After Your Puppy Is Home ❥❥
We have heard of and seen so many other's Puppies contract Parvo. We ask and recommend that all of our new Puppy Pawrents not take their new Puppies to dog parks and other heavily dog populated areas until they have received all 3 rounds of their vaccinations and their first Rabies after 16 weeks. Same with taking your new Puppy to meet another family member or friend's Dog that does not live with you. We do not recommend this until after you know your Puppy is fully vaccinated. If you take your new furbaby shopping at PetSmart or Petco please utilize a shopping cart or carry them around with you instead of letting them walk around the store. Same with taking them in to your Veterinarian's office. A lot of sick Dogs go in to the Vet, so we always recommend carrying your Corgi and not allowing them to be on the ground there. You also can't be too careful choosing where to let them go Potty if you have to drive a long distance home after Pick Up Day. I always recommend a patch of grass you think is inconvenient or out of the way for other Puppy Pawrents, and has not been used heavily or at all - if you stop at a gas station for example. Puppies are very vulnerable and we want them to stay as safe as possible! We do strongly believe in early socialization but prioritize their well-being above all. I would much rather you be safe and extra cautious than sorry!
Q: What should I feed my new puppy, and why did they develop diarrhea right after I brought them home?
A: They have diarrhea because they are stressed. You’ve changed their environment. They have left their siblings and mother. Stress affects an animal’s gastrointestinal system before it affects anything else. Generally, they get over this in the first week.
Also, any abrupt change in a puppy’s diet is going to cause the puppy some gastrointestinal upset. Try to change their food over a seven day period minimum by mixing the old food with the new food. If you change it quickly, you’ll have problems. Same with over feeding treats and table scraps. The best time to switch over to new food is after they've had all their Puppy vaccines and first Rabies shot to avoid all digestive upset during a taxing time on their small bodies. So that would be after 16 weeks. Always feed your new puppy a puppy-based diet, which is generally higher in protein and helps aid in their growth and maturing.
If you would like to do some research for yourself on which Puppy food you'd personally like to feed, please feel free to use this website as a great resource. In my opinion the best foods have the least amount of added fillers such as corn.
A: They have diarrhea because they are stressed. You’ve changed their environment. They have left their siblings and mother. Stress affects an animal’s gastrointestinal system before it affects anything else. Generally, they get over this in the first week.
Also, any abrupt change in a puppy’s diet is going to cause the puppy some gastrointestinal upset. Try to change their food over a seven day period minimum by mixing the old food with the new food. If you change it quickly, you’ll have problems. Same with over feeding treats and table scraps. The best time to switch over to new food is after they've had all their Puppy vaccines and first Rabies shot to avoid all digestive upset during a taxing time on their small bodies. So that would be after 16 weeks. Always feed your new puppy a puppy-based diet, which is generally higher in protein and helps aid in their growth and maturing.
If you would like to do some research for yourself on which Puppy food you'd personally like to feed, please feel free to use this website as a great resource. In my opinion the best foods have the least amount of added fillers such as corn.
Puppy Proof the Home:
- To a puppy, your home is an adventure playground. Protect the new puppy and save your belongings by puppy-proofing your pad.
- Stow away all chewable objects that can be swallowed. Make electrical cabling safe behind furniture or cover the cables. Block access to rooms where puppy pee or poop can cause damage. It is impossible to make your entire house puppy proof, rather choose the areas that are most vulnerable to damage and restrict the puppy to certain areas of the house. You have to inspect the backyard for toxic plants in it. Also, look for holes that might hurt your puppy.
- When you think the job’s done, get down to the floor level yourself. Check from a puppy’s eye view under the sofa and in all of the places you don’t usually see. This might sound a bit silly, but it’s a great way to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
- Puppies are attracted to food smells. Make sure you put the lid over the garbage can and secure it. You can also use barricades like exercise gates and baby gates to restrict their movement to a limited area. Give your Puppy some toys so that they keep busy with that and they learn to entertain themselves. This will keep damages to your belongings at a minimum.
Potty Training a Puppy:
It’s important your puppy learns the right place to go potty.
To do this you:
Offer your puppy a potty break:
It’s important your puppy learns the right place to go potty.
To do this you:
- Prevent indoor accidents
- Offer lots of potty breaks
- Praise your puppy when they go in the correct place
- Watch your puppy like a hawk and limit their chances to pee indoors. If your puppy squats, whisk them straight outside. When you can’t watch your puppy, put them in the crate.
Offer your puppy a potty break:
- Every 20-30 minutes
- During walks
- 15 minutes after a meal
- Before playing
- At bedtime
- When your puppy squats outside, repeat the cue word “go potty” and give your puppy a treat. Repeat this each time your puppy goes outside. They’ll quickly link peeing in the right place to getting a reward.
I know it seems tempting to shave your Puppy in the summer when it is hot out outside, but doing so actually destroys their ability to regulate their body temperature.