Looking For A New Puppy? Then Pet-a-palooza At The Grand Strand Humane Society Is The Place To Be

Online, March 28, 2011 (Newswire.com) - On April 16th from 11 am to 4 pm the Grand Strand Humane Society of Myrtle Beach, SC will be hosting Pet-a-palooza located at 3241 Mr. Joe White Avenue.

The shelter is offering a discounted adoption fee during the event.

Pet-a-palooza is a fantastic event so come on out if you are looking for a new addition to the family.

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of owning a new dog or puppy but the most important thing to do is to start training them immediately.

Our recommendation is to crate train your new dog or puppy right away. Some people may think this is cruel but experts agree that crate training is the best method.

Beginning the steps to crate training takes a little time and patience from everyone including your new puppy, but if you plan ahead and keep to a consistent schedule, success is yours to behold.

Take a moment to think about how your new puppy will view his/her new home, and I don't mean the actual house you live in, but the place your puppy will associate as his/her home. Somewhere he/she can feel safe and secure and come to treat as their den.

When you start shopping around for a crate, it's definitely a financial investment for you, as well as an emotional one for your puppy. You'll want to make sure you choose a crate that will eventually be a comfortable fit for your puppy once it has reached full grown adulthood.

It's true that the larger crate will cost more, but it's worth it. Also, a steel crate is traditionally a wiser choice over plastic, as puppies go through a teething stage and will chew on anything and everything to relieve the ache of that process.

The crate will definitely be too large for the size of your puppy so you should place some dividers to section of an area so that there's enough room to be able to lie down and turn around comfortably. If there's too much room, your puppy may use the extra space as a potty place. Not what you want!

Dogs will try their absolute hardest not go the bathroom where they sleep, so using a crate is an excellent tool to help you with house training. Now that's not to say that accidents won't happen at the start, so choose a comforter or pillow for the floor of the crate that will be comfortable but still can be easily washed. It's also helpful to put a towel or sweater that has your scent to help your puppy transition from being with their mom to a new crate.

If an accident does happen, don't be too harsh on your puppy. Dogs have a very short memory so unless you catch them in the act, it's pointless to punish them because they really won't understand why you're unhappy and it will result in frustration for everyone. Remember, you want positive associations when puppy crate training.

Now that you've got the best possible environment for your new puppy, you should really think about how much and when you're going to allow your puppy to drink and eat. To entice your puppy to spend time in the new crate you can place some treats inside and eventually you may choose to serve meals inside the crate to reinforce the positive feeling association.

It's a good idea to feed your puppy in the morning when you eat, and then again in the evening around your meal time. This teaches your puppy a distinction between your feeding time and his/hers, and will go a long way to avoiding begging for food at the family table. What you don't want to do is to put a water bowl in the crate for very young puppies. This can be a safety hazard in the early puppy stage when your puppy is still gaining control of it's neck muscles and learning to keep it's head up.

Often times puppies will be running around crazily and then the next thing you know, plunk themselves down and fall asleep. Puppy sleep is needed! Drowning is a concern if a deep water bowl is inside the cage. It's best to offer water in a shallow bowl at each meal time as well as throughout the day and especially after a walk or rambunctious play time.

By controlling the time and amount of food and water your puppy takes in, you will start notice patterns appearing when they need to go and relieve themselves. This will help you be proactive by taking them to the same spot outside for them to relieve themselves instead of having them go in their crate.

Tell us what you think about crate training your puppy and what experiences you have had on our Puppy Care Secrets Facebook Fan Page.