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Puppy Care
Taking care of a new puppy can bring both delights and disasters!
Understanding a puppys rate of growth and development will provide
an excellent framework to enable you to understand and appreciate
all of the different aspects of puppy care. The requirements of
newborn puppy care varies considerably to taking care of an older
puppy. Planning your new routines in relation to puppy care can
really help reduce any potential pitfalls. The planning that goes
into preparing for a new baby is major and a puppy is not
dissimilar to a new born baby! Puppy care is time consuming and
requires a whole new routine for all members the family! The
information provided in this section are Preparing for new born
puppy care, puppy safety, feeding puppy care, sleeping
arrangements for pups and puppy supervision.
Newborn Puppy Care - up to 4
weeks
Newborn Puppy Care is very much the total province of the mother.
The following details chart the requirements for puppy care
according to the puppies growth and development rates.
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A puppy is born blind, deaf and
toothless
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The puppy's eyes, which are
closed at birth, open when it is between one and two weeks old. It then
begins to see
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A puppy cannot shiver. It is
small and therefore must look to its mother for warmth
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Puppies whimper when they are
cold, hungry or uncomfortable
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Puppys grow while they sleep
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A puppy is reliant on its
mother for the first few weeks for food, comfort and to learn basic dog
requirements
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A puppy will be weaned between
the ages of 3 and 7 weeks
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During the ages of 3 to 7 weeks
its first teeth, or milk teeth will appear
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A puppy is taught basic
behaviour disciplines from its mother
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A puppy should be exposed to
people within its first week to enable it to socialise comfortably with
other species
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A puppys first four weeks are
important during which time they should be made to feel comfortable with
their environment and mixing with different species and people. Failure
to do this may result in behavioural problems as the puppy grows older
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Puppies learn what it is like
to bite and be bitten
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Puppies also learn what
different forms of barking mean and how to make and use those sounds
themselves to establish relationships with other dogs
Puppy Care between 4 to
7 weeks old
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A puppy will continue how to
socialise with other dogs and animals and people
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Up to the age of 4 weeks the
mother will be with the puppy almost constantly
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Between 4 and 5 weeks the
mother will gradually spend time away from her puppies
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Children should be encouraged
to play with puppies at this age to ensure the puppy is comfortable with
children in the future
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After weaning puppies need to
receive a series of vaccines in order to develop immunity on their own.
Vaccinations for puppies generally include distemper, hepatitis,
leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, rabies, and sometimes
bordetella
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Puppies are usually found new
homes at this age
Puppy Care - Preparing
for he arrival of a new puppy
This section details the top tips and advice on puppy care in relation to
preparing for the arrival of a new puppy. Inspect your home through the
eyes of a new puppy and any potential problems or safety issues - a major
consideration in puppy care.
Puppy Care - Safety Issues
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Are there any rooms that you do
not want the pup to go into? Install locks or safety gates
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The bathroom especially should
be made totally out of bounds - your puppy might be tempted to drink
water from the toilet
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Make sure the floors are clear
of anything sacred or that might harm the puppy - toys, slippers, shoes,
papers etc
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Remote controls are very
dangerous for a dog the batteries can cause burning and mercury
poisoning - Put them somewhere safe
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Check out your house plants -
some can cause toxic poisoning such as mistletoe, holly, hibiscus,
dieffenbachia, ivy and azalea to name but a few
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Household cleaners - Be sure to
remove any cleansers, disinfectants, bleach and soap powder from the
puppys reach
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Check the house for any small
items that might be swallowed
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Check for any dangling chords
or table cloths
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Make sure that no breakable
items or garbage is accessible to the new puppy
Puppy Care Checklist -
Items to be purchased
A puppy does not require many items but the following should be purchased:
Puppy Care - Bedding
Provide your puppy with its own bed in a quiet area of your home. Your
puppy will sleep during the day and night. A puppy crate can be used as
its bed. A cloth or cover from the breeder will help the puppy to feel
comfortable and secure. It is tempting to take a whining puppy into your
bed but this will inevitably set a future trend. If the pup is distressed
move the crate next to your bed a soothe the pup just by stroking.
Puppy Care - Feeding
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At first, the puppy should be
fed four times a day. (Feedings should be reduced to twice a day by the
time a puppy is mature or even once a day in the case of a dog that gets
little exercise)
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Have fixed meal times
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Do not leave food out all day -
Let your puppy eat for fifteen minutes and then clear the food bowl away
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Clean, fresh water should be
available to your puppy at all times
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Change the drinking water after
each feed
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Discourage the family from
offering the puppy 'people food'
Puppy Care - Grooming
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Nails should be trimmed once
per week
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Lightly brush the puppy once
per week
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Do not bath the puppy until it
has reached adulthood
Puppy Care - Attention
Play with her quietly and gently. Don't confuse a pup with too much
attention and activity. It is important that a puppys activities are
monitored at all times. A puppy requires a lot of sleep, during which time
it grows, so ensure that you meet your puppies sleep requirements
Puppy Care - Identification
Your puppy will be as precious as any member of your family. All puppies
should wear a collar and name tag at all times - a microchip might also be
considered
Make sure the collar is not too loose or too tight and the size is checked
regularly
Puppy Care - Routines,
Responsibilities and Rules
Devise a puppy care schedule - the puppy needs time for play and sleep
Who will be responsible for feeding and clean water?
Who will be responsible for cleaning any mess?
Decide what action to take if the puppy whines - especially at night
Puppy Care between 8 and 12 weeks
The planning and preparation stages are over - puppy care is now the
responsibility of the new family
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Ensure that puppies have
received their appropriate vaccinations
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The character and temperament
of the puppy and their adjustment to their new environment and new
people should have been eased by its early weeks of life
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The first few days at a new
home should be eased as much as possible by ensuring that the puppy has
lots of attention and different things to do and see
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At first, the puppy should be
fed four times a day. (Feedings should be reduced to twice a day by the
time a puppy is mature or even once a day in the case of a dog that gets
little exercise)
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The puppy will use its basic
instincts to naturally explore its new environment and the different
things within it
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Puppies will still sleep a lot
and grow as they are sleeping. They usually appear restless and move
about considerably but this is quite normal
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A puppy is naturally playful
bringing fun and enjoyment to both the puppy and its owners
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Remember that the pup is still
developing behavioural patterns and is important that puppies continue
with their socialising program
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Smell is the dog's most acute
sense and a puppy will continually sniff the air, the ground, and nearby
objects to learn what is happening around it
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During this early stage of a
puppies life they will need to experience many new things and have not
yet obtained a high level of confidence to cope with this. It may
encounter situations which make them nervous and frightened
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The job of any owner is to
ensure that their puppy is gaining confidence to cope with more
stressful situations at this important growth stage
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During times of stress, a dog
raises its hackles - the hair along the neck and spine
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And finally the puppy must be
made aware of your rules. The puppy is used to being submissive to its
mother and must now learn to apply this to its owner.
The acceptable behaviour of a
puppy must be the same as that you would expect from a full grown dog!
Puppy Care between 12 and 16 weeks
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Puppies teethe! At this age of
growth the first of the permanent teeth will work through ( this process
continues usually until the seventh month when all 42 teeth would have
appeared)
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Puppies should not be
excessively groomed. A soft brushing will usually suffice until it is a
year old
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Puppies should not be given a
full bath until it is mature at 1 year in order to preserve the natural
skin oils
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At this age a puppy might
demonstrate Pack Leader Behavior and test who is the Boss. A puppy will
challenge your authority
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It is critical that you
establish your position as pack leader at this point - please see the
Puppy Training section for more
information
Puppy Care between 4 and
8 months
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The adult teeth continue to
come through and during this time puppies need to chew! Provide them
with items to chew and don't be surprised if they start on nay objects
left lying around - like slippers!
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The incisors and the canines
are very important because the dog bites and tears at its food with
these teeth
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The confidence of the puppy
will now have grown as would its physical size. The puppy will be
showing interest in chasing its quarry but are probably not fast enough
to actually catch it!
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Puppies at this age will not
feel the need to stay close to their owners and will develop the urge to
run off on their own
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No puppy of this age should
ever be let off the leash except in a totally safe, confined area
Puppy Care between 8
months to 1 year
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At this age it should be
considered whether a puppy should be spayed or neutered
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Feeding frequency should be
considered - reduce to 2 or 3 meals per day
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Some dogs reach sexual maturity
at the age of eight months
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The puppy is old enough to
start Obedience Classes or a professional training program
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The puppy would have grown to
approximately half to three quarters the size of and adult. Female dogs
would have probably reached their eventually height but will to continue
to 'fill out'
Puppy Care at 12 months
old
Puppies are now considered to have finished their development and growth
rate and are viewed as adult dogs. Although sexually mature beforehand, a
dog usually does not attain full growth until at least its first birthday.
Puppies - Individual Breeds
We have provided oodles of information relation to dogs and puppies of
individual breeds. The Size comparison pictures between an adult and a
full size dog are invaluable when considering which puppy to buy! Please
click the following link for access and information for all dog breeds,
dog training and dog names.
Puppy Training
Puppy Behavior, Growth &
Development Rates
Choosing a Dog
Puppy Care
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