Puppies Congratulations on your new puppy. Owning a dog can be an extremely rewarding experience. It also requires a lot of responsibility. When you bring a new puppy into your home there will be a period of adjustment. Your goals are to help your puppy to quickly bond to its new family and to minimize the stress associated with leaving its mother, littermates and former home. If there are already dogs in the new home the transition may be a little easier as the puppy is able to identify with its own kind. Obtaining two puppies would be another option. However, most puppies, especially those obtained before 12 weeks of age, will form attachments almost immediately to the people and other pets in the new home, provided that there are no unpleasant consequences associated with each new person and experience.		PUPPIES & KITTENS
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It is extremely important to keep your puppy safe. Always use a leash when walking outside and be sure to keep your puppy confined to a crate or dog-proofed room when you are not home or unable to supervise your pet.

There are many diseases that are fatal to dogs. Fortunately, we have the ability to prevent many of these by proper administration of vaccines. In order to be effective, vaccines must be given as a series of injections. Usually, they are started at 6-8 weeks of age, with boosters every 3-4 weeks until your puppy is over 16 weeks old.

The routine vaccination schedule will protect your puppy from several diseases: distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza virus, parvovirus and rabies. Most of the vaccines are included in the "distemper" booster that is given at each check-up. The rabies vaccine is given at 3-4 months of age, usually at the last puppy visit. There are other optional vaccinations that may be appropriate in certain situations. (see wellness-additional vaccines)

When the puppy nurses its mother, it receives a temporary form of immunity through its mother’s milk. This immunity is in the form of proteins called antibodies. For about 24-48 hours after birth, the puppy’s intestine allows absorption of these antibodies directly into the blood stream. This immunity is of benefit during the first few weeks of the puppy’s life but at some point this immunity will fail and the puppy must be able to make its own long-lasting immunity. Vaccinations are used for this purpose. The rabies vaccine is an exception to this, since one injection given at the proper time is enough to produce long term immunity.

Intestinal parasites are common in puppies. Puppies can become infected with parasites before they are born or later through their mother’s milk. Deworming will be done at the first visit and then repeated in two weeks. It is important that it be repeated because the deworming medication only kills the adult worms. Within a few weeks, the larval stages will have become adults and will need to be treated. When your puppy is a little bit older, we will recommend checking a stool sample to be sure that the deworming was effective.

Tapeworms are another common intestinal parasite of dogs. Puppies become infected with them when they swallow fleas; the eggs of the tapeworm live inside the flea. When the dog chews or licks its skin as a flea bites, the flea may be swallowed. Dogs infected with tapeworms will pass small segments of the worms in their stool. The segments are white in color and look like grains of rice. It is very important to keep your pet on year-round flea control.

Your puppy will receive his or her first dose of flea control for free at the initial visit.

Heartworms are important parasites. They can live in your dog’s heart and cause major damage to the heart and lungs. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos so your dog does not have to be in contact with another dog to be exposed. Fortunately, a monthly medication will protect your dog from heartworms if given regularly. Be aware that staying primarily indoors or having a heavy fur coat does not protect a dog against heartworm infection.

Your puppy will receive his or her first dose of heartworm prevention for free at the initial visit.

Diet is extremely important in the growing months of a dog’s life. There are two important criteria that should be met in selecting food for your puppy. We recommend a Name Brand Food made be a national dog food company (not a generic brand) and a form of food Made For Puppies. We will be happy to discuss how much to feed of dry or canned and dry at your first visit.

Your puppy will receive a bag of Science Diet Puppy Food (in Original formula, Small Bites, or Large Breed) for free at his or her first visit.

Table foods are not recommended. Because they are generally very tasty, dogs will often begin to hold out for these and not eat their well-balanced dog food. If you choose to give your puppy table food, be sure that at least 90% of its diet is good quality commercial puppy food. Avoid moistening your pet’s food with milk as it can cause GI problems.

There is a difference between the cheaper and the more expensive brands in the quality of the ingredients. Most dogs will do fine on a less expensive food, but many people notice a difference in their dog’s coat and activity level on a higher quality food. In addition, because it is often more digestible, you may find that you need to feed less and there is less stool volume as well.

We recommend "meal feeding". This means that your puppy is fed at specific times of the day. A measured amount of food should be offered four times per day for 5-12 week old puppies. What is not eaten within 30 minutes is taken up. Puppies fed in this manner generally begin to cut themselves out of one of those meals by 3-4 months of age and perhaps another one later. If a meal is ignored for several days, it should be discontinued.

"Free choice feeding" is another option and means that food is available at all times. This method works well with dry food and for some dogs. However, other dogs tend to overeat and become obese. It also may make housetraining more difficult.

The most important thing to remember when housetraining your puppy is to provide frequent opportunity to eliminate in an appropriate place and to reward this behavior as soon as it occurs. The best method of housetraining is to take your puppy out within several minutes after each meal and each nap. It is important to feed your puppy at scheduled mealtimes and avoid snacks between feedings. Allowing your puppy continuous access to food makes house training more difficult. Prevent "accidents" between meals by taking your puppy out before the accidents occur. Punishment does not help in housetraining as there is often a delay between the act and the discovery of the mess.

Puppies will need to eliminate every 3 to 4 hours during the daytime. With each month your puppy will be able to control its elimination longer. Be sure to use soft spoken, positive praise while your pet eliminates in the proper area.

Paper training is not the method of choice for two reasons.

Young puppies have short attention spans but expect them to begin to learn simple obedience commands such as ‘sit’, ‘down’ and ‘stay’ from as young as 7 to 8 weeks of age. At this age, use gentle teaching and positive reinforcement.

Strive for 15 minutes of training per day, even if broken down into 3 5-minute segments. Integrate training tasks into the puppy’s life. For example, ask your puppy to sit prior to receiving his or her food, sit before he or she comes in the door and sit before you pet him or her. It is acceptable to use food rewards in moderation, a small piece of kibble or a biscuit broken into several pieces.

Absolutely. Training classes serve many functions. Trainers can demonstrate techniques and guide you through the steps. They can also advise on puppy training problems. Most importantly, your puppy will be learning in a group situation with real life distractions. Training classes are an excellent way to socialize your new puppy to a variety of people, other dogs, and stimuli, in a controlled environment.

Remember that play, exercise, affection, training and handling must all be part of the daily routine. Once again, congratulations on the newest member of your family. More information and answers to your questions are available through written materials and experienced, educated staff members at Clear Lakes Animal Wellness.