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Caring For Puppies
By Maureen Rodriguez
Who can resist a furry, wiggly, bundle of love with milk-breath? You've decided a puppy will make your family complete, investigated breeds and mixes, their adult size, personality traits, estimated costs of regular veterinary care, flea/tick and heartworm prevention, grooming, food and evaluated your lifestyle. Now you're ready to welcome the newest member of the family.
Try to bring the pup home early in the day on a weekend or when you have a few days off so both of you can settle into a routine and get to know each other.
Before your puppy comes home, make sure home is going to be a safe environment. Baby animals, just like human babies, find the darnedest nooks and crannies to get into. And they get into trouble playing with things we don't even think twice about, such as electric cords, computer cables, cleaning products, pantyhose, etc.
Crawl around the house, or bribe a child to do it for you, and see it the way your pup will. Hide or contain wires and cables, put baby locks on low cabinets (little paws and noses can pry doors open), pick up stray paperclips, needles, strings, shoelaces, and move valuables, books and magazines to new heights.
You need to be prepared when the puppy arrives:
- No-tip metal food and water dishes (remove the rubber rings from the base - they help keep the dishes from sliding, but the puppy will chew on them).
- Crate - the airline-style, sized so your pup can turn around and lie down (too big and she'll have room to eliminate where she doesn't sleep).
- Stain and odor neutralizer - accidents will happen and regular carpet cleaner will not neutralize odors from urine or stool, so your pup will be drawn to that spot forever!
- Brush, nail clippers and a comb if your dog has a medium to long coat.
- Adjustable collar, identification tag and a six-foot nylon or leather leash with a small clip (no chain collars or leashes).
- Safe toys such as a Kong(tm) or Nylabone(tm) and maybe a plush toy made for dogs.
To get your puppy off to a good start, schedule a veterinary check-up within the first 48 hours of bringing her home. You can then get a clean bill of health, a schedule for vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery, and advice about food, training, parasite preventatives and trainer recommendations.
House-training a puppy isn't difficult if you're consistent and stick to a schedule. You will probably be feeding three times a day. First thing in the morning, take the puppy out of his crate and quickly take him outside to where you'd like him to eliminate. Be patient, and as soon as he starts to eliminate, CALMLY tell him "Good tinkle" (or whatever term you'd like to use). When he has finished all his business, take a few minutes to play or cuddle with him. What you want to teach him is the sooner he eliminates, the sooner he'll get to play. If you can teach him this, during inclement weather, you won't be standing outside, miserable, waiting. When playtime is over, bring him inside, feed him breakfast and let him have water. In about 15 minutes, take him outside again and repeat the routine. Once back inside, if you have time to monitor him, you may let him explore. Then put him back in his crate.
Never leave a puppy in his crate longer than he can control his bladder. Usually he can hold it for as many hours as he is old in months. A two-month old pup can stay in the crate no more than two hours, as long as he has eliminated before being crated. Repeat the feeding, elimination, play routine at lunch and dinner, then no more water or food two hours before bedtime. If it's very warm, a few ice cubes in his bowl will quench his thirst but not stimulate his bladder like water will.
During the day, exercise your puppy's brain as well as his body by training and playing. Remember, a tired puppy is a good puppy!
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