# Bringing home 9 month old puppy from shelter



## Esther (Jul 22, 2008)

Hi Everyone,

I'm bringing home my 9 month old GSD on Tues. She is getting spayed tomorrow. Any advice?

This is my first big dog. My other dogs have been medium sized dogs and I always trusted them right off the bat and let them roam free through the entire house when i'm not home. They have never destroyed the house.

I'm a bit worried and hesitant to do that with this dog since she is much bigger and can probably run through the gates that you can buy in the pet stores.

Any advice on what steps I should take to get her house broken?

Thanks


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Congratulations on your new rescue! Have you ever crate trained a dog before? Crates are wonderful and if used correctly dogs love them. Make sure that everything to do with the crate is very positive: feed her in the crate, give her special treats in the crate, etc. 

Housebreaking an older puppy is just like housebreaking a young puppy except an older dog can be expected to hold it longer. I would keep her on a leash or gated into the room with you until she understands what's expected of her inside the house. 

Here are a few sites to help get you started: 

http://www.training-dogs.com/crate-training/index.html

http://www.puppy-potty-training.com/crate-training-dogs.html

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html


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## marksteven (Aug 2, 2008)

Ditto the same. buy a large crate and you wont regret it. my previous shepherds would roam the house all day while i was gone and not touch or destroy anything and they were never crated. i rescued a 5 month old pup in may. he is now 9 months old and will destroy my house if i turn my back on him! thank god he loves the crate. when i leave for work he goes right to the crate. if i go outside to cut the grass or work in the garage, its crate time.if you are not sure or dont trust the pup, he or she needs to be crated.


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## Maryn (Feb 15, 2008)

Especially with a new pup that you aren't yet familiar with her 'quirks'...I would get a sturdy crate.

Housebreaking, separation anxiety, curiosity, unfamiliarity, etc etc are all things it will help with...plus more I'm sure lol

Do you know if she's ever been in a house before? If not, things like vacuums, the TV, radio, mops, brooms, blenders, etc are all things that can freak her out.

At 9 mos she's done teething and shouldn't really be a 'eat your house' risk...but some dogs will. I wouldn't leave her out in the house with no one there for fear of thinking an electrical cord or something equally as dangerous looks like 'fun'.

My female is 9 mos old as well. I can leave her with full reign of the house with no one home if I want. She doesn't get into or destroy anything...but I still generally crate her as at this age little urges that seem out of the ordinary can creep up when you least expect it.
My mother's 7 month old female cannot be trusted in the house alone...she will destroy and nervously pee/poop all over the place.

Anyhoo....for housebreaking, I definitely suggest crate training and lots of walks!


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## Esther (Jul 22, 2008)

Thanks to everyone that replied, I really appreciate all the advice.

I don't mind doing the crate training but I would like for someday the dog to not be in a crate at all. When and what steps can I take to ween her off the crate?

If she is with the family and all she does is run around the house or play with her toys and she does not seem to have any interest in biting furniture etc. does this mean I can trust her not to destroy the house when we're gone?


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## Maryn (Feb 15, 2008)

Well...at 9 mos she's just getting to that lovely doggy adolescent stage. I wouldn't give her free riegn too quickly.

When you've done some training with her, you've observed her behavior and think she's reliable..start testing her for small bits of time.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

The first thing I do to begin weaning off the crate is leaving them alone in the house for just 10-20 minutes, making sure to pick up anything dangerous or especially valuable. If that works, lengthen to 30-45min, and so on. Both my dogs were able to be trusted at around 1 year old, but individual results may vary. 



> Originally Posted By: Otis
> I don't mind doing the crate training but I would like for someday the dog to not be in a crate at all. When and what steps can I take to ween her off the crate?
> 
> If she is with the family and all she does is run around the house or play with her toys and she does not seem to have any interest in biting furniture etc. does this mean I can trust her not to destroy the house when we're gone?


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