New Puppies first few days.
Puppy Proofing
Make sure to keep electrical cords, shoes, and small items where puppy can't get them. Check under and behind furniture for anything hiding the puppy might find. Especially be aware of Christmas decorations and lights. If puppy chews up shoes or kids toys, it is not the puppies fault, then need to be picked up or blocked off from puppies access.
Supplies:
See the Supplies page to view what you may need to have on hand for your new puppy.
Chews/Toys:
Provide puppy with plenty of toys and chews to play with in his/her areas. This well keep puppy from eating or chewing at furniture or other items he/she shouldn't have. Favorites are hooves, knuckle bones, pig ears, plastic water bottles, balls, and fluffy toys, both stuffed and flat ones. Keep some with puppy wherever he/she is, crate, x-pen, or loose in house. They need something to do, so provide it or they invent it.
Feeding:
Set up a feeding schedule that works for you. Do not worry about what it was here, the sooner you put him/her on a schedule, quicker all training goes. Pick your 2-3 times a day you plan to feed and try to stick to it. Making last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime.
Sleeping:
Keep puppy AWAKE and moving for at least 3 hours before YOUR bedtime. (Puppy bedtime is set same time as last person goes to bed at night). Do not let puppy nap during this time, if your watching Tv or reading, throw toys, or keep puppy active. You can't expect a toddler to take a nap and then go to bed for night, neither will a puppy.
Young Puppies can NOT sleep loose in your bed. It is NOT safe and he/she may fall out or walk off. May get rolled over on. Please don't let puppies sleep in the bed till over 4 months old. There are a couple different methods for the night. We will start with crate training one.
Crateing at night: He/She needs to be in a small crate or divided down wire crate. Some puppies do best with the crate on the bed, at side of the bed, propped on a chair next to bed, or others do best off in another room away from your view and hearing range. Make take a night or two to figure out where your puppy does best. IF puppy CRYS, do NOT give any positive attention as they will do it more. If they keep crying, just try moving crate to other end of house and play a radio to distance any sounds you may make. Make sure to potty puppy prior to putting in for the night. If whines during the night first few weeks/month, you will have to take puppy outside. Reward the potty, and place puppy back in crate till its proper morning time. You can always use a baby monitor to hear him/her during the night if he/she is not near you.
X-pen/Litterbox method: Place puppy in the x-pen or small room for the night, leaving access to the litterbox and he/she will be fine till morning, if they need to go, they can just use the litterbox.
Potty Training:
Do not turn puppy loose in your entire home. That is setting them up for accidents.. There are many methods to training. Depending your ultimate goal will depend on how to train to get there. If you want him/her to potty outside only, then use a crate at night and anytime your not right there with the puppy. If your super consistent first week you can usually have them trianed in a week or two. If you are not careful and have lots of accidents first week, training can take months. Some people will put a bell or door bell at the door for puppy to ring when they need out. Some will tie puppy on a 6-8 foot leash and keep puppy attached to there belt so they can watch them close. If you can't watch him/her, put puppy in the crate. If you go outside after naps, feeding, etc an he/she doesn't go, they go back to the crate and try again in 10-15 min. Stay out long enough to get it done. Exercise pens are very helpful in teaching them to potty in it outside. If you choose to use litterbox(puppy might already be trained to that) method or potty pads, you can still go outside too. Puppy will learn he has options and you can teach him to go anytime he/she wants, just to go in the right places. Training to go outside does require teaching puppy to hold it, where as indoor methods they don't have to hold it, they just know where to go whenever they want to. IF puppy has an accident in the house, if you catch them while doing it, yell and grab and get them to potty area. If they have already walked away from the accident or you find it later, just clean it up and disinfect and watch puppy closer. You can not rub there nose in it or punish after the effect. They won't understand.
Vet visits:
With in first couple days you want to take your puppy to the vet. You will get a wellness check or new puppy exam. They will set you up for your vaccine schedule. Be sure to take your health certificate and shot records with you to the vet. DO NOT allow staff and other people in the clinic to pet your adorable puppy. This subjects your puppy to any germs from sick puppies they may have touched earlier. DO NOT let your puppy touch the floor before 16 weeks old at the vets office. You don't know the germs lurking that the puppy might get on his/her paws and lick later. Either carry puppy or put in crate. You can even take a towel to put on the exam table for extra protection too before setting your puppy there. Do not allow puppy to kiss or lick vet or staff. Do not let them hold puppy against there clothes. This is for your puppies protection and needs to be followed until after 16 weeks old. After 16 weeks, his immune system should be covered by the vaccines and you don't have to be so careful. 6-16 weeks is a very vital age where they can easy get diseases, so please be careful not to expose puppy to unnecessary germs.
Vaccines:
Our puppies usually receive a Neopar (parvovirus only) vaccine at 4-6 weeks old. Then a 5 way puppy shot at 8 week vet checkup where they are examed for any issues and given a certificate of health. We recommend every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks old for another 5way puppy shot or indivual seperate vaccines. After the one year booster, we recommend titer testing before vaccinating. Rabies after 20 weeks to 6 months, then as the law requires. We do not recommend yearly vaccines for life. See Dr Jean Dodds Vaccine Protocal for lifetime recommended vaccines by an expert. Click here
Heartworm;
At about 12 weeks of age your veterinarian will want you to start heartworm treatment, Usually heartgard or ivermectin is given monthly for life. (this varies on area of country some).
Flea/tick:
We do not treat monthly, we don't feel it is needed to use these products if you don't have fleas or ticks. Some of the products are not safe to use on our pregnant girls either. We do recommend if you get fleas or ticks on your dog in your area, then do use a product to treat them while your having a problem. As Lymes from ticks is not fun for a puppy. So this varies on your area some and can be given monthly or just as needed. Vets profit from sale of product, so while he knows what issues are in your area, do what is best for your baby.
Spay/Neuter:
When to spay or neuter your puppy. MALES: get neutered after 6 months old, and most likely by 8 months old. As majority of boys might start to lift there leg after 8 months of age and neutering before that should stop that from starting. FEMALES: get spayed. There are pros and cons and lots of info as to when to spay her. NEVER spay before 6 months. Many believe it is best to allow her to experience one heat cycle. Heat cycle can be hard for the family (need to keep her away from male dogs, and she will have to wear panties to keep blood off your furniture). So spaying about 1 month after the completion of her heat cycle is now believed by many to be the best time. Never Spay during the heat cycle. If you don't wish to experience a heat cycle, hold off long as you can to get her fixed. The girls can come into heat as early as 6 months or late as 18 months. Majority of ours are usually 10-13 months for there first cycle.
Always check your puppies teeth when taking him/her in for spay/neuter. As sometimes a few puppy teeth are still mixed in there with the adult teeth and will need to be pulled out while they are asleep.
AKC registration:
All our puppies come with AKC papers. You will usually be given a copy of them when you pick your puppy up. We have a package for $50 you can purchase and we will complete and take care of registering your puppy and his/her microchip for you. Most our puppies are sold on limited registration, which means if you breed him/her, the offspring can't be registered. If your looking to purchase with full papers and breeding rights you will be subject to showing and health testing prior to breeding.
Microchip and registration:
Most our puppies come already microchipped. If you don't want this done or want the brand your vet sells, we need to know before you pick your puppy up. We use an ISO chip that is worldwide recognized. Our puppies are important to us and getting them home if lost is what we want for them. YOU MUST REGISTER any microchip your puppy has to your name, if you don't, it won't get him/her home. (If you received our package, we will register your chip to you for you)
Training;
We highly recommend the Puppy Training package (see supplies page). This has all positive ways of training and fixing and preventing unwanted behaviors. It is better then most your basic puppy classes. (NEVER do puppy classes before the 16weeks shots are done). This kit has magnet for the fridge for family to chart puppy training too. The AKC registration kit comes with a training CD and a help line where you can reach a training professional to work on any issues you have. Plus you can always call me.
Grooming/Bathes
When and how to groom your puppy. Please wait till 4 months of age to take your puppy to a groomers. Don't expose them to germs where other dogs are before then. Many times if you can find a photo online of a same breed dog that you like the style of the trim, a groomer maybe able to follow it. (Some times coat quality and lengths differ, so can't always duplicate a photo). You can get a mini groom if your not ready for the length to be clipped off yet. This is where they do sanitary areas, feet, face, and wash and fluff. So he/she can still be fluffy puppy but get some experience at groomers and clean up important areas. How often to go depends on how well you brush, how much hair is too much for you, and type of trim you get. Shorter you clip them, less often you have to go. Most people go every 4-8 weeks.
Nails: How often varies on each puppy. More they walk on concrete less often usually need trimmed, if they live on carpet and grass, the nails will grow faster. If allowed to grow too long can splay the foot and harm the toes. Some need them done every 3 weeks, others every 3 months. So just watch how quick they grow and adjust how often accordingly. Most groomers allow walk in for nail trims and your in and out real quick. Vets offices do them too, but usually either wait for a room or they take them in back and let a tech do them.
Brushing: Longer you want the hair, the more you will need to brush. Brushing is one of the most bonding things you can do with a puppy. The dogs I show and the rescues I've taken in, seem to really start to bond after that first groom I give them. Teach puppy from day one to allow you to brush him/her. If they bite brush or you, don't stop brushing, then puppy wins and you'll never brush him/her again. Get help from family if needed to hold. Brush a little bit with him/her on a table or in your lap. After few strokes of him/her letting you do it calmly praise and be done for a while. Don't push them where it won't end well. Next session (can be same day) do another leg or part of puppy. Always end with puppy happy and allowing your to brush. Some puppies will test each person to see who they can get away with not cooperating and who they can't. Be firm, friendly, happy, and if they go to bite brush, sound mean, then praise as soon as they calm down. If you can't get puppy to allow brushing, then stop trying until you complete other submissive behavior exercises.
Teeth:
YES you need to brush your puppies teeth. Smaller breeds especially prone to tarter buildup. Start very young so they learn to let you. Daily or at minimum every other day you need to do a quick brush over there teeth. If you don't, you will need dentals at the vets office every 6-12 months. (This is costly and vets require them to be sedated for it) Chews can help some, but usually do not take care of the tarter for you. Tarter buildup on teeth causes decay, loss of teeth and heart disease. So for their health, keep the teeth clean.
Make sure to keep electrical cords, shoes, and small items where puppy can't get them. Check under and behind furniture for anything hiding the puppy might find. Especially be aware of Christmas decorations and lights. If puppy chews up shoes or kids toys, it is not the puppies fault, then need to be picked up or blocked off from puppies access.
Supplies:
See the Supplies page to view what you may need to have on hand for your new puppy.
Chews/Toys:
Provide puppy with plenty of toys and chews to play with in his/her areas. This well keep puppy from eating or chewing at furniture or other items he/she shouldn't have. Favorites are hooves, knuckle bones, pig ears, plastic water bottles, balls, and fluffy toys, both stuffed and flat ones. Keep some with puppy wherever he/she is, crate, x-pen, or loose in house. They need something to do, so provide it or they invent it.
Feeding:
Set up a feeding schedule that works for you. Do not worry about what it was here, the sooner you put him/her on a schedule, quicker all training goes. Pick your 2-3 times a day you plan to feed and try to stick to it. Making last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime.
Sleeping:
Keep puppy AWAKE and moving for at least 3 hours before YOUR bedtime. (Puppy bedtime is set same time as last person goes to bed at night). Do not let puppy nap during this time, if your watching Tv or reading, throw toys, or keep puppy active. You can't expect a toddler to take a nap and then go to bed for night, neither will a puppy.
Young Puppies can NOT sleep loose in your bed. It is NOT safe and he/she may fall out or walk off. May get rolled over on. Please don't let puppies sleep in the bed till over 4 months old. There are a couple different methods for the night. We will start with crate training one.
Crateing at night: He/She needs to be in a small crate or divided down wire crate. Some puppies do best with the crate on the bed, at side of the bed, propped on a chair next to bed, or others do best off in another room away from your view and hearing range. Make take a night or two to figure out where your puppy does best. IF puppy CRYS, do NOT give any positive attention as they will do it more. If they keep crying, just try moving crate to other end of house and play a radio to distance any sounds you may make. Make sure to potty puppy prior to putting in for the night. If whines during the night first few weeks/month, you will have to take puppy outside. Reward the potty, and place puppy back in crate till its proper morning time. You can always use a baby monitor to hear him/her during the night if he/she is not near you.
X-pen/Litterbox method: Place puppy in the x-pen or small room for the night, leaving access to the litterbox and he/she will be fine till morning, if they need to go, they can just use the litterbox.
Potty Training:
Do not turn puppy loose in your entire home. That is setting them up for accidents.. There are many methods to training. Depending your ultimate goal will depend on how to train to get there. If you want him/her to potty outside only, then use a crate at night and anytime your not right there with the puppy. If your super consistent first week you can usually have them trianed in a week or two. If you are not careful and have lots of accidents first week, training can take months. Some people will put a bell or door bell at the door for puppy to ring when they need out. Some will tie puppy on a 6-8 foot leash and keep puppy attached to there belt so they can watch them close. If you can't watch him/her, put puppy in the crate. If you go outside after naps, feeding, etc an he/she doesn't go, they go back to the crate and try again in 10-15 min. Stay out long enough to get it done. Exercise pens are very helpful in teaching them to potty in it outside. If you choose to use litterbox(puppy might already be trained to that) method or potty pads, you can still go outside too. Puppy will learn he has options and you can teach him to go anytime he/she wants, just to go in the right places. Training to go outside does require teaching puppy to hold it, where as indoor methods they don't have to hold it, they just know where to go whenever they want to. IF puppy has an accident in the house, if you catch them while doing it, yell and grab and get them to potty area. If they have already walked away from the accident or you find it later, just clean it up and disinfect and watch puppy closer. You can not rub there nose in it or punish after the effect. They won't understand.
Vet visits:
With in first couple days you want to take your puppy to the vet. You will get a wellness check or new puppy exam. They will set you up for your vaccine schedule. Be sure to take your health certificate and shot records with you to the vet. DO NOT allow staff and other people in the clinic to pet your adorable puppy. This subjects your puppy to any germs from sick puppies they may have touched earlier. DO NOT let your puppy touch the floor before 16 weeks old at the vets office. You don't know the germs lurking that the puppy might get on his/her paws and lick later. Either carry puppy or put in crate. You can even take a towel to put on the exam table for extra protection too before setting your puppy there. Do not allow puppy to kiss or lick vet or staff. Do not let them hold puppy against there clothes. This is for your puppies protection and needs to be followed until after 16 weeks old. After 16 weeks, his immune system should be covered by the vaccines and you don't have to be so careful. 6-16 weeks is a very vital age where they can easy get diseases, so please be careful not to expose puppy to unnecessary germs.
Vaccines:
Our puppies usually receive a Neopar (parvovirus only) vaccine at 4-6 weeks old. Then a 5 way puppy shot at 8 week vet checkup where they are examed for any issues and given a certificate of health. We recommend every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks old for another 5way puppy shot or indivual seperate vaccines. After the one year booster, we recommend titer testing before vaccinating. Rabies after 20 weeks to 6 months, then as the law requires. We do not recommend yearly vaccines for life. See Dr Jean Dodds Vaccine Protocal for lifetime recommended vaccines by an expert. Click here
Heartworm;
At about 12 weeks of age your veterinarian will want you to start heartworm treatment, Usually heartgard or ivermectin is given monthly for life. (this varies on area of country some).
Flea/tick:
We do not treat monthly, we don't feel it is needed to use these products if you don't have fleas or ticks. Some of the products are not safe to use on our pregnant girls either. We do recommend if you get fleas or ticks on your dog in your area, then do use a product to treat them while your having a problem. As Lymes from ticks is not fun for a puppy. So this varies on your area some and can be given monthly or just as needed. Vets profit from sale of product, so while he knows what issues are in your area, do what is best for your baby.
Spay/Neuter:
When to spay or neuter your puppy. MALES: get neutered after 6 months old, and most likely by 8 months old. As majority of boys might start to lift there leg after 8 months of age and neutering before that should stop that from starting. FEMALES: get spayed. There are pros and cons and lots of info as to when to spay her. NEVER spay before 6 months. Many believe it is best to allow her to experience one heat cycle. Heat cycle can be hard for the family (need to keep her away from male dogs, and she will have to wear panties to keep blood off your furniture). So spaying about 1 month after the completion of her heat cycle is now believed by many to be the best time. Never Spay during the heat cycle. If you don't wish to experience a heat cycle, hold off long as you can to get her fixed. The girls can come into heat as early as 6 months or late as 18 months. Majority of ours are usually 10-13 months for there first cycle.
Always check your puppies teeth when taking him/her in for spay/neuter. As sometimes a few puppy teeth are still mixed in there with the adult teeth and will need to be pulled out while they are asleep.
AKC registration:
All our puppies come with AKC papers. You will usually be given a copy of them when you pick your puppy up. We have a package for $50 you can purchase and we will complete and take care of registering your puppy and his/her microchip for you. Most our puppies are sold on limited registration, which means if you breed him/her, the offspring can't be registered. If your looking to purchase with full papers and breeding rights you will be subject to showing and health testing prior to breeding.
Microchip and registration:
Most our puppies come already microchipped. If you don't want this done or want the brand your vet sells, we need to know before you pick your puppy up. We use an ISO chip that is worldwide recognized. Our puppies are important to us and getting them home if lost is what we want for them. YOU MUST REGISTER any microchip your puppy has to your name, if you don't, it won't get him/her home. (If you received our package, we will register your chip to you for you)
Training;
We highly recommend the Puppy Training package (see supplies page). This has all positive ways of training and fixing and preventing unwanted behaviors. It is better then most your basic puppy classes. (NEVER do puppy classes before the 16weeks shots are done). This kit has magnet for the fridge for family to chart puppy training too. The AKC registration kit comes with a training CD and a help line where you can reach a training professional to work on any issues you have. Plus you can always call me.
Grooming/Bathes
When and how to groom your puppy. Please wait till 4 months of age to take your puppy to a groomers. Don't expose them to germs where other dogs are before then. Many times if you can find a photo online of a same breed dog that you like the style of the trim, a groomer maybe able to follow it. (Some times coat quality and lengths differ, so can't always duplicate a photo). You can get a mini groom if your not ready for the length to be clipped off yet. This is where they do sanitary areas, feet, face, and wash and fluff. So he/she can still be fluffy puppy but get some experience at groomers and clean up important areas. How often to go depends on how well you brush, how much hair is too much for you, and type of trim you get. Shorter you clip them, less often you have to go. Most people go every 4-8 weeks.
Nails: How often varies on each puppy. More they walk on concrete less often usually need trimmed, if they live on carpet and grass, the nails will grow faster. If allowed to grow too long can splay the foot and harm the toes. Some need them done every 3 weeks, others every 3 months. So just watch how quick they grow and adjust how often accordingly. Most groomers allow walk in for nail trims and your in and out real quick. Vets offices do them too, but usually either wait for a room or they take them in back and let a tech do them.
Brushing: Longer you want the hair, the more you will need to brush. Brushing is one of the most bonding things you can do with a puppy. The dogs I show and the rescues I've taken in, seem to really start to bond after that first groom I give them. Teach puppy from day one to allow you to brush him/her. If they bite brush or you, don't stop brushing, then puppy wins and you'll never brush him/her again. Get help from family if needed to hold. Brush a little bit with him/her on a table or in your lap. After few strokes of him/her letting you do it calmly praise and be done for a while. Don't push them where it won't end well. Next session (can be same day) do another leg or part of puppy. Always end with puppy happy and allowing your to brush. Some puppies will test each person to see who they can get away with not cooperating and who they can't. Be firm, friendly, happy, and if they go to bite brush, sound mean, then praise as soon as they calm down. If you can't get puppy to allow brushing, then stop trying until you complete other submissive behavior exercises.
Teeth:
YES you need to brush your puppies teeth. Smaller breeds especially prone to tarter buildup. Start very young so they learn to let you. Daily or at minimum every other day you need to do a quick brush over there teeth. If you don't, you will need dentals at the vets office every 6-12 months. (This is costly and vets require them to be sedated for it) Chews can help some, but usually do not take care of the tarter for you. Tarter buildup on teeth causes decay, loss of teeth and heart disease. So for their health, keep the teeth clean.