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Preparing for a New Puppy.
Okay, you've done your homework. You've read up and know
exactly the type of dog to suit you and your family. You
know the size and temperament and even whether a male of
female pup would be a better companion for you. You've
visited several breeders and chosen your new four legged
friend from the litter and it is now time to take your
healthy puppy home.
Checking your list
When parents find out they are going to have a child they
make all sorts of preparations. A room is set aside and
possibly the walls are covered with an appropriate wall
paper or paint, a supply of formula fills the pantry, baby
bottles and diapers are purchased in huge quantities, toys
and pacifiers are picked out, the baby's doctor is selected,
etc. You need to make the same preparations for the puppy,
and think about the equipment you'll need, the car ride
home, and the puppy's activities, feeding, and health care
check-up.
Equipment
Your puppy is going to need a room or at least a place it
can call its own and a cage or crate will fill this bill.
You are better off getting one that’s big enough for him to
use as an adult. The pup will need food and water bowls,
toys to chew on and play with, a collar and leash, a bag of
a good quality dry puppy food, and plenty of newspapers or
training pads. The bills are adding up!
The car ride home
The big day arrives and it’s off to pick up the puppy. Many
people worry that this is a traumatic event for the puppy
but it probably isn’t as bad as you might think. Coming home
will start out with a car ride from the shelter or breeder’s
home. Try to keep this from being a terrifying experience
for the pup. The main problem dogs have with car rides
usually isn’t what we humans refer to as motion sickness but
simple anxiety about the vibrations, sounds and to a lesser
degree the movement. Many dogs that have developed problems
with car rides get nervous or even nauseous before the
engine is even started. It’s important that this first trip
not be a bad experience that regresses into a repetitious
behavioral pattern.
Before you leave the kennel try to get it to go to the
bathroom so there are no floods or surprises stimulated by
all the excitement or the ride. On this first trip home we
break a cardinal rule about travelling with pets. We do not
put them in a crate for travelling. Remember they are small
and easy to hold. Rather, we have someone other than the
driver hold the puppy in a blanket or towel and talk or in
some way try to distract it from the ride. If you’ve got a
long way to go and need to stop for the puppy to relieve
itself do not use a highway rest stop! At this age the puppy
has very little, if any, protection from common dog diseases
and these areas can easily be contaminated with the
organisms causing these conditions. We never recommend these
facilities for pets of any age but if you must use them,
wait until your puppy has completed its vaccination series.
Being with people the first day home
Leaving its mother and littermates will probably bring about
some form of separation anxiety. However, this can be
greatly diminished if you plan your schedules so you are
with the puppy constantly for the first 3 to 4 days. Some
authors suggest leaving the puppy alone and give it time to
itself to adjust to the new surroundings. We disagree. In
our homes, we plan for this introductory period by keeping
the puppy involved with plenty of attention from children
and other family members through every one of its waking
moments. When we aren’t with the puppy, she is eating,
sleeping or going to the bathroom. You’ll be amazed how time
spent in this manner will speed up the housebreaking
process. If the children are young or are not familiar with
how to handle puppies, you should spend some time with them
during these first few days explaining common sense rules on
how to play with the pup.
One thing to bear in mind is that most pup go through a
'mouthy' stage. This is perfectly normal and is simply an
extension of the puppy learning about his environment. It
doesn't mean you have chosen a vicious dog. It is especially
important that you teach children how to deal with a mouthy
pup in a positve manner and not a punitive one.
Getting a health check
One of the first things you need to do is get the puppy into
a veterinarian for an initial puppy examination. You’ll want
to make sure the pup is in perfect health, free of any
congenital traits or other medical conditions. Also find out
exactly what the breeder (or humane society) has done for
the puppy. In all probability, the puppy has had some puppy
vaccinations given by the breeder or shelter. It probably
has also been placed on a deworming schedule and may even be
on a heartworm preventative. It is common for all or some of
these to have been done. This helps to explain some of the
cost of your puppy regardless of where it was obtained. Your
veterinarian will need all of this information along with an
approximate birth date.
Feeding the puppy
What, when and how to feed puppies becomes a major issue on
the first day. Many new owners worry that without its
mother’s milk, their pup is going to have a hard time
adjusting to its new home. Hopefully where you got the puppy
will give instructions on what it has been eating. It is a
good idea to continue feeding the same type and brand of
food for at least a few days. Most people are soon surprised
how well puppies make it through this transition because
they don’t understand how far along dogs are in their
development at 7 to 8 weeks of age.
Through our clinics and catalog business we work with
hundreds of breeders and animal shelters. It’s common
practice for most of these individuals to start feeding
their puppies a commercial food at 21 days of age. Some of
the toy breeds will start 3 to 4 days later. Even though
their eyes didn’t open until 11 to 13 days old, just ten
days later puppies are ready to start on something in
addition to Mom’s milk. Most breeders take dry puppy food,
soak it in warm water for thirty minutes and then give it to
the litter when they are 21 days old. The first day they may
only stick their noses in it and try to lick some of the
liquid. But after that, they eat and they eat very well.
After a week or so they are getting these feedings twice a
day. This takes a huge burden off the mother especially when
she has a large litter. Puppies fed on this sort of a
schedule grow rapidly and with fewer problems.
As soon as possible, the amount of water mixed in the food
is decreased and then finally eliminated. This depends on
how fast the teeth are coming in and is done on the judgment
and experience of the breeder. We always tell all new puppy
owners to use a dry food formulated for puppies. Most 7 week
old dogs can eat this as it comes from the bag without any
problem. A few, especially members of the toy breeds, may
need it moistened for one to two additional weeks but that
is all.
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