He/She has arrived!!  Either by plane or vehicle, you new puppy is home! Remember he has been bounced around, or has had or is having butterflies in his tummy from the unaccustomed motion.  All gone is the playfulness he had when you picked him up. Don’t be surprised if he looks like a wilted flower, No puppy is alike in personality. One puppy may be shocked by the new surroundings, while another will go forth and explore without a worry. Which ever reaction you receive, there are  Important Dont's!

1.)  Don’t reach out and make sudden grabs at the puppy.

2.)  Don’t let the children scream over the puppy in delight. Sudden movements and loud noises frighten puppies. You need to gain the pups confidence. Talk to the puppy in a friendly tone and you will gain his confidence. Always pick up the puppy with both hands. Never let very small children pick up a puppy as they may accidently drop him. A child must learn to treat the puppy with kindness. The child must be taught not to chase the pup to make him run, not to stick fingers in his eyes or ears, and not to pull his hair or tail, not to lift him by his legs and not to drop him on his head, or step on him or frighten him with screams or cries. Never tease a puppy, this is a serious mistake because, he may grow up to be mean tempered and, snappy as he matures into a dog. A child must learn not to corner a dog, because this may trigger a natural response for the pup to try and protect it’s self. Even a pup with a gentle nature may snap or bite to protect himself under certain conditions. All the above mentioned things have been done to pups/dogs by children. Parents need to teach puppy and child, as well as watching over the play time of both little ones.

3.)  Don’t air-condition, be aware that the puppy can catch a cold from the change in temperature. It is wise to not have the house to cold, as the puppy probably did not come from an air-conditioned environment and he/she will have to ajust to the temperature change. This should be done slowly.

4.)  Don’t give your puppy well water, if you do have well water, not city water, then you should boil the water that your puppy drinks or buy bottled water or get some city water from a friend until he/she is about 6 month’s of age. Well water contains bacteria like e-coli and giardia etc. which can give the puppy serious diarrhea which may need antibiotic’s to clear up. Also drinking from a lake, stream or puddles can have the same effect. As some people have cottage’s it is something to guard against.

Stress:  The first two weeks you have your puppy will be the hardest. He/she will lose the home it knows, possibly have its diet changed, be introduced to new types of food, begin training and be given more activity than it's used to. I have broken down these points so that YOU can help minimize the STRESS your puppy is going thru. Overdoing it can lead to a sick puppy. Please follow the pointers I have set out.

You just brought your puppy home, your puppy is under STRESS, just like  you when you’re starting a new job, very tense, not wanting to make a mistake.
Until 10 days after the 2nd vaccination, to insure better immunity, the puppy shouldn’t go to parks that other dogs frequent or other places, for example a friend’s house. If you don’t follow these guidelines, your puppy could still catch the disease it was vaccinated against.

We want the puppy to settle in its new environment. He/she cannot do this if it’s moved around. Let your puppy get used to its new environment. Let it sniff and explore, with supervision, while you go about your daily work. Remember, your puppy just lost everything that was familiar to it. Let it explore, don’t keep distracting it or picking it up.
It needs QUIET TIMES, more time to get used to their new home and fewer distractions: 15-20 minutes play and one and a half to two hours rest.

Food changes?  “Oh! I couldn’t find the same food.  This will do!”
The puppy is only used to the puppy food it is eating, if you introduce ANYTHING new, it can cause diarrhea. We recommend that you keep the puppy on the food it is used to, to help minimize the STRESS!

If you cannot find the same food, mix the two types together gradually (this change over should take 7days) the stool will get a little soft, but should firm back up once the change is completed. If not done gradually the puppy could get really bad diarrhea. They are like newborn babies, you wouldn’t change their formula.

During this time, don’t introduce puppy treats as well, this is something else the puppy isn’t used to and makes it harder for the puppy’s system to adjust to.
When can I give treats? After the puppy has been in the house for three weeks and is used to your schedule. Remember: “If you don’t do this gradually, you can cause diarrhea.”

Activity?  My puppy loves to play and run around, CAN I OVERDO IT? YES!! The puppy doesn’t always know when enough is enough. During these first two weeks it can overdo it, just like you when you go to the gym and workout too much: the next morning you really feel it. You can do this to your puppy also. Taking it for long walks or playing with it too much are some examples. To help prevent this problem try playing with the puppy for 15-20 minutes and letting the puppy have an hour and a half, to two hours rest. You can gradually increase the time after the first two weeks. LET THE PUPPY ADJUST FIRST!

Training?  Don’t expect too much from your puppy!  Patience and perseverance are the keys.

• 7-8 week old puppies cannot hold themselves all night and don’t have a fully developed bladder yet. Often they need to relieve themselves every 20 minutes or so, just like a baby.

• At 12 weeks they usually have bladder control, but you do get the odd exception. Depending on the puppies age, once they drink they usually have to go to the bathroom in 20 minutes. Some of the signs you can watch for are: sniffing the floor, doing circles, running around and whining, these are your hints, take them outside. Your puppy should eat 3 to 4 times a day, once it eats, about 10 to 15 minutes later it will have to go to the bathroom. Take the puppy outside and once it does its duty, reward it immediately. Use voice commands like: good dog! , use lots of praise and petting. If an accident happens, clean it up, but try not to use a cleaner with ammonia in it. Puppies can smell this and it will make them want to use the spot again. Also if they have a mistake in the house, pick it up and take it to where you want them to go. They will smell their smell and want to go there. By expecting too much or being hard on the puppy you can cause them to make more mistakes because they don’t feel comfortable. This causes stress as well. We want to make the puppy comfortable without overdoing it. When house training, keep it in a smaller space like the kitchen, until the puppy gets the hang of it, too much room will make it harder to train, Start small, then get bigger.

* GOOD LUCK!
Don’t hesitate to call or e-mail.
info@pawsruskennel.com
Tel: 819-647-2118

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