New Puppy Important Must Read Information
Feeding Time:
Brand: Retriever Dog Food from Tractor Supply (you will have a starter bag to take home with you)
***We suggest switching to a grain free brand like Blue Buffalo****
Puppies should be fed ideally 3 times a day.
Start with ¼ cup of dog food. Let the puppy eat as much as he can in 30-40 mins, then pick the food up and repeat the process on each feeding cycle.
If you work during the day, it is ok to feed the puppy twice. Start with ½ cup of dog food. Add in some Nutrical (read instructions for dosage information) or Karo Syrup (2cc or 1 teaspoon) to the food to prevent hypoglycemia. Let the puppy eat as much as he can in 30-40 mins, then pick the food up and repeat the process on each feeding cycle.
Switching food:
If you are switching food, it is best to do it over a 2 week period. Add in 10% of the new food starting and increase by 10% daily until you are feeding the puppy 100% of the new food by day 14.
Products we recommend:
Any dog food that does not contain by products, meal, or grain. There are a lot of brands out there, so make sure to look at the ingredients when purchasing
Petco or PetsMart – Nutrical
Walmart – Karo Syrup
Deworming Schedule
Products we recommend:
Petco or PetsMart – Sentry HC WormX Plus Flavored De-Wormer Chewables for Dogs
*this brand controls all worms and can be taken montly
Heartworm Treatment:
You can start giving heartworm medication to the puppies starting at 12 weeks.
Products we recommend:
REVOLUTION (Need a vet prescription)
No matter how big or small, our dogs need our help to protect them from parasites. REVOLUTION® (selamectin) provides that help. Just one application a month provides protection against heartworms, fleas and other parasites. REVOLUTION can treat puppies as young as 6 weeks, and is available in sizes to treat dogs up to 130 lbs with one simple monthly dose.
Flea Treatment:
Please wait til the puppy is at least 9-10 weeks before you give a topical flea treatment. The best ones will contain Fipronil as the main ingredient at at least 7%. Until then you can put vinegar in a spray bottle and dampen the puppy for immediate flea removal on daily basis. Just spray him after every outside trip. This is how we control fleas on our puppies. It is VERY good for their coat and will not harm them in any way
Products we recommend:
Frontline or generic PetArmor from Walmart
REVOLUTION (Need a vet prescription)
No matter how big or small, our dogs need our help to protect them from parasites. REVOLUTION® (selamectin) provides that help. Just one application a month provides protection against heartworms, fleas and other parasites. REVOLUTION can treat puppies as young as 6 weeks, and is available in sizes to treat dogs up to 130 lbs with one simple monthly dose.
Rabies Shots:
Most counties requires the puppy to have their rabies shots. If you county requires this, it is best to do this by 15 weeks of age.
Neutering/Spaying:
For males, you can neuter by 15 weeks. For females, it is best to wait until they are 5 months old
Grooming:
We breed non-shedding dogs, these dogs do not have fur, but have hair. You will need to always follow up with a conditioner when shampooing your puppy.
Keep the puppy’s backside cut short for ease of cleaning. Stool will sometime get caught in the hair
Products we recommend:
Suave Oatmeal Shampoo and Conditioner
Hypoglycemia:
Hypoglycemia simply means a low blood sugar. Glucose is the form of sugar found within the bloodstream. Glucose is formed during the digestion of foods and it can be stored within the liver in a storage form called glycogen. Most instances of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in the puppy are the result of inadequate nutrition; either not enough or poor quality (indigestible) food. Excessive exercise may also cause the body to use up more sugar than is available.
What are the symptoms?
A puppy with hypoglycemia will lack energy. Glucose (sugar) is the fuel the body burns for energy; without it the puppy is listless. In severe instances, the puppy may even seizure, since glucose is necessary for the brain tissue and muscles to function. These hypoglycemic episodes will cause the puppy to fall over and appear weak or comatose.
What are the risks?
The risks depend on the severity or extent of the lack of blood sugar. If it is due to lack of food or excessive exercise it can be easily corrected. If however, the underlying cause is more serious, such as liver disease preventing the storage of glucose as glycogen, or intestinal disease preventing the proper digestion and/or absorption of food, then hypoglycemia may be chronic and life threatening.
What is the management?
If a puppy is listless due to low blood sugar, it is imperative to immediately provide sugar. Karo syrup, Nutrical and honey are excellent sugar sources and should be fed to the puppy. If the puppy fails to respond to sugar, or the hypoglycemic episodes are frequent, then a thorough exam by a veterinarian is in order. It must be determined if the low blood sugar is simply the result of inadequate nutrition or a more severe underlying disease.
Potty Training Schedule:
Steps for Housetraining Your Puppy
Experts recommend confining the puppy to a defined space, whether that means in a crate. A crate should be big enough for you puppy to stand up, sit down and turnaround. DO NOT buy a big crate as this will only encourage your puppy to make half the crate a toilet area.
As your puppy learns that he needs to go outside to do his business, you can gradually give him more freedom to roam about the house.
When you start to house train, follow these steps:
Keep the puppy on a regular feeding schedule and take away his food between meals.
Take puppy out to eliminate first thing in the morning. Allow the puppy to pee and poop if possible. If the puppy does not poo, its ok, just bring him back inside and feed him. Watch him eat! If he goes away from his food and sniff around, grab him and take him back outside to poop. He WILL need to poop in the morning before placing him back in the crate.
Also, always take him outside after meals or when he wakes from a nap. Make sure he goes out last thing at night and before he’s left alone.
Take puppy to the same spot each time to do his business. His scent will prompt him to go.
Stay with him outside, at least until he’s house trained.
When your puppy eliminates outside, praise him or give him a treat. A walk around the neighborhood is a nice reward.
During the process of potty training, do not allow the puppy to have continuous access to water. When you feed him, that is when you allow him to drink. After puppy is potty trained, you can start leaving water out.
If you are strict with the training, this could take as little as 4 weeks to get done. Please note though, the puppy will always need to be crate trained until at least a year of age.
