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Puppy Development:
Infant 8-12 weeks
Terrible Twos 12-16 weeks
Adolescents 16-24 weeks
Puppy Puberty 6-9 months
Teens 9-12 months
Our Feeding Schedule:
Supplemental feedings, Birth to weaning - every two hours, 24 hours a day.
Weaning to 7 weeks - 5 times a day.
7 weeks to 8 weeks - 4 times a day.
8 weeks to 6 months - 3 times a day.
Six months on - 2 times a day.
First meal at 7:00am
Meals are divided out based on feedings per day.
Last meal about 6:00-7:00pm.
Handling and grooming regularly helps to form a deeper life long bond and your pup is more likely to become well-socialized, healthier and a better canine community citizen.
Bathing
The big question: How dirty
is my pup? The true deciding factor of when to bathe your pup is how dirty is your pup and does it have fleas or ticks. Bathing your dog can be done every two weeks to once every eight weeks. When
bathing always use a shampoo and conditioner formulated for a puppy or dog and not for people. People and dogs have a different pH balance to our skin and hair. Have everything ready before beginning including the
towels, brushes, combs and cotton balls. Always wipe out the pups/dogs ears after every bath. Check their eyes for irritation and wipe off the inside corners with warm cotton ball. One of the most
overlooked alternatives to bathing is just to “rinse off” without using shampoo and towel dry..
Nail Trimming
Once a week.
Trim the nail just in front of the quick and always have styptic
powder on hand incase of bleeding.
We also use an emory board to take off sharp corners and prevent splitting. This is a must for those dogs going into therapy work or being around kids and seniors.
Trim even
if its only a tiny bit. Helps to keep the pup acclimated and future nail trimming a breeze.
Coat Brushing
2-3 times a week
Use a soft bristle brush for a puppy. Start
brushing from the head working downward and toward the tip of the tail. Brush against the coat and then in the direction of the coat to help remove lose hair.
Ear and Eye Care
Gently clean pups ears once a week with an ear flush solution and cotton balls. Do
not use Q-tips. Dry inside of pups ears every time after swimming. Do not allow your pup or dog to swim in Florida’s canals or ponds.
To clean your dogs eyes, use a warm wet cotton ball to clean the
inside corners only. Never wipe the cotton ball across the eye.
Teeth Care
2-3 times a week
Start now with a soft child tooth brush without any canine toothpaste. Gently wipe the teeth and gums to get your puppy used to the act of brushing and not to remove food etc. When the adult canine teeth come in then switch to a canine tooth brush or finger brush and use only canine toothpaste.
Puppy Vaccination Plan Guideline
Distemper Given at 6-8 weeks, 9-11 weeks and 12-14 weeks of age.
Adenovirus-2 Given at 6-8 weeks, 9-11 weeks and 12-14 weeks of age.
Parainfluenza
Given at 6-8 weeks, 9-11 weeks and 12-14 weeks of age.
Parvovirus Given at 6-8 weeks, 9-11 weeks and 12-14 weeks of age.
Rabies
One dose as early as 3 months of age.(Florida - 6 months)
This is just a guideline. Talk to your vet as to your own puppies vaccinations schedule.
Bordetello One dose as early as 3 weeks of age. If used prior to 5-6 weeks of age, it should be given again after 6 weeks of age. (This is another vaccine for Kennel
Cough and is frequently used for dogs that are boarded.)
Source:
Report of the Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Task Force: “2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines, Recommendations, and Supporting Literature.
Housetraining
Bladder control of a young puppy is usually no more then 3 hours.
Please, please don’t leave your puppy in a crate for more then four hours at a time.
To reduce the time it takes to house train, take your puppy by leash out 15min. after they eat, immediately after waking up in the morning and naps, romps or play times, and every 30 min. to hour and a half, taking the same route to the same elimination spot.
Do not move to another spot until they have eliminated. If they do not eliminate take them back inside and wait a little longer.
One of the most important things you can do to help house train your puppy is: stay on a schedule and keep everyone on the same routine.
When it comes to house training remember that your new puppy is a
new puppy. He/she won’t be perfect and will have accidents for the first few weeks.
If you adopted a pup from us, the puppy was paper trained while in the pen/crate and not fully house trained.
Focus on yard training your puppy by praising him/her while he/she is eliminating in the yard.
Puppies live only in the moment and praising them while they eliminate helps them to associate the act (Go potty, good booyyyy/girrllll).
When your puppy eliminates outside, after you have praised them while they were eliminating, spend a few moments playing one on one with the pup.
Do not praise nor scold the puppy for going on the paper if you have made it available to them.
If you catch them eliminating anywhere else in the home tell them “NO OUTSIDE!” and whisk them off to
the outdoor elimination spot, then tell them, “go potty”.
Remember, puppies live in the moment only, if you do not catch them in the act of eliminating then just remove the puppy from the room and
clean the spot with a neutralizer/deodorizer that chemically breaks down the feces and urine. This neutralizer can be purchased at most pet stores.
Little pups need to be watched constantly. Learn to
look for telltale warning signs that your puppy needs to go outside. These include scratching at the door, walking in circles, sniffing a previously soiled area, whining, restless pacing and intense sniffing
of the floor.
It may be helpful to leave some feces in the elimination area outside to help draw the puppy to that area making a scent post.
If you are still having house training accidents start taking the pup outside every 20 to 30min.
Patience on the owners part is very important.
Basic Puppy Facts
To the puppy everything left on the floor, or at eye level, belongs to them. Puppy proof your home as you would
for a new baby with teeth.
Your puppy will not be fully immunized until four-six months. Avoid dog parks and areas where other dogs eliminate. There is a new virus that is taking it’s toll on dogs and there
isn’t a vaccine for it yet.
Teething period is four to six months of age. Have plenty of puppy toys to distract the pup from furniture, shoes, cords, etc.
At 14 wks. of age the dominance order of the litter/pack is fixed.
Basic obedience training starts as soon as your new puppy settles in, 2-3days.
Training should be done daily on the five basics, sit, down, come, stay and heel.
Basic obedience training (as housetraining) should be done while on a leash.
Puppies have short attention spans, keep training short, positive, interesting, flexible and fun.
Never train if you are in a bad mood.
Buy a puppy training book if you are unsure how to do the training.
This will help you as well as your new member of your pack.family.
Introducing a new puppy to a young child should be done quietly and in an adult controlled situation. Explain to the child that the new
puppy is like a new baby and they need to be quiet, relaxed, and move slowly just for the first few days while s/he gets settled in.
Halloween can be a very scary time for your puppy. Your new puppy
doesn’t understand masks or costumes. Keep your new puppy away from the front door while your attention is directed toward tick-or-treaters.
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