Caring for puppies and dogs
Raising a puppy and owning a dog is an extremely rewarding experience, but it also carries with it responsibility. Outlined below are common questions asked by puppy and dog parents.
How should I play with my new puppy?
Puppies love to play so get ready for some fun! Puppies enjoy stalking and pouncing and this activity is in fact
necessary for proper muscular development from day one. Toys are a great idea and better still your puppy will be less likely to use family members and their treasured belongings. The best toys are lightweight and movable. These include wads of paper and rubber balls. Be sure to avoid any toy that is small enough to be swallowed.
Can I discipline a puppy?
Disciplining a young puppy may be necessary if its behaviour troubles people or property, but harsh punishment should be avoided. Remember they are new to the world and still learning the ropes. Try clapping your hands or using horns to discourage undesirable behaviour. However, remote punishment is best. Remote punishment consists of using something that appears unconnected to the punisher. That way the puppy doesn’t blame you! Examples include using water spray bottles, making loud noises or throwing objects in the direction of the puppy to startle it.(Be sure you don’t hit the little one.)
When should my puppy be vaccinated?
There are many diseases that are fatal to dogs. Fortunately, we have the ability to prevent many of these by the use of very effective vaccines. In order to be effective, these vaccines must be given as a series of injections.
Vaccinations should be given at the following
stages
- 6 to 8 weeks of age
- 12 to 14 weeks of age
- 16 to 18 weeks of age
They cover Parvo, Distemper, Hepatitis and Kennel Cough.
Why so many vaccinations?
<image /pet-info/greendog chr>Nature makes it very necessary. When the puppy is suckling from its mother, it receives a temporary form of immunity through antibodies in the mother’s milk. This immunity is of benefit during the first few weeks of the puppy’s life, but, at some point, this immunity falls and the puppy must organise its own long-lasting protection. That’s where you, the new parent, step in through vaccinations. Since we do not know when an individual puppy will lose the short-term immunity, we give a series of vaccinations. (Sorry, but it’s for the best.) We hope that at least two of these will fall in the window of time when the puppy has lost immunity from it’s mother but has not yet been exposed to disease.
Does my puppy need a vaccination every year?
We recommend that your puppy gets an annual vaccination. That way you’ll have a healthy, happy dog. Annual vaccinations boost the dog’s protection against diseases and infections. The vaccination can either be what is called a C3 or C5. We usually recommend a C5 as it provides added protection against kennel cough. We also suggest you take that opportunity to get a once a year injection to prevent Heartworm. Which brings us onto the topic of worms!
What are worms and how do I control?
These are tiny little squiggley things that can infect your puppy. These nasty little gastrointestinal fellows include
Roundworms, Hookworms, Taenia Tapeworms, Hydatid Tapeworms, Flea Tapeworm and Whipworm. There’s also Heartworm which we’ll come to later. Signs that your puppy may be infected by any of these worms are diarrhoea, vomiting and failure to grow at the normal rate expected. Roundworms also pose a small but definite risk to immunologically susceptible children therefore it is good practice to regularly administer deworming preparations. The good news is that despite there being more than ten species of gastrointestinal worms, control merely requires dosing with one medication i.e. an ‘all wormer’ at regular intervals. Due to the life cycles of these worms and the ability of young pups to be infected, they need to be dosed or ‘wormed’ at
- 2 weeks of age – 4 weeks of age
- 6 weeks of age – 8 weeks of age
- 10 weeks of age – 12 weeks of age
then every month until 6 months and then every three months for the rest of the dog’s life! The correct dosage of the worming medication must be given in order for it to be effective. The amount of worming medication is based on your puppy’s weight. Weigh your puppy before each worming. You’ll find a scale in our reception. You’re always welcome to pop in and use it. We suggest you keep a record of when you ‘worm’ to ensure you maintain protection.
How do I protect against Heartworm?
Many people unwittingly think that when they ‘worm’ their dogs for gastrointestinal worms, they are also treating them for Heartworm. This is a common misconception that is very detrimental to the health of your puppy. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes. This means that even if your dog does not come into direct contact with other dogs he or she may still become infected from a carrier mosquito. The worms grow in the dog’s heart and lungs which can severely reduce the blood flow through these organs. Common signs of heartworm disease include reduced ability of your dog to exercise, frequent coughing or the belly beginning to swell. Treatment of a dog with heartworm disease is possible, however, it involves risk and suffering for both you and your dog. As with all diseases, prevention is better than cure! Your puppy can be protected from catching heartworm disease by an easy to give monthly preventative medication. It is advisable to start your puppy on preventative medicine at age 12 to 14 weeks. Heartworm prevention must then be continued for the rest of the dog’s life. Alternatively we recommend an annual injection to protect against heartworm. This can be done starting at six months of age and then annually at the same time as your dog’s booster vaccinations.
What can be done about fleas?
Fleas are not only an irritation to your puppy or dog but can become a nuisance to the whole family. Despite some parents best attempts, they can never get their dog free of a flea problem. This problem usually stems from not understanding the life cycle of the flea. So here’s the story…
Treating only the dog for fleas, using shampoos, flea collars and powders, is only ‘scratching’ the surface of the problem. Adult fleas only spend a relatively short time on your dog, the other time is spent breeding in the dog’s environment i.e. garden, basket and your house!! To effectively control the flea population and thus reduce your dog’s flea problem, the life cycle of the fl ea must be broken. There are many products available to control fleas, some aimed at the fleas on the dog and others aimed at the fleas in the environment. It is a combination of these that should be used to provide the best results. The bad news is that many effective fl ea control preparations for use on adult dogs are not suitable for puppies. Therefore it is worthwhile to ask us what flea control will be best for your young puppy.
How do I look after my dog’s teeth?
Dental care is just as important for your puppy as it is for you. We recommend your puppy gets an annual dental check up each year. When soft foods form the basis of your puppy’s diet, it is advisable to do the following:
a) Supplement the diet with raw bones together with attached meaty bits
b) Replace part of the diet by large biscuits of appropriate size, shape and texture to encourage chewing
c) Add large pieces of raw fi brous vegetables to further encourage chewing
d) Provide rawhide chew toys
e) Do some additional home dental care such as daily rubbing or brushing of teeth and gums. Cooked bones should never be given to your dog. When cooked, the bone becomes brittle, sharp and ‘splintery’ and is capable of causing injury to the dog’s mouth and stomach. Dogs are basically creatures of habit who tend to be fussy eaters. It is important that puppies are trained to eat a variety of foods so stubborn habits do not develop later in life. And remember we have all the things you need for your puppy’s dental care at our Practice.
Can I trim my puppy’s sharp toe nails?
Puppies have very sharp toe nails. They can be blunted and shortened using an emery board or a piece of carpenter’s fine sandpaper. They can also be trimmed with nail scissors or with clippers made for dogs and cats. However if you remove too much nail, you will cut the ‘quick’ and cause bleeding and pain. So be careful. If the puppy has clear or light coloured nails it is possible to see the ‘quick’ as a pink line running through the nail. With black nails this is more difficult and therefore these should be trimmed about 1mm at a time until the puppy is beginning to resent it. It is useful to have a men’s shaving styptic pencil available so that if you inadvertently cut the ‘quick’ you can stop the bleeding without causing pain or discomfort to the puppy. Taking your dog for a walk along the footpath also helps keeps the toenails trim. If in doubt, please consult us and we will show you exactly how to trim the nails.
Does my puppy need to get microchipped?
A microchip is a small computer chip about the size of a grain of rice that carries a unique identifi cation number for your dog. It is inserted inbetween your puppy’s shoulders in a very quick procedure. That way if your puppy goes ‘walkabout’ we can scan the number and have your puppy safely reunited with the family. All puppies must be microchipped by 12 weeks of age. It’s the law.
What should I feed my puppy?
A growing puppy has different requirements for nutrients than a fully grown dog. Not to mention you. Remember that before you assume your dog will appreciate your leftovers. There are two important criteria that should be met in selecting food for your puppy –
1. The diet should be nutritionally adequate for puppies.
2. The diet should have physical qualities (texture, abrasiveness) that will help control tartar and maintain healthy teeth and gums.
Commercial ‘puppy’ foods are ideal as they are nutritionally correct for your growing puppy’s specific needs. However, these diets should be supplemented by raw bones given 3 to 4 times weekly. Your local butcher is usually happy to help. Commercial pet food can be dry, canned, or semi-moist. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Dry food is definitely the most inexpensive as unlike canned foods they contain far less water. The good brands of dry food are just as nutritious as other foods. However the absence of water in dry food will cause your puppy to drink more. Diets consisting largely of soft foods, be they commercial or home prepared, even if nutritionally complete, may be physically inadequate and lead to the development of dental disease. If you choose to give your puppy table food, be sure that at least 90% of its diet is good quality commercial puppy food.
Should I get my dog ‘desexed’?
Unless you want to breed sensibly, and you are prepared to find good homes for all the pups, desexing your puppy is responsible pet ownership. We are all aware of the problem of unwanted puppies being dumped and mistreated. Desexing your pet will not only reduce this problem, but also other behavioural problems such as fighting and straying. Not to mention managing dogs that are eager to get acquainted. Research has shown that desexing your dog can significantly reduce the likelihood of several diseases that may otherwise occur later in your dog’s life. (Male dogs that are desexed i.e. ‘castrated’, cannot get testicular cancer.) ‘Speying’ female dogs reduces dramatically the chance of mammary gland cancer and they can no longer suffer from pyometra i.e. infected uterus. It is recommended that desexing is done at six months of age, when the dog is grown but not yet sexually mature.
How do I ensure that my puppy is well socialised?
It is important your puppy learns how to make new friends. That way they’ll always be popular down the park or with guests at home. The socialisation period for dogs is between 6 and 16 weeks of age. During that time, the puppy is very impressionable to social influences. If it has good experiences with men, women, children, cats and other dogs, it is likely to accept them throughout life. If the experiences are missing or unpleasant, it may become apprehensive or adverse to others. During the period of socialisation, we encourage you to expose your dog to as many types of social events and influences as possible. However remember the puppy will not have built up a complete immunity from the vaccination programme until approximately 14 weeks of age. You have the dilemma of endeavouring to socialisethe puppy on the one hand and trying to isolate the puppy from exposure to potentially harmful diseases on the other. The aim is to strike a balance and obviously not expose the puppy to the risk of disease but at the same time ensure that as much socialisation as possible occurs.
How do I train my puppy?
Training can be fun. You’ll also impress your friends when they discover just how clever your dog is. So here’s some advice to get you started. Training should commence as soon as you get your new puppy. Puppies are continuously learning from the moment their eyes open. Training should not be seen as a formal process but rather an on-going one that occursevery time you are together. Basic training of a puppy is not a very difficult task provided certain simple rules are followed:
1. Keep the tasks simple and only go one step at a time.
2. Teach sounds and words as commands, not sentences.
3. When trying to get the puppy to respond to your command, avoid distractions and competing activities.
4. Be generous with your praise and don’t be afraid to use food rewards. Positive reinforcement works.
5. Ignore failures and certainly do not punish the puppy.
6. Be consistent and this applies to all members of the family.
Should my puppy go to puppy school?
Early socialisation and training classes for young pups are now considered as important as general health care. They give your puppy a good start in life and help it grow into a well adjusted and behaved dog. Any behavioural problems can also be identifi ed and corrected at an early stage. Local training clubs or puppy pre-schools are an ideal way of ensuring socialisation while you and your puppy learn basic training methods. You can also send your puppy away to be trained but you’ll miss out on the fun. We will be pleased to help get you and your puppy into the right school.
How do I get my puppy to go to the ‘bathroom’ in the right place?
Your puppy will want to relieve itself after eating, drinking,playing or waking. The thing to remember is that this will be at least every 2 hours initially. A good warning sign of things to come is when your puppy starts sniffing for a preferred spot. To be safe you may want to quickly usher your puppy to your preferred spot! While you’ll need to stay on your toes here’s a process by which you can train your puppy to ‘do his or her business’ in the ideal place.
1. Start by spreading newspaper over the floor where they sleep – so they won’t miss.
2. As they mature remove the papers little by little. Your pup should continue to use the newspaper (sounds easy doesn’t it!).
3. Start moving the newspaper to your preferred ‘potty’ location.
4. Always expect a few accidents at the start. Refrain from punishment such as ‘rubbing noses’ when accidents occur. Use positive encouragement. If your puppy has ‘done it’ in the wrong spot, clean it to remove the smell. This will take away the temptation for your puppy to go there again.
