Bringing Puppy Home
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE YOUR PUPPY COMES HOME!
Please keep your puppy on a LARGE BREED PUPPY FOOD until he/she is at least 12 months of age. More feeding info can be found below.
I would very much appreciate updates and photos of how you and your puppy are doing, and will even post them on my website with your permission.
Tips for You and Your Puppy:
The First 48 hours – This can be very difficult for your puppy. He is away from his family for the first time and is very frightened. He will need company and reassurance. The best place for your puppy to be is in a kennel or room where people can be seen. Within a day or two his old family will be replaced with the new one. Once he is comfortable with the new family you can then move him to the permanent place that he will be living in.
Feedings – As a puppy he will need to be fed 3-4 times a day, gradually reducing feeds to 2 times a day at a year old. Your puppy should have access to water all day, or until 7ish if an indoor dog to reduce the need to urinate through the night. To change foods or formulas, you should begin by substituting a small portion of the regular food (1/4 or less of the normal ration) with an equal portion of the new food. After 2 or 3 days of this mixture, reduce the old food by another 1/4 of the ration and increase the amount of the new food accordingly. Keep doing this every few days until you are only feeding the new food. Pay attention to your puppy’s stools so that you will know what is normal for your puppy and what isn’t. They should be soft and formed. Be watchful for diarrhea. Severe diarrhea (watery squirts) can very quickly lead to dehydration (which is a matter of urgency). Seek veterinarian attention immediately if your puppy is unable to retain fluids!
Socialization – The second stage of development in a puppy is called socialization and lasts from the fourth to the sixteenth week of age. Without proper socialization pups would typically be fearful of unfamiliar objects and generally prefer to withdraw rather than investigate. Quoting Ms. Battaglia, “Regular trips to the park, shopping centers and obedience and agility classes serve as good examples of enrichment activities. Chasing and retrieving a ball on the surface seems to be enriching because it provides exercise and includes rewards. While repeated attempts to retrieve a ball provide much physical activity, it should not be confused with enrichment exercises. Such playful activities should be used for exercise and play or as a reward after returning from a trip or training session. Road work and chasing balls are not substitutes for trips to the shopping mall, outings or obedience classes most of which provide many opportunities forinteraction and investigation.”
Housebreaking – Pick a spot in your yard that is to be his lavatory. Always take him to this spot first thing in the morning, last thing at night, after waking from naps, after exciting play time, when he sniffs the floor and whines, and anytime you feel that he is trying to tell you something. It will not take long to learn his signals if you stay in the same room as the puppy. Because puppies do not like to relieve themselves close to their bedding or food, it is best to confine him to a small area when he is sleeping. Collect all of his accidents, including any rags that were used to wipe up his urine and put them in this spot outside. Scold him for mistakes, but LAVISH PRAISE and give treats initially for achievements. He is small and so is his bladder, but both will mature quicker than you think!
Chewing – Your puppy must chew to get rid of baby teeth and to induce the growth of new teeth. He will also chew out of curiosity and boredom. Always provide plenty of toys for this purpose. When you see the puppy pick up an object to play with that is not his, remove it from his mouth and sharply command ‘No’, then replace it with one of his own toys. My personal favorite dog toy are size appropriate ‘Kongs’ since they are virtually indestructible, and therefore your puppy won’t choke on broken bits. ‘Kongs’ also come in varying designs for easy throwing, water retrieval, and for ‘hiding’ treats for your dog to work at getting. Rawhides are also useful.
Collars – Your pup will grow very fast! Be sure to check his collar every week so that it doesn’t get too tight.
Training – Take the time and effort now to train your puppy and you will reap great rewards of a well-behaved, obedient dog that you will be proud of. Start with getting your dog to sit before a meal or biscuit is given and he will begin to realize that a reward is forthcoming when a command is obeyed. Labs will do anything for food so use this to your advantage. Once commands are established, the food reward can be removed (use lots of praise though!). When doing something wrong, use a sharp ‘No’.
Name – Stand two people about 20 feet apart. The first person calls the pup to come to them. When he arrives, give lots of praise and a small treat. Then the second person does the same thing. Repeat this many times.
Jumping – A puppy jumping up on you may be cute now but it won’t be in six months on a rainy day when your dog weighs 60lbs! Teach him to sit first before you lavish attention and love on him. Turn and ignore him when he jumps on you until he obeys the ‘sit’ command.
Fetch & Tug-o-War – Your dog will learn to fetch easily and will love playing this game. It is also a great way to exercise your dog with little exertion on your part. Always make your dog drop or give you the item, NEVER play tug-o-war! This can cause a dog to snap at hands and faces!
Grooming – Very little attention is needed to maintain a Labrador’s coat. Brushing can help in keeping the coat clean from particles and helps to speed shedding. Bathing is seldom required since it destroys the natural oil in their coats that keeps the coat waterproof and their skin healthy. When bathing be very careful not to get water in the dog’s ears since it can not easy drain from them. Ears should be clean and light pink inside. Scratching at ears or ears being a dark pink color can be signs of an infection. Please consult your vet which can give you a cleaning solution and teach you how to properly clean your dog’s ears.
Swimming – As your dog gets older he will love to swim in any open body of water! You can play fetch into the water, and is a great cool-down in hot weather.
Worming & Vaccinating – Your puppy has been wormed a few times already and in my opinion should be wormed again at 16wks of age, and then every 6 months afterwards. Worms are fairly common in dogs and can slowly deteriorate the dog physically if not treated regularly. Worms can also easily spread to humans so proper hand washing after handling the dog is very helpful, especially in children. Your pup has also been vaccinated and requires 2 boosters 4wks apart, and then yearly. Please keep up-to-date with treatments and see your vet for any further recommendations.
Benefits of Spay/Neuter – Spayed animals no longer feel the need to roam to look for a mate. The result is that they stay home and have less chance of being involved in traumatic accidents such as being hit by a car. They also have a much lower incidence of contracting contagious diseases, and get into fewer fights. In males, neutering decreases the chances of developing prostatic disease and hernias, and eliminates the chances of developing testicular cancer. It also reduces problems with territorial and sexual aggression, inappropriate urination (marking) and other undesirable male behaviors. In females, spaying decreases the incidence of breast cancer (the rate goes down to almost zero if the spaying is done before the first heat cycle!). It eliminates the chance of developing a serious and potentially fatal infection of the uterus experienced by many mature unspayed animals (pyometra). Spay surgery also eliminates the heat cycle and associated mood swings and undesirable behaviors, messy spotting (2-3wks/cycle) and the attraction of all available males to your yard. Spay/neuter surgery also has humane benefits. It reduces pet overpopulation and saves taxpayer dollars. It leads to fewer unwanted litters and fewer homeless animals in shelters and on the street being euthanized each year. Spaying and neutering also increases the lifespan of your pet by approximately 3 years! It is my personal recommendation that you spay/neuter your puppy at 10mths of age, not earlier, so that the growth hormones can ‘shut-off’ at their regular time frame (sex hormones affect this ‘shut-off’ period).
A Letter From Your Puppy:
I am your puppy, and I will love you until the end of the earth, but please know a few things about me.
I am a puppy; this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning are the same as an 8-month-old child.
I am a puppy; I will chew EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It’s up to you to guide me to what is mine to chew and what is not.
I am a puppy; I cannot hold my bladder for longer than 1-2 hours. Do not punish me if you have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle. It is your fault.
As a puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty after eating, sleeping, playing, drinking and around every 2-3 hours in addition. If you want me to sleep through the night, then do not give me water after 7 or 8 pm. A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and I will avoid you being mad at me.
I am a puppy, accidents will happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn.
I am a puppy I like to play. I will run around, and chase imaginary monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and ‘attack’ you, and chase fuzz balls, other pets, and small kids. It is play, it’s what I do. Do not be mad at me or expect me to be sedate, mellow and sleep all day. If my high energy level is too much for you, maybe you should consider an older dog.
My play is beneficial, use your wisdom to guide me in my play with appropriate toys, and activities, like chasing a rolling ball or plenty of chew toys for me. If I nip you too hard, talk to me in ‘dog talk’, by giving a loud YELP, I will usually get the message, as this is how dogs communicate with one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a few minutes, or put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toys.
I am a puppy; hopefully you would not yell, hit or strike, kick, or beat a 6 month old infant, so please do not do the same to me. I am delicate, and impressionable. If you treat me harshly now, I will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked, kicked or beat. Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance, If I am chewing something wrong, say ‘no chew!’ and hand me a toy I can chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you don’t want me to get into. I can’t tell the difference between your old sock and your new sock, or an old sneaker and your $200.00 Nikes.
I am a puppy; and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like your own, but yet also very different. Although I am not human in a dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who can instantly obey your every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be part of your family, and your life. You got me (I hope) because you want a loving partner and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get bigger, do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to be.
I am a puppy; and I am not perfect. I know you are not either, and I will love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about training me, puppy behaviors and caring for me from the breeder where you got me, books on dog care, our vet and research on your computer. Take me to puppy class and obedience training so we both can learn together. We will have a lot of fun and I will get to play with others like me.
I am a puppy and I want more than anything to love you, be with you and please you. Won’t you please take time to understand how I work? We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst, discomfort, fear, and rejection; but yet we are also very different and must work to understand one another’s language, body signals, wants, and needs. Some day I will be a handsome dog; hopefully one you can be proud of and one that you will love as much as I love you.
Love,
Your puppy
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