CARING FOR YOUR NEW TOY PUPPY
Congratulations on your new family member. I really hope they bring you much happiness,
love and friendship for years to come.
Below are some points to help your new puppy settle in.
1. Make sure your house is safe and secure-
There is nothing worse than puppy squeezing through a hole in a gate and getting out or licking up toxic chemical because a cupboard was left open. Keep puppy well away from the swimming pool until you have taught your puppy how to exit the pool on their own.
2. The First Night-
This is the first time puppy has slept on their own. Some puppies transition easily to their new home others cry and yelp a lot.
There are 2 main methods of dealing with the first few nights of crying. One is to allow puppy to sleep next to your bed in his secure area where you can drop your hand down and comfort him whenever needed. This can cause sleep deprivation for both of you.
The second is to set his bed up in a warm soundproof room with a puppy pad or kitty litter in a small safe area. A ticking clock wrapped in a towel can be comforting and I have provided a rag scented with his old sleeping area to place in his bed to help with the transition. A teddy bear can also be comforting as it feels like his brothers.
Crying at night may not happen or it could last up to 2 weeks.
3. Diet-
Please be careful with puppies diet:
NEVER FEED PUPPIES chocolate, potatoes, lollies, pork/ham, fried food or meat cooked in gravy as their stomach cannot process it and can become poisonous to them.
I have been feeding puppies- an egg mixed with milk each day, tinned puppy meat from Aldi, and woolworths/coles. I also give each puppy a tablespoon of full fat natural yoghurt each day. I give the puppy an egg once every few days.
Breakfast- Tinned puppy meat mixed with puppy milk.
Lunch- Yoghurt and egg (only when they are available)
Dinner- Meat which we are eating ie cooked mince, chicken (never give puppies the chicken bones as they can get stuck in their mouths or worse pierce a hole in their stomach).
Always leave water and quality dried puppy food out. I rotate between Farmers Market, Black Hawk and Holistic select biscuits. DON’T buy cheap dog biscuits as they are often poor quality and low nutrients. Learning to read the labels really helps in your choice of good dog food.
4. Handling/Discipline-
Please be careful handling your puppy. They are robust but their little bones can break if dropped onto hard surfaces. Please love them like a baby and never treat their little bodies roughly.
Pat them a lot and affirm good behavior. Discipline bad behavious and make sure the puppy knows from the start that you are the head of his new ‘pack’. A dog that doesn’t know his place in the pack will be ill disciplined, confused and hard to train.
If you have had little experience with training dogs please go to a puppy training school to learn how to teach basic commands and obedience.
5. Grooming-
Poodles are wonderful as they do not shed and leave hair all over your house. The flip side is you need to groom your poodle about once every 3 months. I trim around their eyes and bottom about once every 6 weeks to keep them looking neat and tidy.
I have bought myself a pair of clippers (Andis, Oster, Wahl or other very high quality brand. The cheap brands are a waste of money as they cannot clip thick poodle hair). You can teach yourself to groom and it is a wonderful bonding time with puppy. Use the internet/youtube to help you learn how to groom or a great book to get is: Poodle Clipping and Grooming: International Reference by Shirlee Kalstone. If grooming seems a bit daunting you can use a professional groomer.
Poodles love to sit on your lap while watching TV/computer. If your hands are free use the time to brush puppy and tell them how beautiful they are. Try to brush puppy regularly as their hair can dreadlock if it gets too long and unbrushed.
6. Vaccination/Worming-
Your puppy has been wormed every second week with drontal (milbemax at 6 weeks). Puppies next worming is due at 10 weeks. Then 12 weeks, then monthly.
The worming tablets at supermarkets tend not to be effective. Ask your vet which tablet they suggest for the area in which you live as worms are more prevalent in some areas.
Your puppy has been vaccinated and will be due for their next vaccination on the 25th January, 2018.
WARNING- Please do not take puppy to the park where other dogs have been till after their second needle.
Best Wishes and I hope that you will love your puppy and cherish him as a close friend
Annette Gibson
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FOR INFORMATION
Text: Annette on 0400 926 278
Email: annettegibson277@live.com.au
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