PUPPY CARE

There is nothing quite like watching the antics of a new puppy as it explores its new surroundings.

However, there is more to successfully raise a healthy, happy dog. The pup relies on you to take care of its nutrition, training, grooming, and health needs. It requires time and commitment. The better informed you are, the happier your experience with you puppy will be. Taking proper care of your puppy is an every day thing, so don’t leave it to the kids to do. You need to supervise and check.

Remember that when you get your puppy, although it is big in size, it is still very young in age and will still need to sleep a lot and have alone time. A young pup’s body bruises easily, so although it is adorable and cuddly, you and the children need to resist the urge to constantly pick it up and carry it around. For this same reason it is better not to brush or bath your puppy until it is several more months old. By all means love, play with, and spend time with it, so that you form a wonderful bond with your new pup. Gentle playing - not pulling ears etc. - will help your puppy develop a secure personality. Make sure that he has safe toys to play with. A good quality rawhide bone is also important for his teething, so that he will not chew on your furniture to satisfy that need.

Try to feed the same food as the breeder did, at least to start off with, and then if you need to change it, mix a little of the new food in with the old gradually to avoid an upset stomach. Resist giving your pup “people food”, but be sure to feed him three or four times a day with meals consisting of a high-quality puppy food. There are several good brands of Puppy Chow available on the market. Make sure he always has water available to him. It is also good for him to have his own ‘bed’ and some area of his own.

Make sure that you continue with proper veterinary care, follow up with puppy shots, including the Rabies shot. It is also advisable not to take your new puppy to public parks or other places where a lot of other dogs have been able to defecate, until he has completed all his shots. There is a lot of Parvo and Corona virus around, as well as Canine Flu. Also resist the urge to show him off to everyone right away.

Housebreaking and training your pup is another aspect that needs to be addressed. Understanding your puppy’s needs is important. As his owner and leader you will become the center of his world. He will probably like to lie down either on top or beside your feet. Initially he will need you as his ‘security blanket’ in his new environment, because he may be fearful of abrupt movement or loud sounds.

The first thing I have always done with a new puppy is teach him to get used to a collar and lead. On his first few short walks around in the yard, I always let him lead me. I just follow him around, keeping the lead loose Once he is walking confidently, then I gently add a little pressure, and bit by bit call him and bring him to me, praise him and give him a treat, and later on when he has got this down well, I restrain him from going in some direction. This way, learning to walk on a lead, becomes a pleasant experience and not a battle of wills. Within the first hour of a pup’s arrival he can be walking well on a lead.

The next important thing takes a whole day and a night, or even a couple of days. That is housebreaking, or potty training. Once the pup is walking on a lead, it is important for him to stay on a lead both indoors and especially outdoors, so that you can control his actions. “No” is a good word. It is important that the pup learn right away what he can and cannot do, what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t. Praising appropriate behavior and using a firm “No” works very well and quickly. A few minutes after feeding or watering the pup you need to take him outdoors to an area that you have designated for him to do his business. Take him to the same spot each time, and stay out there with him until he has done what needs to be done and then praise him. This way he learns what he has to do, where, and that he can go indoors only when he has performed his duty. The first few days keep a close eye on your pup and when he starts wandering around and looking like he is trying to find a place to piddle, pick him up immediately and take him to his spot outdoors. I never paper train a puppy, because you can very seldom, if ever, get them trained after that to go outdoors. Feed the puppy its last meal between 5 and 7 p.m. so that it will not have a full stomach at night and need to go. For the first night I always have a long line attached to the pup’s collar and to my wrist, with the pup lying in a basket next to my bed. If the pup has an urge to go during the night, as soon as it wakes up and moves around, the tug on my wrist arouses me and I take the pup outdoors to do his business. Within a matter of days you have a housebroke pup, under supervision.

We wish you a long, fulfilling and loving relationship with your new puppy.