| Puppy Care Tips |
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How to Care For Your New Puppy.
Adopting and caring for a puppy is a big responsibility. Many people are
taken in by how cute a puppy is, and they do not consider how much
time and attention a puppy requires. Make sure you read our article on
things to consider when choosing a family pet.
Before you bring your new puppy home, make sure you have prepared
a comfortable puppy home. A cardboard box, a cage, a shallow tub, a
basket, that is big enough for a puppy to stretch in makes a fine bed.
Please bear in mind that for the puppy, the change in his life - leaving
his natural family and moving to a completely new world, with new faces
and sounds - will be both exciting and stressful.
Take your puppy to see the vet within a week or so after you have
brought it home. The vet will check the puppy’s health and give it all the
vaccinations it needs, vaccines are shots that help protect your puppy
from serious diseases. Also, be sure to ask the vet for bathing and
brushing instructions Your vet will also be able to look after your puppy's
de-worming needs. Make sure you discuss this with your vet.
Feeding of your puppy is perhaps the most important aspect of care for
your puppy and the key to their future health. A good balanced diet is
essential to provide the necessary vitamins, minerals and a balance of
carbohydrate, protein and fat required for growth. Commercial foods are
the best, either canned or dry. As long as the label states that it is a
complete puppy food, no other minerals or vitamins are required when
feeding a commercial puppy food. If you try to do homemade diets they
can become difficult to balance and usually require supplementation. If
fresh or cooked meat makes up more than 1/3 of the diet, your pup must
have extra calcium and vitamins.
Adopting and caring for a puppy is a big responsibility. Many people are
taken in by how cute a puppy is, and they do not consider how much
time and attention a puppy requires. Make sure you read our article on
things to consider when choosing a family pet.
Before you bring your new puppy home, make sure you have prepared
a comfortable puppy home. A cardboard box, a cage, a shallow tub, a
basket, that is big enough for a puppy to stretch in makes a fine bed.
Please bear in mind that for the puppy, the change in his life - leaving
his natural family and moving to a completely new world, with new faces
and sounds - will be both exciting and stressful.
Take your puppy to see the vet within a week or so after you have
brought it home. The vet will check the puppy’s health and give it all the
vaccinations it needs, vaccines are shots that help protect your puppy
from serious diseases. Also, be sure to ask the vet for bathing and
brushing instructions Your vet will also be able to look after your puppy's
de-worming needs. Make sure you discuss this with your vet.
Feeding of your puppy is perhaps the most important aspect of care for
your puppy and the key to their future health. A good balanced diet is
essential to provide the necessary vitamins, minerals and a balance of
carbohydrate, protein and fat required for growth. Commercial foods are
the best, either canned or dry. As long as the label states that it is a
complete puppy food, no other minerals or vitamins are required when
feeding a commercial puppy food. If you try to do homemade diets they
can become difficult to balance and usually require supplementation. If
fresh or cooked meat makes up more than 1/3 of the diet, your pup must
have extra calcium and vitamins.
It's best if you feed your animal a small amount of food until a certain age, e.g.. 12 weeks of age - 4 feeds a day; 16 weeks of age -
3 feeds a day; 12 months of age - 2 feeds a day; after 12 months 1 per day.
Training
The basis of training a puppy is to use a regular routine so that the puppy learns to know what to expect each day. Their clock is
mainly their stomach so regular meals are important. It is a good idea to use a command when they do go to the toilet - this will help
them to understand what you want as they get older.
A puppy should be housebroken as soon as possible. When the puppy takes its first water or food, note how long it takes for the
puppy to urinate or defecate. When you discover the schedule, take the pup outside when the prescribed time has elapsed after
feeding or drinking. Soon, the puppy will associate the outdoors with toilet function and will no longer soil the house or the
newspapers that have been spread around its living area.
The most welcome words to your puppies ears are ‘GOOD DOG’ and if they do misbehave remember that their natural mother
would not beat them but would growl and perhaps shake them gently by the scruff of the neck. You own tones of disapproval
should be enough.
Repetitions are a crucial aspect of any dog's training. You
should always reward them for doing something right while
training. The more often he is rewarded, the better and quicker
he will learn. Create situations where your dog can get plenty of
practice at doing the right things.
It is also very important for puppies with long coats to learn to be groomed. You can teach your puppy this by brushing his coat so
that little by little he becomes used to it to the point where he even likes it.
By making sure that your puppy is well looked after, well-behaved and that you respect other people’s wishes, you are acting as a
responsible puppy parent. This will not only benefit you and your puppy, but you are doing your bit for the reputation of other dog
and puppy owners as well.
3 feeds a day; 12 months of age - 2 feeds a day; after 12 months 1 per day.
Training
The basis of training a puppy is to use a regular routine so that the puppy learns to know what to expect each day. Their clock is
mainly their stomach so regular meals are important. It is a good idea to use a command when they do go to the toilet - this will help
them to understand what you want as they get older.
A puppy should be housebroken as soon as possible. When the puppy takes its first water or food, note how long it takes for the
puppy to urinate or defecate. When you discover the schedule, take the pup outside when the prescribed time has elapsed after
feeding or drinking. Soon, the puppy will associate the outdoors with toilet function and will no longer soil the house or the
newspapers that have been spread around its living area.
The most welcome words to your puppies ears are ‘GOOD DOG’ and if they do misbehave remember that their natural mother
would not beat them but would growl and perhaps shake them gently by the scruff of the neck. You own tones of disapproval
should be enough.
Repetitions are a crucial aspect of any dog's training. You
should always reward them for doing something right while
training. The more often he is rewarded, the better and quicker
he will learn. Create situations where your dog can get plenty of
practice at doing the right things.
It is also very important for puppies with long coats to learn to be groomed. You can teach your puppy this by brushing his coat so
that little by little he becomes used to it to the point where he even likes it.
By making sure that your puppy is well looked after, well-behaved and that you respect other people’s wishes, you are acting as a
responsible puppy parent. This will not only benefit you and your puppy, but you are doing your bit for the reputation of other dog
and puppy owners as well.