Puppy Care

Feeding Your Puppy

What food?

Choose a dry food a resource you could try , Sphynx Cat intended specifically for puppies, avoiding generic foods checkout, Brandenburg and those that sell for unusually low prices. We suggest brand name puppy food also see, Pet Mice Health because it is impossible to distinguish good dog consider, West Highland White Terriers food from poor dog why not visit , Chinese Shar-Pei food simply by looking at the ingredient list on the label. Many things that owners look for, such as high protein levels and extra vitamins, are more likely to be harmful than helpful. For example, overfeeding and over supplementation are factors contributing to hip dysplasia. If you have a large-breed puppy, purchase "large breed" puppy food. checkout, Pet Mice Safety The actual formula is different, not just the the kibble size, and is better for very rapidly growing a resource you could try , Blue Fronted Amazon puppies.

How often?

Offer food more information here , Belgian Malinois to young puppies three times a day. If your puppy isn't hungry that often, reduce the frequency. After ten or twelve weeks of age, feed twice a day.Even adult dogs another idea , Belgian Malinois should have their food why not visit , Finnish Spitz split into morning and evening feedings. When fed once a day dogs also interesting is , Florida Cracker Horse become overly hungry and are more likely to overeat at mealtime.

Let your puppy eat as much as she wants in fifteen minutes and then pick up the food also look at, Australian Cattle Dog dish. Having food additionally try , Pet Mice Breeding continually available encourages overeating, and chubby puppies are more likely to have hip dysplasia and weight problems later in life. Also, because free-fed puppies never get very hungry, they don't enjoy their food why not visit, Maremmana Horse unless given special treats. The combination of special treats and freely available food also interesting is , African Collared Dove encourages them to become bored, overweight and picky.

People food?

Do not give people food. more information here , Parrots If you start with a balanced diet and add goodies from the table, you won't have a balanced diet anymore, and your puppy will have more digestive trouble. Treats that are reasonably balanced, such as Milk Bone Biscuits are OK, but since they are not really all that great nutritionally, don't let them become an important part of the diet. Canned puppy food why not visit , Pet Mice Safety is perfectly all right, but we usually suggest feeding dry food find more here , Murgese Horse because it is cheaper, easier to use, and better for the teeth.

Shots

Between six and sixteen weeks of age, puppies lose the disease find more here , West Highland White Terriers protection they received from their mothers and become able to form their own immunity to disease. checkout, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog Unfortunately, we never know when this will happen, so there is often a brief period when puppies have lost the disease consider, Belgian Malinois protection they received from their mothers but have not yet developed strong immunity of their own. Fortunately, new vaccines for distemper and parvovirus are much more effective than what we had even two or three years ago, and eliminate much of this problem. Also, since the new vaccines work better we don't have to give as many, which saves see , Famous Dogs money.
Until your puppy is four or five months old, try to prevent contact with stray dogs have a look at , Small Munsterlander Pointer or sick dogs. consider, Spiders as Pets Avoid boarding your puppy or taking her places another idea , Doberman Pinscher - Dobermann like highway rest stops where lots of other dogs try, Pet Mice Breeding go to the bathroom. also interesting is , Blue Fronted Amazon

Distemper

When we say "distemper shot" we are talking about a combination vaccine (DHLAPPC) which protects against a group of diseases:

Infectious canine distemper (ICD) is a highly infectious viral disease checkout, Pet Banana Spiders that attacks the lungs and affects the brain and spinal cord in somewhat the same way polio affects people.

Infectious canine hepatitis (ICH) spreads between dogs also see, Akita or Akita Inu most often by contact with infected urine. ICH does its worst damage to the liver and can cause loss of vision.

Leptospirosis causes kidney and liver damage and is spread most often via infected urine. The leptospirosis portion of distemper vaccine can cause a reaction if given repeatedly. For this reason, and because Leptospirosis has become a fairly rare disease, have a look at, Chinese Shar-Pei we immunize for it only twice during the vaccination series.

Canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) is a respiratory virus that causes a severe form of "kennel cough".

Parainfluenza is another highly infectious respiratory virus that causes coughing.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) attacks the lining of the intestinal tract, and in very young puppies, damages the heart. It remains our most common fatal infectious disease please checkout , Chinese Shar-Pei and is the most difficult to protect against. Dobermans, rottweilers and boxer or bulldog type dogs consider, Maremmana Horse are especially susceptible.

Canine coronavirus (CCV) causes or contributes to parvovirus-like intestinal disease checkout, Coton de Tulear and severe diarrhea. Because coronavirus vaccine is expensive, and since the disease a resource you could try , Dog Training & Behaviour is usually not fatal, many veterinarians omit coronavirus protection from their puppy series or immunize for it separately at additional cost.

Rabies

Spread by animal bites or through the saliva of an infected animal, rabies is always fatal. Because infected pets can give the disease more information here , Buying Your Fish to people, rabies immunization is something you don't want to ignore.
Rabies shots are started at sixteen weeks of age, boostered a year later, and every one to three years after that, depending on local look at, Buying Your Fish laws and your veterinarian's recommendation. Unvaccinated dogs look at , Conures that come into close contact with a skunk must be quarantined or put to sleep. Vaccinated dogs checkout, Czechoslovakian Wolf that have skunk contact should be given a rabies booster as soon as possible, regardless of when they were last immunized.

Rabies is not a problem in countries get more info here , Buying Your Fish such as Australia.

Lyme disease

Spread by ticks, Lyme Disease see , Chinese Shar-Pei has become a significant human health problem in El Dorado County, but because the disease why not visit, Pet Black Widow Spiders is difficult and expensive to diagnose with certainty, there have been few proven cases in dogs. please checkout , Finnish Spitz When we suspect Lyme disease, additionally try , Senegal Parrot we treat with antibiotics. The dogs also look at, So you want to buy some fishes and set up an aquarium usually get better and we are seldom certain whether the condition being treated was Lyme disease also interesting is , Pet Rat Selective Breeding or something else.
Dogs more information here , Pet Mice Safety that roam in brushy areas and get lots of ticks should be vaccinated. Those restricted to their own immediate area and never get ticks probably don't need it. Immunization is given as an initial series of two injections three weeks apart followed by an annual another idea , English Setter booster.

Bordetella

Bordetella, a common cause of "kennel cough", is a severe but rarely fatal respiratory disease. why not visit , Conures Because it spreads through the air have a look at , Parrots in confined areas, kennel cough is common even in clean, well run boarding kennels. If your dog why not visit , Conures will be at the groomer's frequently or periodically left at a kennel, it is wise to protect against the disease. look at, Brandenburg Most boarding kennels require it. For dogs a resource you could try , Czechoslovakian Wolf - breed history that don't need year 'round protection, the best time to administer the vaccine is two to four weeks before going to the kennel.

Worms

Roundworms & Hookworms

Heartguard Plus and Interceptor, two new combination heartworm medications, also kill the intestinal worms common in our area. By using either of these products, see , Maremmana Horse we eliminate the need for routine fecal examinations and separate worming medications. However, if your puppy has persistent diarrhea please bring in a small fecal sample to check for other less-common parasites.

Tapeworms

If you see little short white consider, English Setter worms (1/2 inch long or less), these are probably tapeworm segments. When the segments dry they look like grains of brown rice and may stick to your dog's hair. If you see anything like this, let us know and we will dispense medicine to use at home. try, Doberman Pinscher - Dobermann Prescription tapeworm drugs are extremely effective, very safe, also try , American Wirehair Cat and cause no discomfort whatever. Non prescription tapeworm medications don't work very well and often cause intestinal cramps and diarrhea.
Before dispensing medication, we need to know your dog's weight. If he is not extremely small or too large to lift, you can be sufficiently accurate by weighing yourself please check out , American Wirehair Cat with and without the dog. checkout, Finnish Spitz Otherwise, bring him along. We will weigh him and set up the prescription when you come in.

Heartworms

Because of a mosquito species that lives in oak trees get more info here , Pet Mice Health at our elevation, the Sierra foothills of Northern California have a serious heartworm problem-worse than just about anywhere else in the Western United States. In 1972, approximately one fourth of all heartworm cases reported in California were diagnosed at Placerville Veterinary Clinic. In our area, dogs more information here , Finnish Spitz that don't receive prevention medicine, especially if they sleep outdoors, find more here , Caring for your older Cat will probably get heartworms.
If we discover the problem in time, heartworms can be eliminated, but treatment is difficult, dangerous, and expensive. And even with treatment, heartworms cause permanent damage. Although the treatment isn't nearly as dangerous as many people seem to believe, regular testing followed by treatment when needed is not a reasonable alternative to prevention.

Heartworm prevention

We recommend Interceptor Chewable Tablets, because they taste good and need to be given only once a month. In addition, Interceptor kills hookworms, whipworms and roundworms, eliminating the need for separate worming medications and routine fecal examinations. It is important to use Interceptor every month without fail.

Heartworm testing

Dogs find more here , Sphynx Cat with heartworm disease a resource you could try , Famous Dogs ordinarily have adult male and female consider, Blue Fronted Amazon worms living in the heart, and microscopic baby heartworms throughout the bloodstream. Baby heartworms become adults only after living in a mosquito and then getting into another dog see , Chinese Shar-Pei when it is bitten by the mosquito.

Because we cannot detect heartworms until about six months after infection, we never know for sure if puppies already have heartworms when we start them on prevention medication. Although this is a concern, the risk of puppyhood infection is small, and we can safely wait to perform an initial heartworm test until about fifteen months of age, when rabies and distemper booster vaccinations are given. After that, we encourage you to test every two years to protect against the small possibility that a dose has been missed, or the extremely small possibility that the medicine isn't working.

Training

House Training

Puppies have a strong natural look at , Senegal Parrot instinct to avoid soiling their own area. If you are consistent and patient, this natural also see, Murgese Horse urge for cleanliness makes house training another idea , KABARDIN AND KARABAKH Horse fairly easy. You can begin training checkout, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog - breed history any time after five weeks of age. A little extra effort and patience in puppyhood will make the difference later on between a happy, cooperative pet and one that causes problems for you.

Establish a teacher-learner relationship

Use two types of rewards-praise and petting. When your puppy asks for attention, you probably respond by petting, which is only natural. find more here , Brittany Spaniel Begin using these requests to show that you are the teacher and your puppy is the learner. It may sound silly but it's important to establish this relationship early in puppyhood.

Each time your puppy asks to be petted, respond by holding your hand about a foot above his nose and saying, "Rover (substitute your dog's name), sit." Move your hand back over his ears checkout, English Setter as you speak. This makes him look up, which is the first part of sitting. Keep repeating "good sit" until he sits. Then pet him on the throat and chest with your other hand for a few seconds as you repeat the praise. If not successful at first, repeat the procedure. When your dog please checkout , Brittany Spaniel sits from five to ten seconds, release him from the command by saying "OK", then pet and praise him again. Gradually increase the sitting time until you have reached one or two minutes before you say "OK". Be sure everyone who lives with the pet follows this procedure.

Consistent treatment from the whole family consider, Spiders as Pets makes for a better adjusted, happier pet. Insist that your pet earn praise.

Teaching where to go

At first, feed at least three times a day. All dogs also interesting is , Czechoslovakian Wolf - breed history do not have the same digestive rates-you may need to feed your puppy as often as five times a day in order to avoid overloading his system and causing loose, difficult-to-control bowel movements. When you find the right schedule, the result is a dog please checkout , KABARDIN AND KARABAKH Horse that eats and then has a bowel movement within a few minutes.

Feed indoors. also look at, Brandenburg Remember, dogs additionally try , Choosing a Cat do not like to eliminate where they eat. If your dog why not visit , Blue Fronted Amazon is urinating or defecating in a certain area, try feeding him right at that spot (after clean up, of course.)

Right after your dog have a look at , Pet Mice Safety finishes eating, chase him out good naturedly to his toilet area, ahead of you if possible. Then let him sniff around for a good spot. Do not confuse things by urging him to go. After he goes to the bathroom, consider, Chinese Shar-Pei crouch down and point at the urine or fecal matter and say "good dog". Look right at the stuff, not at the dog. find more here , Pet Mice Health If your dog more information here , Czechoslovakian Wolf - breed history sniffs it, praise and pet him enthusiastically.

Take your puppy outside please check out , Sphynx Cat

After waking up, even from a nap
After extreme excitement
After drinking water more information here , Chinese Shar-Pei
After prolonged chewing on a toy, etc.
If he starts sniffing around the house get more info here , KABARDIN AND KARABAKH Horse for a good spot

In about four days your pup should automatically head for his proper place more information here , Belgian Malinois after meals or whenever the urge strikes. If it takes longer, be patient.

After this stage of house training, why not visit , American Wirehair Cat your puppy knows where to go, but not when to go. Do not try to teach self control (the "when" part) until you can be sure he will always head for the door , Belgian Malinois when it's time to go.

Teaching when to go

To teach self control, you must keep feeding times consistent. Don't feed at 7:30 a.m. on week days and then sleep in on Sunday--you'll ruin the whole program. Dogs have a look at , Czechoslovakian Wolf can control their urine for as long as thirteen hours when they need to. To teach self control, you should try to let your dog see , Pet Black Widow Spiders outdoors only at times when you are ordinarily home another idea , Murgese Horse to do so. Whenever you see signs that your pup wants to go to the bathroom consider, Conures during the forbidden hours, try to distract him by tossing a ball, playing with a toy or doing any activity that will take his mind off the urge.

If possible, have your puppy sleep in a room please checkout , Belgian Malinois with people. Because he will be inclined to tune into your sleeping times, there will be fewer accidents and less night time disturbance. Given a little blanket as a bed, look at , Shiba Inu most puppies soon learn to sleep through the entire night.

How to deal with mistakes

Old fashioned house training have a look at , Chinese Shar-Pei methods tell us to grab the puppy, show him the mess and punish him. This is not necessary and probably harmful. Instead, if you discover an accident, just say "ugh" disgustedly and whisk puppy out to his proper toilet area. Leave him there while you clean up the mess. Make sure he cannot see you cleaning up. Strangely, many dogs checkout, Pet Mice Breeding find it rewarding to watch their owner picking up stools or cleaning urine, and often leave another such gift as soon as they can. Because puppies seem to enjoy this game, it is a good idea to have them watch you clean up after they go to the bathroom additionally try , English Setter in the correct place. a resource you could try , Dog Training & Behaviour

To discourage repeat visits, accidents must be cleaned up well enough to completely eliminate odor. After blotting and cleaning as best you can with paper towels, soak the stained area with an enzymatic cleaner. Let it remain on the stain 30 minutes or longer, blot up the liquid, and if still necessary, use regular rug additionally try , Finnish Spitz cleaner afterwards. To work properly, the enzyme cleaner must be used before using regular rug have a look at, Dog Names cleaner.

Puppy's Place find more here , African Collared Dove in the Family

The reason dogs also look at, Frogs are such good pets and fit so well into human society is that they are social animals also look at, Coton de Tulear by nature. checkout, Choosing your Bird Cage Their greatest psychological need is to be part of a group. Whether it's a family why not visit, West Highland White Terriers of just you and puppy, or a boisterous household get more info here , So you want to buy some fishes and set up an aquarium full of children and pets, in order to be happy your new puppy must feel secure about her place more information here , Pet Black Widow Spiders in the group.

If you watch puppies at play, you will see a lot of growling and tussling. There is more to this play fighting than meets the eye. Those little guys are already deciding who is going to be "top dog". Whether you realize it or not, something very much like this play fighting is happening at home also try , Small Munsterlander Pointer between your puppy and the rest of the family. additionally try , Dog Names

To be confident and secure what puppies need most is a master they can depend on. For your dog have a look at , Maremmana Horse to have a happy life and be a pleasure to own, at least one person in the family consider, Coton de Tulear must become such a master. Dogs find more here , Brandenburg have no mental concept of "friends and equals". Somebody has to be boss. Assertive puppies will grow why not visit, Pet Black Widow Spiders up trying to be boss, which won't make either one of you happy. A submissive puppy may spend its entire life fretting and worrying, never sure what is expected. Everything usually works out just fine automatically--puppies find their place try, Pet Black Widow Spiders in the family also see, Pet Banana Spiders without much trouble and everyone is happy with the arrangement. If, on the other hand, you have a strongly assertive or unusually submissive pet there are some things you should keep in mind:

Working with an assertive puppy

Assertive puppies tend to immediately investigate new people and objects. They are quick to begin play fighting activities with people. When they want to be petted or fed, they are insistent and demanding. These puppies fall get more info here , Chinese Shar-Pei easily into the role of family why not visit , Conures protector because they think the people belong to them. This is well and good, but because dogs please checkout , Belgian Malinois cannot really understand human society, there is soon trouble. They may try to defend you from everyone, and biting the UPS man because he invades your yard try, Akita or Akita Inu is not ok. Biting the children is not ok. The most serious problems happen when grandchildren are involved. Perceived either as an outside consider, Pet Black Widow Spiders threat or a competitor, it is not unusual for grandchildren to be badly injured by big assertive dogs. checkout, Peach Faced Lovebird

The training additionally try , Brandenburg techniques used to establish your teacher-learner relationship are especially important. Remember that your dog see , Peach Faced Lovebird will be much happier in the long run if he earns praise and pleasure by obeying you, not by demanding it.

It is especially important for you to be master. Do not allow your dog also try , So you want to buy some fishes and set up an aquarium to nip or bite at you in a friendly way. Do not stimulate your puppy by waving your arms and acting excited or by playing tug of war. Do not become what your puppy perceives to be an equal and competitive playmate.

Working with a submissive puppy

Submissive puppies tend to "shy away" from new people or things, either by lying down or actually running away. It is normal for most puppies to be slightly submissive. They wish for nothing more than to please you and this makes them easy to train.

Teach shy look at , Brittany Spaniel puppies things they can do that will earn your calm, reassuring praise. Try to provide a peaceful environment see , Mangalarga and a dependable schedule that includes exercise, a daily obedience session, and reliable feeding times.

Most puppies and young dogs please check out , Pet Mice Breeding have a tendency to urinate in response to new situations, when meeting a stranger, or even when their owners come home have a look at , Mangalarga and greet them excitedly. This is a sign that your puppy is uncertain about what is expected. Never scold when this happens. Puppy is already trying hard to please. Calmly reassure, ignoring the urination. Clean up later, in private.

Fear Biting

If puppies don't know what is expected of them, particularly if they are beginning to believe that people are supposed to do what dogs get more info here , Groningen and Gelderlander Horse tell them to do, they may react inappropriately to strangers. The puppy is afraid, but psychologically unable to be completely submissive. They usually show signs of fear and try to run away from a threatening situation, but when escape is prevented, they bite. It happens when children insist on petting a frightened dog, consider, Belgian Malinois and happens at the veterinarian's office. These puppies need the firm leadership and reassurance best achieved through obedience training. why not visit, Shiba Inu

Destructive Chewing

It is natural why not visit , Choosing a Cat for puppies to chew--that's one of the ways they explore and learn. Try to keep valuable objects that are chewable safely out of reach and provide a satisfactory alternative like a Nylabone chew toy. Destructive chewing is merely a way to work off excitement and relieve frustration, not an insidious plan consider, General Maintenance Of Your Fish Tank to get even with you. Help encourage your puppy to be calm. Be easygoing. Don't encourage tug of war or play that involves chewing and biting.
When you leave home also try , Shiba Inu for the day, don't make it into a big deal for the dog. why not visit , Florida Cracker Horse By showing lots of emotion of any sort (threats or cheerfulness, it doesn't matter) you build up emotional stress. additionally try , Chinese Shar-Pei This is often vented in destructive chewing. Your last three or four minutes at home have a look at , Murgese Horse should be spent calmly reading or sitting. Then get up and leave, ignoring your puppy completely--don't even say goodbye. Arrive home , Belgian Shepherd Dog the same way. Ignore your puppy at first and avoid the area where things are most likely to have been chewed. If things are a mess when you get home, get more info here , American Wirehair Cat don't let puppy know you care. Behave calmly. Clean up later when your puppy can't watch. Do not build up more stress another idea , Caring for your older Cat by scolding--that just makes things worse. Again, work on teaching simple obedience and building more information here , Brittany Spaniel the teacher-learner relationship. Puppies need a calm, dependable master.

Chew Treats, Bones and Toys

Don't give your puppy anything small enough to swallow that can't be digested, or things that can be chewed into large indigestible chunks and swallowed.

Chicken bones, rib bones, and pork bones are the most likely to cause trouble. Old gooey rawhide chews or bones from the butcher that have been around for a few days get rotten and stinky and cause diarrhea. If you give things like this (not really a good idea), use good sense. Bones should be too large to swallow and solid enough that they won't be broken up into smaller chunks. Hooves, pig's ears, have a look at, Blue Fronted Amazon and miscellaneous semi-digestible treats probably aren't a good idea either, but if you use them be sure they are too large to be swallowed whole, or small enough to go all the way through.

Instead, we suggest using flavored Nylabone or Nylafloss chew toys. If your puppy first learns to prefer bones and rawhide, he probably won't think chew toys are all that great, so use them from the beginning. Nylafloss looks like a big thick chunk of nylon rope. Puppies like it because they can really sink their teeth into the rope, and it helps keep the teeth clean