Positive reinforcement works a lot differently than scolding your puppy. It seems to work along the lines that the puppy remembers what you're enforcing as far as good behavior. So if your puppy is doing something wrong, try to push them in the right direction. And if they start going that direction, give them all the praise that you absolutely can. So whether that be treats, giving them their favorite toy, just a good boy or a good girl and a nice little pet, those things can help them out.

I'm a big fan of crate training. Many people are not fans of that because they feel like it's harmful or doesn’t lend itself to a great relationship with your puppy by using it. But I’ve come to find that if you crate train the puppy when they're young, they can be overall house trained. And then they can stay out of their crate once they're a little older and can be more trustworthy.

They make a lot of great toys out there. I always recommend a stuffingless toy if they need something soft. If it has stuffing in it or a squeaker, they will rip it out and potentially eat it. And that could lead to you coming to see me because they may need surgery. But I like the Kong toys. They are overall pretty durable, and they're also still a little easy on their teeth. They have a lot of variety, and also the Nylabones. They make some pretty good ones as well. You want something durable but not going to break their teeth.

It depends on how old they are, but most of the time, I usually say that a puppy will need to be let out to urinate based on their month of age—they only have about one to two hours per month of age that they can hold their bladder.

It is. People do it every day, although it’s a big commitment. You certainly want to make sure that you can provide that puppy with the appropriate time once you are home from work because they will need training. They are going to need to be able to be let out during the day sometimes.

So, If you have a tiny puppy, you have to keep in mind that you may need to be going home during your lunch to let them out just because they won't be able to hold it as far as needing to urinate or have a bowel movement. So, that may be something to consider as far as getting an older puppy or an adult dog instead.

It's similar to baby-proofing your house. Anything they can get into or chew on, you need to get that out of harm's way—shoes, dirty laundry, anything like that, that they could inadvertently chew on and destroy or ingest—the same thing with chemicals or toxins that they can get into. You also want to get a trash can that they can't flip the lid up on. If you have cabinets that are pretty easy to open or push open, you’ll want to get child locks on those. Anything that you can think of that a child could get into that could be harmful; then you’ll also need to puppy-proof that.