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| HILLSIDE KENNEL 478-668-4699 |
Aren't New Puppies Wonderful?
Selecting a puppy:
Select your new family member with your lifestyle and living
situation in mind. Primary considerations in addition to
personality include temperatment, size, and coat. Some breeds
have traits that may be objectionable in certain circumstances,
such as hyperexcitability or a tendency to bark. Dogs originally
bred for specific purposes tend to retain these characteristics and
may require additional training and patience. Your veterinarian
is a valuable resource and should be consulted before you
acquire a puppy (or a pet of any kind).
Before bringing your puppy home:
Prepare your house for your puppy's arrival. A special place
should be designated for it to eat, sleep, and eliminate. Obtain
any necessary accessories (eg, collar, leash, ID tag, crate, and
dishes) before you bring your puppy home. You will need to
puppy-proof your home just as you would child-proof your home
to avoid accidents. Harmful cleansers, plants, electrical cords,
and breakable objects should be kept out of reach. Open windows
should be screened.
Housing:
A crate is a combined sleeping area, housebreaker, and preventer
of bad habits; basically, it's one of the best investments you'll
ever make for your puppy. Select a crate that is large enough to
house the dog when fully grown, and insert a divider to make it
smaller for housebreaking. The reduced area should be small
enough so that the puppy can't eliminate in one end and sit/sleep
in the other. To make the crate a friendly place, appropriate
bones (choose carefully and consult your veterinarian) can be
placed within it and the puppy can be fed inside of it. Puppies
should only be left in their crates for short periods initially, so
that they learn that they will not be confined in them
permanently.
Housebreaking:
Begin as soon as the puppy arrives in your home. Young puppies
should be taken out immediately upon waking and just before
retiring, as well as multiple times during the day. Most puppies
cannot "hold it" for long periods so it will be necessary to take
the puppy out almost every hour at first (especially after periods
of play, naps, and mealtimes), and then gradually increase the
amount of time between visits to the "bathroom." Take the
puppy to the same area each time and praise it immediately and
enthusiastically when it eliminates. Do not play with, or talk to,
the puppy until after it has eliminated. Remember, if the puppy
doesn't eliminate outside, its urine and feces are being saved for
deposit inside your house!
Meals:
Feed a high quality diet designed for puppies. A wide variety of
diets and formulations are available and your veterinarian
should be your primary source of information as to the best
choice for your puppy. The amount fed will vary with the type of
food and the individual dog, but in general, should only be as
much as the puppy can consume in 5 to 10 minutes at a given
meal. Puppies are usually fed 3 times daily when between 6 and
12 weeks old, 2 times daily when 12 weeks to 6 months old, and
may be fed 1 or 2 times daily when older than 6 months. For
certain large breeds of dogs, your veterinarian may recommend
that several smaller meals be fed rather than 1 large meal (even
when your dog becomes an adult) because an association has
been suggested between the consumption of large meals and a
serious medical condition called gastric dilatation/volvulus or
"bloat."
Health Exam/Vaccinations:
You will want to have your new puppy examined by a
veterinarian to ensure that it has no major health problems and
is started on a program of preventive care. Your puppy's health
care plan includes a series of vaccinations against distemper,
parvovirus and coronavirus (gastrointestinal diseases),
infectious hepatitis, and respiratory infections (adenovirus,
parainfluenza, and bordetella). Vaccination protocols are
designed on the basis of your puppy's risk of infection and may
vary depending upon your puppy's age, breed, and
environmental exposures (eg, in certain locales, vaccinations for
Lyme disease and leptospirosis may be considered standard parts
of the protocol). Vaccinations are usually given at 3 week
intervals from 6 to 16 weeks of age. At 15 to 16 weeks of age, the
puppy receives its first rabies vaccination. Puppies should be
checked for intestinal parasites (usually 2 stool samples 3 weeks
apart), fleas, and heartworm disease (depending on age), and
appropriate treatment or preventatives administered.
Grooming:
Regular brushing, bathing, and nail care are essential. Protect
your puppy's eyes and ears when bathing, and don't allow the
puppy to become chilled after bathing. Your veterinarian may
recommend that you do not bathe your puppy when it is
younger than 10 to 12 weeks unless absolutely necessary
(especially if your puppy is one of the smaller breeds).
Obedience Training and Socialization:
A MUST for every good family dog, regardless of size or breed!
Puppies may start classes when they are as young as 8 weeks
old. Check with your veterinarian for class recommendations.
Spaying/Neutering:
If you don't plan to breed, spay or neuter your puppy. Letting
children see the miracle of birth is NOT a good reason to breed
your dog; only serious breeders who have the desire, expertise,
and time to breed well should breed at all. Spaying your female
dog can help to prevent cancers of the reproductive tract,
including breast cancer, and will decrease the incidence of
reproductive infections. Neutering your male dog will prevent
testicular cancer and can decrease the incidence of prostate
problems. The incidence of certain behavioral problems has also
been shown to be reduced when dogs are spayed or neutered. The
decision to spay or neuter your puppy is one of the best decisions
you can make for its well-being. Your veterinarian can discuss
with you its benefits and the best time to schedule the procedure.
Selecting a puppy:
Select your new family member with your lifestyle and living
situation in mind. Primary considerations in addition to
personality include temperatment, size, and coat. Some breeds
have traits that may be objectionable in certain circumstances,
such as hyperexcitability or a tendency to bark. Dogs originally
bred for specific purposes tend to retain these characteristics and
may require additional training and patience. Your veterinarian
is a valuable resource and should be consulted before you
acquire a puppy (or a pet of any kind).
Before bringing your puppy home:
Prepare your house for your puppy's arrival. A special place
should be designated for it to eat, sleep, and eliminate. Obtain
any necessary accessories (eg, collar, leash, ID tag, crate, and
dishes) before you bring your puppy home. You will need to
puppy-proof your home just as you would child-proof your home
to avoid accidents. Harmful cleansers, plants, electrical cords,
and breakable objects should be kept out of reach. Open windows
should be screened.
Housing:
A crate is a combined sleeping area, housebreaker, and preventer
of bad habits; basically, it's one of the best investments you'll
ever make for your puppy. Select a crate that is large enough to
house the dog when fully grown, and insert a divider to make it
smaller for housebreaking. The reduced area should be small
enough so that the puppy can't eliminate in one end and sit/sleep
in the other. To make the crate a friendly place, appropriate
bones (choose carefully and consult your veterinarian) can be
placed within it and the puppy can be fed inside of it. Puppies
should only be left in their crates for short periods initially, so
that they learn that they will not be confined in them
permanently.
Housebreaking:
Begin as soon as the puppy arrives in your home. Young puppies
should be taken out immediately upon waking and just before
retiring, as well as multiple times during the day. Most puppies
cannot "hold it" for long periods so it will be necessary to take
the puppy out almost every hour at first (especially after periods
of play, naps, and mealtimes), and then gradually increase the
amount of time between visits to the "bathroom." Take the
puppy to the same area each time and praise it immediately and
enthusiastically when it eliminates. Do not play with, or talk to,
the puppy until after it has eliminated. Remember, if the puppy
doesn't eliminate outside, its urine and feces are being saved for
deposit inside your house!
Meals:
Feed a high quality diet designed for puppies. A wide variety of
diets and formulations are available and your veterinarian
should be your primary source of information as to the best
choice for your puppy. The amount fed will vary with the type of
food and the individual dog, but in general, should only be as
much as the puppy can consume in 5 to 10 minutes at a given
meal. Puppies are usually fed 3 times daily when between 6 and
12 weeks old, 2 times daily when 12 weeks to 6 months old, and
may be fed 1 or 2 times daily when older than 6 months. For
certain large breeds of dogs, your veterinarian may recommend
that several smaller meals be fed rather than 1 large meal (even
when your dog becomes an adult) because an association has
been suggested between the consumption of large meals and a
serious medical condition called gastric dilatation/volvulus or
"bloat."
Health Exam/Vaccinations:
You will want to have your new puppy examined by a
veterinarian to ensure that it has no major health problems and
is started on a program of preventive care. Your puppy's health
care plan includes a series of vaccinations against distemper,
parvovirus and coronavirus (gastrointestinal diseases),
infectious hepatitis, and respiratory infections (adenovirus,
parainfluenza, and bordetella). Vaccination protocols are
designed on the basis of your puppy's risk of infection and may
vary depending upon your puppy's age, breed, and
environmental exposures (eg, in certain locales, vaccinations for
Lyme disease and leptospirosis may be considered standard parts
of the protocol). Vaccinations are usually given at 3 week
intervals from 6 to 16 weeks of age. At 15 to 16 weeks of age, the
puppy receives its first rabies vaccination. Puppies should be
checked for intestinal parasites (usually 2 stool samples 3 weeks
apart), fleas, and heartworm disease (depending on age), and
appropriate treatment or preventatives administered.
Grooming:
Regular brushing, bathing, and nail care are essential. Protect
your puppy's eyes and ears when bathing, and don't allow the
puppy to become chilled after bathing. Your veterinarian may
recommend that you do not bathe your puppy when it is
younger than 10 to 12 weeks unless absolutely necessary
(especially if your puppy is one of the smaller breeds).
Obedience Training and Socialization:
A MUST for every good family dog, regardless of size or breed!
Puppies may start classes when they are as young as 8 weeks
old. Check with your veterinarian for class recommendations.
Spaying/Neutering:
If you don't plan to breed, spay or neuter your puppy. Letting
children see the miracle of birth is NOT a good reason to breed
your dog; only serious breeders who have the desire, expertise,
and time to breed well should breed at all. Spaying your female
dog can help to prevent cancers of the reproductive tract,
including breast cancer, and will decrease the incidence of
reproductive infections. Neutering your male dog will prevent
testicular cancer and can decrease the incidence of prostate
problems. The incidence of certain behavioral problems has also
been shown to be reduced when dogs are spayed or neutered. The
decision to spay or neuter your puppy is one of the best decisions
you can make for its well-being. Your veterinarian can discuss
with you its benefits and the best time to schedule the procedure.