# How to train new puppy arrival



## Stribor45 (Aug 2, 2020)

Hi everyone,

We will be getting puppy in few months and I am trying to be prepared in to how to best train the puppy. We have 2 storey home so we dont want puppy to roam arround we want him to be with us always whatever area of the house we are in. When we take him for the walk we would want him not wonder arround all over the place while on leash but rather close to us. These are just some of the things I sam interested in so if someone can recomend online resource where I can find all these information. There is so much resources online and I wondered what resources other Havanese owners used that actually worked for them.

Thanks everyone


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

For a long, LONG time, it will be all about confinement more than training. Training him to stay close at all time in sll situation is the work of years.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

krandall said:


> For a long, LONG time, it will be all about confinement more than training. Training him to stay close at all time in sll situation is the work of years.


Yeah exercise pen/ crate. Goal number one is reliable potty training and not eating and chewing dangerous/ inappropriate stuff. Then you can at least trust them in your house! Socialization. Leash training. Lol.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

There are a lot of resources online, and I did read a couple of books, too. I think just read and watch as much as you can, because I found the more I did, the more I understood and could filter good advice and bad advice. Then you’ll also find you have more specific questions. 

If you have kids, I’d start with preparing them on what to expect before ever bringing the puppy home. Next highest priority, I’d read a lot on socialization and potty training so you can plan the potty training setup you want, and so you can be ready to start socializing immediately when you bring the puppy home. There is a ton of information, but I think those things are the most important to have a good understanding of as soon as possible. 

If you’re planning to do a puppy class, you might want to see what’s available now. In my area, with the exception of pet store type classes, the registration is 8-12 weeks ahead, and now classes are smaller because of Covid. 

It sounds like you have some idea of your goals, which is great.


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## Stribor45 (Aug 2, 2020)

Do you guys let the puppy go in the house wherever you are going and do you crate him at all during the day? If so how often etc?

Thanks


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Stribor45 said:


> Do you guys let the puppy go in the house wherever you are going and do you crate him at all during the day? If so how often etc?
> 
> Thanks


You will need to confine them in SOME way for a good portion of the time until they are potty trained and know not to chew on things, etc. what this "looks like" can vary considerably, and is up to you. It can be an expen in the main living area of the house with a crate beside the bed upstairs to pop them into at night, for instance. (Or for "short term storage" while you shower or change your clothes if they don't want to be far from you)

Other people tether the puppy to them on a leash, every single moment that the puppy is out of the crate and in the house to avoid accidents. Personally, I think this would drive me crazy. But it is very successful for those who want to do it.

I work from home and have a small office with a hardwood floor. For my last two puppies, I "puppy proofed" the room in terms of wires, and the waste basket. I put a gate across the door, and installed a litterbox, water bottle and toys. The room became a big expen for the puppy with me in it! (I have to admit that puppy play sometimes distracted me from my work, but what are puppies for?  ) I also had a "normal" expen where I could confine the puppy when I needed to leave the house and could not supervise them. This happened to be in our dining room, just because it is long and narrow and has extra space, but could be anyplace that isn't too isolated.

If you don't have a small room with an easy-clean floor that you can gate off to spend time with your puppy, you WILL have to pay VERY close attention, with EYES ON to that puppy, every MOMENT the puppy is not in his or her expen. The better you supervise, and the more you prevent accidents, the faster you will have a potty trained puppy and be able to give them more access to other parts of the house.

Havanese puppies are NOT hard to potty train UNLESS people give them too much freedom too soon and try to rush the process. Potty training is not something that is completed in a couple of weeks, or even in a couple of months. But what prople forget is that EVEN if they had a puppy that was reliably POTTY trained a 4 or 5 months, they STILL couldn't (safely) give that puppy free access to the house, because that puppy would be chewing on everything and putting EVERYTHING in their mouths. They would still be a baby... just a potty trained baby. So if you let them loose, they might not pee or poop inappropriately, but instead, they would chew the corner off your favorite chair then kill themselves by biting through an electrical cord. .

Puppies are really PUPPIES through their first year, regardless of size. They are not mentally and emotionally mature until about their second birthday. People see that they have reached full size and think they are adults, and expect them to act like adults. That's like expecting a 15 year old gangly teenage boy to act like an adult. We all know how well THAT often goes! LOL! The dogs usually do better!


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

I have one like this upstairs and one down. We also have a gated off little area for my adult when I leave the house. She plays in 30-40 minutes sessions and takes long naps. She’s cuddly too. But she’s NEVER on the floor roaming unless I’m watching. We didn’t do great with crate training. She sleeps in there with the door open during the day and mostly in my bed at night. I’ll put her in the pen for part of the time but if she cries to get in the bed I don’t have the energy to fight it. Plus it’s not the hill I ultimately want to die on in terms of where she sleeps. Our adult sleeps with us too. She can also very clearly see this from her pen and she’s pretty smart lol!


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Whoops here’s a pic


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Welcome to the forum! Do not hesitate to ask questions here.

Here is a link to two free PDFs which I highly recommend you read.

I also highly recommend kikopup videos like this one.

Good luck!


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