The first couple nights that you have your puppy at his new home, he will cry. This is perfectly normal. All of his life thus far, he has been with his mother and his litter mates, and he is adjusting to his new surroundings. After 2-3 nights, he will quickly adjust and be a perfectly happy puppy. If his crying is keeping you from sleeping, simply put him in a safe and quiet place at night while he makes this adjustment.
If you have purchased a Toy Poodle, Shih Tzu, or a Shih Poo from us, we request that you keep it as a house pet only. These breeds are too small to be kept as an outdoor pet. They can not protect themselves against predators, other large dogs, and are not hardy enough to with stand winter weather.
There are an untold number of dogs who are kept confined, abused, neglected, or abandoned. We will not allow any of our puppies to be placed in a shelter, abandoned, or simply be without a loving home for any reason. We understand that people’s lives change from time to time. Marriage, housing conditions, financial affairs, or health issues may create a situation where it is impossible for you to keep and care for your puppy. Should you or your family ever be faced with any circumstance where you are unable to keep your puppy, please contact us and we will provide a home here for your puppy for the rest of its life, or we will help find a loving forever home. (No money exchange or replacement is offered to the purchaser in this situation.)
There are several different methods of housebreaking your puppy. We prefer and recommend the crate method. Keep the three P's in mind-Persistence, Patience, and Praise and you will be rewarded with success! The biggest mistake a pet owner can make is inconsistency. Being impatient or inconsistent can result in a pet that is never fully housebroken. No puppy will want to eliminate in his sleeping quarters, unless he is left there way too long. Our puppies, even at 4 weeks, when they are steady walkers, will go to the end of the whelping box to eliminate on the papers, and return to their mat for sleeping or play. Be sure that the area is not too big, just enough for them to sleep and turn around in. This method works and while in these confines, most puppies learn to control their bladder and bowels for longer than you might expect. Puppies at 8-9 weeks can sometimes last for 7 or so hours, although it is not recommended that you leave them for that long, unattended.
While being housebroke, whenever a puppy is inside your home but cannot be watched, place him in the crate. Just before you put the puppy in the crate, take him outside to the area where you want him to eliminate. Use a specific word, such a "potty". This will be the word that he is used to hearing here as we begin per-training before going to his new home. If he goes, praise him profusely; tell him "Good Dog".
Do not give him food or water in the crate, just a blanket and maybe a toy to occupy his time. As your faith grows in the puppy, his time out from the crate can become longer and longer. Crate training is invaluable because it does more than keep the puppy from messing in the house. The puppy learns that when he has the urge to urinate or defecate, he can hold it. Just because the puppy feels like he needs to relieve himself, he learns that he can hold it. This may be the reason that puppies who have been crate trained have fewer mistakes later on. Remember not to take undue advantage of this situation by leaving him in the crate for un-told hours. Eventually, he will be able to be out all the time and just use the crate for sleeping.
It is important to remember-If you catch your puppy eliminating on the floor, do not punish him. Just take him outside to his spot so that he will know where he is to go. Discipline will not help because unless you catch your puppy in the act, he will have no idea what the scolding is for. At this point in his life a Puppy's memory is very, very short. Your puppy has defecated and urinated hundreds of times before he met you and nobody made a fuss about it! The puppy will not relate the punishment together with something he has done without incident numerous times before, especially if he did it more than 30 seconds ago!
It is important to feed your puppy a high quality food, preferably all natural. Puppies, until they are six months, will require twice as many calories per pound as the adult dogs. They also require more protein. After the age of six months these requirements decline. Look for labels on the product which states “for growth of puppies”. The information should show that the product contains:
Puppies should be fed three times a day up to six months. After they turn six months, they can be fed twice a day, but without snacks, which will unbalance their diet. Regular feeding will be an advantage in housebreaking as well.
Do not overfeed, and do not leave food available all day. Overfeeding can lead to obesity. Overfeeding is especially undesirable in the heavy-boned and rapidly growing pups of large breeds. It has been found that it is healthier for a slower growth rate, because it allows muscles and tendons to develop at the same rate as the puppy’s bones.
If you have purchased a large breed puppy, you may want to feed some less that the recommendations on the bag. There are special formulas for puppies of a large breed, which are lower in calories, fat, and calcium. If you have time when you wish to change the brand of food that your puppy/dog is eating, it is best for your pet to change gradually. Begin adding a small portion of the new food to the food that he is presently eating, adding a little at each feeding , until he is served just the new brand.
Water Bowls
If you have purchased a Goldendoodle, the puppies love using their paws to empty their water dish. You can purchase a Chum Bowl from www.jefferspet.com. This is a two piece bowl with a hole in the top container which will help avoid the premises from being soaked.
Once your puppy reaches the age of a year, he can begin eating food for adult dogs. These foods usually contain less protein and fat.
Two feedings a day is more satisfying for the dog than once a day, although once is fine for most dogs. Again, do not leave food out all day for your dog.
Vitamins, iron, calcium, micro minerals, and phosphorus are supplied in good quality dog food, however, glycosaminoglycans and condroitin sulfate for joint health may be recommended by your vet; they can be beneficial.
It is necessary for, as the owner of a large breed puppy, to make sure that he does not have inappropriate exercise during his period of rapid bone growth. The puppy should be discouraged from jumping up and down from heights in situations where they have to land on their hind legs (as in jumping up to catch a ball.. Also, they should not run on pavement.
The puppy should learn to walk on a lease and learn good manners. The puppy that you have purchased is already used to a collar. To begin leash training, attach the leash to the collar and let the puppy drag it behind him, under supervision. After he has accepted the leash, pick up your end and follow the pup for awhile. Then begin to lead the puppy with lots of pats and praise. You can use treats and toys to lure the puppy at this early stage.
Try to teach the puppy to walk to your left, neither ahead or behind.
This is an extension of leash training. Allow the puppy to go to the end of a long rope or cord. Squat down, clap your hands and call the puppy by name. If he does not respond, gently give a tug on the rope. If you are in a safe area, run away from the puppy; he will not want to be left behind and will run after you.
If the puppy acts rebellious, don’t fight the pup, stop the exercise. Eventually, he will respond. When he obeys, lavish him with praise and a favorite treat. This should be fun for the puppy, not a burden. Three or four times a week, with six sessions each time. When the puppy has mastered the exercise, continue without the leash in a safe area.
Many problems develop simply because the puppy is bored. Provide plenty of exercise from the 6th month to the 12th month to help decrease problems.
One effective way to deal with misbehavior is to ignore it. Dogs frequently misbehave simple to get your attention. They learn that by jumping on people or running away with a slipper will get your attention. Any intervention becomes part of their game.
The tone of your voice is a good correction tool. A sharp, loud “No!” is a warning to stop. Do not punish your puppy for chewing something up when you are away. The puppy will see no connection between the act and the reprimand.
A common mistake you may make is to show anger. Anger is loss of control and does not teach the puppy the reason for the anger. It creates insecurity in the puppy and weakens the bond between you and your pet.
Correction should never involve physical punishment, as in hitting him or swatting him with a newspaper. This causes the animal to be shy and distrustful.
Remember that puppies are destructive, but this behavior will diminish as the puppy matures. Provide the puppy with toys that he may destroy.
Before the puppy came into your home, he spent his entire life with his littermates. He will not be accustomed to being left alone. He may demand to be let out of his enclosure by barking, whining, or howling. The behavior may begin once he is in his confined area and may continue the entire time. Ignore hi and he will find little reason to continue and he will accept this routine. If you let him out or pay attention to him, this behavior will continue and be hard to correct.
Barking may also be an attention-getting device for dogs that are ignored unless they make noise. If he gets the attention that he is looking for, the behavior is reinforced. Going to quiet him down, feeding him, petting him, etc. are ways of unintentionally rewarding his misbehavior. Give him a lot of praise and attention when he is well behaved.
Barking to defend his territory is a part of a dogs basic nature. Sometimes, this can be excessive. Chaining a dog up outside encourages barking and promotes bad behavior. It is better to confine him to a large fenced in yard where he is allowed to exercise and play.
Your puppy should learn to be friendly and gently with people, especially children. Puppies naturally bite on their littermates. Playing roughly with a puppy can override his natural instinct to be gentle. A young puppy plying with people may become overexcited and accidentally nip or scratch. This behavior can be difficult to correct as the puppy grows older. To correct a puppy that is being too rough, yelp as though you were hurt. Then leave the puppy alone and ignore him, or calmly put him in his crate. This way, he learns that playing to rough ends the game.
Children sometimes grab, pull, or otherwise frighten or hurt puppies, which can result in a child being bitten or knocked down. This type of interaction between children and the puppy should be prevented. Children should learn that a puppy is not a toy and must be treated with respect. They must also learn not to bother the pup when he is sleeping or eating.
A puppy obtains natural immunity from their mother’s “first milk” called colostrums; and this continues for a period of weeks. There is no way of determining when this natural immunity ends. If the puppy still retains some of the mothers’ natural immunity, the shots that he receives from the vet will not be effective. This is the reason that the series should be continued for a period of time. It is believed that this natural immunity does not exist after 6-8 weeks. However, in the event that the puppy still maintains some of his natural immunity, it is necessary for you to keep your puppy away from other dogs, away from areas where other dogs have been, and do not set him on the veterinary floor or table unless you know that it has been sanitized. This only applies until the vaccination schedule is complete.
Owning a new puppy can be a rewarding experience, but also extremely frustrating to the owner. Puppies chew on things that you consider valuable, but are just a great chew toy for a puppy. They will eliminate at their pleasure, but not yours! They may bark and be obnoxious, wanting your un-divided attention. They may want to be very active when you are very tired. They may dig holes in your lawn, jump on people, get you dirty, un-intentionally rip panty hose, chew on your pant leg, and chew on anything in sight. It is all part of the “puppy game”. It is no different than training a baby human, it takes work, time, and patience, (a lot of patience). It does not mean that you have a bad dog, just that he is a baby and needs patient training, and lots of it. It can be a very rewarding experience if you are willing to invest the time and effort. Punishing them for something that comes natural to them will accomplish nothing; do not take YOUR frustrations out on them. Teach them, train them. If you do not know how, there is plenty of information available to you, on the internet or in books. Learn, and practice what you learn, enjoy your new puppy and he will end up being the greatest friend that you may ever have.
Country Medley Pets~
www.countrymedley.com ~ countrymedley@frontiernet.net
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HEALTH GUARANTEE
The puppy you are purchasing is a pet quality pet. The puppy has been checked by our veterinarian and has been found to be healthy, and has had all vaccinations and worming recommended by our veterinarian. We request that you take your puppy to a licensed veterinarian of your choice within 5 days of purchase for a thorough exam. If your veterinarian finds a medical problem overlooked by our veterinarian, we request a written explanation from your vet within two days of diagnosis. (We are not responsible for any veterinary bills whatsoever at anytime after the puppy leaves our premises for routine or emergency care.) We will then take the puppy to our veterinarian and if the same life threatening illness is confirmed, you are entitled to: either a full refund, or replacement puppy, as soon as one becomes available.
Additionally, your puppy is guaranteed against any hereditary hip or eye problem for 24 months.
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