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Caring for Your Puppy - Puppy Care Advice from Flat-Coats.co.uk
The puppy will be used to living in his or her pack from even a few weeks old. When you take
ownership of your puppy, usually from 8 weeks old, they will miss the pack and look to you
for pack leadership.
The best advice is to heed any advice from the breeder. Most will give you a diet and information
sheet - please do follow this, as it will provide the puppy with some stability and help settle it
to its new surroundings and new family. You should also ensure you have the signed certificate of
pedigree, especially if you intend to exhibit the dog in shows.
Most puppies will need to eat four or five small meals a day. At six months you should
reduce this down to two meals a day, then at a year old the dog should need just one meal
a day. However, some owners prefer to give their dog two meals a day. We give Lucy her big meal
in the morning and then she gets a wee treat of a biscuit or doggie chocolate drops
in the evening after her nightly brush and groom.
PUPPY VACCINATIONS AND VETERINARY CARE
Before taking your puppy home, check with the breeder/kennel the dog's vaccination and
worming status. Puppies need to be vaccinated against canine distemper and parvo virus and then
the adult dog needs to have yearly vaccinations against these.
SETTLING YOUR PUPPY INTO THE NEW HOME
Make time to collect your puppy in the morning. It can then wander around your home and garden
finding its way in the daytime. During the drive home you can transfer the puppy
home with puppy/dog carriers
otherwise you could ask a passenger to firmly hold the puppy in their lap. A supply of paper towels
will prove handy in case it is travel sick or nervously soils. You may want to think about
fitting a dog guard into your car to prevent the dog distracting you and wandering
around the car. Once home allow the puppy time to wander round the garden for toileting and to familiarise
itself with the new surroundings. Allow the puppy to wander around the home. It is normal for
a puppy newly separated from its mother not to eat heartily for a day or two - place its food
down and if it is not touched during a 15 minute period then lift up - dogs should
not get into the habit of having a bowl of food they can snack on whenever they like.
Dogs are territorial and like familiar surroundings. Your puppy will feel more secure if it
knows it has its own bed, water bowl and feeding bowl. Avoid plastic bowls and buy metal bowls
instead, buying a separate one for its water and food. Washing these daily and providing a fresh
supply of clean water several times a day with maintain your puppy's health. It should have ready
access to the water throughout the day and at night.
PUPPY BEDS AND BEDDING
The puppies bed need not be too fancy at this stage - it'll enjoy chewing whatever you buy -
some people use cardboard boxes with the front cut off for access. This can be lined with newspaper
and then with its blanket or bed. I wouldn't advise buying a fancy duvet or blanket either - that'll
get chewed too! As the puppy ages you can replace this with nicer bedding. I favour plastic baskets
as they are so easy to wash out after any vomiting or toiletry accidents. For the same reason
you should choose machine washable bedding, unless you really want to pamper you dog and treat it to
a fun beds! Alternatively, you may wish to buy a kennel or run if you wish to keep your puppy/dog outside. Modern
kennels are insulated and rainproof and have
the advantage of keeping your dog safe with an exercise area whilst you are out.
PUPPY CRYING AT NIGHT
For the first few weeks the puppy may cry at night - it's just come from a pack and now is
on its own. It's crying for attention - to be with you. If you don't want the dog to sleep in your
home and has its own room at night then I'm afraid your going to have to set the boundaries early on
and ignore its crying and whimpering. It'll soon learn - just make sure your neighbours know what
your doing! Some puppies and dogs find the security of a cage
reassuring and familiar each night, so they learn that when they are in it with their blankets and bedding
that it's a place to sleep. It's also reassuring for owners - you know the puppy isn't busy
destroying something. We used one for Lucy when she ate through the skirting boards, now we use it
after finding she preferred sleeping on our sofa and armchairs and no door could keep her
away from her favourite night time furniture!
TOYS FOR YOUR PUPPY
Buying a range of toys
for your puppy will stimulate it and keep it out of mischief - and stop it eating your woodwork. Lucy
chewed though a live electrical cable when she was a puppy and to this day, I'll never know
why she didn't get electrocuted!
COLLARS AND LEADS FOR YOUR PUPPY
Get your puppy used to wearing a collar
at an early age and please do go to your local engraver and get an identity disc made with the
puppy's name and your telephone number. Some breeder will identichip your puppy for you or tattoo
their ears with identity numbers, both of which will be recognised by the police/dog wardens
in the event of straying. By keeping your registration active and your details updated then you'll
be reunited quickly in the event of loosing your dog.
Once your puppy has had all the vaccinations it can go out for walks with you, so do buy a quality leash.
Your puppy should also be introduced to as many animals and fellow dogs as possible - especially well
behaved older dogs who will act as role models.
You may wish to read the
Training Tips Section -
early training will help you form a close relationship with your dog who will learn to
obey your commands and be a valuable part of the family.
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