The Dogs and Dog Food Recall News Blog

It is very exciting when you get a new puppy, however if you want him to feel at home and to grow up into a healthy adult dog it is necessary to know how to care for a puppy before you even bring your new friend home. When considering the health, safety and comfort of your new puppy, take into account these 5 things.

1. Comfort

In order for your new puppy to be secure and comfortable in your home, you should prepare for its arrival. Set up a special place for your puppy to sleep, with a soft, warm bed as well as toys and a convenient location for food and water.

Besides that, you should make sure you leave plenty of time to spend with your puppy in order for him to know you and feel safe and secure when around you. Make sure he knows that you are there to take care of him. Don’t forget that your puppy has just been stripped of his mother and siblings and the only home that he has ever had. In order to feel safe he is going to need a little reaffirmation.

2. Give Your Puppy The Right Food

You should remember that a puppy is a baby dog and he should be treated much the same way you would treat a young baby. You will not want to give him grown-up dog food for a while and you should check with a vet or the pet store or his previous owner to see what he has been eating. If you would like to feed him a different kind of food, do not just chance it quickly because he may stop eating or even get sick. Gradually replace your food with what he has been used to eating and he will learn to like the new food. Remember to treat him like the new baby he is and you will get along well.

Do not feed table scraps to your new puppy. It creates a bad habit for both you and your puppy and may not be good for your puppy’s health.

3. Medical Care

Responsible ownership of a puppy includes seeking regular veterinary care. Necessary treatments include worming and vaccinations to protect the puppy. To ensure that your young dog receives the best possible care, schedule an appointment as soon as possible, and establish a regular vaccination and examination schedule as recommended by your veterinarian. Getting the proper vaccinations and checkups is an important part of learning how to care for a puppy.

4. Keep Him Sage

Just as you “child proof” your home before you bring home baby, you should “puppy proof” your home before you bring home that new addition to the family. Puppies are naturally curious about their new world, and need to be protected from danger. That danger not only comes from what is in your home, but also from older and/or stronger pets who want to play too rough with the puppy. Also, make sure that any young children are taught that the puppy is a real live creature, because many puppies have been injured by a child who thinks they are a stuffed animal.

5. Obedience Training

A dog that isn’t properly trained can be a nuisance who no one wants to be around. If you don’t want your puppy to grow into a nuisance dog, then you need to have a plan for obedience training. Not only will this make him a dog everyone wants to hang out with, it will help you to keep him safe.

Learning how to care for a puppy takes a bit of planning, but mostly you should plant to give your new pup a lot of love and attention - those two things are most important for helping your puppy grow into a happy and healthy dog.

Popularity: 9% [?]

A puppy begins to change his baby coat for a permanent adult one at about three months old and is fully in coat by eight months. It is essential to provide all the vitamins and minerals your puppy needs to develop a good coat.

Also the temperature of the puppy’s surroundings makes a lot of difference. A good heavy coat is developed more quickly when a puppy is kept outside than when it is always in the warmth of the house.

Boiled linseed improves the texture of the coat and gives it a wonderful shine. Many show people feed their dogs with some boiled linseed before starting their show career. The linseed should be boiled in water until it forms a jelly when cold. A tablespoonful of the jelly a day is about right for a medium-sized puppy over six months old.

Some puppies will have an undercoat and an over-length coat, which is waterproof. German Shepherds have this double-texture coat. That is why they are suitable as shepherd dogs, as the weather does not affect them so much. Some puppies, like the Mexican Hairless, have no coat at all. Short-coated dogs are far easier to keep clean than long-coated ones, but they feel the cold much more.

Popularity: 12% [?]

The best way to give any pill is to wrap it in a small piece of meat; most puppies eat meat hungrily, and the pills go down easily. I give my puppy a vitamin-mineral supplement that is in powdered form. It is unfortunately rather insoluble, but she doesn’t mind, and eats it up easily with her morning meal. If you start this habit with young puppies, they get accustomed to it.

All puppies should get accustomed from an early age to having their mouths opened without biting. Try opening the mouth and popping in a piece of liver, each time commanding the dog to “Open.” You will find that your puppy will quickly learn to open her mouth on command, hoping for the liver.

You must never try to open a puppy’s mouth with your hand on the bottom jaw. Always place your hand over the top of the muzzle, with your first finger and thumb in the puppy’s mouth where the teeth are absent, just behind the large canine tooth when it comes through. Keep the puppy’s head up, and stroke its throat until you see it swallow. Always put the puppy to the sit before attempting any medication. Otherwise it might struggle and choke.

Popularity: 15% [?]