I am getting a keeshond puppy!?

I will be getting him in july! But what are some things I should expect from a keesie puppy? I have studied the breed a lot ( books and all) and this is my first puppy.

Keeshond puppies are sweet and very affectionate, but they are mischievous and all puppies bite as part of their play. Tell him "no bite" and distract him with a toy. Give him lots of praise and affection, but be firm when you tell him not to do something.

Keeshonden are sociable and curious, but they can become shy if you don鈥檛 expose them to new people and dogs when they are young. Take your puppy to a puppy class as soon as you can. Both you and your puppy will learn a lot and the socializing will be good for him. You can also take him to pet stores to get him used to new places and meeting new people.

It may take a day or two for any new puppy to settle in to a new home so limit and supervise his access to new areas. First take him outside, ask him to pee and wait until he does. Then take him inside and let him be free to explore. If he tries to chew on rugs or furniture, spray them with Bitter Apple. Spray it in front of him and say 鈥渘o chewing.鈥?And remember, Bitter Apple is most effective when it is freshly applied, so you may need to reapply it daily until he loses interest. If Bitter Apple doesn't work, try other similar products. One might work better.

He will probably run around frantically trying to sniff everything because he wants to learn about all of it all at once! After about 15 minutes, take him outside to pee again. Puppies have to pee more often when they are excited or very active. After a day or two, he should calm down as he gets used to your house.

When you are ready for a break, put the puppy in a crate with a cuddly toy and a chew toy. You might want to spread a little peanut butter or cream cheese on the chew toy to get him interested, and attach a bucket or bowl of water to the inside of the crate. Feed him in the crate, too, so he learns to think of it as his special place. If you can, place the crate where the puppy can see you. A spot between you and the TV is perfect, for example. He can see you and he thinks you are watching him. He will probably take a nap.

If the puppy gets restless in the crate and you don鈥檛 have a lot of time to watch him or play with him, put him on a leash and take him for a short jog up and down the street or around the block. Keeshonds are sprinters rather than marathon runners, so this should wear him out quickly. Ask him to pee, and put him back in the crate.

You can also teach him to fetch and throw a ball for him a few times. This takes a bit of work, though, because Keeshonden are not natural retrievers. You鈥檒l have to teach him how to fetch.

At night, put him in a crate near your bed. He will probably complain for awhile the first night or two but then he should sleep through the night.

Check out the Keeshond Club of America website: www.keeshond.org for more information. Also, under Organizations 鈥?Local Keeshond Clubs, look for a Keeshond club in your area so you can meet other Keeshond owners. The breeder of your puppy and other owners should also be able to answer any questions you have. Many of the local clubs have websites with helpful information. My club鈥檚 website, www.socalkees.org, has a lot of information that you might find helpful.

Have fun!

In general, all puppies pee a lot, they have very short attention spans, and they bite a lot.

Good luck.