MUST READ PUPPY TIPS

Remember to call your vet and schedule  your well puppy visit within  72hrs of attaining him/her. Don’t forget to bring along the health  record that comes with your puppy. This visit serves a few purposes.  It  confirms that you have a healthy pup and  it’s part of the  socialization period for your puppy.  Be very careful at the vet’s office.  Do NOT set your puppy on the  floor in the waiting room or  walk him/her around outside.  Vets see a lot of sick animals and you don’t  want your pup to pick anything up there.(an early morning appt is  best) 

Take a stool sample with you to your first booster vacs appt.   The  pups have been dewormed 3x but will continue to pick up microorganisms from the soil. Your puppy will need to continue a deworming schedule.  My   pups are exposed to several environments around the farmyard and lake to help build their immunity while they are young and healthy. Also, remove poop in your  yard in case of worms.. you don’t want to get   re-infested by sniffing around the yard.    Also, CARRY your pup if you go to Petsmart or other pet stores until  AT LEAST after the 3rd vaccine booster. 

 REMINDER: NO long walks with your new puppy yet. Simple playtime in the yard is sufficient. Whining comes from a tired pup. Long walks and jumps from furniture can be damaging at this stage to their body.
Easiest to feed your puppy  2 x/day.   This will help schedule the poops as well. Please use  your own judgement when feeding. The  food bag gives feeding guidelines for average dogs and your puppy is soooo above average..!! They need to be fed  according to their needs and amount of exercise they receive. Only YOU  can judge their body condition well enough to increase or decrease the allotted  food. 

Try and maintain a schedule. It’s easier  to housebreak your pup that way.   Generally they need to go as soon as they wake up,  right after  eating or drinking, and if playing a lot. It will seem  like they go a lot when they are tiny b/c their systems are  so small.   If you decide to change  his/her food, do it gradually to avoid an upset  stomach.  Just remember to buy high quality adult food (small  kibble)  for the first year (not grocery store food) and buy dry b/c it’s better  for their teeth.  They currently eat the Purina Pro Plan Puppy Food but  can soon rotate  between the Purina Pro Plan  adult varieties . 

 MY OPINION ON TREATS:

I am not a promoter of treats. I use them only at night when my dogs go into the Dog House and into their beds without  any hesitation...it's a thank you from me. I believe your dog desires  nothing more from you than  simple praise or a hug. ie. If you asked your  partner to go out and get your book from the vehicle and bring it back  to you...do you give him a treat when he returns...NO...they  want to be  acknowledged with a simple thank you..that's all. This is what your  canine companion yearns for...your praise.

Treats can also create food aggression.  If you have children, I beg you to eliminate treats. You don't teach  your children values and duties using treats so why would you do it with  your dog. Praise and acknowledgement from YOU is what they need and desire. Children  tease, it's in their nature. Teasing with treats is a great combination for disaster!   

RESPECT is when your dog looks you in the eye...not the treat hand or treat pouch...your EYES.

Caution:  I recommend you NEVER  leave the puppy alone with a small child. Always  supervise for the  safety of both parties. ie. Biting, pulling hair, excrement, toy  stealing, etc.

Again, don’t walk a tiny pup too much.  Their  bones/joints are fragile right now and they  get tired easily. Also, don’t  let them jump off beds, furniture while they are  growing, you don’t  want an emergency vet visit that costs a fortune.  They’re not fragile  dogs but as puppies they  are.

It is also common for puppies to get  carsick.   Fortunately, they generally outgrow  it.  But, they need to go on several short trips to get used to it.  So,  bring an extra towel  and paper towels. You can also try a little ginger snap cookie b/4 the  ride.  Ginger settles their stomachs. Drooling and panting is simply a sign of  stress/anxiety but they will learn to cope and relax.

Don’t let anyone wrestle or roughhouse  with your  puppy.  This teaches them to be  dominant dogs later.  No tug of  war,(you  must always win as “alpha”) etc.   Remember, they are tiny and  cute so you may be tempted to let them get  away with things, but think  if these will be things that you will enjoy when  they are older, like  barking for no reason, jumping on people, jumping on  furniture. 

 Set the boundaries from day  one and be consistent and make sure everyone in the house knows the rules and  follows them.   A stern NO or QUIET is all  they generally need.  They are very   sensitive little dogs.  Do not  reward  bad behavior or negative  behavior (don’t coddle a dog that shakes during a  thunderstorm,you are praising bad behaviour)

When a puppy becomes a new family  member, it's good to know what to  expect in the months ahead. That way, you can  best provide his  nutritional, socialization, and health-care needs. Below is a  sampling  of what to expect and what you can do during the time period for 8 weeks until 6 months. 

Physical coordination and bladder control are improving, but attention span is still short. Three  weeks through 12 weeks is his most critical socialization period, influencing greatly how he will interact as adult.  It is important that they have a chance to play with other puppies or dogs. There are so many  “dog” social skills they need to develop. A lack of dog  socializing at this stage may affect his social skills with other dogs  for life.

By this time, the puppies have  fully functioning  brains. They are fully capable of learning but remember the  attention span is rather short so they lose focus easily. Do not exhaust them   with lessons, keep it fun.

Fear Stage occurs about this time. If frightened  during this time of his life, puppy may carry this fear for life. It is  important to recognize this stage in your pup. Your pup may become   fearful of people, places, or things that he/she never was before. Do not press the issue! This stage will pass and he will return to normal.

Puppies are generally busy exploring their new world. Their senses are keen and looking for a challenge.
Your pup still sleeps a lot during  the day. By 12 weeks, he'll begin losing puppy teeth

Your Job: Protect his developing  immune system by staying current on vaccinations. Ask your veterinarian  about deworming, and flea and tick control. We use REVOLUTION here  which covers internal and external parasites as well as ticks but it is  only moderately effective. I now use K9 Advantix II for ticks and fleas. It  is a topical and monthly dose. There have been numerous warnings by the FDA about the dangerous side effects of  BRAVECTO, NEXGARD, AND  SIMPARICA for flea and tick control. Many dogs have died or had seizures  with some effects being permanent. The effects may occur immediately, a  month later or even a year..Take your puppy outside frequently to avoid  accidents. I cannot stress the  importance to socialize with people,  places, and other dogs.                                

Start basic training: Get your  puppy  used to a collar, to leash walking, and to coming to you when called. When your puppy obeys a command, give an immediate reward.  Introduce your pup to variety  of people, situations, and places. Enrol  in a puppy class if you can. Let him sleep when he's tired. Begin  grooming? Brush his/her teeth and  coat, handle his mouth and paws, and  trim  nails. Feed a quality dog food. Purina Pro Plan - Savor is recommended. 

 He explores everything at this stage. Puppies will begin to test dominance and leadership now. Compliant  puppies will now test your authority and have opinions of their own. This is  comparable to a child going through adolescence. A puppy that has always been happy in his crate at night for example, may throw an actual temper tantrum when it’s time to crate. This an important time to establish the “ALPHA”.

This is also a critical learning  time for the  puppy; a great time to attend an  obedience class. Now, is the  last  chance you get to effectively socialize your pup.  After this phase, your puppy will depend on already learned knowledge when dealing with  social situations. Social skills  will develop throughout his life but  somewhat diminish after this point. 

Your Job: Continue basic training; offer rewards and praise for a good job. Give plenty of toys  for chewing, play with him, and offer lots of exercise. Cut feeding to 3  meals per  day. Puppy obedience classes. 

This is a period of great physical  growth. He/she may go through an ugly stage but I promise, your puppy will grow up to be a gorgeous Mini American Shepherd. All children mature differently and so do the pups. Maturity is reached at  2yrs of age when he will be filled out and  have a luscious coat of  hair.                 A flight stage may appear at this time. Your puppy  has always come when you call  him and now he turns and runs away. This  can be frustrating and it is the  rebellious teen phase but it will be over in one to  four weeks. Do not punish  him when he doesn't come, he needs  positive reinforcement. Aussies are very sensitive  and do not take to  harsh language. This will pass, please be patient. 

 Your Job: Keep socializing  your pup, but be gentle with him if he's reluctant or shy. Check his collar as  he grows to make  sure it's not too tight. 

6-10 months is a good time to spay/neuter your pup. You want to spay before the first heat cycle which could come at anytime now. Neutering at this stage will hopefully prevent your pup from ever lifting  their leg to excrete on your precious bushes and  shrubs…they should continue to squat.

*NOTE: Go to a SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC in your city  or just in a smaller town. Obviously, the vets there are well practised at this surgery and the cost is about $200 less,  Do not feel  obligated to use your vet. I have had  clients pay from $190 to $580  for a simple neuter and that is ridiculous. You  are not required to do  blood work and a number of other tests they would like to  do at this stage. When you go for their spay/neuter, this is a great time  to have the vet check for any  leftover baby teeth  that need removal so you don't have to pay for it  later.

 Your pup may or may not go through  a second fear stage at this  time. Make light of the fear and instead distract  the puppy from what  he is afraid of and remove him from the situation with something  positive. Be sure not to console a puppy that is frightened…you will   only intensify that fear. Instead, distract him and give him something  else to  think about.

Your time and attention in these  critical months pay off when he becomes a well-behaved, well-adjusted adult.