Questions in Prep. For Puppy Arrival
So, here's my questions: 1. Does anyone have any recommendations for a type of dog food: brand/content/highprotein/etc.? I know a diet can make a huge difference for a dog in the long run, and want to make sure I'm not doing him a disservice. 2. How soon after picking him up should I bring him to see the vet (1 day/1 week)? 3. How do most puppies respond immediately after the separation from the mother and litter mates? What can I do to ease the stress? 4. What type of dog treats would you recommend and how often should they be given to an 8-9 month old puppy? I'm sure I had other questions, but now I can't remember them, so this will have to do for now. Thanks! |
|
|
| Great questions!
1. Dog food -- I recommend reading this article at Whole Dog Journalso you can learn how to pick a high quality dog food. That is a subscription site but it is a great publication. At first, though, you should continue feeding whatever he is used to and make the transition gradually to a new food. I believe in rotating foods periodically to train their tummies to be adaptable, to keep them interested, and because you never really know whether your dog is getting all he needs from one food (the don't put all your eggs in one basket). 2. Vet -- I would arrange in advance to take him to the Vet right away for a thorough checkup. If you are picking him up on the weekend, plan to have a vet appointment that Monday. 3. Homecoming -- other people will have more experience with this, but I have heard that bringing home something that smells like his house / littermates will help (perhaps send a blanket to the breeder so it can get nice and stinky by the time he comes home). Putting his crate in your bedroom will help him feel more secure. And ignore those pitiful middle of the night whimpers or else you will reinforce that behavior. 4. Treats: I prefer natural food items, such as dried meat, dried yams, cheese, carrots (although my dogs don't love carrots), etc. rather than biscuit or cookies. I also prefer to give a very small treat frequently because that seems to make them happier that a large treat, which is very quickly consumed. A really great treat is thin slices of hotdog that you microwave until they are dried little disks. My dogs love them. You should definitely get a kong and search around this site for creative ways to fill it and keep it long lasting (such as freezing). Of course, you need to be mindful of not upsetting the puppy's stomach so start slowly and see what works. Good luck! |
| Well said Valerie! The only thing I can add is if possible, get your puppy early in the day. That way he/she can get used to you, and surroundings before bed. |
Quote: The only thing I can add is if possible, get your puppy early in the day. That way he/she can get used to you, and surroundings before bed. This is good advice. If there is any possible way, take the day off work and get your BB (Baby Bobtail) as early in the day as the breeder will allow. Spend the entire day with him/her and without stressing their little body keep them busy, active and engaged with you. That way there will be at least a bit of bonding and seperation anxiety may be reduced. Plus at the end of the day a tired puppy is a good puppy. Don't expect him/her to sleep all night through but you should be able to get through the first 3 or 4 hours reasonably quietly. After that all bets are off for the first night. Quote: Vet -- I would arrange in advance to take him to the Vet right away for a thorough checkup. If you are picking him up on the weekend, plan to have a vet appointment that Monday. I'd be a bit careful here. So far in his/her life visiting the vet has been a pretty stressful event in the puppy's life. You don't want the puppy to associate you with a vet visit right away. Coming from a good breeder the puppy should have been seen by a vet no more than a week before being released to you so if nothing untowards is found in that last examination you could wait a couple of days before visiting your vet for a check-up. Of course if there is any reason to suspect illness, excessive worms, etc., get the little tyke in right away. Quote: Does anyone have any recommendations for a type of dog food: brand/content/highprotein/etc.? I know a diet can make a huge difference for a dog in the long run, and want to make sure I'm not doing him a disservice. No matter what anyone here says, no matter what their experience is (unless they have a puppy from the same breeder and a very similar breeding) your reputable breeder is the best source of answers for this question. Your breeder knows his/her line best and upon what foods their dogs have "traditionally" thrived. In general you should be hearing about low protein foods 23% or less to moderate growth rates, preferably dry kibble and hopefully a food with glucosamine and chondroitin in their formula. After you have had the puppy home for about a month you can slowly change his/her food to an new kibble if you have legitimate reasons to do so but stay with a reputable large breed puppy formula until they are at least 8 months old, if not 1 year, before transitioning them to a large breed adult food. Quote: How do most puppies respond immediately after the separation from the mother and litter mates? What can I do to ease the stress?
All puppies will suffer some degree of seperation anxiety but in general the older they are the better they will be able to deal with it. Puppies under 8 weeks are still far too dependant upon their mother and littermates to be released to their family. After 8 weeks they are beginning to develop individual personalities, are becoming more self confident and are really starting to explore their world more aggressively. At this point seperation anxiety tends to drop off quite sharply. 10 weeks is better, and in my opinion 3 months is the best time frame for a puppy to go to it's new home. After that bonding with the breeder can become strong enough to cause seperation anxiety for the opposite reason, too much familiarity, comfort and pack identification in the breeder's home. Never take a puppy under 8 weeks of age home and while it is hard to wait for your new furchild, try to arrange to get your puppy between 10-12 weeks of age. Hopefully you are close enough to your breeder that you are able to visit with your puppy a few times before bringing him/her home. Visits like this can go a long way to helping the puppy identify with you and make an "easy" transition to their new home. Just a few thoughts to consider. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| One other suggestion:
If you are visiting your puppy prior to your pickup date, bring along a small soft/stuffie toy to leave behind. Get the toy a few days in advance or find one already in your home to make sure your scent (and your home's scent) is on the toy. Then when you leave the toy at the breeder's house, the puppy will smell you on it. Most importantly, it will get covered in mom and littermates' smells too so when you bring your puppy home (with his smelly toy), that toy will be a comfort to him. It will hopefully comfort him for his first night sleeping alone, especially. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|