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Puppy Care Instructions for New Puppy Parents
Your puppy has been born and raised with love. Nothing has been spared to make sure that the physical and emotional needs of your puppy have been met. And now….the rest is up to you and your family.
Before you know it, it will be time for you to bring your new puppy home. It is during this time that we get many calls from our puppy parents, asking about feeding schedules, items to have at your home when you bring your puppy home, type of food to purchase, etc. We hope that the following pages will answer all of your questions. If not, please text Angie at 740-297-9310 and she will answer any additional questions you may have.
To learn the answers about some of these important topics, click the links below! You will be directed to the page concerning this topic and will see some of our favorite products linked.
What should I feed my new puppy, and how much?
What vitamins should we give our new puppy?
Here are some other questions we get asked!
"Where should my new puppy sleep?"
Your new baby will be feeling disoriented. It has left the only home it has ever known and been deposited into a “new pack” situation. It will be looking for reassurance and company while it works out that it really belongs and is not going to lose you. We strongly encourage you to place the puppy’s crate beside your bed for the first few nights. This way you will hear the puppy stir if it needs to go potty during the night. A couple of friendly fingers poked into the crate will be greeted with a thankful puppy kiss at times of insecurity. The upside of this method is that you, your family, and your puppy will all have a good sound night’s sleep! Gradually, after the first few nights, when the puppy realizes that it has found its permanent and loving home, you will be able to move the crate to another part of the house if you wish. The crate should be just large enough for the puppy to lie down and stretch out, but not large enough to walk around in. Puppies dislike soiling or wetting a small sleeping space.
“Should we allow roughhouse playing?”
Rough and boisterous playing and games such as tug-of-war can create bad habits in a young puppy and in some cases can cause malocclusions. By all means, the children will want to run and play with their new puppy. But times of quiet play are necessary if the puppy is not to develop into a rough and boisterous dog.
"How do we create a safe space for our puppy to play?"
A good setup for your puppy includes figuring out what your puppy likes and doesn't like. As their personalities blossom, they need a puppy-safe space where they learn to relax and become independent. Exercise pens are absolutely one of our favorite additions to a puppy setup. Some of these pens can be attached to your puppy's crate by double snap hooks from your local hardware store. They create a small puppy-safe play area for your puppy to have fun.
Teach your puppy to stand or lie down for grooming right from the start. This will be good practice for the day when you may need to groom your dog later on. Some coat types may start to mat from between nine and twelve months of age due to the adult coat pushing out from under the puppy coat and tangling. A non-shedding dog needs to have the old puppy coat stripped out weekly during this transitional phase which could last for a couple of months.
“How do I potty train my puppy?”
Baby puppies need to eliminate quite frequently. The time it will take to teach your puppy to go potty in the designated part of your yard will depend not on your puppy, but on you. Vigilance is a must!
Puppies will go poop or pee after eating, drinking, playing, or waking up from sleep…. Plus some extra times in between! Carry puppy outside each hour during the day, and put him down in the spot where you want him to eliminate. WAIT. Give puppy time to get over the excitement of being outside (the fun of chasing a leaf or seeing new and stimulating things may take his mind off what he is out there to do). When the puppy eliminates outside praise him. If there is an accident inside, Do Not Put Puppy’s Nose Into Its Own Mess! This serves no useful purpose other than to confuse and frighten the puppy.
Restrict the area your puppy has to run about in indoors to one room or part of one room unless you are prepared to watch him every minute. Crating for 2 or 3 hour periods during the daytime will help the puppy to strengthen his bladder and to teach him that he does not always go immediately when he feels the inclination. Puppies are creatures of habit, establish a routine.
“What amount of rest time will puppy need?”
Young puppies, just like young babies need lots of sleep in order to develop a healthy emotional and physical system. Restrict the playtime of the children with the new puppy and give the puppy its own chilling out time where the children learn not to disturb their new playmate. Resist the temptation to cart your puppy about to introduce him to your friends and neighbors during the first week. Puppy’s tail may be wagging nonstop, and it may have a great appetite and not appear stressed, but a change of home is stressful, whether from around the corner or across the world. There will be plenty of time later for showing off your gorgeous new puppy. But in the meantime, be considerate and give puppy time to find his place in the world, and to bond with you… his new pack.
“What about nipping and biting?”
All puppies nip and bite. It’s natural. But this should be immediately corrected right from day one. It would not be tolerated in the dog pack, and the puppy needs to learn right off that he is “last” in order of the pack, even down to the tiniest child. One bop on the nose with a sharp “NO!” followed by praise the first time puppy nips will then be the last time this correction may need to be given. Nipping and biting can develop into a serious problem if left unchecked that it is one of the few occasions where negative training is recommended.
“When should we see the vet?”
Your puppy has already been wormed three times prior to leaving our home and has had his first series of shots. We recommend that you schedule a vet visit within a few days after your new puppy arrives for a complete health check. This will ease your mind that you have a fit and healthy puppy, and also give your vet an opportunity to give you guidelines on proper care.
Unlikely but possible: We hope that this never happens, but in the event that you may ever need part with your puppy, please let us know so that we may help you re-home him/her.
Please stay in touch! Our puppies are gone but not forgotten! We will always be interested in your feedback. If there is any way we can help you at any time throughout the life of your puppy, please know that we are only an email or phone call away.
We also appreciate customer testimonials and photos we can use for our website, Instagram, and Facebook page.
Best Wishes,
Paul and Angela Jewell