Puppy Care – Recommendations for New Owners

All the doctors and staff at the Animal Hospital at Thorndale love puppies! We would like to congratulate you on the acquisition on your new best friend. Owning a dog can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it also carries with it quite a bit of responsibility. We hope this document on puppy care will give you the information needed to make some good decisions regarding your puppy.

First, let us say that we are grateful that you have chosen us to help you with your puppy’s health care. If you have questions concerning any subject related to your puppy’s health, please feel free to call our hospital. Our entire professional staff is willing and happy to help you. Raising puppies is fun, but also requires time, devotion, and hard work.

Puppy Playing

Stimulating play is important during the first week. Stalking and pouncing are important play behaviors in puppies and are necessary for proper muscular development. If given a sufficient outlet for these behaviors with toys, your puppy will be less likely to use family members for these activities. The best toys are light weight and movable. These include wads of paper and rubber balls. Any toy that is small enough to be swallowed should be avoided.

Keep in mind that young puppies need a lot of rest. They may sleep up to 2/3 of the day. This is important if small children are constantly handling the puppy as it can become exhausted. Be certain to allow the puppy quiet time in a safe environment.

Rewards and Discipline

The most important form of discipline is positive reinforcement, or praising the correct behaviors. Once a correct behavior is learned, randomizing the praise and giving it intermittently will actually increase the likelihood of the behavior being repeated (Psych 101 principal). If the puppy makes a mistake during training, redirecting it to the correct behavior, followed by praise will teach it that good things happens when it does good things. Because there is no reward for incorrect behaviors they are likely to be extinguished over time and the rewarded behaviors remain.

Disciplining a young puppy, by distraction, may be necessary if its behavior threatens people or property, but harsh punishment should be avoided. Hand clapping and using shaker cans or horns can be intimidating enough to inhibit undesirable behavior. Remote punishment is preferred. Remote punishment consists of using something that appears unconnected to the punisher to stop the problem behavior. Examples include using spray bottles, throwing objects in the direction of the puppy to startle (but not hit) it, and making loud noises. Remote punishment is preferred because the puppy associates punishment with the undesirable act and not with you. Be certain that once you have distracted the puppy from the unacceptable behavior you redirect it to an acceptable behavior (e.g. chewing on a dog toy instead of your leg) and praise it for the correct behavior.

“Nothing in Life is Free” is one of the most important life behavior principals and helps establish the puppy’s position in your family “wolf pack”. The first “trick” the puppy learns is to “sit” on command. Gentle pressure on its rump and gently lifting the head or directing it with a treat will move him into the proper position while you say the word “Sit”. Do not say “sit” repeatedly or he will expect a string of sound before he needs to perform. Say it once, direct him into position, and praise the correct action. Once your puppy knows the command “Sit”, we move on to the next level of “Nothing in Life is Free.” The puppy should be directed to “sit” before anything is done for or to him. Everyone, even children, should be able to have the puppy sit prior to being fed, leashed, petted, brushed, go in or out a door, etc. By making the puppy perform a task before we pay attention to him or do other behaviors, he learns that the humans in the family are alpha in his “pack”. He must do something for us before we do anything to or for him. This principal applies to more dominant and even shy puppies. The more dominant puppy will learn it is not alpha and the shy one will become more self-assured of its position in the pack by not getting mixed signals.

So much of training has to do with us understanding that the dog does not intrinsically understand human language or behavior. Shouting and pushing a dog away may, to us, mean “get down”, but to the puppy means “excitement, noise, commotion, rough play”. When the puppy is overexcited, we need to calm it by no longer interacting with it. Turn your back to it, and it will quickly get the idea that play is over. Tell it to “sit” before interacting again in a calm way.

By not giving attention on demand, you are letting him know you have more power in the “pack” than he does. He will be persistent in nudging, barking, jumping for your attention, but you need to ignore this behavior to show him you are in charge. By giving attention when you see fit, you have confirmed your position as leader. Don’t forget that by saying “no” or any other verbal interaction, you have given him the attention he desired. So it is important that you totally ignore him until the behavior stops. This principal also applies to crying for attention when your puppy is put in the crate. Unless you think there is something death defying happening, ignore the crying. It truly will stop. Remember that positive random intermittent reinforcement (psych 101 again) will make him try harder. So do not succumb to his demands just because you cannot stand it anymore. He will just try harder next time because he knows you will eventually respond. You need to set the rules and stick by them.

Vaccinations

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. Ideally, they are first given at about 6-8 weeks of age, and then every 3-4 weeks apart until the puppy is at least 16 weeks of age.

The routine vaccination schedule will protect your puppy from five diseases: distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza virus, parvovirus, and rabies. The first four are included in one injection that is given as a series of booster vaccinations, similar to how children receive a vaccination series. Rabies vaccine is given at 12 weeks or more of age. There are other optional vaccinations that are appropriate in certain situations. Your puppy should receive kennel cough vaccine (Intra Trac II) if a trip to a boarding kennel is likely or if it will be placed in a puppy training class. Some kennels now require a Canine Influenza vaccine. Lyme vaccines are given to dogs that are exposed to ticks because Lyme Disease is transmitted by ticks. Please advise us of these needs on your next visit.

Why the Series of Puppy Booster Vaccinations?

When the puppy nurses on 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 fades away and the puppy must be able to make its own long-lasting immunity. Vaccinations are used for this purpose. As long as the mother’s antibodies are present, vaccinations do not have a chance to stimulate the puppy’s immune system. The mother’s antibodies interfere by neutralizing the vaccine.

Many factors determine when the puppy will be able to respond to the vaccinations. These include the level of immunity in the mother dog, how much antibody has been absorbed, and the number of vaccines given to the puppy. Since we do not know when an individual puppy will lose the short-term immunity, we give a series of vaccinations. We hope that at least two of these will fall in the window of time when the puppy has lost immunity from its mother but has not yet been exposed to disease. A single vaccination, even if effective, is not likely to stimulate the long-term immunity that is so important. The first vaccine recognized by the puppy’s immune system produces an IgM, a short term active immunity. The second vaccine that the puppy respond to will stimulate IgG antibody production. The IgG antibodies give the longer range protection against disease.

Rabies vaccine is an exception to this, since one injection given at the proper time is enough to produce long-term immunity.

Once your puppy has received the vaccination series and a rabies vaccine, it will need to receive boosters one year later. After that, most dogs can go to an every three year vaccination cycle.

Intestinal Worms

Intestinal parasites are common in puppies. Puppies can become infected with parasites before they are born or later through their mother’s milk. The microscopic examination of a stool sample will usually help us to determine the presence of intestinal parasites. We recommend this exam for all puppies. If we can not get a stool sample, please bring one at your earliest convenience. Even if we do not get a stool sample, we recommend the use of Drontal, a deworming product that is safe and effective against several of the common worms of the dog. It is given at the first visit and repeated in about 3 weeks. Food should not be withheld before or after administering the tablet. It is important that it be repeated in about 3 weeks because the deworming medication only kills the adult worms. Within 3-4 weeks, the larval stages, migrating through the puppy’s body, will have reached the intestinal tract and become adults and will need to be treated. Dogs remain susceptible to reinfection with hookworms and roundworms. Periodic deworming throughout the dog’s life may be recommended for dogs that go outdoors.

Tapeworms are one of the most common intestinal parasites 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. The flea is digested within the dog’s intestine; the tapeworm hatches and then anchors itself to the intestinal lining. Therefore, exposure to fleas may result in a new infection; this can occur in as little as two weeks.

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. They are about 1/8 inch (3 mm) long and may be seen crawling on the surface of the stool. They may also stick to the hair under the tail. If that occurs, they will dry out, shrink to about half their size, and become golden in color.

Tapeworm segments do not pass every day or in every stool sample; therefore, inspection of several consecutive bowel movements may be needed to find them. We may examine a stool sample in our office and not find them, then you may find them the next day. If you find them at any time, please notify us so we may provide the appropriate drug for treatment.

Heartworms

Heartworms are important parasites, especially in warm humid climates. They are found in most areas of the country and exist in our area. They live in the dog’s heart and cause major damage to the heart and lungs. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes so your dog does not have to be in contact with another dog to be exposed. Fortunately, we have drugs that will protect your dog from heartworms. These drugs are very safe and very effective if given regularly. Heartgard, Sentinel, are tablets that are given only once monthly. Be aware that having a long haircoat or staying primarily indoors does not protect a dog against heartworm infection.

Heartworm preventatives are dosed according to your dog’s weight. As the weight increases, the dosage should also increase. During the rapid puppy growing period our office will dispense 1 tablet monthly of the correct weight size. Once your puupy has grown into its adult weight range, we can dispense a 6 or 12 month supply of heartworm preventative. Please note the dosing instructions on the package. These products are very safe. You could overdose your dog by two or three times the recommended dose without causing harm. Therefore, it is always better to overdose rather than underdose.

Flea & Tick Control

Fleas do not stay on your puppy all of their time; occasionally, they will jump off and seek another host. Therefore, it is important to kill fleas on your new puppy before they can become established in your house. Many of the flea control products that are safe on adult dogs are not safe for puppies less than 4 months of age. Be sure that any flea product you use is labeled safe for puppies.

Frontline Plus and Revolution are the monthly products that kill adult fleas. They are liquids that are applied to the skin at the base of the neck. They are very effective and easy to use.

Ear Mites

Ear mites are tiny parasites that live in the ear canal of dogs (and cats). The most common sign of ear mite infection is scratching of the ears. Sometimes the ears will appear dirty because of a black material in the ear canal; this material is sometimes shaken out. The instrument we use for examining the ear canals, an otoscope, has the necessary magnification to allow us to see the mites. Sometimes, we can find the mites by taking a small amount of the black material from the ear canal and examining it with a microscope. Although they may leave the ear canals for short periods of time, they spend the vast majority of their lives within the protection of the ear canal. Transmission generally requires direct ear-to-ear contact. Ear mites are common in litters of puppies if their mother has ear mites.

Ear infections may also cause the production of a dark discharge in the ear canals. It is important that we examine you puppy to be sure the black material is due to ear mites and not infection. An accurate diagnosis is important before medication can be dispensed.

Food for Puppies

Diet is extremely important in the growing months of a dog’s life, and there are two important criteria that should be met in selecting food for your puppy. We recommend a NAME-BRAND FOOD made by a national dog food company (not a generic or local brand), and a form of food MADE FOR PUPPIES. This should be fed until your puppy is about 12-18 months of age, depending on its size. We recommend that you only buy food that has the AAFCO certification. Usually, you can find this information very easily on the label. AAFCO is an organization that oversees the entire pet food industry. It does not endorse any particular food, but it will certify that the food has met the minimum requirements for nutrition. Most of the commercial pet foods will have the AAFCO label. Generic brands often do not have it.

Feeding a dry, canned, or semi-moist form of dog food is acceptable. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Dry food is often least expensive. It can be left in the dog’s bowl without drying. The good brands of dry food are just as nutritious as the other forms. As a rule, most veterinarians will recommend dry food for your puppy, with a mix of a little canned.

Semi-moist and canned foods are also acceptable. However, both are considerably more expensive than dry food. They often are more appealing to the dog’s taste; however, they are not more nutritious. If you feed a very tasty food, you are running the risk of creating a dog with a finicky appetite. In addition, some semi-moist foods may be high in sugar.

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.

We enjoy a variety of things to eat in our diet. However, most dogs actually prefer not to change from one food to another unless they are trained to do so by the way you feed them. Do not feel guilty if your dog is happy to just eat one food day after day, week after week.

Commercials for dog food can be very misleading. If you watch carefully you will notice that many commercials promote dog food on one basis, TASTE. Nutrition is rarely mentioned. Most of the “gourmet” foods are marketed to appeal to owners who wants the best for their dogs; however, they do not offer the dog any nutritional advantage over a good quality dry food, and they are far more expensive. If your dog eats a gourmet food very long, it will probably not be happy with other foods. If it needs a special diet due to a health problem later in life, it is very unlikely to accept it. Therefore, we do not encourage feeding gourmet dog foods.

In addition to table foods, it is also important that you not give certain other things to dogs. Animal bones of any kind are not recommended. The bones of birds (chicken, turkey, etc.) are hollow and splinter easily producing very sharp pointed pieces of bones. These can easily pierce the esophagus, stomach, and intestines resulting in peritonitis and death. Marrow bones can get trapped around the dogs lower jaw and are often hard enough to crack the dogs teeth.

Feeding Schedules

There are several “right” ways to feed puppies. The most popular method is commonly called “meal feeding.” This means that the puppy is fed at specific times of the day. A measured amount of food should be offered three to four times per day for 8-12 week old puppies. What is not eaten within 30 minutes is taken up. If the food is eaten within 3-4 minutes, the quantity is probably not sufficient. 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 one of these feedings is ignored for several days, it should be discontinued. Ideally you will continue to feed three times daily until the puppy is 6 months of age, then twice a day for life.

“Free choice feeding” means that food is available at all times. While this may work well with dry foods and for some dogs, many dogs tend to overeat and become obese. The other disadvandage is that it may be difficult to determine whether your puppy is sick and not eating if the food sits out all the time. By using a fixed feeding schedule you will readily be able to note the puppy’s appetite at every meal and notice a problem sooner than later.

Puppy Care –Housebreaking

Housebreaking should begin as soon as your puppy enters his new home. How long the training must continue depends on both the puppy and you. Some pups learn sooner than others. Your dog wants to please you. But a puppy’s memory is short, so your patience is important. A home with a badly trained puppy is not a happy home for you or the puppy.

• The puppy’s bed may be housed in a box or crate, with a door at one end and sized slightly larger than the puppy. If the bed is too large, the puppy may defecate or urinate in a corner rather than go outside. The puppy should be able to stand and turn around comfortably. If the bed is sized appropriately, the puppy will do its “business” outside rather than soil its bed. The idea is to replicate a safe spot, like a den would be for a wolf or fox pup.
• If you have an open wire cage, do not leave collars on your puppy when inside the cage, so that it cannot hang up on exposed wire loops. To recreate the den feel, covering the cage with a blanket with a view out the front can make your puppy feel more secure.
• The key to crate training is that the puppy is only out of the crate when completely supervised in the house. If you are home, but otherwise distracted, the puppy should be in the crate. In a perfect world, the puppy will not have an accident in the house because as soon as you see him signaling he needs to eliminate, you scoop him up and take him outside.

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  Keep in mind that your puppy’s bladder and kidneys are not fully developed and he will need to eliminate more frequently as this stage of life.

• (IF you need to be gone from the home for extended times and cannot get a dog walker to help with training, you may want to consider paper training. Enclose the bed in a small area, such as a laundry room. Cover this area with newspapers to be used when your pup is left unsupervised. Your puppy will find an area he favors for eliminating on the papers. To move him to the out of doors you will eventually move the papers to the location you choose, other wise the principals are the same as crate training.)
• One secret to housebreaking is a scent post. A scent post is created when your puppy eliminated. The problem becomes one of locating the scent post in the place you want it.
• To create a scent post, always take the puppy to the same location out of doors. If paper training, leave a smear of stool from the last elimination or damp under layer of the newspaper on the clean paper in the place you want him to go, and coax or scoot the puppy to that area. The same is true of an outside scent post, but without the paper, in an out-of-the-way place in the yard. This will solve the “mine-field” problem. Be certain you scoop this area regularly to avoid the spread of intestinal parasites. There will always be a little residual for scent and going to the same location and saying the same words (such as “go potty”) will encourage a repeat performance. As in all behavior training, the most important thing you can do is praise your puupy when it does the correct thing.
• The first thing in the morning, the puppy should be scooted to the scent post. This is so he can learn his way to the door and the scent post. Let him sniff about. The moment he has relieved himself, pat him on the head and immediately bring him into the house. Do not let him play about. The toilet period and play period should be definitely separate in the puppy’s routine.
• The puppy should then be fed. In a short while the puppy will become uneasy and walk in circles sniffing at the floor. The puppy should then be scooted and coaxed to the scent post as quickly as possible.
• This routine should be repeated every hour or two throughout the day, especially after meals, naps and play periods.
• When the puppy is taken out to play, it is wise to leave the house by another door or at least take him to a different area and avoid taking him near his scent post. Never play with your pup until after he has been taken out and has eliminated.
• If you have taken him outside, stood there in the pouring rain, and he has not eliminated, bring him back into the house and place him in the crate for 10 to 15 minutes and then try again.
• There will of course be some “accidents” in the house. Never let one of these slip by unnoticed; recognizing the mistake five minutes after the offense is too late. If you are watching him, as you should be, immediately scoop him up and rush him to the scent post. Scrub the area of mishap thoroughly until all odor is gone. White vinegar (not ammonia) can help eliminate the smell of urine. There are also a number of enzymatic products available to help remove the scent molecules your puppy might notice.
• Positive reinforcement of proper urine and bowel habits is just as important as properly applied discipline. When your puppy urinates or defecates in the correct place, spend several minutes stroking and praising him.

Socialization of Puppies

The Socialization Period for dogs is between 4 and 12 weeks of age. During that time, the puppy is very impressionable to social influences. If it has good experiences with men, women, children, cats, other dogs, strange situations and noises, etc., it is likely to accept them throughout life. If the experiences are absent or unpleasant, it may become apprehensive or adverse to any of them. Therefore, during the period of socialization, we encourage you to expose your dog to as many types of social events and influences as possible.

Thunderstorm phobias can be avoided by quickly interceding when a puppy looks anxious during a storm. Distracting it during the storm with play in the house ( a favorite toy or ball) will make it associate the storm noises with positive experiences. Be careful not to reinforce the bad behaviors (cuddling a nervous puppy in the first storms) but always redirect into a positive (play) situation.

Separation Anxiety is another behavior that can be prevented by proper experiences when the puppy is learning the rules of the road. The most important things you can do for your puppy is to let it know that your comings and goings are not abnormal and are no reason for him to be concerned. The puppy should experience times when you are not directly interacting or entertaining him. Alone time, and learning to play with his toys by himself are important. As discussed above, do not respond to attention seeking behaviors. When you go out of or come back into the house do not make a big show of excitement. Of course you missed your puppy, but he needs to think that this is just another normal everyday event. Do not reinforce his excitement to see you again. Remember to ignore his excitement, have him sit calmly, then leash him and take him out for a walk.

Chewing

One of the characteristics of puppies is chewing. Puppies are trying their new teeth so chewing is a normal behavior. The puppy’s baby teeth are present by about 4 weeks of age. They begin to fall out at 4 months of age and are replaced by the adult (permanent) teeth by about 6 months of age. Therefore, chewing is a puppy characteristic that you can expect until about 6-7 months of age. It is important that you do what you can to direct your puppy’s chewing toward acceptable objects. You should never allow the puppy to chew human hands or possessions.You should provide items such as rawhide chew bones, nylon chew bones, and other chew toys so other objects are spared. Always redirect the puppy’s attention to an acceptable object and praise it for behaving correctly.

Jumping

Your puppy will accept it role in your family “wolf pack” and want to play with you and your children as though you are also dogs. The easiest way to extinguish this behavior is by not running (encourage young childern to play “freeze tag”), keep you hands close to your body (in pockets or folding arms across your chest), turn your back to the dog. By so being ignored, having no moving objects to chase, or exciting loud noises to encourage wild behaviour, most dogs will stop jumping. Tell it calmly to “sit”. Once it sits you may respond positively to the puppy for the correct behavior.

Trimming Toenails

Puppies have very sharp toenails. They can be trimmed with your regular finger nail clippers or with nail trimmers made for dogs and cats. If you take too much off the nail, you will get into the quick; bleeding and pain will occur. If this happens, neither you nor your dog will want to do this again. Therefore, a few points are helpful:

1. If your dog has clear or white nails, you can see the pink of the quick through the nail. Avoid the pink area, and you should be out of the quick. Just like your own nails, you only trim the white tips, leaving room between the white and the pink “quick” of your own nail.
2. There is a hollow area under the nail that corresponds to the hollow we have where the white part or our nail begins. You can use this as a guideline on dark nails, leaving some hollow area between the thick nail and your clip point. If you can press the nail down flat from the top and keep the nail clipper flat against the foot pad, as a rule, you will not hit the quick. Our technicians will be happy to show you correct ways to trim nails.
3. If your dog has black nails, you are nervous because you will not be able to see the quick, you can also only cut 1/32″ (1 mm) of the nail at a time until the dog begins to get sensitive. The sensitivity will usually occur before you are into the blood vessel. With black nails, it is likely that you will get too close on at least one nail.
4. If your dog has some clear and some black nails, use the average clear nail as a guide for cutting the black ones.
5. When cutting nails, use sharp trimmers. Dull trimmers tend to crush the nail and cause pain even if you are not in the quick
6. You should always have styptic powder available. This is sold in pet stores under several trade names, but it will be labeled for use in trimming nails. If you have cut back too far and do not have anything else available, hold a cotton ball or tissue to the bleeding nail bed. Be certain to leave a small piece of cotton behind once the bleeding has stopped (usually within 5-10 minutes) so you do not remove the clot.
7. Always try to reward your puppy for being calm during nail trimming.

General Comments on Behaviors

Whatever behaviors you will find acceptable in your adult dog, those are the ones you want to encourage from the beginning. The converse is also true. If you do not want your 150 lb mastiff in bed with you or on your lap, you need to set those boundaries now.

Spaying Females

Spaying offers several advantages. The female’s heat periods result in about 2-3 weeks of vaginal bleeding. This can be quite annoying if your dog is kept indoors. Male dogs are attracted from blocks away and, in fact, seem to come out of the woodwork. They seem to go over, around, and through many doors or fences. Your dog will have a heat period about every 6 months. Keep in mind the female will also be actively seeking a mate during the heat cycle. She should only be allowed out of doors on a leash in a confined area, never left unattended. If there is an unneutered male in the house and you do not intend to breed them at this heat cycle, expect a determined effort on both their parts to thwart your plans.

Spaying is the removal of the uterus and the ovaries. Therefore, heat periods no longer occur. In many cases, despite your best effort, the female will become pregnant; spaying prevents unplanned litters of puppies.

It has been proven that as the female dog gets older, there is a significant incidence of breast cancer and uterine infections (pyometra) if she has not been spayed. Spaying before she has any heat periods will virtually eliminate the chance of either. If you do not plan to breed your dog, we recommend that she be spayed before her first heat period. This can be done anytime after she is 6 months old. Newer studies are looking into the incidence of certain cancers and orthopedic problems in older female dogs that have been spayed versus not spayed. Some of these trends seem to be breed specific. Talk to your veterinarian about what is currently known and how it affects your decision to spay.

Neutering Males

Neutering offers several advantages. Male dogs are attracted to a female dog in heat and will climb over or go through fences to find her. Male dogs are more aggressive and more likely to fight, especially with other male dogs. As dogs age, the prostate gland frequently enlarges and causes difficulty urinating and defecating. Neutering will solve, or greatly help, all of these problems that come with owning a male dog. The surgery can be performed any time after the dog is 6 months old. Newer studies are looking into the incidence of certain cancers and orthopedic problems in older male dogs that have been neutered versus not neutered. Some of these trends seem to be breed specific and age of neuter specific. Talk to your veterinarian about what is currently known and how it affects your decision to neuter.

Breeding

If you plan to breed your dog, she should have at least one or two heat periods first. This will allow her to physically mature allowing her to be a better mother without such a physical drain on her. We do not recommend breeding after 5 years of age unless she has been bred prior to that. Having her first litter after 5 years of age increases the risk of problems during the pregnancy and/or delivery. Once your dog has had her last litter, she should be spayed to prevent the reproductive problems older dogs have. Breeding is a serious decision and can affect the health and even life of your dog. Be prepared and have homes already set up for a litter of puppies so they do not wind up in shelters. Be prepared financially and emotionally is something goes wrong with the pregnancy or delivery. Emergency Caesarian sections are expensive and traumatic to all concerned. Read our page on Breeding recommendations for what to expect when your dog is expecting.

Pet Identification

Losing your pet is devastating. They can escape and run off and get lost. Identification tags are great, as long as the collar they are attached to remains with your dog. Better still is a microchip. This tiny device is implanted inside the dog between the shoulder blades with a needle, so the process is much like getting an injection. Our scanners can detect these chips; humane societies and animal shelters across the country also have scanners. A national registry permits the return of microchipped pets throughout the United States and Canada. Microchips are not GPS trackers. You must register your dogs microchip to be notified if the dogs is found. We recommend it.

Three Curious Things about Puppies

1. Puppies may be observed to make unusual sounds or movements during their sleep. This is called “activated sleep.” It probably occurs because your puppy is dreaming and trying to participate in the dream.
2. Puppies also have “puppy breath.” There is a characteristic smell about a puppy’s breath. It is not particularly offensive or desirable, and may be somewhat sweet. It is present for a few weeks then disappears.
3. Puppies also frequently have episodes of hiccups. They may occur for 10-20 minutes at a time then spontaneously disappear. They will stop as your puppy gets a little older.

Emergency Tips

There are several emergency situations that are common. The following recommendations could be valuable for you to know.

Hit by car. Let your dog stand up by itself. If it cannot, transfer it to a hard board for transporting. Apply pressure to wounds with soft gauze. Keep your dog warm to prevent shock. An injured dog may bite, even people that it knows very well. Use caution for the safety of both you and your dog. Seek medical attention quickly.

Overheating. If you suspect you dog has collapsed from heat stress, start to cool it down with a cool water bath, fans, cold compresses, or ice packs. Seek medical attention immediately.

Minor Burns. Treat with cool water and seek medical attention.

Do we need to go to the Emergency Clinic or Can I Wait? There is no perfect answer to this question. Certainly if you are asking yourself this question, perhaps erring on the side of safety for your pet and calling the emergency clinic would be best. One of the guidelines that can help – If it were you inside that furry suit what would you want done? If this were a child or other loved one, what would you do for them? When in doubt it is always better to not wait!