Caring For Your New Puppy

It is a wonderful and exciting experience to welcome a new puppy into your home! However, there are some things to consider about the care of a new puppy.

I do not potty train my puppies, for a few simple reasons. 1. They are together with their mother till 6-7wks, which leaves me only 2 weeks to even start the potty training process. 2. It can be confusing for a puppy to switch homes and voices and they can end up losing what I might have taught them. 3. With a whole litter of puppies, it is simply too time-consuming for me to train them. If you have never potty trained a puppy before, I highly recommend you research training methods and familiarize yourself with how it should be done. I recommend crate training because it has been proven to work and it is simple. I send home simple crating instructions with every puppy, however, there are other ways to train if you want to use another method.

When adjusting to a new home, your puppy may suffer a bit of separation anxiety from their siblings. I send a blanket along with your puppy with the familiar scent of their siblings & home to help lessen this. Another thing I recommend is buying a stuffed toy with a heartbeat like this one on Amazon Smart Pet Love.

Food is another important thing to consider, the food we feed is a dry kibble puppy food from Paw Tree. I send feeding instructions home with you and ask that you buy at least one bag of this dog food to start your puppy. Paw Tree dog food has some amazing benefits! The food is made from simple ingredients with no fillers or preservatives. It has been proven to be great for breeds with sensitive stomachs and those with allergies. It is very high quality, the first ingredient is meat and therefore, your dog will not need to eat as much! They also offer a variety of kinds which makes it easy to switch to a different kind if your dog needs a change in flavor. I usually feed the chicken and oatmeal and this is what your puppy will be eating! Here is the link to purchase your first bag!

For our guarantees to be valid, we ask that you take your puppy to the vet within the first 10 days. We want to be sure that you and your vet are satisfied that you adopted a healthy puppy. If you do not already have a vet, research your vets in the area and maybe ask your friends & family who they recommend. You may want to schedule an appointment for your puppy before bringing him home.

Does my puppy have all his shots? No, shots must be given in a series. We give an early parvo shot called Neopar at 5 weeks, then at 7 weeks, we give the DAPPv shot, and we will repeat that one at 9 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks. So if you bring your puppy home at 9 weeks, he will have had his first 3 shots. You must continue the last 2 shots to give him full immunity and you will need to get his rabies shot as well at your state's required age. One caution, do not allow your vet to give too many shots in one visit just for the sake of convenience, this can cause your puppy to become extremely sick. Also not every shot that is recommended is truly needed, we like to stick with the basic most necessary shots, in the long run, it is better for your dog's health.

When you bring your puppy home, be choosy about where you take him. It's okay to let him in your backyard, but be careful what dogs, you allow him to associate with and avoid the dog parks & groomers until he has had all his shots. Also remember, puppies are very susceptible to parasites, it is highly recommended to give your puppy a dewormer at least once a month till 6 months & then every 2 months until a year. After a year give it quarterly. Here is another dewormer that gets a wide spectrum of intestinal parasites. And remember, worms have a 2-week life cycle, you will need to repeat the dewormer again in 2 weeks to eliminate any that may have hatched from eggs. Also, ask your vet about a heartworm preventive. Flea and tick preventives are also good to do especially over the warmer months, and if your pet has at any time had fleas, he will most likely have tapeworms as well, since tapeworms come from fleas, so you will need to treat them also.

In preparation for bringing your puppy home, here is a quick checklist for you to make sure you are prepared:

food
dishes
durable crate
puppy play pen-opt
small collar
leash
harness
pee pads
soft puppy treats
chew toys
puppy blankets
bed
brush for hair
toenail clippers
lookup groomers
non-soap puppy shampoo -here is a kind I like

There are some simple home remedies and supplements that we have found to be quite helpful, these suggestions are not meant to fix serious health issues, but to help maintain & improve your pet's health!

Digestive health- give your pet a daily snack of high-fat plain yogurt. The probiotics in the yogurt are good for their digestive system.
Is your pet struggling with urinary tract infections? try this supplement. . It can be used as a daily supplement if needed.
Coconut oil has many super benefits! You can mix it with your pet's food to help keep their skin & hair coat moisturized. If they are really struggling with dry skin, you can rub it into their hair coat. Coconut oil also helps for parasites, especially if it is given on a daily basis before any serious parasite condition occurs. Buy a virgin cold-pressed brand of coconut oil & give 1 tsp per 10 lbs.
Ear infections, smelly, waxy ears. We came across this wonderful recipe that simply works! the article is geared for Cocker Spaniels, but it works for any breed of dog.
A few tips for tear stains- Give your dog only purified water. Use stainless steel dishes. Keep the hair trimmed at their eyes so no hair pokes them. Keep their face as dry as possible. Wash their face daily with Eye Envy wipes. It takes daily diligent facial cleansing to keep your puppy's face shining clean. Do not use hydrogen peroxide, bleaches, or harsh whitening shampoos.