I worked for 15 years as a vet tech.
THe flea products you get at places like Sprawl-Mart are NOT the same as the ones you get from the vet. I have seen more animals than I care to recall poisoned by store-bought flea treatments. I use Advantix on all three of our dogs, one of whom has a flea allergy (scratches holes in himself if even one flea bites him), and it even works for him. The skin drops only take a few minutes to be absorbed - just make sure that you get them on the SKIN and not just on the fur. If you get them just on the fur, they don't get absorbed into the animal's bloodstream and they won't work.
In the south, heartworm preventionis a must, as they are carried by mosquitoes. We use Heartgard - it comes in a meat-flavored chew that most dogs like. Both Advantix and Heartgard are a little expensive, but you only have to give them once a month, and they come in a six-pack, so when you average out the cost over six months, it really isn't that much - and it's a lot less expensive than treating a dog for heartworms or having to have an exterminatior treat your house for fleas.
PLEASE let your puppy come inside. Get an airline kennel that's big enough for him to stand up and turn around in. Put some soft bedding in it, and put him in it to eat and sleep. Dogs have a natural instinct not to soil the place where they eat and sleep, and they quickly learn to hold their bladder and bowels in the kennel. Take him outside to potty first thing in the morning, and about 15 to 20 minutes after he eats. Like potty-training a child, it will take a little time, and there will be accidents at first, but he will learn much faster this way. Also be sure to take him out after any time he's been playing boisterously with the kids. Excitement will sometimes trigger the need to potty, especially in a young dog. Taking him to the same spot outside each time will help, since he will be able to smell where he has gone before, and that will help him make the connection that this is where he's supposed to go.
Don't teach him to use newspapers inside - all this does is prolong the process, because what you're doing is teaching him that it's okay to go in certain places inside the house, then you have to un-teach that lesson.
Don't rub his nose in it if he has an accident. That doesn't teach him not to go in the house - it only teaches him that poop makes you mad, and if he has an accident in the house, he will try to hide it from you. Besides, dogs have little short-term memory. He will know you are mad, he will know that your anger has something to do with the poop, but he will not make the connection that you are mad because he pooped in the house. If you catch him in the act, take him outside immediately. If you find it after the fact, all you can do is clean it up, use an odor neutralizer, and watch him more closely for signs that he needs to go out.
Like babies, puppies have baby teeth, which fall out and are replaced with permanent teeth. You won't see too many baby teeth when they fall out, because they generally get swallowed. It's okay - Mama Nature designed them that way. Puppies chew when they are teething, and they NEED to chew. Give him toys to chew on, but DON'T give him toys that look like other things that you don't want chewed. If you give him an old shoe, he will think that all shoes are chew toys, and will not only chew the old sneaker you give him, but also your expensive dress shoes. If you give him a stuffed toy to chew on, he will think that your kids' stuffed animals are okay to chew as well. If you catch him chewing on something that he shouldn't, take it away and IMMEDIATELY give him his toy. I like rawhide toys for my dogs, because they don't look like anyhting else, and they last a long time. DON'T give him real bones to chew. Bird bones (chicken, turkey) have air pockets in them, and splinter when chewed. The splinters can be sharp and can injure the dog's mouth. They also can be a choking hazard. Rib-eye bones can get caught on their teeth, and sometimes require sedation to remove. The pulverized bone that your dog swallows ca become impacted in their large intestine, and that also requires a trip to vet.
Don't feed him from the table. People food often has too much grease and too much spice for a dog's digestive system, and can cause diarrhea. I have even seen dogs develop pancreatitis (which can be fatal) as a result of owners feeding them from the table. Don't feed him cheap dog food like Old Roy - the reason it's so cheap is that the protein source is not meat, but what is referred to as "meat or poultry by-product meal." This is a fancy way of saying "chicken feathers." While feathers are 100% protein, it is not a digestible form of protein, and all your dog will get from such food is a belly full of filler, but very little actual digestible nutrients. I feed my dogs Purina Beneful - it's reasonably priced, and Purina is a trustworthy brand.
I would also recommend obedience training. There's a guy in Baton Rouge by the name of Dick Russell, and he is excellent. He even makes house calls for his students between classes if need be. He loves dogs, and he believes that a well-trained dog is not only a happier dog, but the owner of a well-trained dog is a happier owner, and more likely to have a long, loving relationship with their dog. I have one of my dogs enrolled in his current obedience class, and am teaching the other two at home. Obedience training will not only make your dog better behaved and help you prevent destructive behaviors and bad habits before they get started, but it could save his life - in addition to learning to sit, lie down, stay, etc., he'll learn things like not running out the gate or the door when you open it. Dick's number is ###-###-####.
