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  • #16
    Congrats to you on your new puppy.

    I would add to the list of great suggestions already, to get him used to you touching/handling his paws for nail trims, ears for cleaning, and teeth brushing from the start.

    Will make those tasks much easier the older and bigger he gets.
    Donna
    Max (DOB-Apr 28-2013; gotcha date-Aug 23-2013)
    Dyson (DOB-Sept 9-2013; gotcha date-Mar 8-2014)
    Willow (DOB-Jan 26-2014; gotcha date-Oct 31-2015)

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    • #17
      OP, you are, unfortunately, drastically underestimating how often your puppy is going to need to go outside. Having a puppy in a 20 story apartment building is *really* not ideal. Had you posted and asked us about it ahead of time, I'm pretty sure every person on this board would have recommended that you wait until you have an apartment closer to the ground floor or that you get a more mature dog.

      My puppy also needed to go out once every 20-25 minutes until he was about 3.5-4 months old when he was active. I brought him home at 9.5 weeks. At 8 months old, he now holds it for 45-50 minutes before needing to go.

      What's done is done. But prepare yourself for a pretty rough road. Potty training is not super fun as it is. Potty training in a 20th floor apartment is going to be nothing short of a nightmare.

      Your situation is one of the very few that I would actually recommend puppy pad training for the first month, at least. There's no way an 8 week old puppy is going to be able to hold it for a 20 floor elevator ride or trip down the stairs. And seriously, you will be taking the puppy outside every 20 minutes for at least the first 2-3 weeks (if you're very lucky) up to the first 4 months (if you're not lucky).

      Do you potentially have a balcony you can put the pads on? Pad training will at least get your puppy an immediately accessible place to eliminate. Problems with pad training are that it teaches that elimination indoors is acceptable (this may be solved if you have a balcony), when the pads are removed the puppy will often find similar things to pee on (rugs, pillows), and since the puppy has an *immediately* accessible place to go it doesn't learn that holding its bladder to wait until it's in the appropriate place to eliminate is necessary (may also be solved if you have a balcony).

      I'm really not a fan of pad training one bit. But other than spending your ENTIRE day going up and down stairs or in an elevator, I don't see a better alternative.
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      • #18
        Another thing that might help, if you're okay with a bit of heavy lifting for a while, is if you're worried about him having an accident in the elevator or lobby during the trip down I found it helped with Peach to physically lift her and carry her to her spot. That might help you for a few weeks. I carried Peach straight out of her crate, down one big flight of stairs, and straight to her grass patch until she was about 55 pounds. That got us to about 4 months, and by that point she was gaining bladder control. I always knew Peach wouldn't pee on me if I was holding her, so I played that to my advantage as much as possible.
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        Peach, merle Great Dane
        Born July 7 2014
        Peach & Emily!

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        • #19
          Thanks, everybody, for the replies! You've all definitely scared me a bit, but my excitement is still definitely overpowering the fear! I'll probably also end up booking a week of vacation for when I pick him up, followed by two weeks of working from home.

          Looks like I'll be playing the every 20 minutes game, with a backup pee pad. I'll also definitely get an early start for things like trimming the nails. I've seen the method of choice on here seems to be a dremmel. I'll go that route.

          Also, thanks emeko, for the idea on carrying him out. I can definitely handle some heavy lifting. I'll also make sure to wear clothing that would look good with some potty stains, just in case!
          Last edited by MarkMagnani; 03-29-2016, 08:02 AM. Reason: Fixed spelling.

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          • #20
            Do you have a balcony? I wonder how some of that fake potty grass stuff would do, at least until you were past the point of going outside every 20-30 minutes.


            Just throwing that out there- never tried it, no idea if it's a viable solution or not.
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            Fergus
            SC Dinnie Stone Guardian, CGC
            Eisen Shark
            C Shadows On The Sun, CGC

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            • #21
              Originally posted by SuzanneRM82 View Post
              Do you have a balcony? I wonder how some of that fake potty grass stuff would do, at least until you were past the point of going outside every 20-30 minutes.


              Just throwing that out there- never tried it, no idea if it's a viable solution or not.
              ::Sigh:: No balcony. My old place had one. Wishing I stayed there right about now. Might have to start thinking about getting out of this building (or city) sooner rather than later...

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              • #22
                Originally posted by MarkMagnani View Post
                ::Sigh:: No balcony. My old place had one. Wishing I stayed there right about now. Might have to start thinking about getting out of this building (or city) sooner rather than later...
                I hear Texas is nice.
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                Fergus
                SC Dinnie Stone Guardian, CGC
                Eisen Shark
                C Shadows On The Sun, CGC

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by SuzanneRM82 View Post
                  I hear Texas is nice.
                  How is the Search Engine Marketing industry doing down there?

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by MarkMagnani View Post
                    How is the Search Engine Marketing industry doing down there?
                    Probably better than the oil industry right now!

                    ETA: I actually wouldn't be surprised if it was pretty good in the bigger metro areas- Houston, DFW, or even Austin.
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                    Fergus
                    SC Dinnie Stone Guardian, CGC
                    Eisen Shark
                    C Shadows On The Sun, CGC

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                    • #25
                      About the nail trimming...we live in DC so all the walking on pavement keeps Maude's nails filed down. That might change if she ever becomes less active, but our pup still has a lot of energy and two miles a day and a trip to the dog park keep her nails in check.They've been trimmed once in 2 years and that was only because she was getting her spay/pexy and it is customary. That being said, we tried to keep her on the grass when she was a little pup because I read the concrete is hard on their growing joints. We did do as others suggested and got her used to her paws being handled and her ears being cleaned. Now she purrs when we clean her ears because she loves it.
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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by MarkMagnani View Post
                        Thanks for the advice. Seems like the crate might be the way to go then. The landlord is already doing us a solid by letting us have him, as they do technically have a (somewhat loose) size restriction in the building. That in mind, it only seems fair to keep him crated.
                        I started out using a colossal crate, and blocked part of it off with a Rubbermaid tub. When my boy got a little older, we just removed the tub. You may not be able to do that if your pup is a heavy chewer and chews on the plastic, but my pup didn't bother it. Later we transitioned him into an X-pen. I really like it because you can make it bigger or smaller, and change shapes depending on what you need. I wish I had started out with that first...as a bonus they're about half of the price of a colossal crate on Amazon.

                        At 8 1/2 months, he still fits in it easily and doesn't try to jump out. We attempted to leave him free in the den one day a few weeks ago and the first day went great, but the second day was an epic failure when he decided that he could eat the wooden TV trays. Back in the pen for now....
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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Michelle L View Post
                          Later we transitioned him into an X-pen. I really like it because you can make it bigger or smaller, and change shapes depending on what you need. I wish I had started out with that first...as a bonus they're about half of the price of a colossal crate on Amazon.
                          Thanks for that advice. A few questions...

                          Will the x-pen fit him when he's fully grown?

                          Can it tip over?

                          Can it be slid around on a wood floor?

                          How easy is it to collapse? I'm thinking it would be good to have him in there when needed, and then fold it up when we're at home with him.

                          Thanks!

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by MarkMagnani View Post
                            Thanks for that advice. A few questions...

                            Will the x-pen fit him when he's fully grown?

                            Can it tip over?

                            Can it be slid around on a wood floor?

                            How easy is it to collapse? I'm thinking it would be good to have him in there when needed, and then fold it up when we're at home with him.

                            Thanks!
                            Really I think it will depend on your dog. Kona is about 33 inches tall now and just over 120 lbs and he doesn't attempt to escape, but he's not a jumper. His head sticks up out of the top but he has no clue that he could easily tip it. They make heavy ones, but ours is a lightweight model.

                            He had a period about three weeks ago where he discovered he could push it across our tile floor and he ripped up some vertical blinds and the bells that hang at the back door. We fixed that problem by putting his heavy bed in it (he doesn't chew it) and also putting two hooks in the wall and tying the cage to it so it won't slide. The bed takes up the whole cage, so as he stands on it, the cage has no where to go.

                            It's super easy to collapse. It folds up accordion-like, and we take it with us when we travel. We camp, and we also set it up in our RV.
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                            • #29
                              I have a 4' expen and it came with little plastic things to keep it in shape and protect the floors. I've only ever had it on carpet though, I don't know that I'd trust it on a wood floor. Maybe if I had a stall mat or something under it. I have not had a problem with my dogs escaping, but they both respect the crate and boundaries very well, so I'm sure it depends on the dog. If I were going to use one permanently, I think I'd anchor it to something. I also wish I hadn't got the 4' tall one because it was totally unnecessary and it's really heavy. 3' would have been fine for me.
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                              Chaucey
                              Asaah ~ xxx Asaah LaLa, CGC, registered therapy dog

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