Helpful Hints for you and your new puppy

Bring Puppy Home

Before bringing your puppy home:

Prepare your house for your puppy's arrival. A special place should be designated for it to eat, sleep, and eliminate. Obtain any necessary accessories (eg, collar, leash, ID tag, crate, and dishes) before you bring your puppy home. You will need to puppy-proof your home just as you would child-proof your home to avoid accidents. Harmful cleansers, plants, electrical cords, and breakable objects should be kept out of reach. Open windows should be screened.

 

Housing:

Begin as soon as the puppy arrives in your home. Young puppies should be taken out immediately upon waking and just before retiring, as well as multiple times during the day. Most puppies cannot "hold it" for long periods so it will be necessary to take the puppy out almost every hour at first (especially after periods of play, naps, and mealtimes), and then gradually increase the amount of time between visits to the "bathroom." Take the puppy to the same area each time and praise it immediately and enthusiastically when it eliminates. Do not play with, or talk to, the puppy until after it has eliminated. Remember, if the puppy doesn't eliminate outside, its urine and feces are being saved for deposit inside your house!

 

Meals:

Feed a high quality diet designed for puppies. A wide variety of diets and formulations are available and your breeder can help with what is the best choice for your puppy. The amount fed will vary with the type of food and the individual dog, but in general, should only be as much as the puppy can consume in 5 to 10 minutes at a given meal. Puppies are usually fed 4 times daily when between 6 and 12 weeks old, 2-3 times daily when 12 weeks to 6 months old, and may be fed 1 or 2 times daily when older than 6 months. DO NOT feed the measure listed on the back of the bag as this is to general a measure and each dog is individual with active dogs often needing more than the couch potato types need. You may find that you need to feed several smaller meals be fed rather than 1 large meal (even when your dog becomes an adult) because an association has been suggested between the consumption of large meals & a serious medical condition called gastric dilatation/volvulus or "bloat."

 

Health Exam/Vaccinations:

You will want to have your new puppy examined by a veterinarian to ensure that it has no major health problems and is started on a program of preventive care. With our guarantee even to cover genetics you must take your new puppy to the vet within 24 hours of arrival or all warranty/guarantee is void. Your puppy's health care plan includes a series of vaccinations against many things but this vaccination program does not end there. They will need booster shots. Vaccination protocols are designed on the basis of your puppy's risk of infection and may vary depending upon your puppy's age, breed, and environmental exposures (eg, in certain locales, vaccinations for Lyme disease and leptospirosis may be considered standard parts of the protocol). Vaccinations are usually given at 3 week intervals from 6 to 16 weeks of age. At 15 to 16 weeks of age, the puppy receives its first rabies vaccination. Puppies should be checked for intestinal parasites (usually 2 stool samples 3 weeks apart), fleas (we have never had fleas), and appropriate treatment or preventatives administered

 

Grooming:

 

Regular brushing, bathing, and nail care are essential. Protect your puppy's eyes and ears when bathing, and don't allow the puppy to become chilled after bathing. Your veterinarian may recommend that you do not bathe your puppy when it is younger than 10 to 12 weeks unless absolutely necessary (especially if your puppy is one of the smaller breeds). Though this is recommended by many vets and breeders we start baths early and continue until they leave, just be sure the pup is fully dry and does not catch a draft and watch water in eyes and ears. This can cause future problems.