Your New Puppy!

So you have decided to get a new puppy? We have put together some pointers to help both new and experienced owners through what can be quite a time of emotional highs and lows! Whatever your experience, the joy you will have from your new companion should be well worth the effort!

Choosing Your Puppy.

Please take into consideration the needs of the breed chosen and the time you are able to give to a dog. For example, if you lead a busy life, working full time, a Border Collie is not an ideal choice. These dogs are primarily working dogs used for sheep herding, requiring lots of exercise and mind stimulation. Please feel free to ring the surgery where we will be happy to advise you on a suitable breed for your lifestyle. You may of course have a breed in mind so will hopefully be aware of any potential breed problems.

It is advisable to see the mum with the litter and where possible, choose your own puppy.

 

The Breeder.

The age to collect a puppy is between you and the breeder. We would advise not before 8 weeks but there may be certain circumstances when this is not possible. Remember to ask:

Most reputable breeders will give you an instruction sheet and some will give a small bag of puppy’s current food. If you want to change the diet it is on, do this gradually over 2 weeks, slowly increasing the new diet. Changing it quickly can cause gastric upset (diarrhoea) and puppies can get dehydrated very quickly – potentially life threatening.

Introducing your puppy to your other dogs.

We hope that all your dogs will be fully vaccinated! When you want to introduce your puppy to the other dogs in your family, we suggest that you pop a lead onto the older dog/s and have them in an enclosed area. The puppy needs to be safe and not able to run away if he/she is frightened. Let the older dog sniff and lick the puppy and you need to try to read the signs given by them and act accordingly. If the hackles are raised and the posture becomes still, then the older dog is unsure of what the puppy is and may be in danger. Conversely, if the older dog wags its tail and is happy to see the puppy, then integration should be easy. The lead is useful if the older dog should show aggression to the puppy - you have control. Please remember that your puppy will not be fully immunised until one week AFTER the second vaccination (see below).

At home.

We would suggest that you invest in a metal crate or cage to house your puppy overnight or when they are left on their own. This does mean that they are safe from anything that may harm them and will not be able to damage anything they should not! Please do not use it as a naughty pen and try to make it a nice place for them to be. It is also ideal to be able to put the puppy in when you have your meals so the puppy does not get the idea to beg at the table.

Try to praise good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour if possible unless it is unacceptable behaviour.

Give thought to the toys you want them to have. For instance, if you give them a shoe to chew, remember that they will not be able to distinguish between their shoe and your precious Jimmy Choos! Shoes as toys are best avoided. Give robust toys that are not easily destroyed and rawhide chews to aid the teething process. Like children, it is also helpful if you rotate the toys so that they do not become bored with them.

REMEMBER TO PUT YOUR PUPPY OUTSIDE AS SOON AS HE/SHE WAKES UP AS THEY WILL OFTEN NEED TO WEE OR POO AT THIS POINT! You will soon begin to read your puppy’s signs and be able to act accordingly.

Whichever food you give, the daily guide on the side of the packet is a GUIDELINE! If your puppy is not finishing their food then decrease the amount given at meal times. Puppies, like humans, are individuals and their diet needs to be tailored to their individual needs. It is very easy to overfeed and this can lead to major problems very quickly. We all know it is easier to put weight on than take it off! It is best not to leave food on the floor for the puppy to take when they want as this can lead to them becoming picky eaters. It is preferable to be aiming to feed your puppy twice a day but again this is entirely up to the discretion of the owner.

Your puppy will not be fully grown until 1 year old (older for large breeds) when the growth plates in their legs will have fused. Until this point, over-exercising can produce problems in the growth plates and have far reaching consequences and problems for life. Excess weight can also cause cruciate problems in the stifle (knee) which may then require expensive surgery and emotional trauma.

Vaccinations and Microchipping.

Your puppy will need to be protected from the major canine diseases:

The first injection can be administered at 8 weeks old with the second no earlier than 12 weeks old. Your puppy will need two injections to build up immunity to the diseases mentioned above and it will be safe to take your puppy out socialising one week after the second injection. Until this point, we would advise you to keep your puppy away from unvaccinated dogs and areas of high canine population. 

Microchipping is a common practice where a tiny ‘chip’ is implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades of the pet. We offer £3 off microchipping when chipped at the second vaccination. This chip has a one off fee and has no yearly subscription. If your dog is found after straying or becoming lost, any vet or dog warden will scan the implanted chip and recover your contact details. It is vital you keep these details up to date with the register.

Health Check.

When you bring your puppy for its first vaccination, the vet will give him/her a health check at the same time. 12 months from the date of the first vaccination, your puppy will require a booster to continue immunity from the diseases mentioned above. They will also have a free health check at this time. You should ensure this is done every 12 months.

Worming.

Your puppy should be wormed every two weeks until he/she is 12 weeks old, then every four weeks until 6 months old and every 3 months thereafter. We will be happy to advise you on the different preparations for worming. Do call into the surgery with your puppy so that we may weigh him/her and give the correct dose. Refer to our Advice Page on worms to distinguish roundworms from tapeworms.

Socialising and Training.

It is a good idea to take your puppy to puppy classes if possible.  This will help them to accept other dogs, give you a chance to speak to other owners and get valuable training advice. A well trained dog is a joy to have – a badly behaved dog can be a nightmare. A dog needs to know where they are in the household hierarchy, they need to have structure and guidelines.

Insurance.

Many pure bred puppies will come insured for the first 6 weeks, often with the Kennel Club. We would strongly advise all our clients to insure their pet. We are unable to recommend any particular company but we can advise you what to look for in a policy, excesses etc.

Neutering.

If you are not going to breed from your puppy, please consider neutering him/her. All the advice for this, for and against is on our Neutering Advice page.

Please feel free to call into the surgery out of surgery hours (but not between 1-2pm when we are closed) to socialise your puppy, weigh him/her and hopefully they will then not get stressed when visiting us in the future.

Advice.

We are always happy to advise you in any aspect of animal care and ALWAYS happy to play with puppies! Please feel free to ring us for advice but this is best given outside of surgery hours when we will have more time to dedicate to your questions. 01989 562045/562115

Surgery Hours 9-10am, 2-3pm, 5.30-6.30pm Mon to Fri, 9-11am Sat

Closed between 1-2pm

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GOOD LUCK!