| Here is some basic puppy care info that might help you get through the first few days to the first few months and longer. Remember -- Patience. And when you are tired and frustrated and your puppy isn't so cute anymore after an accident on the carpet - More Patience!! Vaccinations: 10 and 14 weeks. First shots will be vaccine booster, second shots will be third and final booster with a rabies shot and then you will be good for a year. After the initial first year, most vets administer three-year rabies shots. Some vets ask for stool samples to check for worms on your first visit. First shots were given at my vet when pups were 6 weeks old. Puppies were wormed several times, which is documented on the health record, for hook and round worms. Your vet may want to worm him again. Your best bet is to develop a good relationship with your vet's office and follow their advice and suggestions. Your vet will be the first person you turn to when it looks like something is wrong. The health record you get with your puppy indicates when shots and worming were done - take it to your vet with you. Spay/neuter is usually done at 6 months of age and is highly recommended if you are purchasing a dog for anything other than breeding purposes. Food: We have been feeding Purina Puppy Chow hard kibble and Pedigree Puppy wet food for weaning. If you change the food, keep to a hard kibble, it’s better for their teeth. Also do a change over slowly because any drastic change means digestive upset. It’s up to you what kind of food you feed. I usually use Purina products but if you feel the need to feed Iams or Eukanuba, then I don’t have anything against that. Feed according to package directions. Puppies at this age will not overeat. To prevent wasting food, watch him as he eats and you will get an idea how much he will be wanting. They grow fast at this age, so don’t be afraid to overfeed, if anything. You may want to modify a feeding schedule to assist you in house breaking. Feeding at night before bed, or in the morning before you go to work is not going to be helpful. If you feed first thing in the morning and take him out 2 or 3 times before you leave and feed when you get home so he has all evening to go potty outside will be helpful - free feeding (food all the time) makes it very hard to predict a bathroom schedule. Make sure there is water available at all times, but you may also want to do the same thing with the water as with the food to help with house breaking. When your puppy has been spayed or neutered at 6-8 months, his nutritional needs will go down by almost half. Please watch food intake or consider a weight maintenance formula - fat dogs are much more likely to have back, hip and joint problems, including arthritis in his older years. House breaking: Consistency is important. Basically, at first, a puppy will only hold it for a couple hours. Potty before bed and after bed, before a nap and after a nap, before playing and after playing, before eating and after eating, before drinking and after drinking. You get the idea? Take the puppy to the same place in the yard and always stay there until they potty. No play time first. If you are out for 10 or 15 minutes without results, then take your puppy to his crate for 15 - 30 minutes and try again. Always use the same door, and always say the same thing "Go potty" or whatever. Two different people should not be saying two different things. Always praise, praise, praise. Treats are very helpful. Others have also trained their dogs to ring a bell at the door to indicate if they have to go potty. These same principles work if you are paper training or litter training (yes, litter boxes for dogs are now available!) Please have very low expectations at first. The puppy will be a baby for a long time. Don’t expect complete training with no accidents until at least 6 months old. Maltese and schnauzers are toy breeds, are small and have small bladders, but as they grow, they will be able to hold it much longer. Toys: Beware of bean bag type toys. If they tear it apart. A swallowed bean = vet visit. Also supervise play, as puppies can choke on little toys or bigger things they try to stuff in their mouth. The best toys are rope toys (if you play tug of war, do not let him win, that will teach him that he’s in charge and the boss and may create problems down the road), raw hides (take small pieces away so they don’t try to swallow them and choke) and balls. They love a small Kong filled with peanut butter. Beware of stuffed toys or anything with eyes, noses, etc. that may fall off. Some puppies and dogs chew up stuffed toys and then I’m picking up stuffing all over the house. Leash and collar: Do not buy anything with buttons, beans or decorations that can fall off or be chewed off. A short leash is best at first and will aid you in training. Longer leashes and extendable leads are more appropriate after training. At first, you may want to hook the leash to your belt as you are around the house so you can scold right away if they go potty and you will know they are not chewing up anything important. Any collar will do, just make sure you can fit two fingers between the collar and neck. If you buy a harness, make sure it’s easy to put on, you don’t want to be struggling with the harness and have doggy go potty on the floor waiting for you to figure out which end is up. Make the leash and collar a happy, exciting thing. Do not yank on the leash to get your puppy to come to you, he will hate the leash and cause you more problems in the future and may damage the delicate structure of the neck, including the trachea. Sometimes letting the puppy drag the leash around for a few weeks gets him used to it being there. Crate training: Your puppy’s crate is his house, his den, his nap place and eating place. It is his safe place to be. To make crate training successful, make sure the crate is not too big. The puppy should be able to stand up, turn around and lay down comfortably, but if it’s too big, he will potty in one end and sleep in the other, which defeats the purpose. Introduce the puppy to the crate slowly. They are already in a crate here, but you will want to make the transition to your home as easy as possible. Try putting a piece of food or toy in the crate and closing the door for a few minutes, extending the time as you go. Let your puppy take its time. You may also want to feed and water your puppy in his house, so he knows it’s a safe place. Always give him safe toys in his crate, you want it to be a happy place. Do not coo and coddle your puppy if he whines in the crate at first. If you baby him, he will get even more upset over time and cause you much problems. Just act like there is nothing wrong, it’s a normal place and all his favorite things are there, water, food, toys, a towel, and he will be fine after a few days. Many people I know make the crate the dog’s sleeping place. It’s his place to go if he has to be safe (you know he’s not chewing on electrical cords), you need a break or he needs a time-out or you want to make sure he doesn’t soil your rug. Use your common sense and if you have questions, let me know. Exercise/socialization: Most toy and small breeds are extremely social and energetic. Your puppy will want to meet everyone that comes to your house, but make sure that if people are holding him, they have a tight hold on him. Puppies jump out of people’s arms very easily in their excitement and hitting the floor from that height can kill him. Make sure people do not pick him up by his front legs while he’s a puppy, this can cause joint problems. He will love walks in the park or around the block or through Pet Smart if he is well trained and doesn’t jump on every person that comes up to him. He will want to have a short energetic run everyday, probably around your house is sufficient. Just use common sense: do not walk your dog outside during the hottest time of the day. Take him for as many walks as you have time for and exercise sessions, as well -- a tired, happy pet means a happy owner. Also exercise is good for his health, weight, emotions and body. If you are going to have him around children, other pets, loud situations, on a car ride, etc. introduce him to that from day one, you will be glad you did. Grooming: Do not bathe more than once every three weeks. Use a gentle shampoo and be sure to rinse the soap out completely. Be careful with soap or water on the puppies head and keep the water away from their eyes. Once your puppy is past six months, you can use a regular flea and tick shampoo, if desired. Clean the ears with a washcloth dipped in a ½ water and ½ vinegar solution - the acid prevents infections in ears. Do not pour the solution into the ears, just wipe the outer folds of the ear canal and then dry the ears with a towel or dry washcloth. Towel dry and be sure to keep puppy warm until completely dry. A short bristled brush, comb or dematting tool will work well to take the loosen hair out and prevent mats. Clip ends of finger nails when sharp with a nail clippers, pliers meant to cut fine wire or dog nail cutters. Do not cut too short and your puppy should be fine throughout life letting you cut his nails. Anything else: I could write a book, but I won't. Use your vet and me if you have any other questions. It’s impossible for me to cover every thing. If you have a particular concern, please call or email. I can tell you what has worked for me or not worked or the experiences of previous puppy parents. Also feel free to do a search on the internet, there is tons and tons of information out there that will help you and give you ideas. Also the best book I’ve seen out there that covers a lot of topics in an easy-to- read format, is "Dog Training for Dummies." I love the format and information. It covers everything from where dogs originated from, various personalities of different puppies and how to take advantage of those specifics of the puppy’s personality, what different breeds were bred for, how to groom, feed, crate train and teach your dog tricks and much, much more. HAVE LOTS OF FUN AND SEND US PICTURES! |
What Puppy wants you to know...