Puppy Care
Puppies are eating Diamond Puppy Dry Food(Purple Bag). Keep the puppy home with you for the first couple of weeks. Keep things quiet and try not to stress the puppy out any more than necessary. If you are going to change the food, do it slowly over the period of a week or so. Continue on the de-worming and vaccination schedule.
Raising Our Puppies
Our puppies are all raised in our home. Our puppies are born in the house. We let the mom do what is natural to her and only assist in the birthing process if it is necessary and check to make sure mom and the babies are doing fine. Mom is kept on a puppy diet and vitamins to keep up her body weight and help her keep the puppies as strong and fat as can be.
The puppy's eyes usually open at about 2 weeks and by 3 weeks they are starting to move around a little. At 4 weeks we begin offering them moist puppy food and water. We take our cue from both mom and the pups as to when it is time to wean. Puppies cannot regulate their own body temperature until they are 3 weeks old. We de-worm our pups and mom every two weeks and we always give at least one set of vaccinations. We do not remove dewclaws on our pups. I have never found this necessary medically or for any other purpose. We begin to socialize our pups as soon as they are born.​​​​​​ We allow our pups to leave for their new homes at 8 weeks of age. The pups have had at least their first shots and have been examined by a licensed vet. They go home with a package of puppy food, a toy with the mother's scent on it.
A new puppy is a long commitment usually 10-14 years. I want you and your family to be happy with your decision. I want to know that my puppy is going to a loving, forever home. ​​​​​
New Puppy Tips
Do not introduce your puppy to other dogs, dog parks, etc... until they are closing in on that 16-week old mark. This is for safety reasons. Puppies can carry Mom's antibodies until 16 weeks of age, great right? No, this prevents the vaccines from being fully effective and your puppy is very susceptible to disease. Please wait until your pup is fully vaccinated before exposing them too much to other dogs and puppies. Always have fresh water AND food available to your pet. ​​​
House training is crucial in the first few weeks. If you cannot have your eyes on your pup, put him/her into a crate. Take your puppy outside every 2 hours or so. When your puppy goes, wait until she is finishing up, and then praise her and reward her. Do not rub your puppy's nose in an accident. If the puppy has an accident, it is because you are not paying close enough attention. TAKE YOUR PUPPY OUT when it wakes up from a nap, right away after coming out of its crate, if it goes over to the door, 10 minutes after it eats if it starts walking in a circle or sniffing around, and after a session of play. BE CONSISTENT!!! The first couple of weeks will make or break your ease at house training. Either they will pretty much have it down or it is going to be a battle, it is really about how much effort you put into it right away.
Your puppy will probably wake up and cry every night for the first week, to go outside and pee. But after a couple of weeks, they learn to sleep through the night. From ages 10 weeks to 16 weeks, they typically sleep 6-7 hours a night. If you’re a couch potato and relax on the couch from 7-10 while your puppy snoozes beside you, don’t expect your puppy to go to bed and sleep all night!
A TIRED PUPPY IS A HAPPY PUPPY AND OWNER! TAKE YOUR PUPPY OUT OFTEN AND FOR LONG WALKS. IF YOU ARE HAVING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AT HOME, IT IS BECAUSE YOUR PUPPY IS NOT TIRED ENOUGH. THIS IS A FAMILY JOB AND EVERYONE SHOULD CHIP IN!!! EVERY PUPPY SHOULD GO FOR 10,000 -20,000 STEPS EVERY DAY EVEN WHEN IT IS COLD. THROW THE BALL FOR HIM ...
If you are having problems with your puppy crying in the crate, give it a raw marrow bone. Also, Kongs filled with treats will help your puppy while away the time in the crate. ​
When you have guests over, make the puppy sit before your guest pets your puppy. This will teach your puppy good manners from the start. Anything you do not want an adult dog to do, do not allow your puppy to do. Start basic manners right away. Just be gentle and CONSISTENT.Give your puppy lots of love and praise, have fun with him and enjoy this short period of "puppyhood"​​​
Great Treats
1.
Cheerios, cat treats, or small bite-sized treats or things like this are great for dogs for training. These are great for putting in your pocket or fanny treat pack for training and easy access. Fanny packs or treat pouches are wonderful to keep treats easily on hand.
2.
We love home-cooked, chicken breast, turkey, and any natural meat from the grocery store. Cook, cut into small bite-sized pieced, and freeze to keep fresh. Microwave to warm and use for training. This is a HIGH-value treat!
