5 Ways to Keep Your Puppy Entertained and Busy, with Little Effort by You

Raising a puppy is an energy and time sucking endeavor.  As any new puppy parent will admit, the constant supervision of a curious and energetic puppy can leave you feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and plain old dog-tired.  And while I love the treat-stuffed toys, I’m afraid my dog will get a little too plump if I give him treats all day long.  (Seriously, how much peanut butter can one dog eat?) Here are some new ideas to keep your puppy occupied, so you can take a break.   

1.  Frozen Washcloth.  This is a cheap, quick way to create a dog toy at home. It keeps puppy entertained for 10-15 minutes.  Take an old washcloth that you wouldn’t mind getting a little torn up, and run it under water to soak and wring out.  The cloth should be damp but not dripping.  Roll it up like a burrito, and pop it into the freezer for a few hours.  The result is a stiff but soft treat, perfect for soothing teething puppies. And because there is no food involved, you can do this several times a day.
2. Kong Wobbler.  The Kong Wobbler is a toy and dog bowl in one. So instead of fattening up your puppy on treats, or watching him scarf his dinner in 2.4 seconds flat, pull out your Kong Wobbler and watch the magic happen.  This gadget entertained my ten week old pup for a full 30 minutes, which is an amazingly long time to keep a puppy occupied.  We fill the wobbler with his evening scoop of kibble, screw on the lid, and place it on the floor. Each time he knocks it over a few bits of kibble fall out to reward him. We both love it!
3. Battery Ball with Tail. This toy works for pets and children alike.  It is a small plastic ball that is battery operated to roll about the floor.  Often there is a furry tail attached, but my puppy removed that in about 5 minutes.  That ball however, keeps him entertained for 15-20 minutes sessions as he chases it around the living room.  Because it’s not made for puppies, it’s not 100% indestructible, but mine seems to have held up pretty well to being picked up & dropped repeatedly.
4. Bully Stick. The bully stick is similar in concept to a rawhide chew, but it is safer and longer lasting.  As with any edible toy, you do need to watch for loose pieces that your puppy could swallow.  However, of all the options available, I think this is the best edible option for puppies, because the durable quality takes much longer to be torn apart or worn down.  My pup has had his bully stick for over a month, and it’s been worn down less than an inch. Warning- it will be very stinky, so you may want to make this an outside toy!
5. Puppy Play Date.  This one can be tricky to setup, but is wonderful if you can make it happen.  Entertainment time can be several hours if everyone gets along. Not only will a play date drain puppy’s energy, it will also provide a good socialization experience for you both.  Invite neighbors and friends who have puppies or well adjusted dogs over to your yard for a few hours.  Or try forming a group using Craigslist or Google Groups; just make sure to meet in a safe public place and request vaccinations records.

Week 7 - The Potty Equation

Garth in his winter sweater playing outside.

Potty training a new puppy can be one messy undertaking, according to the horror stories I’d read online.  There are a plethora of contraptions to assist pet parents in this endeavor- piddle pads, fake grass, scented rocks, door bells… After doing a little research, I decided to use the crate training method.

All puppy parents should understand one point above all: a young puppy’s biology limits the amount of time he can “hold it”.  So no matter how hard you try, your puppy’s bladder can only do so much.   Do not lose your temper when his genetics do not coincide with your schedule.  This fact of life can actually work to your advantage, because you can predict your puppy’s potty schedule using this equation:

(Time in between potty breaks) = 

(Puppy’s age in weeks) x (15 minutes) 

*Valid up to 4 months of age

So for my 7 week old puppy, the time in between potty breaks could be no more than 7 x 15 minutes, or 1 hour and 45 minutes.  That meant that someone needed to take Garth outside every hour and 45 minutes to avoid any accidents.  This is where crate training comes into play; dogs will try very hard to avoid going potty in their crate.  It’s a natural instinct that humans can use to potty train.  The trick is to make sure your puppy is in his crate right before potty time, so that you can take him from his crate and straight outside. 

TIP: Schedule naptime so that your puppy is in his crate right before potty time.  This way you can take him straight outside after his nap, and he will most likely have to potty immediately.

We did have a few accidents, but they mostly occurred inside the back door while I was putting my shoes on.  I learned fast that when my puppy woke up from his nap, he had to go immediately.  This behavior improved with time, but for the first few weeks I’d suggest having your shoes on before you open the crate.

Because I stuck to a very strict schedule, which updated every week, we had very few potty accidents.  I also gave Garth little treats outside every time he did a potty, which is good to do in the first month or so of potty training.  For me, letting the puppy’s potty schedule control my life for a few weeks was much better than constantly cleaning up accidents and struggling with the dog for months.  I highly recommend using crate training along with the potty equation.

Week 6 - Puppy Proof

Garth on the Rug

In my research to prepare for puppy homecoming, I read all sorts of tips on how to puppy proof one’s home.  Take up all the rugs, remove any chewable objects, and generally hide anything of value.  Then how, I contemplated, would you teach the puppy to behave in a normal environment?  I can’t keep my living room like that forever!

So I made a deliberate decision NOT to puppy proof at all. I left everything right where it was, with every intention of teaching my puppy “Leave It” from day one. This method took a lot of dedication, because the puppy had to have 100% of my focus at all times.

I didn’t sit down for three weeks. Garth was constantly exploring everything.  He would run full speed into whatever it was he wanted to investigate, and then he would wrap his slimy gums around it.  He seemed convinced that he could fit the whole couch into his mouth if he just got a running start.

Because Garth couldn’t be trusted not to piddle in the house, I had to keep an even closer eye on him.  This proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. He would sneak under the coffee table, crawl amongst the dining room chairs, and dash through any open door.  The image of me snuggling with my puppy in front of the fireplace went up in flames as I struggled just to keep him within sight.

Sure enough, Garth learned “Leave It” very quickly.  However, he did not learn “Don’t Touch That in the First Place Because It’s Not Yours” at all.  For my own personal sanity, I had to remove the living room rug.  Not only was it a potty magnet, but its chunky texture made for a good chew toy.  A week after surrendering my rug, I broke down and spent the $30 on baby gates.  It’s much easier to supervise when you aren’t chasing your puppy down the hallway.

I may have lost the battle, but I won the war.  I am proud to say that my dog learned “Leave It” very quickly during those first few weeks. However, it was a heck of a lot more work due to my stubborn refusal of all puppy-proofing advice.

TIP: Throw vanity out the window and buy yourself some baby gates.  Yes they are ugly, but they will preserve your sanity, as well as your carpets.

Week 6 - Garth's first day home

LEFT: Robin & Fred   RIGHT: Me & Garth

My mother-in-law Robin accompanied me to pickup Garth from his foster home.  She was adopting the runt of the litter, a sweetheart named Fred.  Fred and Garth were polar opposites.  Fred would snuggle up in your arms, and gladly pose for pictures with his new family.  Garth just wanted to play, and showed no interest in holding still for anyone.

Garth was not only more rambunctious, but more brave and outgoing in general.  Poor little Fred cried all the way home, while Garth seemed content to explore his crate.  I was happy that Garth took well to the car, because we are a travelling family and car-riding is a must.  When we arrived home, Garth pulled forward on his leash, exploring his new backyard.  Fred sniffed a little, but preferred to stay near Robins feet or preferably in her arms.

Given my observation of their little personalities thus far, I assumed that my independent little pup would do fine on his first night away from his family.  I was so very wrong.  Any puppy, no matter how adventurous, will cry on the first night home. I prepared his crate with warm blankets and chew toys, waited for him to get sleepy, and gently laid him down.  To my disappointment, the whimpering began almost immediately.  Fred on the other hand, who was sleeping in the guest room with Robin, didn’t utter a peep.  I had been feeling confident that my puppy had won the adapt-to-new-surroundings race, but now Karma was giving me a reality check.

Sleeping Cutie

Garth cried all night, and that’s no exaggeration.  He half howled, half barked incessantly every minute of every hour.  I took him outside to do his business every two hours throughout the night, hoping to keep him comfortable.  (This, by the way, is why I recommend getting a puppy when the weather is nice.  Not the week before Christmas, like we did.)  The next morning, the entire household struggled to get out of bed; all of us completely sleep deprived.

“Fred was so quiet! How did that happen?” I asked my mother-in-law who then confessed to letting Fred sleep in bed with her. She immediately followed up by asking if she could do some laundry, because they had a little accident. I will say that Garth rarely had a potty accident, and I accredit that entirely to the wonder of crate training. On his second night home, I decided to only take him out twice no matter how much he cried. (After all, he was going to cry anyways.) This system worked much better and with each day the crying subsided more and more

LESSON: If you plan on using a crate, which I highly recommend, start using it day one and don't give in to a crying pup!

Garth’s first day home was a long one.  At 6 weeks old, I took him outside every hour to potty.  This ate up a lot of our day, but he did sleep about 30-45 minutes out of every hour.  The perk was that I could get things done while he slept, but the caveat was that I really couldn’t leave the house. 

Garth's first meal at home.

That first week was very rough on me, and I constantly thought, “What did I get myself into? This is way too much commitment!”  The lack of sleep definitely contributed negatively to my emotional well being. The fact that I couldn’t take a shower without running the puppy outside immediately after (wet hair and all) didn’t help.  I certainly couldn’t leave long enough to go to the grocery store or see a movie.  It was a demanding schedule, but he only had one potty accident during that first week home.

Looking back, I miss the days when he would fall asleep in my lap. They are so sweet and little, even Garth who isn’t much of a snuggler. I knew a puppy would be hard work, but I wasn’t prepared to commit 100% of my energy that first week.  But that’s what it takes in the beginning… 100% and then some.

0 - 6 Weeks

Garth's dog-mommy and litter-mates, only a couple weeks old.

A litter of six puppies had just been born to a malnourished Weimaraner, who had only recently been rescued. As a shelter volunteer myself, my heart went out to this little canine family. We could only assume that the father was the black lab who had also been rescued from the same abusive home.  (The one black pup was a good indicator!)

We chose Garth, who was the only pup with milk-chocolate brown fur.  At the time, he hadn't even opened his little eyes yet and couldn't do anything but snuggle.  If only those days lasted longer!

Garth @ 3 weeks old

In retrospect, we did a "bad" thing by choosing a pup based purely on appearance.  The babies had no personality at that point, so the selection was really a lottery in regard to temperament.  Six weeks later, Garth grew to be the largest and most rambunctious of the litter.

LESSON: If circumstances allow, wait to choose your puppy until about 4-5 weeks of age or older.  This will let their personalities develop first.

At three weeks, we got a hint of Garth's beautiful blue puppy eyes.  Many puppies have blue eyes as babies, but we secretly hoped that he inherited that famous Weimaraner eye color from his mom. We visited Garth once a week while he was still with his litter-mates.  The changes from week-to-week were amazing.  We got to see the clumsy pups learn to walk, eat solid food, and play with each other.  They even tried to play with a 9 month old pit bull being fostered there, who was amazingly gentle with them.

All of the "experts" recommend leaving a puppy with his doggy-family as long as possible, for socialization purposes and to learn life lessons.  Although they are weaned at 6 weeks, waiting until 8 weeks of age (or more) is better.  Unfortunately for Garth, his options at 6 weeks old were to come home with us or move into a metal cage in a shelter.  So we decided he was better off with his human-mommy than no mommy at all, and on December 13th we brought him home.

The Decision to Get a Puppy

Before the chew toys, the crate, the leash and collar, my husband and I had several debates over whether or not to get a dog.  I am admittedly one of those people who would like to adopt every animal on the street, but fortunately my husband helps to keep my animal hoarding tenancies at bay.  In fact, the puppy would only be our second pet.

I recently said this, in regard to the decision to adopt a pup:

For the longest time I had two voices on the issue.  The first voice, my inner animal lover, said, “You’ll be saving a life and getting years of fulfilling companionship.”  The second and more practical voice countered with, “Only when you buy a house with a reasonable yard.  No, that’s not big enough, wait until the next house and try again.”  So when we moved into our second home, the animal-lover said, “Okay, now we can get a puppy.  I’ve met your criteria.”  To which the voice of reason said, “That yard is sufficient, but now you are working very long hours. This isn’t the time to get a puppy.”  It was true, I was commuting nearly four hours on top of managing a heavy workload. And then everything changed.

My husband’s job relocation allowed me to quit my demanding job and move into a home on a 3 acre lot.  The voice of reason had run out of excuses, and the more passive animal-lover said, “It’s time!” When the local animal shelter posted newborn Labrador-Weimaraner puppies, I knew the stars had truly aligned.  (Source: Home Ec Engineer)

And so we decided to add one more to our little family.  I was excited, my husband was supportive, and the cat was apprehensive at best.  This is my record of the many experiences, emotions, and lessons learned while raising our dog.