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. Make sure to order the food so his/her diet doesn't have to change. Click here if you prefer high quality dry food that does not cause DCM, or pick up some frozen raw food.
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. Pick up water 1 Hour before bedtime. (Puppies should be sleeping at night, not filling the bladder.)
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. Lyme disease from ticks is not fun for a puppy. This varies on your area some and can be given monthly or just as needed. Vets profit from sale of these products and vaccines, 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: research shows neutering males before mature to cause potential growing issues and cause health issues. Research recommends never neutering a male or at least wait until they are almost 2 yrs of age. FEMALES: get spayed. Research shows more harm can happen when spayed young then left alone. There are pros and cons and lots of info as to when to spay her. NEVER spay before 7 months. Many believe it is best to allow her to experience one heat cycle for maturing. Heat cycles are not a big deal, she might wear some panites to keep your couch clean for few weeks, but the benifits of allowing her to have it are so worth the long term health for her. So spaying about 3-4 months after the completion of her heat cycle is now believed by many to be the best time. Never Spay during the heat cycle because there is much more swelling and blood flow. 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 22 months. Majority of ours are usually 10-13 months for there first cycle. PLEASE READ THIS Would you expect your son to mature to a man if his testicles and hormones were removed at 12 yrs old? Maybe you can find a vet willing to do vasectomy or hysterectomy instead of spay/neuter as that will take away the reproductive ability and leave the hormones.
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 typically register them for you now. 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:
ALL of my puppies come already microchipped. 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:
Baxter and Bella is a training program I found online. They have live classes online, as well as videos of every step of training. Its a lifetime membership to access it. And the best part is they have access to live professional trainers by email, phone, and live chat face to face to help you with any issues. All included and unlimited. Plus now with COVID preventing you from going to group classes that are always inconvenient times anyways, this is accessible 24/7 in your home to watch over and over as needed. Printable charts and sheet to help, and even the kids can do it. If you don't sign up, at least check out the podcast under the free stuff to learn more about them. CHECK IT OUT HERE
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. Our puppies typical come with a mini groom with feet, nails, and eyes cleaned, poodles clipped faces and feet and tidy up all over.
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. Our puppies typically have had nails done at least 5 times prior to going home with you so they don't scratch moms belly when nursing so they are used to it.
Brushing:
The 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, heart and liver disease. So for their health, keep the teeth clean. Once your puppy leaves our care, you are responsible for keeping teeth clean and having baby teeth extracted should they not come out on there own, and doing so in timely manner if it is crowing the line up of teeth. Dental care on a puppy is not our responsibility one puppy leaves our home.
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. Make sure to order the food so his/her diet doesn't have to change. Click here if you prefer high quality dry food that does not cause DCM, or pick up some frozen raw food.
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. Pick up water 1 Hour before bedtime. (Puppies should be sleeping at night, not filling the bladder.)
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. Lyme disease from ticks is not fun for a puppy. This varies on your area some and can be given monthly or just as needed. Vets profit from sale of these products and vaccines, 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: research shows neutering males before mature to cause potential growing issues and cause health issues. Research recommends never neutering a male or at least wait until they are almost 2 yrs of age. FEMALES: get spayed. Research shows more harm can happen when spayed young then left alone. There are pros and cons and lots of info as to when to spay her. NEVER spay before 7 months. Many believe it is best to allow her to experience one heat cycle for maturing. Heat cycles are not a big deal, she might wear some panites to keep your couch clean for few weeks, but the benifits of allowing her to have it are so worth the long term health for her. So spaying about 3-4 months after the completion of her heat cycle is now believed by many to be the best time. Never Spay during the heat cycle because there is much more swelling and blood flow. 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 22 months. Majority of ours are usually 10-13 months for there first cycle. PLEASE READ THIS Would you expect your son to mature to a man if his testicles and hormones were removed at 12 yrs old? Maybe you can find a vet willing to do vasectomy or hysterectomy instead of spay/neuter as that will take away the reproductive ability and leave the hormones.
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 typically register them for you now. 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:
ALL of my puppies come already microchipped. 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:
Baxter and Bella is a training program I found online. They have live classes online, as well as videos of every step of training. Its a lifetime membership to access it. And the best part is they have access to live professional trainers by email, phone, and live chat face to face to help you with any issues. All included and unlimited. Plus now with COVID preventing you from going to group classes that are always inconvenient times anyways, this is accessible 24/7 in your home to watch over and over as needed. Printable charts and sheet to help, and even the kids can do it. If you don't sign up, at least check out the podcast under the free stuff to learn more about them. CHECK IT OUT HERE
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. Our puppies typical come with a mini groom with feet, nails, and eyes cleaned, poodles clipped faces and feet and tidy up all over.
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. Our puppies typically have had nails done at least 5 times prior to going home with you so they don't scratch moms belly when nursing so they are used to it.
Brushing:
The 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, heart and liver disease. So for their health, keep the teeth clean. Once your puppy leaves our care, you are responsible for keeping teeth clean and having baby teeth extracted should they not come out on there own, and doing so in timely manner if it is crowing the line up of teeth. Dental care on a puppy is not our responsibility one puppy leaves our home.
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