Country Medley Pets     

FIRST NIGHTS

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.

SPAY/NEUTER

 The puppy should be spayed/neutered by 10 mo. of age (preferably by 6 mos.).  By accepting a puppy, the buyer understands that the pet quality puppy was not sold for the intention of breeding and no warranties, either expressed or implied, that the puppy can be bred, and if the buyer does so, seller holds no responsibility and it is against the sellers wishes.

SAFTEY

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. 

 It is imperative that you keep your puppy safe and healthy. Do not let the puppy around other dogs, shoes, veterinary floors, public grass areas, or any other place where the puppy may come into contact with disease until all puppy vaccinations have been completed. Do not let the puppy on high places where it may fall, do not give foods that may cause choking. Do not let children hold that puppy unless they are sitting down. Small puppies squirm a lot and can easily be dropped and injured.

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.)

GROOMING 

It is necessary to take these breeds in for regular grooming every 6-8 weeks. It is imperative that the hair be cleaned out of their ears to prevent infections, to keep their nails clipped, and to keep the hair free from the anal area. If this is neglected, feces can adhere to the hair in that area and cause the puppy to become impacted. Some owners have learned successfully, to groom their own pets. This is perfectly acceptable and helps cut the cost of maintenance.

HOUSEBREAKING

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!