 |
 |
 |
The New Puppy Owner
Congratulations
You are now the proud owner of your new puppy.
Veterinary checks
If you have not already done so, it is important to make an appointment at the veterinary surgeons for a Puppy Health Check as soon as possible.
This appointment usually consists of a thorough check over of your puppy, advice to you regarding a continued worming program and diet etc, also your puppy’s first vaccination. Followed by a period of isolation from other dogs usually two weeks your vet will advise on this issue.
Health Concerns/ contact the breeder?
If for any reason the vet is unhappy with the health of your puppy the breeder should be contacted immediately, reputable breeders would rather know of any problems and help deal with them accordingly. If there is a particular health problem with your puppy that you and your vet feel should be dealt with by the breeder, again reputable breeders will take the puppy back and give a full refund, or alternatively replace your puppy with another that you are happy with.
It must be stressed that this scenario very rarely happens and most puppies pass their health checks with flying colours.
Registration & Insurance
In most cases, on purchasing your new puppy you will have received a Kennel Club registration document from the breeder, your puppy will already be registered with the Kennel Club but this must be altered to show that you are the new owner, to do this the document must be signed and dated by the breeder and yourself, giving your details etc. The Kennel Club do make a small charge for this, but it is something that should be done immediately, as in most cases on receipt of your registration document the Kennel Club will insure your new puppy for a period of six weeks for free, after this has expired you will be given the opportunity to continue your insurance, this is not essential but it is recommended.
Training & Socialising
Training and socialising your new puppy can be an exciting and pleasurable experience as well as an important one.
Call your puppy’s name
Start by calling your puppy by his new name, this in itself will start to give him confidence.
Walking with a lead and collar
For the safety and security of your puppy it is essential that he learns to walk on a lead sooner rather than later, this should be done within the confines of your home and garden. Start with a soft collar placed around your puppy’s neck, not to tight, but equally not to loose, usually allowing two fingers between the neck and the collar for approx ten to fifteen minutes at a time. Repeat this many times throughout the day for a few days. Once puppy has settled with his collar you can attach the lead and encourage him to follow you, this will probably for the first few times be greeted with a look of disgust, however, with encouragement and persistence in just a short period of time your pup will be walking quite happily on his lead.
More vaccinations
After having all his necessary vaccinations (the second one usually two weeks after the first and a further period of isolation again your vet to advise) it is time to take your puppy out into the world. Take care at first to find quiet areas away from busy roads and noisy traffic which could affect your puppy’s confidence, building up slowly to areas such as these.
Training classes if you need them
Once your puppy has gained in confidence it is a good idea to take him with you wherever you go, town is ideal, as is a trip to the pub. Local training classes can also be useful for socialising and putting you on the right track too.
If you own a car, the sooner your puppy gets used to it the better, start with short trips to the local park, building up to longer trips as time progresses. It should not take many journeys before he is waiting to jump in the car at the sound of the car keys being picked up.
Don’t overdo it
It is essential at this time not to overdo your puppy’s exercise, his bones are still
soft and too much muscle build up can lead to deformity of the bones.
Stairs! A big NO NO!
Under no circumstances allow your puppy to walk up and down stairs or jump from high places as this can cause serious damage that may not become evident until later in life.
House training
House training should start the moment your puppy arrives in its new home; paper training is usually the best way to begin this.
Place sheets of newspaper on the floor leading to an outside door, over a short period of time slowly reduce the sheets of paper until only one remains next to the door, then outside. You play a big part in helping your puppy to be clean in the house so do be vigilant at all times and offer praise and encouragement when he gets it right. The most usual times that a pup will want to relieve himself is on waking from sleep and after finishing a meal, but all puppies are different and you will soon get to know the characteristics of your own.
Please note:
The general information and helpful hints in this article in no way substitute veterinary advice and are intended as a guide only.
Breeders should be sure in their own minds that they are satisfied with the honesty and openness of the prospective new puppy owner, likewise the new puppy purchaser should feel that at all times the purchase of their new puppy is being dealt with in a professional and honest manner and that further help and information can be obtained from the breeder at all times.
|
|
|
|
|
