TAKING YOUR PUPPY HOME

- PUPPY CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Congratulations on your new family member!
Here are some important guidelines, instructions, & warnings.

PLEASE READ THEM THOROUGHLY!!!

Puppy has received one DHPP+CV shot. Shots should continue every three weeks for two more shots.
DO NOT give the rabies shot until puppy is 6 months old, and DO NOT give it within 2 weeks of any puppy booster shots. (This is VERY important!)
Puppy was given: Fort Dodge, Duramune, "The Puppyshot" without lepto.
Ask your vet about the need for, or safety of vaccines with Lepto in them.

Puppy has been wormed with Nemex II, you should take a stool sample to the vet at your next visit to re-check for worms.

Puppy has been fed Royal Canin Baby Dog 30.
Start with 1 - 1 1/2 cups, 3 x's per day, breakfast, lunch & dinner times. Moisten food with Hot water, then feed. Decrease water daily until feeding dry. After puppy has acclimated to your home (within a few days.) put down the puppy's food for him to eat, give him 15 minutes to eat it. Whatever he does not eat in 15 minutes, discard.
If puppy ever refuses to eat less than 1/2 of his food, twice in a row, seek vet's advice immediately.

If puppy eats all of his meal immediately, and seems to want more increase amount fed by 1/4 cup per feeding.

No supplements are needed unless something indicates their need, IE: Flaky skin etc. Please contact me if this occurs.

Puppy, as a rule of thumb, Should gain approx. 10 lbs. per month.
Puppy should not be overweight, nor underweight with ribs starting to show.

Make sure puppy has plenty of fresh, clean, water available at all times, except when in crate overnight.

Puppy is growing rapidly, plays hard, & NEEDS PLENTY OF REST & should NOT be disturbed when napping.

Puppy needs to have safe chew toys available.
We recommend making a puppy toy box.
Choo-hooves, (Smoked cow hooves.) are good chew objects.
Make sure they are made in USA, and take them away before they are chewed down to the point puppy could get them entirely in their mouth, or possibly swallow them. Choose the thickest walled hooves.

Stuffed DOG toys are good, the bigger size.
Most the puppies prefer the hedgehogs, & big spiders.

Gumma bones are safe (big ones.)
Iams puppy biscuits are good training aides, & treats.
Some puppies enjoy pieces of peeled, cored apple.

No Rawhide of ANY kind, shape, form.

No Chicken treats! Especially chicken, or jerky from CHINA!~
Chicken treats from China have recently been shown to be causing kidney damage and failure. Some chicken treats made in the USA are made from chicken from China. Check labels on ALL treats! DO NOT BUY ANY TREATS FROM China, be cautious with ANY treats right now. No table scraps, no milk.

NO BONES from the table.

CHOCOLATE is TOXIC to dogs.

GRAPE seeds & RAISINS can be TOXIC.

No ONIONS.

Pigs Ears can cause choking, and intestinal blockage.

Buy ONLY large, cow leg bones for chewing,(At least 6 inches long, and 2 inches in diameter.)

NO Pork bones, they splinter.

Keep puppy OUT of cat litter boxes, and cat food.

Do Not Let puppy chew on corn cobs, these can cause stomach/intestinal blockages!

GUARD PUPPY AGAINST DROWNING in: Pools, hot tubs, fish ponds, buckets with water in the bottom, (Puppies will try to drink out of the bottom of bucket-like containers and can tip over head first & NOT be able to get out & drown in just inches of water.)

Check your yard for POISONOUS PLANTS!

Watch your yard for any toadstools, THEY ARE HIGHLY TOXIC and very quickly FATAL to Puppies!!!

Puppy proof your home picking up all small chewable objects, stow away any electrical cords, make sure any bug baits, mice baits, antifreeze, cleaners, etc. are put up & away from puppy's reach.

Chew ropes: Pieces can be chewed off and can cause intestinal blockages.

Place pup's crate beside your bed at night time. Puppy will feel more secure.

Puppy may whine and/or bark the first few nights but will eventually settle down and go to sleep. If puppy wakes during the night and whines or barks take him/her outside to go potty.
As puppy matures the number of times he/she has to go out potty overnight will decrease.

DO NOT let puppy jump off your bed, or ANYTHING higher than 1 foot.

Make sure puppy has surfaces to walk on that he can get traction, IE: tile, linoleum, pergo, are all too slippery for puppy to stay any length of time on without throw rugs.

Teach children to pick up puppy correctly, NEVER picking up puppy under his arms.
ALWAYS support puppy's bottom when picking him up.

DO NOT take puppy into public places until ALL vaccines have been completed.
No visits with other puppies
NO visits to parks, schools, or public lawn areas.

He/she could contract Parvo Virus & DIE!

DO NOT let puppy chew/lick your shoes. They might have virus's on them and your puppy could catch them.

When taking to vet, CARRY PUPPY IN, DO NOT PUT PUPPY DOWN ON VET'S OFFICE FLOOR.

HOLD HIM OR HER ON YOUR LAP.

ASK TO HAVE SCALE DISINFECTED, OR A TOWEL PUT DOWN BEFORE PLACING PUPPY ON THE SCALE.

MAKE SURE EXAM TABLES HAVE BEEN DISINFECTED BEFORE SETTING PUPPY DOWN ON TABLE.

POTTY TRAINING YOUR PUPPY

When you bring your puppy home he/she will still be very immature, emotionally and physically. As your puppy matures he/she will be able to go longer between potty times. But in the beginning you will have to get up several times per night to take your puppy potty. His/her bladder gets full fast!
Your puppy is used to going potty on pine pellets or pine shavings. We use a low, plastic, under bed storage box filled with pine pet bedding pellets, or pine shaving. They will go directly to the box after eating. You may find it easier to potty train your puppy by filling a low box with pine shavings or pellets and using it to place your puppy in to go potty. After the puppy learns to potty in the box you provide move the box closer to the door to outside where you wish he/she to go potty, then move it outside, and eventually dump the shavings where you want your puppy to go potty.
As soon as your puppy gets done eatting a meal pick him/her up and take him/her outside to where you wish them to go potty. (or to the box.)
It sometimes takes a while for them to go, they like human children tend to get distracted. If you give up too soon, they'll remember they have to go potty as soon as they get back into the house, and..... on your floor!
Let the puppy walk around. If he/she doesn't walk around go out to the area and encourage the puppy to follow you. Walk, stop, wait. Eventually the puppy will potty. PRAISE! PRAISE! PRAISE! At first take your puppy out to potty immediately upon waking from overnight, naps, and after meals. In between these times, take your puppy out every 1/2 hour or so.
The main thing to remember is: be consistant!
At this early stage your puppy will have accidents. Ignore them. Do not reprimend the puppy. It will not understand. Clean up the area well to discourage resoiling.
(You can clean up the "accident" and put it in the shavings box.)
With time and patience your puppy will become housebroken.
Allowing a puppy to go potty on newspapers in your home will just encourage pottying in the house.
Avoid this if possible.

Crate training: Crate training can be a very useful tool. It can also be used wrong. Puppies need to be contained while you sleep so that they do not harm themselves chewing on electrical cords, shoes, remote controls, or anything else they can get their mouths on. A crate can become a cozy, safe area for a puppy to sleep in at night, retreat to if sleepy or to avoid playing when tired, to be contained to for short periods of time. At eight weeks old a puppy cannot go all night without going outside to go potty. Put your puppy to sleep in his/her crate at bedtime after taking him/her outside for a bedtime potty. Your puppy will usually cry, throw a fit etc. for 5 - 15 minutes before settling down and going to sleep. Do not give in. Once asleep, if your puppy wakes you up crying get up quickly and take him/her outside to go potty. When your puppy squats to go potty, praise! praise! praise!! Put puppy back into crate and go back to sleep. Your puppy will only be able to go a few hours without needing to go potty. Each week they should be able to last about an hour longer. Each puppy however varies. If you leave your puppy in the crate longer than he/she can tolerate they will soil their crate. Their crate is their bed. You do NOT want your puppy to learn to soil his/her bed. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, OR ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ANYTHING, ANY TIME, DAY OR NIGHT!

Thank you! : )
Enjoy your new baby!
Remember the "three p's"
Patience, Praise, and Perseverance (continued, patient effort!)

Click here for print friendly version of this page.