard. Its important to note that if you catch him doing something he shouldn't, you need to correct it right then with some force (I mean get his attention, not hit him or anything.) Dogs are like children in that they are expecting you to show them what is correct and what is not.

If you're interested in teaching him tricks, look for his natual abilities. I noticed that my border collie would almost smile while waiting for treats, so now I have trained him to "Say Cheese" on command (and its really quite funny!)

I have one dog who is crate trained and I have worked with him over the years because he has not always liked getting in. Now he goes in willingly because I have made sure he knows its a reward and not a punishment. It is his "safe place" now and when he wants to get away from the other dogs, I'll find him relaxing in there.

And be prepared to pick up poop--I would suggest daily if its a big dog.

Right now, he's with my parents' cats and they get along okay - he hasn't hurt them or anything like that. My cat has always been a one-pet show.

No, the shelter didn't train him in any way. My impression is that they just left him locked up most of the time and if he peed in there, oh well :( Right now, my parents (who also don't know much about dogs) take him out a lot and also leave him in their garage if they're gone for a long period so it doesn't matter if he pees or poops on the floor ... My sister got a crate for him before she left, but I don't think anyone's used it. I'm going to try to find a book about this and hopefully we can pull it off. Is there any way to teach a dog to let you know when it needs to go outside (like cats do)?


I am very familiar with cats (raised with them), but dogs are very mysterious to me, lol. I'm excited, but I just don't want to mess up the poor thing who has already had such a rough time! Thank you all for your help :)

By the way, this is Sam (my sister named him after the Lord of the Rings) at my parents:

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/phot...152290_362.jpg

yes, yes, yes to the crate. get one large enough that they dog can grow into-some people suggest partioning off the unneeded extra space in the crate, because some dogs will go potty in a large crate if there is enough room for the pup to get away from the mess. something like a piece of acrylic with holes drilled in the corners thru which you can run a plastic tie to attach to the crate would work fine. oh, and get the wire crate-it allows more air circulation.

when you take the puppy out to potty, walk him to the area of the yard where you want him to potty, and actually tell him to potty. just a simple "go potty." don't play with the puppy until it potties. you want the dog to know that it is business first. when it potties, praise him-something like "good potty". then it is playtime.

always potty after the puppy eats and before you put the puppy back in the crate.

we found that at first we had to use a lightweight bedsheet to cover the crate because the puppy would protest everytime he was put up. after a while the pup was used to the crate and we did not need to use the sheet anymore.

repetition, patience and a schedule are key. there are many books on puppy care that would be helpful.

the puppy may not know at first to protect his eyes if the cat takes a swipe at him, so you need to closely supervise their interaction for a while. hopefully, they will become the best of friends-one of our cats loves the dog and mama cat does not.

Because of this, I'd say you should definitely introduce the cat to the dog slowly. Its great that the dog has a good relationship with your parent's cat, but your cat may feel differently.



Sam is VERY handsome! :) What a good lookin' dog. :)



The site LionInMI gave is exactly what I used to crate train both of my dogs, they LOVE their crates! My littlest dog will run right inside his crate anytime he gets a chance to-he just loves to lay there. Just make sure its enough space for him to stand up, turn around, and lay back down. If its too big he might start peeing/pooping in there, if its too small he'll be cramped! My 60 lbs. boxer mix is in a Giant Petmate and its the perfect size. She used to have a wire crate but tore the door clean off, and then chewed through the plastic airholes of her second crate (but she has severe separation anxiety that only got better when we got a second dog, Sam may be fine in a wire crate (my littlest dog is.)) A lot of the wire crates will come with the separator that FSUZeta mentioned!

If you're looking to do some general obedience training (heel, sit, down, etc.) then you might look at What All Good Dogs Should Know: The Sensible Way to Train by Jack Volhard & Melissa Bartlett. In fact, I've read my copy a hundred times or more-if you want I can send it to you, just PM me if you're interested.

This is great house training advice. You determine his schedule, for eating & using the bathroom for the most part. Don't free-feed or its harder to house train. So set the food out for 20-30 minutes in the morning, and then again at night. As soon as he has eaten/drank take him right outside. Praise him with a treat (sparingly) or just encouragement & head pat everytime he uses the bathroom outside. Take him out when you wake up, after he eats, before you leave the house, as soon as you get back, after his dinner, and before bed. If you set the schedule he will adjust to follow it. If he doesn't make it through the night, or while you're away from the home, don't "punish" him (none of that "sticking his nose in it".) Dogs succeed through positive reinforcement, so if you catch him in the act you can firmly say "No" then move him immediately outside so he can finish. When he does finish going outside you should praise him.

And don't worry! You can't mess him up too bad as long as you love him & treat him accordingly. :)

I agree with what Lisa said. If he's 6 mos old though, he should be able to last in a crate more than 4 hours, but not all day. Assuming he'd also be sleeping in the crate, make sure you remove water an hour or two before bedtime, so that he won't have an emergency during the night.I'm gonna disagree with this a little. You have to be very careful trying to "correct" a dog, because what you may view as "correction" he will probably view as attention. So, for example, if you try to correct his jumping up on you by pushing him down, the message he very well may get is that jumping up on you is a good way to get your attention. (Good attention, bad attention -- it's all attention.)

The best way to teach him is through positive reinforcement. (You might look for some classes that teach this way in your area.) Step one is to have plenty of treats. Step two is to get a "clicker." When he does something you want to reinforce, you click and quickly give him a treat. Gradually, as he starts to figure out that when he does X, you like it and give him a treat, you'll start to get that behavior more often and can start adding the verbal cues ("sit" or "down" for example).

This is, of course, a very abridged description. This site, from the person who (I think) developed clicker training, gives a very good overview of clicker training. Believe me, it works and it helps develop a great relationship between you.

The flip side is basically time out for the dog. If you're at home and he does something inappropriate (such as biting -- many puppies will do this playfully rather than agressively and have to learn that it isn't appropriate play with humans), then calmly put him in his crate for a little time out. He'll get the message before too long that biting = playtime's over. If you're outside or away from home and he does something like that, or jumps on you, cross your arms and look away from him/up toward the sky or ceiling until he calms down a little. This is, essentially, your portable time out. What you're doing is showing him that the behavior will get him no attention. Again, he'll start to get the message pretty quickly.

Three other things. Bring a blanket or towel that he's been on into the house a day or two before he gets there and let your cat become familiar with his smell.

Read the book The Other End of the Leash for a good understanding of how dogs "read" or misread us and how we sometimes misread dogs.

And if a messy backyard is starting to be a problem, you might look into DoodyCalls or a similar outfit. ;)

I think the "portable time out" will work for when you're home too, don't want to start using the crate as punishment or he'll never properly crate train, and might end up hating the crate (essentially dissolving any crate training effort.)

The clicker suggestion is awesome, I've always wanted to start using a clicker but its an epic fail on my part that my dogs don't respond to it. I wasn't consistent enough, it really takes a lot of time & patience!

You could also institute a rule that whenever you let him out you immediately scan the yard to clean up any messes just made. That way its always clean & you aren't spending a Saturday afternoon trolling your backyard with boots on & plastic bags tied to your hands. :p

It certainly could, and we use it that way for pretty much everything except biting. That gets (or got -- he's much better) a trip to the crate. But because we stay calm about it, it's not punishment as much as it is "playtime's over." The crate is a "safe place" -- he learns that he can't get in trouble there, and it gives him a minute to calm down.

Interesting, although I'm sure it's another one of those things that doesn't alway swork for every dog. Our puppy (7 mos now) responded very quickly to it, and you can see in his eyes his brain working -- "okay, what am I doing that they like? Is it this? This? Oh, Oh, its' this! Got it!" Too funny.

I take the clicker to the supper table to reinforce sitting patiently while we eat, I take it on walks to reinforce a loose leash. It's been great for us, and once you get used to it (and remember to do it), it really doesn't take any extra time or anything.

Very true. :D

That is totally opposite of what i've been always told to do with dogs. When I was at the Vets, they had a movie (or television show not sure which) but they were talking about puppies and how to train.

First of all, dogs HAVE to bite/chew. If you don't teach them when it is appropriate to do it, then it can lead to a volatile situation.

Dogs learn by playing with other dogs. So when your dog starts biting the other dogs, they will let your dog know when he's biting too hard. For people that don't have other dogs (like myself), we have to be the one to teach when a bite is too hard. You don't scold the dog, because he'll either not correlate the scolding w/ the bite or he'll learn that biting/chewing (since a lot of the time a puppy is essentially teething) is bad, and it really isn't.

So if your dog bites you too hard, you let out a yelp---one that is similar to what a puppy would do, and immediately give the dog a chew toy. This way the puppy learns that 1) biting that hard is unacceptable, 2) he'll learn what he's suppose to chew.

My suggestions:

1. Crate train. Your pup should be able to get in the crate on command. My husband and I crate my dog at dinner and when we are gone for the day. I always offer a small treat when my pup gets in...so now whenever I say crate crate...she hauls tail for her crate!

2. Take treats outside with you when you take the pup potty. As someone else mentioned, your dog should be able to go on command, because you never know when you'll be in a rush. After you dog does his business, praise like crazy and make a BIG deal about it. I still do that and my dog is 2 1/2!!

3. Set boundaries in the house. If your dog is a chewer, invest in some bitter apple and spray in areas that the dog shouldn't bother.

4. Get plenty of dog/chew toys because dogs at that age will chew!

5. Always keep clean water available and have a cutoff for the last feeding.

6. Don't give your dog any foods that will make it sick like

-Chocolate
-Onions
-Grapes
-Mushrooms
-Macadamia Nuts
-Raisins
-Garlic
-Yeast
-Sugary stuff

My dachshund puppy just turned one. I got him when he was 9 weeks old, so I've experienced all the joys and not so joys of puppyhood.

Do everything that has been suggested!!!! This is really great advice.

I keep my little dachsie in a very large crate during the day when I'm out and at night when I am sleep. This gives him a corner to sleep, one to eat and one to poop if I don't make it home in time. Now, this logic is counter to what a lot of books and people will tell you, but since I can't make it home during the middle of the day to let him out, he can get some relief if I don't make it home in my usual time.

Another point that someone mentioned is to de-flea your home. That means the dog, all carpets and the yard. DO IT!!!!!

Puppies are very playful and have lots of energy!!! No matter how tired I am and if the weather is nice I take my dog for a walk everyday in the evening and let him out in the backyard to run around for about an hour in the morning.

Oh, and take lots of pictures!! I took a picture of my dachsie the day I brought him home. He was half the size of my shoe. Now he is so much bigger.

I know -- I've been told that, too, but (1) it didn't really work for us (maybe 'cause I really can't yelp :D), and (2) our trainer, who has degrees in animal behavior and approaches everything based on research, told us to do it the way I described. They both get there, I guess, depending on the dog.

I definitely do NOT want any fleas! I've been using spray for my carpets and an occasional treatment for my cat (have to find one for the dog), but how do you treat a yard? :confused:

You right. That is why I get aggrevated with the vets at the clinic I take my dog too, because they obviously don't understand that what they tell me to do doesn't work with my dog.

Before I had my chihuahua, I had a miniature poodle. The vet used to tell us to give him these breath mints (little balls, kinda like the icebreakers w/ liquid) to clear up his bad breath. They used to tell us to mix it in w/ bread or something so that he would eat them. Well the darn dog would pick the breath mint out of the bread, throw it somewhere else and eat the bread.

Just cause it works for some dogs, doesn't mean it works for all.

Awww a puppy! :)

I don't have a dog but I agree with Lisa.

1. Choose a vet, and schedule a vet visit for the 1st week after you've brought the puppy home, if you haven't already. The vet will discuss health problems, vaccines, and deworming, and advise you on nutrition, house training, and other puppy issues.

2. Make sure he wears a collar and ID tag at all times, even when he's inside just incase he slips outside.

3. Since you got him from a shelter he should be fully vaccinated, so introduce him to a wide variety of people, places and other dogs if possible, that way he'll be comfortable and well behaved in different situations.

4. I know this sounds excessive, but if you can, brush his teeth daily or whenever you have time, because plaque hardens into tartar within about 36 hours, so it's good to get into the habit of doing it. There's also doggie bites that can help in keeping his teeth clean too.

Let me know if you have any questions about anything. I'm sure I can help.:)

Has anyone ever seen "Summer of Sam?" lol he looks just like the dog that David Berkowitz claimed he was taking orders from.:p

Btw: great looking dog.:)

I don't know how you could treat the yard. I'm sure there are some pesticides for outside. Hopefully you won't get any fleas in your house though. If you do, be on the look out for what looks like flecks of pepper at the base of the dogs hair and also can be found on the back just in front of his tail. Those pepper things are flea excrement. If you're not sure whether what you're seeing is flea feces or dirt from outside, comb some of it out of the fur with a fine tooth flea comb, press the dirt on a wet paper towel, and wait a minute. If the paper towel turns red around the specks, you've got fleas. Flea feces contain blood, so when it gets wet it bleeds red. I know that's gross, but if you don't see the fleas 1st, you'll see the feces.

Fleas, Ticks, Heart Worms
 

You may already know about monthly treatment for fleas and ticks, (frontline, plus). And HeartGuard, monthly preventative for heart worms. I would imagine the puppy is already on these products, since he is a rescue. Frontline is great and even works after the dog is wet.

Someone mentioned what you should do about biting pups, and I think its important that you find what really works for this dog by trying a few different things. I wouldn't suggest using the crate unless he loves the crate & seems to understand that its his "quiet, safe place". Otherwise, try the "yelp" when he nips you, or a firm "No"...in any case always replace your body part that he nipped with a chew-safe toy.

Be safe when it comes to treating your yard with pesticides, I think you should definitely consult a vet for product that is recommended, have your parents or your sister taken him to see a vet already? Try to keep him at the same place unless you aren't happy with their services, professionalism, customer support, etc. Keep us updated! :)

Too funny :) This also describes half my patients.

you can go to this website: veterinarypartner.com and type in crate training -you will get information that should help.

Also avoid anything with Xylitol (sugar free gum and candy)-dogs love to get into gum.
and if you have sago palms in your yard keep him away from these as they can cause liver failure.
avoid aleve/aspirin/ibuprofen (dogs love ibuprofen and they can easily chew up a bottle of this stuff)

get him microchipped. This could save your pets life if he were to get lost.
Good luck, he looks like a cutie:)

PS-watch your cat carefully, if she/he stops eating and starts hiding due to stress from the dog and doesn't start up again (eating)in a few days then see your veterinarian.

Not necessarily, get his vaccine records. Not all shelters are responsible unfortunately. If he is behind on vaccs then I would avoid parks/petsmart/petco/other places people take their puppies for now until he has his vaccs. It is parvo season and this virus is very contagious and can be $$$ to treat.

I've had my boxer on Advantage flea/tick medicine, and had no problems - not even when we lived on 16 acres and he would go frolic in the meadows. You will probably not need to treat your yard if the dog is on a good flea/tick program.
I'm also a big fan of crating. Kaiser considers it his safe place, and it has helped a great deal when dealing with situations like travel, storms, etc. - if he is in his crate, he feels secure. It also helped with housebreaking. I'm a total convert!
He is a beautiful dog - hope you enjoy your time with him.

Exactly. You have to figure out what works with your dog.

As the one who suggested it, I agree, and I probably should have made that more clear.

This raises another good point. It's a really good idea to spend a little bit of time every day letting him get used to you handling his paws, his ears, his mouth/teeth, etc. Some dogs don't mind it at all, but others really have to get used to it, and you'll need for him to let you do it so that you can trim his claws, get ticks off, brush his teeth, etc.

I know, but they should.

The best way to treat the dog is to use a product like Frontline or Advantix. There is another called Sentinel. I know that for Frontline it is a monthly application. It comes in a liquid that you apply to the dog's skin. Just separate the hairs and apply it directly on the skin.

The best product that I've found to treat the carpets is called Flea Stoppers. Basically it is 100% boric acid. You apply it to the carpet as you would a carpet powder, let it sit for about 5 days then vacuum. This will kill any fleas that are already in the carpet and the application should last one year. I did it last June and have not noticed any fleas on the carpet.

To treat your yard, go to any home and garden store like Home Depot or Lowes and they have a variety of pesticides to apply to the yard. The one I use is made by Bayer, but I can't think of the exact name now. There used to be a great product called Diazinon (?sp) but that was taken off the market becuase it contained organo-phosphates, a toxin. Usually these yard treatments are spread like fertilizer and they may also kill other yard pests like ants, grubs and such.

When I treat my home for fleas I try to do it all in the same week for the yard and home.

Yep. I mentioned dental care and daily brushing because dental disease is the most common cause of dog breath. The bits of food the dog eats and bacteria form plaque, which eventually hardens into tartar. The tartar irritates the gums and gives bacteria access to the tooth roots, which leads to infection, pain and tooth loss as well as bad breath. If not treated, in some cases the bacteria can even wind up in the bloodstream and infect a dog's heart valves or kidneys.

FYI to the OP. If you ever see yellowish, brownish, or grayish build up on the teeth, the gums are red rather than pink or you start to see sores or crust on the outside of his mouth, these are all signs of dental disease.

Question for the people with more crating experience than I have (the 7 mo old we have now is the first dog we've crated):

Have you ever had a problem moving your dog's crate? Our's has been in our bedroom since the dog came home in December -- as much as any reason because it made it much easier for us to let him out at night when he needed it. But sleeping through the night hasn't been a problem for a while, and my wife and I would kind of like to have our room back. (Since he's a large dog, it's a large crate.)

The logical place to move the crate is into the den, where the most family time happens anyway. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Hi mysticcat. It may be difficult to move your dog, as he now thinks he sleeps with his 'pack', at night. Is he now house trained? You can move the crate to the new location and leave the door open. Put him in for short periods of time. For a while, you may have to drag it back to your room at night, until he is comfortable in the crate, in the new location. If he is house trained, he will be very happy to sleep in your room. If you don't want him in your room, the gradual move will be easier for him. He is used to the sounds of your breathing and moving and might feel lonely or afraid, when first moved to a new spot.

Thanks for the ideas. He is definitely housetrained, but he simply cannot be loose in the house unsupervised. There's simply no telling what he would eat or get into -- he's a mischievous thing who will always find something to get into. :D

Since the crate we're using is borrowed and we may have to return it at some point and get our own, I actually thought about having 2 crates for a while, letting him get used to the idea of the new one while the old one is still there and transitioning him over, but I didn't know if that would confuse more than help.

MC, we crate-trained our dog, moved her, changed her room, and we found that as long as she still had her crate, she was fine wherever we put her. Just keep her same blanket or whatever you have in there and once she's in and the door's closed, she'll adjust. (or he, sorry) If you're going to switch to a different crate altogether, maybe do that before you move him out of the bedroom. Get the new crate, let him sleep in it in your room like he's used to, then eventually move the new crate out of the room to wherever you want him to be. You could put the old crate in the other room where you want him to end up to try him out in there, but I would probably just get rid of it and only use the new crate in the bedroom to make sure he gets used to it. Once he knows that crate is 'his', he'll probably be fine wherever you put him (even if it takes a night or two, puppies usually adjust much more quickly than older dogs).

^^^ Thanks!

Too bad I can't take him on TAR with us! :D

LOL. Yeah, just think of all those cargo holds he'd have to travel in. :( But we could use him to jump on the competition and distract them or to eat their clues! ("but, but Phil, their dog ate my Detour!")

LOL. Casey would be more than happy to eat the competition's clues for us. And their socks for good measure. :D

Heartgard is ivermectin which has been used for a once a month heartworm prevention for decades. Heartgard Plus is ivermectin plus pyrantel. The pyrantel protects dogs from picking up new infestations of roundworms and hookworms, but some dogs are more sensitive to ivermectin than other dogs, which is why I wouldn't recommend Heartgard. Probably the best one to use would be Revolution. It's the most expensive of the heartworm/flea/tick combo meds, but it's less expensive than buying separate products to protect against heartworms, fleas and ticks. Another good thing about it is, it's applied to the dogs skin rather than given by mouth. It still has to be used once a month like the pills in order to prevent heartworm infestation though. Unfortunately Revolution does not kill deer ticks. Another good one to use is Sentinel, which is a flea growth regulator. It's like a flea birth control. It doesn't stop the biting or adult fleas, but it does prevent the eggs from developing into adult fleas.

I don't have pets but one of my roommates does and its possible for them to co exisist with cats. esp,if hes a puppy he doesn't know any better.

Her dog and cat get along. He just plays rough with everyone from time to time...

LOCK ALL OF YOUR GOOD SHOES AWAY.. OR VALUABLES FOR THAT MATTER. THEY CHEW when their teething.

reading the veterinary boards, it seems that some vets have noted failure of revolution to prevent heartworms in dogs (according to one vet it may be an absorption problem with dogs skin, seems to work ok in cats). I would use something else especially if you are in an area with lots of mosquitoes like Texas or Louisiana. The puppy in the picture does not look like a collie type so heartgard should be ok but again check with your veterinarian. If your dog is on revolution and gets heartworms, Pfizer should cover the treatment. If your vet wants to know my source of info tell he or she to look on VIN.

A very good piece of information! I have a boxer, she is now 8 years old, but as any other boxer owner can tell you, they still act like puppies until they die! She still has a shoe fetish! She loves to chew them up or just drag her them to her bed for toys. She also enjoys pairs of sunglasses; she will also carry these around with her. I swear I should have named her Carrie from Sex in the City instead of Faith!


As for the crate training, it is must for labs! A friend of mine trains them for a local service dog organization, and she insists on crate training them. The only other option besides coming home all the time is training them to go inside which is what we taught my dog. She HATED her crate, she cried all night as she likes to sleep with the family. We used to gate off part of the house and let her stay in there when we left and she would pee on some old newspapers we had set out if she had to. Much cheaper than doggie pads!

Exercise is a must for a big dog. Either like him run around and play with him in the yard for some time every day or make sure to walk him at least once a day.

Also, I have found the "Dog Whisper" on the National Geographic very helpful.