Take your dog to puppy kindergarten for proper socialization! I took one my dog's and she is very well behaved and the other barks like an absolute nut every single time he sees a dog on a leash. I will never not take the dog for socialization classes again.

Dogs are creative at getting food- including climbing on chairs! Be sure all food (and food like items) are very hidden.

I feed my dog's raw- not for everyone (by any means) and somewhat controversial but do the research on it if you are interested. The one dog had very bad allergies before I switched them to raw and they are now extremely healthy (even the anti-raw vet I took Molly too once admitted that she was extremely healthy)

I don't have a dog, but do have three cats. I keep the bulk of their dry food in a garbage bag lined plastic tub in the garage. I fill a plastic canister with a screw top to keep about a week's worth of food in my pantry. I've been doing this for years and years and have never had a pest of any variety in the dry food.

I know that dogs can't get jump and climb like cats, but plan on not leaving any food out and untended.

Congrats, Waterdamage!! So happy for you and your lucky new addition.

I'm TK and TD(og) O...

I'm sure the silicone mat will be great, but you may find she drips/splashes water all around the bowl, and it might be helpful to have a more absorbent, small machine-washable rug under the bowls.

I live in a buggy, sub-tropical area and have always kept the dog food in 30 qt. plastic Rubbermaid totes with the handles that click down to form a seal. I like them b/c the rectangular shape means they fit neatly into the tight spaces in my pantry. No bug problems.

Another concept that helped me raise a happy, healthy dog is the "nothing in life is free" principle. Dogs are inherently wired to work for food. This is rewarding and healthy for them. So, never giving your dog any food without making her "work" for it (meaning obey a simple command, like sit or do a trick) is a great habit to develop. It also helps you maintain the alpha position in the relationship and is great for general obedience , since she is constantly following your commands, and "earning" her food creates a rewarding situation for the dog.

I also found clicker training really useful, and crate training for the purpose of housebreaking.

Also, if you find she gets really frantically excited when you walk in the house after leaving her to go out, just act really, really calm, as if being reunited after a separation isn't a big, huge deal. They really do mirror our moods and attitudes.

Sorry I can't help with the toddler piece, but I'm sure many more will chime in.

Have fun!!

I highly recommend a metal can like the one in the link to store dog food. Rats can sometimes eat through plastic and racoons have a harder time opening this type of can (although they have pushed it over a time or two...we keep the dog door to the garage closed at night now).

I second the recommendation for puppy dog training. See if you can take your preschooler to the training with you (if not the first class, maybe a 2nd class). Definitely talk to the trainer about how to teach the dog to let you take food from his mouth. This is especially important if you have young children. Never play tug-a-war with the dog. The dog should learn to let go of anything it has in it's mouth. There is probably so much more that I can't remember, but a trainer in the class can help you with if you tell them you have young children.

Here is a link that might be useful: metal can with handle

I also strongly urge you to consider socialization and also some obedience training. The training is as much for the dog owner as it is the dog. It is extremely useful, and really can get you off to a great start.

My boss has a young Golden who is a handful, and after I dog sat him for a couple of weeks his behavior had noticeably improved, and he was a lot more fun to take on walks! I owe it all to my obedience training. My boss was thrilled.

Congrats and have fun!

We use these containers for our bulk people food (we grind our own grain, buy bulk oats, etc), but they are sold for pet food. If you are keeping the food indoors, they are a good option (for outdoors, a metal container is better.) I like that the lid has a silicone seal to keep out bugs, and that I can wheel them to where I need them. Your preschooler might need to be trained to not open them, since the handle is not that difficult to operate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Iris Food Containers

Echo beaglesdoitbetter. Puppy classes, ongoing training, and weekly 'parent supervised' play dates with other dogs is a regular for our kids and worth every minute and $. We do raw as well due the allergies / sensitive stomach of one of our kids - a miracle cure for him. (But, they LOVE all sorts of fruits and vegetables, so they are the ones we need to watch in our garden. :)

Sounds like your new family member is getting lots of tlc!

The puppy is going to learn from you, so you humans need to learn how to be 1) alpha, 2) clear in dog-speak. It's no joke that the humans need more training than the dogs. Mutts can be incredibly smart.

I keep my dog and cat food in one of those big containers with a lid, that has wheels. I have mice like crazy at the seasons' change, but I've never had any trouble with the pet food.

Oh - my mutt used to lift up the chain link fence and let the other dogs out. She'd go with them to the neighbor's then come home. She'd leave the others outside the fence like she was some innocent, well-behaved dog. I finally saw her do it and could not believe what I was seeing.

And 40-50lbs is medium sized. Congrats on a new family member. Rescues are the best.

Christine

Why do modern dog owners s*** so badly? I mean, really?

At the end of my street, a lot of "nice" new neighbors have moved in with feral beasts. One young couple--he's a lawyer, she's a sweet Southern girl, they have a tiny baby--has a dog that tries to lunge straight through the living room window every time you walk past the house. Across the street live a couple of women who tried to explain to me the "process" required for their dog to get used to me when I visit. I have a different "process" which involves a chair and a hole dug in their backyard. Very often, these dogs and a few others have taken to barking a nonstop symphony, while their pathetic owners try to "reason" with them.

I was online looking for police-dosage cans of Halt. This way I can take care of the owners at the same time.

I won a dog food storage container as a door prize at an agility show that is very similar to the following:

It works really well and seals airtight, and will hold an entire 20 lb bag of dog food. Although we've have kitchen ants get into almost everything else, they've never managed to invade the dog food container.

Great advice above

When the puppy has had enough time to eat - 20 minutes - then take away the uneaten food. Helps deter pests and teaches the dog to eat at certain intervals (and then usually poop at certain intervals.)

Tug is a natural instinct for many dogs. In our puppy class, they taught us to tug and to teach the dog a release command.

Also, cannot echo enough that you have to take things from your dog's mouth, even food so the dog learns not to get territorial around food and thereby pose a bite risk to kids. They taught us to use a command, take the item from the dogs mouth, praise when they release and then after a few seconds give it back with a good boy. If the dog thinks it will always get the item back, then it doesn't get possessive.

Ok, don't get me started.......too late!!

Train the child not to let the puppy be on top during playtime(like laying on the floor), and teach the toddler to teach the dog. Like Christine said, create the alpha. Great ideas from everyone, Sounds like we need a TKOTDO forum!!

Oh, and don't coddle the pup when it gets frightened, remember they don't have the same emotional make up as we do. Remain calm, and let him work through things. Otherwise, you are praising the fear.....

Good Luck, sounds like fun! Thanks for taking a friend off the street!

Nancy

Congratulations on your puppy! Puppies can be a lot of work, but the reward is amazing.

Personally I keep food completely out of reach of my dog. Depending on your dog's food drive and skills, she may surprise you with where she can find food (hers or yours). Mine opens cupboards, backpacks, etc. In your kitchen and throughout your house, I would recommend doing some thorough puppy proofing. It can be difficult for a dog to distinguish between what is and is not acceptable to play with (or chew on). Removing any possible temptations will save you both some frustration. Especially in your kitchen and eating areas, be aware that food can be quite a temptation. So keep counters and tables clear, especially near the edges, whether you're home or not.

I agree with the above advice about socialization both with other dogs (and any other types of animals she might encounter such as cats or horses) and people of all types and ages (babies, children, elderly, different races than yourself, males and females, etc). The more positive experiences you can give her in socialization while she's young, the easier your life will be. Take her places she'll meet people and animals. Bring people and animals into your home.

I also highly recommend as much training as you can possibly do. A lot of work early on will help you and your dog to be a happy match. This training should include leash training (walking a dog is much more pleasant when she isn't tugging you all over the place and barking and lunging at everything in sight), house training, obedience training, and social training. I found crate training to be immensely valuable, though it's certainly a personal choice.

Best of luck with your wonderful new family addition.

We have tried all kinds of mats and whatnot to catch drips, but the best ones (for us) so far have been indoor/outdoor throw rugs that can be thrown in the washing machine as needed. They look cute, but absorb plenty of water drool and food drips. As for a food container we have used a giant plastic rolling trashcan that has a tight sealed lid since forever and ever amen. Thing is is that our dogs' food can is in a closet under the stairs and that is the only thing in there. If we had it in the garage or outdoors, we'd have to rethink the material of the container).

springroz Oh, and don't coddle the pup when it gets frightened, remember they don't have the same emotional make up as we do. Remain calm, and let him work through things. Otherwise, you are praising the fear.....

Absolutely. The "It's OK, it's OK" syndrome some folks have that includes petting the dog when it's feeling stressed. Not good at all. Also, petting a pet when it's growling or barking when it should not be. All that is is giving praise for unwanted behavior. And socialize, socialize, socialize! Puppy Training is a wonderful place to start for that.

Another little tip: we have always trained our dogs to go to their beds and wait for their dinner. It is a simple, "Y'all hungry? Go to bed." They have to wait until we tell them "OK". It keeps down the charging towards you and/or jumping for their food (in our case it would be two bungling Golden Retrievers, which can get messy and well, stupid).

Have fun! Mutts are wonderful and can also be way smarter than people think they can be. My last Mutt, Moon, was a Hound-ini. Always the instigator (she did things like CEFreeman's dog).

I have a Siberian Husky/mutt that was a stray and came with no manners and no training, but was (and remains) incredibly food motivated. We had to set rules about where he was allowed to be when people are cooking. He knows that when I'm in the kitchen he needs to lay by the dining table, well out of the workspace. He can still watch what I'm doing, but he's not begging or being pushy. We started by putting him on a "down" in his place and giving him a reward, and now he goes there automatically. It's much safer for everybody.

This is unrelated, but we recently had our dog's DNA tested through dnamydog.com and it's a great service - they send you a swab, you swab your dog's cheek and send it in, and they provide you the breakdown of your dog's DNA. If you're ever curious about the origins of your dog, I highly recommend it. We found it great fun. (We thought our guy was a malamute/border collie; he's actually a husky/english setter.)

Congratulations on your new family member!

Beagles - Not only do I absolutely LOVE your kitchen (and entire house for that matter), but I'm excited to read that you feed your dogs raw! Anna too! I have 3 Chihuahuas and 1 cat and my DD has 1 Chihuahua. They all have eaten raw for about 8 years now.

Waterdamage - congratulations on your new rescue dog! My animals were all adopted from rescues in our area and I volunteer with a local rescue too. I don't have experience with medium or big dogs, and some of the rules are different for little dogs. I took my 2 boys to obedience training. It was awesome and they learned so well and they really just want to please you, so they learn quickly! But it wasn't as crucial for my little ones as they don't go outside alone (even in the fenced yard). I have learned never ever give table food. Then they will never beg! Mine go sleep on the couch while we're in the dining room eating. Obedience training is a great step - starting with puppy school!

Thanks all for these great ideas. I'd never heard of so many kinds of training. We are crate training and it's working pretty well.

Marcolo, I am sorry that your neighbors apparently haven't read our (future) TKO/TDO forum.

I don't know anything about feeding raw-- will have to look into it.

Linelle, I think we'll try your idea of a main garage container and smaller in the kitchen somewhere.

Puppy + preschooler = time too short at this minute to answer everyone individually-- thanks so much, your advice is much appreciated.

Since this is a kitchen forum I forgot to mention another piece of food-related advice! Work on making your dog comfortable with people near, around, and maybe even touching her food and bowl while she eats. I would often put food down for my dog when she was a puppy (after some brief obedience work) and then add yummy treats while she ate. She is completely comfortable with our proximity to her food and has never shown an ounce of food aggression, despite being very food driven. With a child in the house, I imagine this would be even more important. Not having any children, I'm not certain I can give specifics, but perhaps as you're training your pup in proper behavior around your child you can also help teach your child restraint and kindness with your pup. So often I see children interacting in a very negative manner with household pets and I worry that it could be a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe you child can be involved in some of the meal giving and treat giving (and training? Sorry I'm not knowledgeable about children) to help cement the dogs place comfortably at the bottom of your pack/family with minimal stress.

marcolo - I'm sorry you've had such bad experiences with owners. Unfortunately there seems to be a plethora of inconsiderate, immature, uneducated, and downright dangerous dog owners in the world. There are so many wonderful dog owners out there, but I imagine they're more difficult to spot since their dogs are probably unobtrusive and not remarkable. Although I am a dog owner, I too have experienced the frustration of neighbors allowing their dogs to use my lawn as a toilet. I have also suffered loose dog attacks on my leashed dog as well as on myself. My own petite mother (a responsible large dog owner) was attacked last year by a very aggressive 100+lb dog while carrying groceries to her car. Nearly always the problem seems to arise with the owners. Sometimes, however, dogs are just difficult, and the best an owner can do is attempt to minimize annoyances like aggressive barking within the home and keep the animal contained to prevent anyone from being harmed. Other times, they develop techniques like complex introduction routines to help a difficult animal. I think the best we can do is take responsibility for our own pets, help educate others, and be patient with people who are doing their best to be responsible with a difficult pet.