Puppy Exercise?

[missfancypants25]

Waeryn has only had her first shot so her breeder told me to be careful and not let her walk outside on the dirty pavement where she can catch things. So, this means I can't take her out for walks until she has her next shot? Is just running around and playing in my apartment enough exercise for her for now? Are there any good indoor activites that anyone can suggest that might help her get enough exercise and use up some of that puppy energy? My apartment is a 2 bedroom, but she's not really allowed in one of the bedrooms, so she has 1 bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen to run around in. Also, if the pavement isn't safe for her, then is the front yard because it's not fenced and other animals in the neighborhood can come and go as they please. Is it safe to take her out there to go to the bathroom, or sould I just use puppy pads until her next shot? I've heard that if a puppy only goes to the bathroom on pads or newspapers, then they learn to only go on them and not outside.
Whitney

[MyPemCharlie]

I didn't take Charlie off my property (except to the vet for puppy shots) until this month. He finished his last round of shots on the 1st of Nov. The main disease concern is Parvo, which is often fatal. I may have been paranoid, but better safe than sorry. We spent a lot of time in the backyard the first two months for play and potty.

At 8-10 weeks, Waeryn shouldn't need a ton of exercise. You should be able to roll a ball across the floor (or under a bed) for her to retreive, or just throwing lots of different types and textures of toys for her to discover and play with. "Sit", "Down", "Wait" can easily be trained indoors too. You can also carry her out around your complex to acquaint her with the "great outdoors".

The potty training is a tough one and you will have to use your best judgment. I've never used pads or newspapers as I also think it will make housebreaking more difficult than taking them outside from day one. Do you have an private outdoor patio on your apartment? You might be able to build a "plot" (wooden frame box) of dirt and grass, if you can find some grass sod at a garden center this time of year. That would get her going outside in a clean controlled outdoor environment, but might not be feasible for you. Even pads or paper outside on a patio would be preferable to indoors. Without a patio, I would be inclined to "risk" going outside to potty, in the interest of proper house training. Maybe some of the other Corgi owners in apartments can be of more help on this one.

[Michael Romanos]

I know it is much safer for a puppy in New Zealand than in the USA, but I still would take, drive or whatever your as yet incomplete vaccinated pup to a spot (area) that is dog free (as far as you know) and let your Corgi walk in that area. Anyways, my puppies always went on toilet walks at any stage.

[missfancypants25]

She is doing great on the pads, but I had only meant to have them to prevent accidents in the house, not as a regular place to go to the bathroom. I think I need to look around and find a place that seems safe to let her down. I started training "Sit" yesterday and she is doing so great! She'll do it when I don't even have a treat and I have only had a few short training sessions. I'm starting on "Down," but that one seems a tad harder for her. I have several toys around the house for her, and there's one toy that she discovered on her own, haha. It's a 1 liter soda bottle. She tries to bite it, but can't get her mouth around it so she just ends up pushing it around the living room.

[fogebotom]

My rule of thumb is that none of my pups leave the house till they have a second set of shots and are at least 12 weeks old. I tell the new parents, that they will need to wait for at least a week before they start walking out in public areas such as around the neighborhood. No petsmart, petco, until they have at least their third shot but obedience classes are okay as long as the class requires all puppies in attendance to have at least two sets and getting their third set while attending classes.

Taking your puppy outside on a short leash to learn potty manners isn't a huge deal, just make sure that you try to stay in your yard and away from areas where other dogs may have been.

Parvo is a huge concern, but there are other things such a worms that a puppy can pick up. Make sure that there is no snacking while out in the yard. Puppies like baby humans, put everything in their mouth, never once asking where it's been.

If there is a huge concern about the puppy catching something, remember where you have been during the day. Remove shoes before you come in the house and put them up where they can't get to them. Wash hands, etc. Honestly, it's not worth it, just think sensible. A puppy will need to be exposed to things in order to create their own immunity to the dangerous outside world.

Cindy and the crew at Foggy Bottom