Puppy Care

Puppy essentials

• Health records including dates of vaccinations and dewormings.
• High quality food.
• Food and water bowls that can be sanitized easily.
• Shipping crate for a bed.
• Shampoo, proper grooming tools.
• A collar, leash, and "Nyla-Bone" chew toys.

Eating, drinking & sleeping

• Eating: Some puppies require privacy, coaxing, or companionship to eat. If the puppy does not eat after these methods have been tried, you might try warming the food. The puppy's diet should never be changed rapidly. Diet changes should be made over a 1-2 week period to prevent digestive upsets.
• Drinking: Water is even more important than food in the puppy's first few hours in its new home.
• Sleeping: Rest is very important to the puppy. Puppies generally sleep throughout the day, waking only to play for a short time, eat, and eliminate waste. Do not expect the puppy to run and play all day.

Crate training

• A crate should always be large enough to permit the dog to stretch out flat on his side without being cramped and to sit up without hitting his head on top.
• Place the crate in a "people" area the kitchen, if possible, in a spot free from drafts and not too near a direct heat source. For bedding, use an old towel or piece of blanket that can be easily washed.
• Make it clear to all family members that the crate is not a playhouse.
• Establish a "crate routine" immediately, closing the puppy in it at regular intervals during the day and whenever he must be left alone for up to 3-4 hours.
• The puppy should be shown no attention while in the crate.
• The puppy should be taken outside last thing every night before being put into the crate.
• Always feed the puppy early enough to allow ample time for bowel elimination after eating before placing the puppy in the crate.

Housetraining

• A dog can only understand scolding and praise if it occurs within a half second of the event you are trying to control. Catching a puppy "in the act" is the best time to scold or praise. After the event has occurred, it is too late to scold, or praise, because the puppy will associate your feedback with whatever he is doing at the time, not ten minutes before. Rubbing his nose in his mistakes is a worthless technique and only confuses the dog.
• Dogs need to relieve themselves after eating, sleeping and playing.
• Feed your puppy the same time every day. This will help keep the dog's digestive system regular and it will be easier to predict when he needs to go out.
• Start housetraining on a weekend when everyone will be home and able to help. If mistakes happen, clean it up well and spray an odor neutralizer on the wet spot and rub it in well.

Other helpful hints

• Get your pet accustomed to riding in the car: Start off with short trips and gradually work up to longer ones.
• When disciplining your pet, never call him to you to be punished: Get up and go over to him. He will be much more willing to respond to the "come" command if he associates it with affection, treats, or a trip in the car.
• Pets should not be given any type of cloth toys, articles of clothing or shoes to play with.

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