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I also suggest the entire family sit down and make up a list of Do's and Don'ts for the dog and the humans. Decide what you Do want the dog to be able to do... and what you Don't want him to do.
Example
Don'ts
no on the furniture (totally up to you just an example)
no begging at the table
no running out the door
etc
etc.
Everyone needs to agree on the rules... and rules are changeable as needed. Be firm, but flexible in your expectations. Good luck!!!
I'd rep you twelvepaw if I could but have t spread it around first.
Excellent advice...I can't think of one thing I could add. Well, maybe...I have five dogs and I'm more than proud of them all. I am a benevolent leader to my pack and they love and respect me...as I do them.
Enjoy your new pup. I call them pups whether they're 12 weeks or 12 years. lol
Talk to the dogs breeder! They should tell you what if any potty schedule the pups on. What you will need to finish training the pup. I don't care IF the pup trained don't do any thing at the breeders BUT the pup Needs to learn you time table also. Once the breeder tells you what the timing is on their end than you can slowly adjust for your end. Same as the food Feed the puppy what the breeder is feeding IF you wish to change Mix the old & new gradually over a week to 10 days. Find out what Shots the pups had then contact Your vet to complete those much needed baby shots! PUPPY Proof the home! Get those cords where puppy cant reach them Puppies Chew! So put things out of reach! Provide things Safe for him to chew on...don't worry it wont last for ever Teach the pup his name & to come to you! Don't over use the word NO but when you say it use a Firm voice! Best to redirect behavour. He goes got a shoe to chew calmly trade for a toy. Make sure You put the shoe away in the close behind closed door or on a shelf. [just an example ]
Any book by Warren Eckstein, a well known animal behaviorist. I think his book on dogs is called How To Get Your Dog To Do What You Want. He also has a website with great information. You may have seen him on TV, he's been helping people with pets for years. He used to have a radio show, not sure if he's still on or not.
We will be adopting our first dog ever within the next week and I honestly feel about as nervous as when we were bringing home our newborn children.
We've gotten so much advice, much of it cancelling each other out, that I'm not quite sure we have a handle on what we need. And my wife is exploring some insane purchases at this point.
Accepting that we have nothing other than a large home, yard and an abundance of love to offer, what do we definitively need to have on Day 1?
WELL BEFORE day one buy either of these two books, read it cover to cover then follow the advice given and you'll be fine.
Dashdog gave you solid advice.
I would only add a few odds and ends.
Make your comings and goings very low key; pup should never be able to predict from your behavior whether you are coming or going. In other words, do NOT make a fuss over the pup when you leave the house and when you come home. Doing so may potentially cause the pup to feel anxious. Better to totally ignore the pup for at least 5 minutes before you leave and same when you come home; it sounds mean, but is one of the best things you can do for your dog.
Please remember that your pup is a baby. Be gentle with him, and have reasonable expectations. He is a sponge, and will soak up all kinds of information for the next year. He only knows what you teach him, and you are always teaching him; every interaction with your pup will give him information about how he fits in to the household and what you expect of him.
Please find a trainer who uses positive reinforcement (= non-force based) training methods and enroll in a puppy class. It will be a blast for you and your pup, and a good trainer will be worth their weight in gold and a resource for all kinds of behavior questions.
The very best training teaches the dog what you expect and is maintained through ongoing reinforcement and consistency. Clicker training and training using shaping will help you build not only an amazing relationship with your dog, but will create a dog able to think. Punishment-e.g. yelling, hitting, jerking on leash, etc- is punitive and doesn't teach the dog anything, but may very well damage your relationship with pup.
Run far and fast from anyone who says you need to dominate your dog by being alpha or who says you need to practice alpha rolls to teach the dog who is boss, or who tries to tell you that you need to go through doorways first or eat first or shake the dog or who knows what other kind of nonsense that is put about.
Please teach your children how to behave around your pup. Ear pulling, eye poking, tail pulling, riding on, putting hands in food bowl, waking pup when sleeping are all forbidden. As well, it is very easy for a child to unintentionally hurt a small puppy. For both your puppy's and your child's sake, please monitor all interaction carefully, and never leave them alone together without supervision.
There are many good books and online resources.
Patricia McConnell is one of my favorites. She has several books, dvds, and a website that has tons of training information; the link for what she calls her reading room (resources) is Patricia McConnell | Welcome to The Reading Room | McConnell Publishing Inc.
Also, the APDT Association of Pet Dog Trainers has a great resource section on training, puppies, issues that might come up, and also has many audio webinars by reputable world class trainers: https://apdt.com/pet-owners/
Last but not least. You will get out of your dog precisely what you put into your dog. Gentleness, consistent positive training, good food, lots of exercise and play, and a loving respectful home will produce an awesome dog that will be a willing eager partner who is engaged with you and loves to learn.
Wow, thanks for so much excellent advice and input. I apologize for not providing the fully developed picture, I should know better.
Here's the skinny on our rescue: He's a two year old, male, Great Pyrenees.
We have researched the breed extensively including talking to current Pyr owners regarding temperament, training and environment. So yes, we know they are head strong, independent dogs who shed significantly. We also know they need to stay on leash at all times and that our fenced yard needs to be enhanced to accommodate the larger breed. We have two teenage children, both of whom are animal lovers and invested in the adoption.
Much of what's been suggested in terms of behavioral techniques I'm aware of. What I've been stressing out over are the specific items we need to be in possession of on Day 1. I actually asked the foster if he was going to check and make sure we had a car restraint device before letting us drive away, much like they do when you take a newborn baby home from the hospital. Yeah, that's where my mind's at right now.
Does anyone have an opinion on GPS trackers? The one intangible that I'll probably always worry about with owning a Pyr is that they are known to wander. With today's technology I'd like to think I could simply whip out my smart phone and track him down.
My best friends daughter and her husband adopted a Great Pyrenees. At the time she was in vet school .He is such a big lovable dog. He became a blood donor at UCSD and they all loved him.
The only issues they ever had was if he got out front without a leash he ran and ran and often she would end up running a few miles trying to get him back and suddenly he would just stop like well that was a great run and trot back to her as yeah he knew she was behind him. A lot of dogs will run if you chase after them but if you stop and say sit down often they will come see what you are up too, but some dogs just love running like my sighthound. If he is running he is lost in that act and does not seem to hear or see me.He tends to only run so far then circles back around me. He is off leash at the beach and in some wilderness areas that allow off leash dogs. But never anywhere near traffic.
Any way their GP makes a great TV watching buddy as he loves it when people lay on the floor and rest their head on him like a giant pillow, he loves to try to sit in laps but he not into toys and if you toss a ball he just looks at you like " I hope you plan to get that as I do not"
My friend babysits him when they go away and he tends to stand and look out the window a lot and whimper and is more restless because his people are not there as I am sure he sees guarding his people as his job and how can he do that when they do not stay at Grandma's too?
I hope you end up as lucky as they have as Cooper is a wonderful sweet dog.He is a picture perfect gentle giant.
Here is a photo of me with him when I first met him at his grandma's since I would not let him in my lap he did the next best thing and that was straddle my lap! LOVE this big guy!
Wow, thanks for so much excellent advice and input. I apologize for not providing the fully developed picture, I should know better.
Here's the skinny on our rescue: He's a two year old, male, Great Pyrenees.
We have researched the breed extensively including talking to current Pyr owners regarding temperament, training and environment. So yes, we know they are head strong, independent dogs who shed significantly. We also know they need to stay on leash at all times and that our fenced yard needs to be enhanced to accommodate the larger breed. We have two teenage children, both of whom are animal lovers and invested in the adoption.
Much of what's been suggested in terms of behavioral techniques I'm aware of. What I've been stressing out over are the specific items we need to be in possession of on Day 1. I actually asked the foster if he was going to check and make sure we had a car restraint device before letting us drive away, much like they do when you take a newborn baby home from the hospital. Yeah, that's where my mind's at right now.
Does anyone have an opinion on GPS trackers? The one intangible that I'll probably always worry about with owning a Pyr is that they are known to wander. With today's technology I'd like to think I could simply whip out my smart phone and track him down.
You're smart. A loose dog in the car is very dangerous in an accident both for the dog and for any human occupants in the car who are subjected to the dog as a projectile.
Most of the car restraint harnesses don't do the job in an accident and can actually harm the dog by improperly restraining delicate areas or getting the dog entangled so you'll want a crash tested restraint harness. Here is one of (I think two) on the market.
Wow, thanks for so much excellent advice and input. I apologize for not providing the fully developed picture, I should know better.
Here's the skinny on our rescue: He's a two year old, male, Great Pyrenees.
We have researched the breed extensively including talking to current Pyr owners regarding temperament, training and environment. So yes, we know they are head strong, independent dogs who shed significantly. We also know they need to stay on leash at all times and that our fenced yard needs to be enhanced to accommodate the larger breed. We have two teenage children, both of whom are animal lovers and invested in the adoption.
Much of what's been suggested in terms of behavioral techniques I'm aware of. What I've been stressing out over are the specific items we need to be in possession of on Day 1. I actually asked the foster if he was going to check and make sure we had a car restraint device before letting us drive away, much like they do when you take a newborn baby home from the hospital. Yeah, that's where my mind's at right now.
Does anyone have an opinion on GPS trackers? The one intangible that I'll probably always worry about with owning a Pyr is that they are known to wander. With today's technology I'd like to think I could simply whip out my smart phone and track him down.
Did you do a C-D advanced search? I remembered this recent thread and there may be more for any of the specific questions you have.
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Teach the pup his name & to come to you! Don't over use the word NO but when you say it use a Firm voice! Best to redirect behavour. He goes got a shoe to chew calmly trade for a toy. Make sure You put the shoe away in the close behind closed door or on a shelf. [just an example 
