Bringing Your New Puppy Home

Do not put the food in a bowl and assume your puppy is eating.  Pay careful attention to how much he is actually eating each day because this is critical to their health.  If you are concerned with minimal eating habits use Enercal (as seen on our Puppy Shopping list) and/or blend a small portion of warm water with his normal ration, creating thick smoothie consistency for enticement!

The small breed puppies do not have a large fat reserve, so it is essential that these puppies eat three meals a day.  Missing a single meal can cause these puppies to have dangerously low glucose levels (hypoglycemia).  Once a puppy’s glucose levels are low, he might become too confused to eat and could refuse food.

Your new puppy should be eating three times a day (see Potty Schedule).  1/2 cup of dry food total (approximate).   We feed our puppies Inukshuk Professional 26/16 Dog Food.  Your puppy will be sent home with a small bag of our Puppy Food along with a feeding guide and instructions on how to gradually switch puppy over to an alternative if you prefer!

 Whichever food you choose to feed your puppy,  always read the label!

Once your puppy reaches around six months old, switch to two feedings a day and maintain this through through maturity.  Your puppy can be switched to an adult formula food between 9-12 mo. of age.  If you choose to switch to a different brand of dog food, the change must be a gradual one. Change the food over a 4 day time period, giving 100% of the original food the first day,  75% original food and 25% new food the second day, 50% of each the third day, and 25% of the original and 75%  new the fourth day. This gradual change will reduce the amount of stress to the puppy.

As your puppy grows follow the directions on the bag for the age and weight of your puppy.

A new puppy will need to have nap times throughout the day to rest.  It is also important that he has a warm place to sleep. Be aware that play times are kept short, whether the play is with people or other pets. Puppies can play themselves into exhaustion or not take the time to eat or drink.  Your puppy should also be able to retreat to it’s “den” or  crate on its own accord if it becomes tired or frightened. 

All contact between a new puppy and resident pet should be 100% supervised for the first two weeks minimum. Be especially careful if your other pets are much larger than your new puppy. We suggest separating your pets with child safety gates or pet exercise pens until they are acclimated.

Until your puppy has completed its immunization shots, remember to keep your puppy away from areas where non-resident pets may frequent. (public parks, rest stops)   

When your puppy comes home, it is NOT fully immune to the many viruses until all booster shots have been given.  We encourage you to speak with your licensed Veterinarian about completing these vaccinations when you receive your puppy.  Your puppy will be up to date with our de-worming and vaccination program when he/she goes home!

You should begin a good schedule of teeth cleaning as soon as you bring your puppy home!  When you and your puppy are calm, use a toothbrush or finger brush (no toothpaste) and gently rub teeth.  Making sure to get top, bottom, front, and back teeth. This can be done a few times per week.  After 2 weeks, begin using a small amount of tooth paste.  Always praise your puppy during this process. Once, everyone is comfortable, you can change your schedule to brushing once a week.  Bones and hard rubber toys can also help maintain oral health.  See our shopping guide for oral health toy suggestions.   HINT:  You can start with beef/chicken broth on your finger or brush to get him/her used to, and loving, the brushing process. 

Sometimes eye staining in small breeds can be present.  You can limit staining and maintain healthy eyes to prevent infections and severe staining. 

Things to do at home to promote healthy eyes.  

• Wipe around the eyes with warm wet cloth 1-2x per day.
• Keep hair around the eyes trimmed well.
• Use a very fine bristle or comb to get the small hair and eye crust away from eyes.
• 1 TBSP a day of original Greek yogurt. 

If staining persists, please see our puppy shopping list “Angel Eye Chews”

When you take your puppy outside or to the bell to go out, ring the bell with the pup’s paw and say, “Outside”.

“Potty”

When you get to the spot in the yard where you would like your puppy to eliminate, say “Potty” as you let the pup sniff around. If you would like pup to do a second after the first one, say “Potty again” and be patient!

Leave It

This is going to be your pup’s middle name soon.  When you want pup to ignore something rather than give attention to it, tell pup to “leave it!” Even if pup is barking at someone across the street, say “leave it” and try to redirect the pup’s attention to something better like a toy or you. 

Yes

We use “yes” just like you would use a clicker in clicker training.  When you want you pup to do or not do to something, and pup complies, then immediately say “yes”. It is much nicer than “no” and pup needs to hear it sometimes too.

Let go

If your puppy gets ahold of something and won’t let go, say “Let go” and open pup’s mouth and take the unauthorized item.  If pup lets go nicely, make sure you reward for a good deed.  If the pup fights you for it, nicely just open jaw by squeezing the hinged back area open, take the item out, and say “yes” as if it was the pup’s idea all along. Try to make positive out of every situation that you can. 

Settle

When pup is acting too rambunctious for a situation (like acting out at the vet) say “settle” and keep the leash very short so that pup has no other choice.  Once pup has struggled enough to wear down a bit, it will naturally relax a bit at which time you may also relax the leash a bit.

This Way

When you begin walking your puppy on a leash, there may be some wandering and lolly-gagging on the part of the pup that causes some frustration.  To help pup stay on track, give reminders and guidance along the way. If pup is pulling the wrong direction, say “this way” and gently guide the right way.

Go Crate

It takes a while for most pups to become attached to the crate so that they want to be in it instead of being with you.  Always say “go crate” when you set pup inside.  Eventually you should be able to “send” pup from anywhere to the crate if you are clear about what you want them to do.  If pups resist, gently set pup in and shut door quickly.

Keep household cleaners and chemicals out of his reach. Restrict access to food, plants and chemicals that are dangerous to dogs:  

• Foods: chocolate, caffeine, onions, garlic, chives, moldy foods, alcoholic beverages, nuts, grapes, raisins, yeast dough, corn on the cob, Xylitol (found in sugar free diet foods), milk, bleu cheese.
• Plants: Azalea, Amaryllis, Daffodil, Bird of Paradise, Eucalyptus, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Iris, Calla Lilly, Morning Glory, Rhododendron, Rose, Jade, Tomato plants, Tulips, Poison Ivy/Oak
• Chemicals: Antifreeze, Ibuprofen, rat bait.

Remember to safely store all chemicals out of reach.

Make sure breakable items are out of reach.  Put up electrical cords so he won’t chew on them.  Keep toys off of the floor-since some parts may be small enough for your puppy to swallow.  Use a cover and/or protective fencing if you have a pool or hot tub.