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For free dog food, free clicker trainer, free puppy food sample and other dog freebies visit the flat-coats.co.uk
Free Dog Food page.
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.
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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.
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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.
Advice on introducing a puppy or new dog to your older dog.
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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If you would like to add your text, image, product, service, website or photo to this flat-coats page then please Contact Me.
More pages from Flat-Coats:
Become A Dog Walker
Breed Standard
Buy an RSPCA animal or Dog Gift Box
Buying a Dog/Puppy
Buying Dog Food and Products
Canine Arthritis
Clicker Training
Contact
Cushing's Disease
Daily Blog
Dietary Advice
Dog Cancer
Dog Insurance
Dogs and Wills
Dog Toys
Ear Care
Epilepsy
Flat Coated Retriever Information
Food to Avoid Giving Your Dog
Free Dog Food Samples
Free Pet Stuff
Get your Dog on TV or Magazines
Grass Eating
Grooming
Health
Hip Dysplasia
History of Dogs
How to Bath your Dog
How to deal with Excess Dog Hair
How to stop your Dog Barking
How to stop your Dog Eating Faeces
How to tell if your Dog is Overweight
How to Work out your Dogs Age
Introducing a New Dog or Puppy to an Older Dog
Kennel Cough
Links
List Of Breeders
Mange
Making a Garden Dog Friendly
Nail Care
Other Flat-Coated Retriever Websites
Privacy/Disclaimer Policy
Puppy Care
Site Map
Signs of Pain
Teach a Dog to Roll Over
Teeth Information
Training Tips
Water/Fluid Advice
Why Dogs Go Round In Circles Before Lying Down
Whistle Come Back
Crate Training Your Puppy
Crate training your puppy information is often asked of Flat-Coats and below are some common questions and answers about crate training your puppy:
I've just been reading your very interesting web page about Caring for your puppy. We have now found a flatcoat puppy and are very excited to be picking her up at the beginning of July, and I have heard from a few people including yourself, that a crate is a very good idea.
Is this something that we should have as soon as she arrives, or should we just have her in a cardboard box for the early weeks? Also I'd appreciate your views on advantages and disadvantages of having one, and if we decide on one what type and size to get please? Look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Congratulations on your new companion, I hope she brings you many years of joy. From our experience it saves a lot of work if you can get your new puppy used to a crate or cage as soon as possible. Most puppies like the comfort of being enclosed in a crate and the sense of security and personal space it affords. By introducing the crate or cage to the puppy as early as possible it will soon learn that this is it's home and safe place. If you have a large enough car it would be ideal to put your flat coated retriever puppy straight into the crate when picking her up from the breeder. This means that any toilet or sickness accidents can be easily cleaned and your new puppy will be safe and secure. Though many new owners want to cuddle and hold their new puppy during the car journey home this is a new and probably scary experience for you puppy who is not only leaving the security of her mum and siblings but may never have been in a vehicle. Lining the crate with a blanket or bedding which can be continued to be used by your new puppy can offer some comfort and further security.
The crate and bedding can then be cleaned if needed when you get home and placed where a traditional puppy basket would go. Your new flat coat puppy will then know that this is her personal space. As you toilet train your puppy you will avoid accidents around the home and during its teething and chewing stage you will avoid damage to your home and ensure the safety of your puppy. As it grows older the crate door can gradually be left open and unlocked at night or when you go out so that it is simply used as a place for peace from the household and an area to sleep.
A crate is also a great way to settle a new puppy to a new home and stop it trying to get to its new owners bedroom for comfort and company at night. Many owners report a quicker period of settling into a new environment when using a crate.
Though using a large crate initially may seem too large an area for a small dog it will grow quickly. So you could buy different sizes of crates as your flat-coat grows or buy one for an adult sized flat-coat - ideal weights and expected sizes of adult flat-coats can be found on the Breed Standard page.
A crate should be easy to clean, with a removable tray to mop up urine puddles which your puppy will inevitably leave in the first few weeks. Most have handles to make carrying round the house easier and some fold down and are easy to erect. Most dog crates are wire meshed so that the puppy has a 360 degree vision and cover are available to shut out stimuli and light. Some puppy crates have made to measure bedding and mattresses available as optional extras and these are generally machine washable. Pets at Home is a super shop with well trained and helpful staff who can help in your decisions.
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