Puppy Care

Posted in Puppy Care | By: Navjot Singh | 20 Mar 2011 8:45 am    

When you are getting home a new puppy, there are questions that linger in your mind especially when you are a beginner. While seeking advice from the breeder is important, there are some basic things that one must   know as the breeder won't make you sit and explain A TO Z of puppy care. I had a similar experience but prior reseach helped a fortune. I'll try to throw light on some of the most basic things:

Question – Which breed of dog will be best for me and my family?
Answer-  While choosing the right breed consider the following points:
A) Space- How much space does the dog needs? Breeds like Great Dane, Rotweiller do need a lot of space. These are not the dogs for those who live in flats. At the same time, German Shepherd, Labrador ( though highly active ) are happy in flats as long as their daily exercise requirements are met by the owner. There are small and medium size breeds that are very active, and though they are small they are not the best apartment dogs, to name few- Jack Russell Terrier and Border Collie.

B) Trainability:  How quickly does the dog learn ? Is the breed ok for beginners or does it require experienced owners ? While there are breeds that response well to training and thus learn quickly, there are breeds which need more time to learn and thus are tougher than others.  GSD, Labradors, Golden Retrievers are very trainable and thus are ok for fist time dog owners. On the other hand, Dachunds  and Bassett Hound are known to be stubborn and thus the owner may have hard time training them.

C) Health issues- Most dog breeds suffer from genetic disorder. GSD, Lab, Rotweiller are prone to hips displaysia, Basset hound and Dachsund are prone to back problems. The prior knowledge of these genetic defects will help the owner what things his dog will be vulnerable to, what care he would have to take right from the beginning to insure the dog is affected as little as possible from these genetic disorders.

D) Grooming: Dogs like other mammals shed. Shedding for a pet dog would mean fur every where, on bed, on table, chair, on clothes, everywhere. Regular grooming is required to control the above. If you plan to bring a GSD or Saint Bernard be prepared to spend atleast half and hour grooming the coat. At the same time, Japanese spitz  or Dobermann may need grooming only once in the week.

Question-When should I get the puppy home?
Answer- The ideal age is 8 weeks as by that time puppy has received the basic immunity from his mother's milk. When the puppy is 4 weeks old, a good breeder will give the puppy the first shot of Dewoming and when it's  8 weeks old the puppy is vaccinated aganist Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza and Letospirosis. Before you take the puppy home it's important to check if the puppy has been dewormed and vaccinated against these diseases. If so, then you must ask the vaccination record given by the vet to the breeder.

Question- When can I take my puppy out for a walk?
Answer- Puppies are very suscepible to infection between 1-3 month of puppyhoodo. Utmost care must be taken during this time. Never let the puppy play with stray dogs outside. Take the puppy out only after it has been fully vaccinated, the most ideal time being after 3 months.  The most ideal time to start the leash training is when the puppy is 3 months old. Till that time, let the puppy play and walk inside the house.

Question- How often my puppy must be dewormed?
Answer- Your puppy is dewormed for the first time when he's one month old.Unless he turns 3 months old, he must be dewormed after every 15 days. Subsequently, he's dewormed after  every 3-4 months unless  he turns 2 year old.  Thereafter, he needs to be dewormed half-yearly.

Question- What vaccination does my puppy need?
Answer- While the Vet is the first point of contact, a puppy owner must know certain basic things about his puppy's vaccination and deworming schedule. A puppy has to be vaccinated against Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza and Letospirosis when it turns two month old. That's not it ! After the first shot, boosters must be given after one month from the date the first shot was given and second booster after the first booster was given. Subsequent boosters are given on yearly basis.

Question- When does my puppy needs to be given Anti-Rabies Vaccination?
Answer- Not before he turns 3 months old. Booster must be given after one month from the date the first vaccination was given. Thereafter, the vaccination must be given on a yearly basis.

Question- When should I give my puppy bath and what care must I observe?
Answer- Not before he's 3 months old as by that time a puppy is dewormed  and vaccinated against deadly diseases. The puppy must be bathed not more often than monthly as excessive bathing can damage their developing coat.  Always wipe the face and ears with wet towel and don't let water go into the ears. Use dry cotton to clean the ear skin.  To remove dirt inside the ears, little liquide Paraffine can be soaked on the cotton.

Question- How often must my puppy be fed?
Answer-  Till the puppy turns 6 month old, he must be fed 4-5 times a day. It's a good habbit to feed the puppy on small bowl after regular intervals like at 8 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 AM, 4:30PM, 6:30 PM, 10:30  PM. The moment the puppy has finished eating, take him out for potty. This will reinforce a habbit in him that he must go out to relieve himself. Seek the breeder advise about the diet requirements of the dog as every breed has it's own diet requirements. Can a Bull Mastiff suvive the diet of Minature Pincher? The anweer is obviously No.

Question- How to potty train my puppy?
Answer: As soon as the puppy has finished his meal, take him at the place where  you want him to relieve himself. Make him relieve on a sheet of newspaper. Follow this every time. Keep that newpaper folded near him when he's playing or sleeping for 15 minutes or so. The smell coming out from that newpaper will reinforce the habbit in the puppy that he must relieve only on the newspaper not anywhere else.

Some Usefull Links
 
German Shepherd - http://animal.discovery.com/vi deos/dogs-101-german-shepherd. htm

Labrador - http://animal.discovery.com/se arch/results.html?focus=site&a mp;query=labrador

Doberman- http://animal.discovery.com/vi deos/dogs-101-doberman.html

Rotweiller- http://animal.discovery.com/vi deos/dogs-101-rottweiler.html

Pug- http://animal.discovery.com/vi deos/dogs-101-pug.html

Dalmatian- http://animal.discovery.com/vi deos/breed-all-about-it-dalmat ion.html

Pomeranian- http://animal.discovery.com/vi deos/dogs-101-pomeranian.html

Lhasa Apso- http://animal.discovery.com/se arch/results.html?focus=site&a mp;query=lhasa+apso

Saint Bernard- http://animal.discovery.com/vi deos/dogs-101-saint-bernard.ht ml