Puppies

Caring For Your New Puppy

We find that our clients often have similar questions about the care of their new puppy. We have therefore put together this information sheet which covers the practice policy and advice on a number of relevant subjects. If you have other questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Vaccination

Vaccinations cover the following diseases: distemper, (which used to be called hardpad), leptospirosis, hepatitis, parvovirus and parainfluenza. Your puppy can be given a first vaccination at eight weeks and you will be asked to bring your puppy back for a second vaccination two weeks later. Your pup will be safe to go out 1 week after the second injection (i.e. not till your puppy is 11 weeks of age). To maintain immunity it is essential that dogs get a booster once a year.

Worming

All dogs are at risk from worms and virtually all puppies are born with them despite regular worming of the mother. It is therefore essential that you worm your dog regularly. Puppies should be wormed every 2 weeks from 4-12 weeks: and then once a month from 3-6 months. After this we recommend four times yearly. Regular worming and clearing your garden of dog mess quickly, together with normal hygiene procedures are enough to ensure that worms do not present a risk to the health of your dog or your family. If they have been playing with a dog children should always wash their hands before eating.

Fleas

Some puppies may come to you with fleas. These should be treated before they have a chance to breed in your home. As a growing and then an adult dog your pet may bring in occasional fleas. Flea problems are more of a worry if you have more than one pet. Cats particularly, are a constant source of fleas(particularly if they are cats that lead an active life). If your puppy is to share a house with one or more cats then you should be paying attention to flea control straightaway. If living alone then you need not worry about fleas until your puppy starts venturing outside for walks and meeting other pets.

Feeding

We recommend four small meals daily at regular intervals until your pup is 3 - 4 months old at which time you should reduce the amount to 3 meals a day. By the age of 6 - 9 months your dog should be fed twice daily. Complete all in one diets, specially designed for puppies, are balanced and provide all the nutrients required for this very important growth period. With these diets no extra supplementation is required and supplementation can in fact be harmful.

Exercise

Puppies should not be over exercised during the time that they are growing as this could possibly cause joint problems, especially in large breeds. By the time they have reached physical maturity (which varies from breed to breed, a small dog is physically mature by 12 months, larger breeds at 18 months or so) they will be ready for their adult exercise requirement. Until then gradually build up the amount of exercise and take care that they are not over tired. A long walk out requires a long walk back, and it is the return journey which can often over tire. However it is essential that your pup does go out to see traffic and people in order to grow up to be a well balanced adult. Therefore you may want to drive to a suitable place and then walk for a while, and then drive home. Free running exercise allows the pup to let off steam and is less tiring than road walking. However playing on rough or steep ground should be discouraged.

House Training

Dogs learn quickest by being rewarded for getting something right so take your pup to the appropriate area very frequently, encourage him and praise and reward his efforts.

Training

Start training your puppy immediately. Give praise for good behaviour and distract him from doing things that you do not like. We highly recommend puppy training classes. Information about all aspects of training is available at our regular puppy party (details of which are available from the receptionist). Your puppies are eligible to come to the puppy party once they have had their first injection. These parties are informal and are a great opportunity for pups to play with other puppies and for you to ask questions of our nurse. What's more they are free!

Neutering

If you plan to neuter your dog we would advise that bitches are spayed two or three months after their first season. Male dogs can also be neutered and we would recommend that if this is done it should be after they have reached physical maturity. This would be between 12 and 18 months. We are happy to discuss this subject in respect of your particular dog, so feel free to contact us if you would like further information.

Insurance

We strongly recommend pet insurance. Unexpected illness or accident can be costly and being insured means peace of mind.

There are a number of excellent policies on the market.

If you need advice or want more information about any aspect of pet insurance or about the difference between policies then please ask one of the practice team.

Dental Care

Dental care is as important for dogs as it is for people. Bad teeth cause pain, bad breath and infection, which can spread to other parts of the dog's body. Start at an early age to get your puppy used to having its teeth cleaned. It is important to use a specially formulated toothpaste. Gently hold the mouth closed with one hand and lift the side of the mouth and brush the teeth and gums with a circular motion. The whole process should only take a minute or two. This should be done once a day.

In addition to actual brushing there are a number of other ways which can help to keep your dogs teeth as healthy as possible. These include chews, gels and specific diets etc. These can be particularly useful if you are not able to brush your dog's teeth.

Safety

Puppies are busy and in to everything so take a few minutes to check that there is nothing dangerous within reach. Don't leave the pup alone with access to electric cables that are plugged in. Put house plants up out of reach as many are poisonous if eaten. Leave the pup in a small safe area when you have to leave him.

Please feel free to contact us with any concerns you may have.

Early Training For Puppies

Your Puppy's Behaviour

It is very important to begin shaping the relationship with your pup from the word go. Your puppy is learning a tremendous amount at this time and it makes sense to make that learning positive.

Socialisation and Habituation: Get them out! Give your pup lots and lots of experience. Just a few minutes every day will be fine but make an effort to introduce them to the world and all that is in it. Remember not to reinforce behaviour you don't want - don't soothe and praise fear but distract and jolly the puppy through anything that worries him. Get him familiar with people, places and the environment.

Let your pup "talk" to any dog it meets. Encourage your dog to mix (obviously take care to ensure that adult dogs are not aggressive). However be aware that you need to join in or you may create a dog that finds other dogs so interesting that he takes off after them at every opportunity! Adult dogs within the family may discipline the puppy. This will be short and to the point. The pup will be shocked but not hurt. You should back the older dog. If you don't the older dog may come to resent the puppy and the pup may treat all older dogs without respect - which will get him into trouble!

To choose your training class, ask for recommendations from people who have attended, or go and watch a class without your dog. No good trainer will mind this. Look for happy dogs and happy people, kind methods which encourage the puppy to co-operate and a structure to the teaching, which means you are moving on and not simply repeating the same thing week after week.

Day by Day: Training your dog won't be enough if the dog doesn't think you have the right to give the command! Leadership is not established by being unpleasant but by being consistent. Pack leaders are persistent - make sure that's you! Use your body language and tone of voice to help you make your point. Time praise and correction precisely to ensure your pup can understand what you want. Use the command words you have trained to tell your dog what behaviour would please you in each situation, and praise that. Be careful not to reinforce behaviour you don't want by giving attention for wrongdoing. Interrupt undesirable behaviour, substitute something that is acceptable, and praise the dog for the right thing.

Play: Play is a wonderful way of building your relationship with your dog but dogs take play more seriously than we do. The dog expects to be taught something whilst it plays (as wolves do) so make sure you know what you are teaching! The rule of the dog is that the top dog starts the game, finishes the game and wins it. That needs to be you. The others have a fun and interesting time but they know who is in charge. Play can be used as an excellent reward for good behaviour but make sure play is with a toy. No one in the family should play wrestling games since these can lead to a lack of respect and, possibly, accidents.

Being Left: Be sure to teach your dog how to cope when it is alone. Dogs are not naturally solitary animals but since we all have to leave our dogs at some time, this is a skill they need to learn. Start by leaving the pup in a room alone for just a couple of minutes. Choose a time when it is resting, not when it is looking for attention. Leave and return with no comment at all. Gradually extend these periods through small stages until the pup is comfortable alone for longish periods. By doing this the pup will not worry when left for an hour or so when you need to go shopping. Commonly dogs that suffer separation anxiety may be destructive or noisy and this causes them and their owners many problems. It is worth doing a little conditioning to avoid trouble.

The best way of making sure that you and your family and your dog have a long and happy life together is to take time to socialise and train your puppy.

Always feel free to contact us with any concerns or queries you may have.