CRATE: mature weight of 8-12’ approximate dimensions 24 deep 14 wide 12 high. Best price at Wal-Mart, or your grocery store $20 or, PetCo, PetSmart.
BED: round/square fleece, looks like an inner tube to fit crate, Pet Co about $8-10
HEATING PAD: available at CVS Pharmacy: the BRAND IS SUNBEAM. This is the
only brand that stays on 24/7, others shut off in 2 hours.
HEAVY DISHES FOR FOOD AND WATER-pups knock them over! I use the
Small “soufflé” dishes
LITTER BOX-in dog section of PetCo-get LARGE SIZE. Another thing I use is a
cement mixing tub (see photos on web site) and cut down an area for pup to enter.
LITTER---I use HORSE PELLETED BEDDING. Do not get shavings. It is 100% pine, available at horse feed stores. 35 lbs cost about $10. You can use a cat scoop or scissor type salad tongs to remove the poo off the top.
PUPPY FOOD: The puppy is eating KIRKLAND, available at Costco. See the Dog Food Chart before selecting a food. You want a corn free TOP quality food. I will send you home with some of this food. Since this dog food comes in 40 lb bags buyers often buy the 5lb bag NATURAL BALANCE BY Dick Van Patton. I prefer the Duck/Potato small bites. Natural Balance is available at PetCo or PetSmart., and many feed stores. Pups transition onto this food with no difficulty.
FENCING OF SOME SORT TO CORRAL PUP
Inexpensive
4 x 8 sheet of white plastic LATTICE from Home Depot is
about $25. Cut it in half lengthwise,
cut 3 feet off each piece, and use ZIP
TIES to hold the sides together. The result is shown below and is fine
for all day. A second option is to purchase an EXERCISE PEN from a pet store,
about $25-$100. Regardless of what you decide, YOU MUST HAVE SOMETHING!!!
 MIDWEST Exercise Pens without Doors
MIDWEST Black Electro-Coated Exercise Pens Keep Pets Safe and Secure
Spacious Exercise Pens are easy to set up and fold flat for convenient storage and transport. Eight-panel design allows pen to be configured in a square, a rectangle, or an octagon shape. Each panel measures 24"W and has rounded borders for added safety. Creates a 16 square foot area. Requires no tools for assembly. Four included bolt snaps connect ends and allow easy opening of panel for access. These come in various heights and sizes. IF your pet will spend a LOT of time in one, be sure to get one that allows playing.
 LITTER BOX
You will need a LITTER BOX. Inside the “dog jail” on the right is a litter box specifically made for this purpose and available at PetCo (about $20.) The other examples are equally suitable. The black one on top is a cement tub with an entry cut in the front, easily done with a jig-saw. The gray one would work as well but is not as deep as the others.
The litter boxes measure: 23” x 19” for the one in the pin, the black cement tub is 27” x 19”, & the gray container is 26” x 18”. Use these measurements as a guide when purchasing or inventing your own. Remember—dogs always “circle” when going potty and their best intentions can result in a mess on the outside if your litter box is too small!
NOTE: the litter box has “cat clumping litter” in it. You can also get it scented. Definitely buy the “clumping” kind; it is a snap to clean up!
To start your pup off in dog jail make it SMALL. You have a 3’ x 5’ size, but I suggest you make the area only large enough to hold the litter box, food/water and the bed. The pup should literally step out of the bed into the litter box. A few days of transition is usually all that is needed. You can start moving the 3’ piece out so you enlarge the area for pup to play. If the pup goes potty outside the box then make the area small again.
 A CRATE is a MUST: Read how to crate train your miniature schnauzer, click here
A CRATE is a MUST. A good size for your small/medium mature dog is 24 x 14 x 12. This is a “bedroom” for your dog. It is also a safe way to transport your pup. Get them used to it when they’re young and you will always have a happily crated animal. DO NOT LOCK A PUP up UNTIL well over 4 months old. Pups have NO “brain to bladder” connection and will go potty in the crate. Once they start doing this, it is a difficult habit to break. To get pup to use the crate as a den, I remove the door, put the bed inside and you will find the pup curled up inside. If you wish to start this while your pup is in dog jail, take off the top as well. When over the age of 4 months, you can start leaving the pup in the crate for a few hours at a time. Eventually, the pup will know to hold “it” until you let the pup outside. When you begin this training, use common sense so the puppy will succeed. Take food up by 6pm and water by 8pm. Take pup outside about 10pm and then lock pup up. I find they can successfully hold it until 6am or so. DON’T FORGET - SHOTS ARE COMPLETED AT 4 MONTHS OF AGE AND PUP MUST NOT GO OUTSIDE UNTIL THIS IS DONE. |
