Puppy Top Tips
Just a few tips on what to expect when you take your puppy home and how to help them settle into their new family.
Anxiety
It is perfectly natural for a puppy to be anxious and take time to settle into their new home.
Unfortunately, this will mean they may well have an upset stomache. This usually lasts for a couple of days. If it lasts longer than a 4-5 days please contact your vet for advice.
During these first few days please keep your pup hydrated with plenty of water and not too many treats. Preferably use a small amount of their normal food to treat. Once settled, slowly introduce different treats.
Crying @ night
This is to be expected for a short while. They will be missing their siblings and parents. This will be the first time they have been alone.
They will need time to bond to you as their new care giver. I recommend that you do go to them when they cry, but not to 'play' with them. They need to learn that night time is sleep time.
Comfort and reassure them that you are there, then return them to bed as quickly as possible (this is not easy as you will just want to cuddle them). Although it will not harm your pup to have a few days of extra cuddles to help them settle and bond.
I would recommend you stay within earshot of your pup for the first few weeks in order to take them out to toilet when they cry.
Their little bladders are not big enough to go through the night until they are around 12-14 weeks old. So be prepared to have some broken nights sleep for a little while.
Radio
Try leaving the radio on quietly for background noise. Our pups have been brought up on Radio 2, but feel free to choose your own favourite channel. This may help at night time or if you plan to leave them on thier own.
Introducing your Pup to their Lead
When introducing your pup to a lead attach the lead when the pup is calm. The let them walk about dragging the lead behind them. This can be either indoors or outside in the garden. Do this a couple of times before then taking hold of the lead. Start with gently guiding the pup to walk beside you. With the pup on the right hand side take several steps forward follwed by a 90 degree turn to your right. Keep doing this to form a square. If you are left handed please do the reverse. Remember to praise your pup and use their name to keep their attention. Only do this for five minutes to start with and gradually build up the time. This will help your pup get used to walking with a lead.
I recommend you attend a puppy training class to get a full course. It will benifit both yourself and your pup.
Adolescence
Your pup will go through adolescence anything from 7 months old.
This is may be when you feel they are settled with their training and have a good recall.
Unfortunatley the teenage pup will suddenly think they can do what they like. Or at least try too. Their recall can be come non exsistant. They may chew things they never chewed before, they may start stealing food, the list goes on.
Of course, your pup may not do these things. But if they do, don't loose hope. It is just a phase and can be corrected quiet quickly with consistant training.
Just go back to your basic training techniques. Lots of praise when they do the right thing. Use high value training treats when using recall. Ours like cheese, either small chunks or you can use squeezy cheese and just squirt a little into their mouth on return. They love it.
These rewards should be used until you have regained their obedience.
Socialisation
When you get your puppy home , they will not be able to go out for walks on the streets etc. but it is very important for them to spend time being introduced to as many different experiences, places and people as possible before 16 weeks old.
So please take them with you where ever you can. Just don't put them down on the ground.
I would suggest one exception, that being a friends/family house and garden who either don't have dogs or who have dogs that are vaccinated. (When Covid restrictions allow).
Always avoid any areas that you suspect will have rats: riverways, farmland etc as these animals will carry the many diseases you are vaccinating against.
Cleaning up after your little one...
When cleaning up after your pup I recommned using a pet friendly disinfectant.
I use Pet Fresh which I buy undiluted. Then dilute to make 5 litres of Pet Fresh . (They will provide a 5 litre bottle free.) This works out at around £1.20 a litre. If you use this straight from the 5 litre bottle it is an antiviral as well as a strong disinfectant.
Distinfectant spray :Take the 5 litre bottle and dilutes 1:5 and put in a recycled spray bottle - use to clean all surfaces in the home. Including windows. This works out at about 30p a spray bottle.
Garden Cleaning : I dilute 1:3 when cleaning the astro turf and patio.
They have a wide range of scents to choose from.
On your walks...
When going for a walk with your new best friend if you think you are going to be out for a while it may be worth considering taking some water and snacks for your little one. Especially if they are going to be running.
We use water bottles that have a built in drinking cup. There are several different kinds so shop around to find one that suits you.
Health Tips
If your pup has an upset stomache and you feel you need to take them to a vet, you may find your vet prescribes Prokolin. It is much cheaper to buy this online than from your vet. It is readily availabe from many online pet stores including Amazon.
Eye issues - if your dog has itchy runny eyes, that look blood shot, it may well be conjunctivitis. You can use Golden Eye. This is a human treatment for mild conjunctivitis. Available from chemists but don't say it's for a dog as they are only allowed to sell it for human use. I use this on my dogs and it is great and much cheaper than the vet prescribed treatments.
Print 