Puppy Care Advice

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Getting ready for that new puppy? Here’s some advice & supplies to help make the transition easier on you and your puppy.

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Food & Nutrition

Ideally, start with the same food your puppy has been eating. Keeping the same food will help prevent your puppy from having tummy upsets.

If you want to change diets, do so gradually, mixing progressively smaller quantities of your puppy’s current food with progressively larger quantities of the new food. Do not use a soy based food such as puppy chow, which can make them sick since they’ve never had soy in their diet.

The stress of moving a puppy can sometimes cause diarrhea, but that is easily solved by giving them about ¼-½ tsp. of Kaopectate every four hours or a tbsp. of canned plain pumpkin (no spices) . You can also give a tbsp. of plain yogurt (not Greek) spooned over their food twice a day. They just love it and it will help to settle that tummy. If your puppy continues to experience nausea or diarrhea for more than 24 hours, contact your veterinarian.

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Bowls

Your puppy will need two bowls, one for food and one for water. Ideally, they should be made of an easy-to-clean material, such as stainless steel.

 

Collar & Lead

It’s never too early for your puppy to get accustomed to wearing a collar. Once it’s comfortable with the collar, you can try attaching the lead. In most cases when leash training a harness is better suited.

 

Identification

Your puppy should have an identification tag, and wear it at all times. The tag should include the puppy’s name, your address and phone number.

We recommend having your Vet microchip your puppy at his/her first visit. A chip, such as Home Again will work nationwide and is a wonderful way to protect your pet for life.

The microchip is implanted under your puppy’s skin. That way, if your dog is ever lost, there’s a way to find you, even if the collar is no longer on your dog. Vet clinics and animal shelters have scanners to read the chips so when found, they scan them and it shows the owner’s name and address.

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Dog Crate or Carrier

If you buy a crate that’s large enough to accommodate your dog when it’s full grown, it should last a lifetime. A crate is not only a safe place to keep your puppy when you’re away from home, but it can also be a refuge for your dog. Place blankets, towels or other soft and easy-to-launder materials on the bottom of the crate, then toss in a few toys as well. Leave the door open so your puppy can explore inside.

Your puppy will begin to view the crate as a place of comfort and security, where it can retreat from household commotion or curious children. The crate is also a good tool for housebreaking. If you let your puppy outside directly before being placed in the cage for the night, then first thing in the morning, you are more likely to avoid soiling accidents at night. Never leave a puppy in a crate during the day for more than a few hours when house training begins. You can always buy an exercise pen, clip the door open, cover the floor area with a washable pee pad. This way they have room to move around and relieve them self if you are away for an extended period of time.

The crate will also make your dog more comfortable if it has to stay overnight at the veterinarian’s office or in a boarding kennel.

 

Brush & Comb (long hair only)

Even if your puppy doesn’t need a lot of grooming now, getting it accustomed to being brushed now will make it considerably easier when it’s older. Love and respect your puppy. Keep them clean and well groomed. When shampooing, be sure and rinse rinse so no soap remains. Buy any brand of puppy shampoo, but we like Isle of Dogs.

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Toys

Your puppy will do a lot of chewing while cutting teeth, so be sure to give him a good supply of chew toys, and praise him for chewing on them. If he chews on something he isn’t supposed to, tell him “no” and give him his chew toys.

Pet stores are full of plush toys, hard rubber and nylon bones and other toys. Our puppies seem to prefer the plush toys with the squeaker in them. Just make sure the toys are the appropriate size for your dog, and that there’s nothing like buttons or snaps that can become detached and swallowed.

Avoid pigs ears, any rawhide, and any “bully sticks” with meat, etc., hanging off of them. Also, anything stuffed with peanut butter, bacon, cheese, etc., since these can upset your puppy’s tummy! Also, your puppy should never be allowed to chew them unsupervised.

Our puppies’ very favorite chewies are cow hooves or lambs ears. Never give your puppy chicken, steak or pork bones because they can splinter and lead to choking.

 

Nail Trimmer & Styptic Powder

Ask your veterinarian to show you how to trim your dog’s nails. Again, the earlier you start with this grooming task, the more comfortable your dog will be with it later on. Styptic powder can be used to stem bleeding if you trim a little too close to the blood supply in the nail.

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Dental

We recommend Virbac dental treats once they are 9 months old and the adult teeth have come in. We also recommend you buy the larger size since puppies tend to eat the smaller ones. Use dental treats as a supervised activity. Let your puppy chew on them for 15-20 minutes, then take them away and store them in the freezer until next time (once a day). If you buy the smallest one (it is a marketing ploy) they’ll eat them instead of chew on them.

Your puppy will need a professional dental check before being spayed/neutered. Sometimes they don’t lose their baby canines. These can be taken out when you spay/neuter. No need for a special dental surgery!

Virbac enzymatic (chicken flavored) toothpaste is also great and get a baby size tooth brush at the dollar store, and your dachshund will enjoy daily teeth brushing to keep tartar to a minimum, and avoid those dentals.

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Prevent Accidents Before They Happen

Before you bring your puppy home, remove or secure any objects that could be dangerous to your pet, or are too valuable to be broken. These include electrical cords, pins and needles, small objects (such as buttons) that can be swallowed, toxic plants and breakable items that can be easily knocked off tabletops. If you have a fenced-in yard, close even small gaps in the fence, because puppies can be tremendous escape artists. Make sure to remove possible toxins from the yard and garage, including antifreeze and rat/mice bait.

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Introducing Your New Family Member!

When you introduce a new member to your family, it takes time for everyone to get adjusted. Introducing a puppy is no different. Before you bring your puppy home, decide where it will sleep, and where it will be kept when no one is home. What’s more, you should decide who will be responsible for feeding, exercising and cleaning up after your new pet.

Discuss training with every member of your family, so that you will all deal with the puppy in a consistent way, and not send it mixed or confusing messages. A new puppy is like an infant.

They require a lot of quiet rest time, in addition to exercise and playtime. Make sure he gets at least 30 minutes of exercise and playtime each day. 

Your puppy’s mature weight will depend on many factors, from spaying and neutering, parents’ weight/size, the food and amount you feed them, and the amount of exercise they get. Since many of these factors are beyond our control, we cannot guarantee size, weight or conformation of your puppy.

Our adults are all miniatures although they may weigh up to 12 pounds. We cannot be held responsible for behavior or temperament as the upbringing of your puppy is your responsibility once in your care.

Our puppies are very well socialized here with us not only with children and teenagers but also with other puppies, dogs and cats. These are areas in which you will want to continue their socialization as they mature. If you have any questions on ways to help your puppy please feel free to contact us.

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Introducing Your Puppy to the Children

In the first few months, all interactions between small children and puppies should be supervised – both for the safety of the children and the puppy.

 

Teach children to be gentle and quiet when playing with the puppy. Children should understand that the puppy is not a toy, and they should not tease it, or grab at toys or food, because this can lead to aggressive behavior, or worse, injury to your children.

Children should also be taught the proper way to hold a puppy, with one hand under the chest and the other supporting the rear end. Picking up puppies by their legs, tail or neck can cause serious bone or nerve damage to a puppy’s tender body. However, I do not recommend any child under ten years old to carry a puppy.

Your puppy should have a crate, or somewhere it can retreat from children and noise if necessary. Finally, it’s helpful if older children understand the training commands, or actively participate in training the puppy. Your new pet will learn to behave faster if it receives consistent treatment from everyone in your family.

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Introducing Your Puppy to Your Dog or Cat

Although a new puppy is exciting to everyone in the family, make sure to give plenty of attention to your existing pet. Dogs and cats can feel threatened by the new arrival if they feel you are overprotective or overindulgent with the puppy.

All meetings between your pets should be supervised until you’re comfortable that the pets are amiable toward one another.

For the first few months, you should probably feed your puppy in a separate room from your other dog or cat. This eliminates any fights over food, and assures that your puppy gets the nutrition it needs.

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Taking Your Puppy on the Road

If you plan on taking your puppy on the road – whether going to your in-law’s house or camping by the lake – it’s important that they get accustomed to riding in your car early on. Start by taking it on short trips around the block, and slowly progress to longer trips.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when your puppy is in the car:
 

• Never leave your puppy unrestrained in the car. For your safety and your puppy’s safety, it’s best to keep it in a portable kennel.

• If your puppy salivates excessively or vomits, keep the window open so it can have plenty of fresh air. Eventually, it should outgrow its carsickness. If it doesn’t, talk to your veterinarian about safe motion-sickness medications.

• Make sure your puppy has an opportunity to relieve itself before you hit the road.

• Stop every two hours to let your puppy exercise and relieve itself. Bring a container of fresh water and a bowl.

• Never leave your puppy in a parked car for long periods of time. Make sure you’re parked in the shade, and the windows are slightly open.

• Even though dogs love to hang their heads out the car window, it’s simply not safe.

If you’re planning to take your puppy on an airplane, contact the airline well in advance. They will inform you of specific travel regulations, including the type of carrier that’s appropriate, and health certificates that are required.

If your puppy is the nervous type, consult your veterinarian about sedation. You should also look into the pet requirements at your destination. For example, many foreign countries require proof of vaccination and/or quarantine periods.