Your puppy has been given the finest possible start in life because it has been:
· Born of fine tempered, healthy parents.
· Wormed and fully immunized for its age with "state of the art" vaccine.
· Kept indoors, warm, clean and free of pests.
· Fed the highest quality diet.
· Provided with veterinary supervision.
· Had dew claws removed for safety
· Given plenty of loving attention
· Provided with training experiences and socialization that coincide with its developmental stages.
As responsible breeders, we are always interested in feedback on our puppies and are eager to answer questions, discuss training procedures or just provide support to the pup's new family. It is only from your feedback, positive or negative. that we can judge the type of dog that we are producing.
2. FEEDING:
Feed only a dry PREMIUM dog food made especially for puppies, for example, Nutro Natural Choice. Premium dry foods give solid nutrition and the hardest smallest stools. This not only facilitates pickup but a hard stool massages the anal glands and seems to prevent problems. There are other very good brands - check with your vet if you have concerns. If you want to switch, do so very gradually over a 10-day period or the pup will get diarrhea.
We urge you not to use grocery store brands of dog food as the ingredients used are of inferior quality. Do you want your dog getting its protein from "chicken feathers and heads" or from backs and giblets? Premium dog foods may seem more expensive but the dog consumes less, the food is highly digestible and there is less stool. Price wise, it evens out.
Offer DRY food, as much as they will eat. Do not moisten or add canned food. Leaving food down all the time is not recommended because studies have shown the puppies fed this way consume 20% more food and this may cause bone defects and obesity in later life. It is better to have your pup a little underweight. Make no fuss about eating, it is a neutral and natural activity and should not be encouraged or discouraged. The "clean plate club" does not apply to dogs. Except in rare cases of illness, the dog will eat exactly what it needs with the above method. Pups will normally skip meals as will adults. KEEP FRESH WATER AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES EXCEPT WHILE IN CRATE.
Avoid feeding table scraps (if you must, they should not consist of more than 10% of the diet). REMEMBER, THE SMALLER THE DOG, THE LESS THE TREATS. Do not feed commercial dog biscuits as training rewards. Watch the intake of rawhide chew toys. GIVE TREATS ONLY AS A REWARD FOR OBEDIENCE. DO NOT GIVE ANY BONES EXCEPT STERILIZED BEEF KNUCKLE BONES. DO NOT SUPPLEMENT WITH VITAMINS, COTTAGE CHEESE, MILK OR EGGS. These old beliefs are not only unnecessary with today's balanced Premium foods, but may cause a host of skeletal and cartilage defects. They may also decrease phosphorus, iron, zinc and copper absorption and may cause crusty and scaly skin. CHOCOLATE, ONIONS, GARLIC AND CAFFEINE ARE HIGHLY TOXIC TO DOGS.
3. THOSE FIRST FEW DAYS:
Your puppy is ready to learn at 4 weeks but teaching and learning require frequent repetitions of the same behavior, 100 to 200 times. The first days can be very trying for both the puppy and new owner and is similar to the frustrations felt when bringing a new infant home. The main challenges are crate training and house training. The main ones facing the puppy are learning to sleep by himself without the warmth and comfort of his littermates and finding out what his place is in the "pecking order" of your household. Remember that pups need a great deal of sleep so do not allow children to overtire him. Your pup is already used to a crate, "his den," but may cry and scream out of loneliness. Keep the crate beside or even on your bed for a while. Place some unwashed item of your clothing in with him along with a stuffed toy or two and a chew toy. The sterilized hollowed bones stuffed with peanut butter in the middle will entertain a pup for hours. You can also feed the pup in his crate. but do not leave food or water in the crate. NEVER REMOVE THE PUP FROM HIS CRATE WHILE HE IS CRYING OR SCREAMING. This just rewards the behavior. Make sure he is quiet for at least 30 seconds before opening the door. The first week or so, he may have to be taken out to eliminate once or twice during the night. Don't jump out of the bed on the first peep; wait to see if he is serious. Sometimes just saying a few words will reassure him and you will not have to get up.
4. BITING AND CHEWING:
All pups bite and chew in play. Teach the pup to bite softly by loudly yelling "ouch" when he bites too hard and he will learn to bite softly. Some trainers prefer the command "no bite". Be careful of having puppies in your face. They do not discriminate between your finger and your nose. During teething, they will chew on practically anything. Your job is to provide chew toys and praise the pup when he uses them. Keep shoes and other unacceptable chewing objects picked up. Put Bitter Apple (available in pet stores) on phone and electric cords. Puppies, like human babies, explore their environment by putting anything and everything in their mouths. Make sure that they have a variety of safe toys to chew on.