New Puppy Owners’ Tips

Adopting & raising your 1st puppy need lots of work and lots of questions! Dog people around have already warned you like “No chocolate, no grapes, no milk!”. How about potty training, vaccinations, socialization? Hopefully, meetpaws.com may be a part of the help that you are facing with.

Bringing new puppies home = preparations

1. Items for Pick-up by your car: You can bring a box which is big enough to put your puppy, towel or blanket, and a small bottle of water. Other useful items are newspaper and plastic bags just in case your puppy vomits. It is a good idea to go with somebody petting and watching your puppy on the way home so that your puppy feel more comfortable from being alone and you can drive safe. You can also use a crate for more than 3 months puppies for safe.
2. Supplies: Dog food, a suitable collar, a leash, a water bowl, a food bawl, Safe Chewing toys, a crate, towel or washable blanket and training pads. Young puppies needs (younger than 7 weeks old) puppy milk replacer and a puppy-nursing bottle.
3. House Cleaning: Puppies put anything into their mouths just like human babies. Make sure all detergents, chemicals, plastic bags and aluminium cans, trash bins are out of reach. It is a good idea not to use so much chemicals for house cleaning. You could use vinegar + water to mop your flooring. Note that do not use Swiffer wet jet, which contains antifreeze substance which causes the death to small animals. Check the labels of cleaning products first, and if there is “no baby” sign or warning, do not use.

Feeding

Amount: Follow your vet’s recommendation or the guidelines on the puppy food package for recommended feeding amounts. Tips for feeding your growing puppy:

• 3 – 7 weeks old
  Buy puppy milk replacer from your vet or pet stores. Never use cow’s milk. Cows milk will give puppies diarrhea and make matters worse.
  Feed every couple of hours
  Start on puppy canned food with puppy milk replacer
• 7 weeks – 3 months old
  Puppy canned food & dry kibble
  Feed 4 times a day
• 3 months – 6 months old
  Puppy canned food & dry kibble
  Feed 2 or 3 times a day
• 6 months – 1 year old
  Puppy canned food & dry kibble or high quality dry kibble only
  Feed 1 or 2 times a day.

When your puppy has no appetite, try one of these*!

1. Spread 1/2-tea spoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on his/her regular food.
   It is good for coat.
2. Pour 1/3-tea spoon of Honey on his/her regular food.
3. Try 3 tiny drops of Cottage cheese’s liquid part on his/her regular food. Do not give puppies any blocks of it. Puppies miss their Moms’ milk.

*Before trying above ways, please check:
— if current foods are not old
— if your puppy eats different flavour of food (Chicken, Beef, Lamb, etc…),
— if your puppy has a pot-belly caused by roundworms = needs deworming.

*There are many reasons that puppy do not eat well.
Your puppy is maybe sick, picky for foods or even misses Moms’ milk. If any of these additional does not work immediately, he or she will need an examination at your vet. Do not wait longer for taking your loving puppy for the examination.

Vaccination Schedule & Expectation

This is a guide only and is intended to provide general information.

• 6 – 8 weeks old
• Basic Vaccine: 1st Puppy Shot (DHLPP*) & Corona
• 11 -12 weeks old
  Basic Vaccine: 2nd Puppy Shot (DHLPP*) & Corona
• 15 – 16 weeks old
  Basic Vaccine: 3rd Puppy Shot (DHLPP*) & Corona
• 4 -7 months old
  Rabies Vaccine
• Additional/Optional Vaccine (between 11 weeks -4 months old)
  Giardia, Bordetella (Kennel Cough, like a human flue shot, not 100% protection, kennels require) Lyme Disease *Use your judgement depending of where you live and where you take your dogs.
• A 3-year vaccine after puppy shots done
  American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) changed to a 3-year vaccine from annual vaccine because distemper and parvovirus vaccine last 5 years. Leptospirosis lasts only 1 year, but the virus came from soldiers came back Vietnam war in 70s. It’s rarely found nowadays.
• Every 3 year
  Rabies Vaccine

[Terms]
*DHLP:
Distemper – an airborne viral disease of the lungs, intestines and brain
Hepatitis – a viral disease of the liver
Leptospirosis – a bacterial disease forth urinary system
Parainfluenza – infectious bronchitis
Provirus – a viral disease of the intestines

Corona – a viral disease of the intestines
Rabies – a viral disease fatal to humans and other animals
Giardia – a parasite caused by drinking out of contaminated water
Bordetella (Kennel Cough) – a long term disease
Lyme Disease – an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium carried by deer ticks

Puppy Training

The first training with basic commands – sit, down, stay and come can start when the puppy is first brought home. Ideally it starts before your puppy turn six months old. Dog meat treat will help puppy’s brains to develope faster. Try this training:

1. While you say “Sit”, give your puppy a light push on the rear
2. While you say “Down”, push down on the shoulders gently
3. While you say “Stay”with holding your puppy. When another person calls the puppy “Come”, release the puppy to go to the person who calls.

Don’t forget to reward and praise your puppy as quickly as possible

FYI: Some puppies can learn the basic commands in minutes. However, it does not mean that these quick learners can learn potting quickly because of their undeveloped bladders.

Chewing Problem

Chewing, ripping, shredding, tearing up and generally destroying stuff is as normal behaviour for puppies.

1. Give your puppy less than 4 toys. Puppies need relieve themselves by playing & chewing every 6 hours. Too many toys might confuse your puppy. First, your puppy should learn the difference between their toys and your clothing, shoes, furniture and so on. If your puppy try to chow your stuff, say “No!” and give the puppy his toy. Say, “Good Playing”!
2. Do not punish your puppy when you come home and find something destroyed! Take your puppy for a longer walk or play with them for longer hours a day. Puppies need to relieve stress and release energy. Don’t forget to reward and praise puppies when they play with their toys!

Puppy Biting

1. Say “No bite” or “Be nice” with low voice.
2. Place your hand over the top of his muzzle, gently pressing his muzzle towards his chest as you say, “No bite”.
3. Simply give puppies chewing toys or treats.
4. You can use middle-tied towel to play with your puppy with gently pulling it. They love something moving.

Potting

Puppies cannot hold it as long as grown dogs until they are at least 6 months old. One of the reasons is that they are at the stage of eating more food to grow up. The other reasons is that their bowel and bladder control have not been developed yet. To be a Mom or Dad of your puppy need patience and lots of house-cleaning. Watch your puppy’s cycle will change: eating, peeing, pooping & playing every 3 hour will become every 4 hours, every 5 hours, every 6 hours, then finally sleeping for 8 hours straight at night! They are just like human babies. You will laugh & small for the current situation after the puppy-age and your efforts end.

1. Reward and Praise your puppy: Simply take your puppy to a right spot. The more times puppy is rewarded, the quicker he will learn. It is very important for you to spend as much time as possible with your puppy and give him regular and frequent access to his toilet area.
2. Crate train: Once puppies adjust well to a crate as their own places, they will never like stinky crates with urine. The pressure to keep their own places clean could help them to work on better bladder control, then they go to their right potting spots. To use the crate training for potting, you need to be careful how long puppies can stay inside the crate.
   First, make sure if your puppy is safe in a crate: remove your puppy’s collar and do not put food or water in the crate. They might move too much and get injured or sick. Make a comfortable space for your puppy: Put a washable blanket, towel or crate pad in the crate.
   Set up your puppy’s crating Routine: Start from 1 to 2 hours during the day with the door closed. At night, placing the crate in a small room with the door left open and newspapers nearby.
   Plan on using the crate for at least 6 months: you can start leaving the crate door open or you can stop using the crate once your puppies can do bladder control well.