Aren’t New Puppies Wonderful?

with your lifestyle and living situation in mind. Primary considerations in addition to personality include temperatment, size, and coat. Some breeds have character that may be objectionable in certain circumstances, such as hyperexcitability or a tendency to bark. Dogs originally bred for specific purposes tend to retain these characteristics and may require additional training and patience. Your veterinarian is a valuable resource and should be consulted before you acquire a puppy (or a pet of any kind).

Prepare your house for your puppy’s arrival. A special place should be designated for it to eat, sleep, plus eliminate. Obtain any necessary accessories (eg, collar, leash, ID tag, crate, and dishes) before you bring your puppy home. You will need to puppy-proof your home just as you would child-proof your home to avoid accidents. Harmful cleansers, plants, electrical cords, and breakable objects should be kept out of reach. Open windows should be screened.

A crate is a combined sleeping area, housebreaker, and preventer of bad habits; basically, it’s one of the best investments you’ll ever create for your puppy. Select a crate that is large enough to house the dog when fully grown, and insert a divider to make it smaller for housebreaking. The reduced region should be small enough so that the puppy can’t eliminate in one end and sit/sleep in the other. To make the crate a friendly place, appropriate bones (choose carefully and consult your veterinarian) can be placed within it and the puppy can be fed in of it. Puppies should merely be left in their crates for short periods initially, so that they learn that they will not be confined in them permanently.

Feed a high quality diet designed for puppies. A wide variety of diets and formulations are available and your veterinarian should be your primary source of information as to the best choice for your puppy. The amount fed will vary with the type of food and the individual dog, but in general, should only be as much as the puppy can consume in 5 to 10 minutes at a given meal. Puppies are usually fed 3 times daily when between 6 and 12 weeks old, 2 times daily when 12 weeks to 6 months old, and may be fed 1 or 2 times daily when older than 6 months. For certain large breeds of dogs, your veterinarian may recommend that several smaller meals be fed rather than 1 large meal (even when your dog becomes an adult) because an association has been suggested between the consumption of large meals and a serious medical condition called gastric dilatation/volvulus or “bloat.”

Regular brushing, bathing, and nail care are essential. Protect your puppy’s eyes and ears when bathing, and don’t allow the puppy to become chilled after bathing. Your veterinarian may recommend that you do not bathe your puppy when it is younger than 10 to 12 weeks unless absolutely necessary (especially if your puppy is one of the smaller breeds).

If you don’t plan to breed, spay or neuter your puppy. Letting children see the miracle of birth is NOT a good reason to breed your dog; only serious breeders who have the desire, expertise, and time to breed well should breed at all. Spaying your female dog can help to prevent cancers of the reproductive tract, including breast cancer, and will decrease the incidence of reproductive infections. Neutering your male dog will prevent testicular cancer and can decrease the incidence of prostate problems. The incidence of certain behavioral problems has also been shown to be reduced when dogs are spayed or neutered. The decision to spay or neuter your puppy is one of the best decisions you can make for its well-being. Your veterinarian can discuss with you its benefits and the best time to schedule the procedure.

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