Ideas to consider when choosing a puppy. We want it to be a successful match!!
Your Info:
Name, address, email
Is your physical address different than your mailing address? We like to have that, too. If needed we can send things in the mail.
Your age?
Your occupation?
Will you be the main care giver?
Do you something else to share about yourself? (We love to hear about the new family!!)
Your Preferences:
Boy or Girl? Why?
What color?
Is it a surprise gift?
What energy level can you handle in a dog?
Is any one allergic to dogs?
Is every one in your home agreed about adding a family member?
Your Home:
How many adults are living in the home?
How many children and their ages?
Do your children have experience with pets?
Are there other pets?
What kind of home do you have?
Do you have fenced yard?
How will you exercise the puppy?
If the puppy is indoors, do you know how to house/potty train it?
Your Puppy's Life:
How many hours will it be home alone?
Where will it stay during the day when it is alone?
Where will it be at night?
Will it run loose when grown?
Do you plan to participate in sporting activities or agility events?
Will it be in any other activities (therapy dog, 4-H project, watch dog)?
Will this puppy take one basic obedience class?
Do you intend to spay/neuter the puppy?
Your Puppy's Safety:
Did you have a dog before?
If you can no longer keep it, who will?
Have you ever given a pet away?
Have you ever trained a puppy?
And finally:
Are you ready to make 10-15 year commitment on this dog?
Can you afford the routine and emergency vet care?
Do you have any questions about raising this puppy?
Name, address, email
Is your physical address different than your mailing address? We like to have that, too. If needed we can send things in the mail.
Your age?
Your occupation?
Will you be the main care giver?
Do you something else to share about yourself? (We love to hear about the new family!!)
Your Preferences:
Boy or Girl? Why?
What color?
Is it a surprise gift?
What energy level can you handle in a dog?
Is any one allergic to dogs?
Is every one in your home agreed about adding a family member?
Your Home:
How many adults are living in the home?
How many children and their ages?
Do your children have experience with pets?
Are there other pets?
What kind of home do you have?
Do you have fenced yard?
How will you exercise the puppy?
If the puppy is indoors, do you know how to house/potty train it?
Your Puppy's Life:
How many hours will it be home alone?
Where will it stay during the day when it is alone?
Where will it be at night?
Will it run loose when grown?
Do you plan to participate in sporting activities or agility events?
Will it be in any other activities (therapy dog, 4-H project, watch dog)?
Will this puppy take one basic obedience class?
Do you intend to spay/neuter the puppy?
Your Puppy's Safety:
Did you have a dog before?
If you can no longer keep it, who will?
Have you ever given a pet away?
Have you ever trained a puppy?
And finally:
Are you ready to make 10-15 year commitment on this dog?
Can you afford the routine and emergency vet care?
Do you have any questions about raising this puppy?
Your New Puppy Info...
Congratulations, you have certainly chosen a wonderful puppy! I have jotted a few things down that might help you.
New Puppy Means A Big Change In Your Life, And It Helps To Be Prepared.
Just remember bringing home your new puppy is like bringing home a new baby. Limit excitement and handling as much as possible. Puppies require about 16 hours of sleep a day. They sleep about 3 hours, maybe play and eat about 1 hour. If they do not get their rest they will get sick. Taking time to plan ahead and get things in order, will make a big difference in the long run. Start out with the right attitude. The first weeks of your new puppy's life with you will be busy and demanding. There may be times when you wonder if getting a puppy was such a good idea. Things will go better if you have patience and keep your sense of humor. Remember that puppy hood only happens once. The extra effort you put into it now will pay off in the future.
Make an appointment with your veterinarian to give the puppy a complete checkup within 48 business hours of your purchase. If you don't have a vet yet, ask friends or family or local kennel club for a recommendation. Although the puppy has been health-checked by us, an exam is your insurance that puppy is just as healthy as we say he/she is. Show the health records that come with your puppy to your vet, so they know what has already been given. Be sure to re-vaccinate and keep up regular worming! This puppy has not been started on heart worm medication. Please check with your vet and follow his recommendations on your vaccination schedule. Also have him advise you as to when the very necessary Rabies vaccination should be given.
Visits to the vet. Never put your puppy on the floor or the ground outside of the clinic, instead carry your puppy or use a pet carrier. Ask the vet staff to disinfect the exam table before you set your pup down for his/her exam.
Dog parks, pet shops, puppy preschool and areas where other dogs of unknown health may have visited, should be off limits until your pup has completed his/her series of puppy shots.
Puppy-proof your home. Raising a puppy is a lot like raising small children -- they get into everything! Before bringing your puppy home, you'll need to "puppy proof" your house because they want to explore every corner of your house, and they want to put everything into their mouths. Some of what they get into can be hazardous to their health or to your possessions. Make sure all poisonous household items are securely stored out of the puppy's reach. Place all household cleaners, insecticides, fertilizers, mothballs, antifreeze, insect poisons, rat poisons and other items in cabinets or on high shelves. Remember, as your new puppy grows, he will be able to explore higher places and be tempted to jump up on shelves. To a puppy, the world is brand new and fascinating! He's seeing it all for the very first time and absolutely everything must be thoroughly investigated. Puppies do most of their investigating with their mouths -- "Look at this! What is it? Something to eat? Something to play with?" A puppy will be most attracted to the things he should least have -- electrical cords, the fringe on your expensive oriental rug, your brand new running shoes, etc.
Take a Puppy's-Eye View. Preventing destructive and dangerous chewing is easier than trying to correct the puppy every second. Get down on all fours and look around. Are there any dangling electric cords, loose nails, plastic bags or other tempting objects that will be in puppy's reach? If there are, be sure to put them away immediately. Unplug, remove or cover any electrical cords in your puppy's confinement area. It is also a good idea to cover electrical outlets, when they are not in use. Keep buttons, string, sewing needles, pins and other sharp objects out of your puppy's reach. Bitter Apple spray can be applied to furniture legs, woodwork and other immovable items. Are there rooms your puppy should be restricted from entering until he's better trained and more reliable? Install a baby gate or keep the doors to those rooms closed.
Take a walk around your yard looking for potential hazards. If your yard is fenced, check the boundaries and gates for openings that could be potential escape routes. Puppies can get through smaller places than an adult dog. If your yard's not fenced, make a resolution right now that your puppy will never be allowed to run off lead without close supervision. He won't ever know enough to look both ways before crossing the street to chase a squirrel. Keep him safe by keeping him on leash! Never leave your puppy unsupervised inside or outside, and keep him off balconies, upper porches and high decks where he can slip through openings and fall.
Check your plants. Many plants in and around your house can be harmful to your pup. Did you know that the pits of apricots and peaches, as well as spinach and tomato vines, can make your puppy sick and, in very large dosages, can even be fatal? For a more complete list of plants that are dangerous to dogs, consult your veterinarian, or research the internet. You can make life safer for the puppy and your furniture by getting rid of hazards and temptations ahead of time.
Use a schedule. House training is much easier when the puppy's meals, exercise and play times are on a regular schedule throughout the day. Your book on puppy care and training should have a section on housebreaking with suggestions and a recommended schedule. Read through it and create a game plan before the puppy arrives. Many people like to bring their puppies home on a weekend in order to devote extra time to settling in and housebreaking those first few days.
Decide where to put the dog crate, and have it set up and ready for his/her arrival. Where to keep the crate will depend on what's most convenient for you as well as the puppy's response. Many puppies don't like to be isolated in one part of the house while their family is in another but some puppies won't settled down in their crates if there's too much activity going on around them. You might have to experiment with different locations until you learn what works best for both you and the puppy.
Bath time and Soap. A good rule of thumb is that you should bathe your dog once a month. Of course, if he rolls around in the mud, you can bathe him more often. Or if your puppy is prone to dry skin, you can wait longer between baths. I highly recommend using a oatmeal base shampoo (never use people shampoo) to keep hair & skin healthy. On long hair puppies be sure to keep the hair on the back side clipped for cleanliness.
Feeding Tips We currently are feeding your puppy Nutri Source Puppy Food, nutrisourcepetfoods.com/our-food/nutrisource/small-and-medium-breed-puppy-recipe/, to locate a store near you that sells it. Also we like Cesars canned food, www.walmart.com/ip/CESAR-Soft-Wet-Dog-Food-Classic-Loaf-in-Sauce-Grilled-Chicken-Flavor-3-5-oz-Easy-Peel-Tray/10318946, if the puppy needs additional supplementing. Fruit loops are good to have on hand also. All puppies love those as a treat! Another great thing to have on hand when bringing your small puppy home is pancake or corn syrup to put on the food if your puppy gets finicky. We do send a small bag of puppy food home with each puppy, but you will keep him on our puppy food for 4 weeks, then if you do not plan to leave them on our brand you will need to slowly and gradually switch foods over to another good, high quality puppy food. Make sure that if you if you are going to change food it is a good, high quality food, such as Iams, Royal Canin, Science Diet, Country Vet, or Eukanuba. (There are others as well, but these are a few of the top brands around here.) Look at your puppy at about 6 months, if it looks like it is getting a little chubby, change to adult dog food; otherwise keep it on puppy food until it is around 9-12 months old. Right now the puppy has food in front of it at all times. Puppies are nibblers; they will run over and grab 5 pieces of food, spit it on the floor and then eat them one by one. Then in another 30 minutes run over, get another 5 pieces and eat that. You need to make sure that the puppy has a chance to eat, drink, and rest! If it doesn’t get enough to eat it could get low blood sugar (become hypoglycemic). If that should happen and the puppy is lethargic you need to get some sugar into the puppy immediately! Pancake or corn syrup works well. Call us first and then, if necessary, the vet if this should happen. Take the food and water away about an hour or so before bed, puppies are just like little children, if they are empty, they can go all night.
A yummy cool treat:
*3 ripe bananas *32 ounce plain yogurt * 1 cup peanut butter
Blend, and pour into ice trays. Freeze. In a couple hours you'll have a cool treat for your dog!!
How to Rehydrate a Sick Dog
Provide your dog with plenty of fresh clean water to drink. (Pets need one ounce of water for each pound of body weight)
Increase your dogs hydration with electrolyte supplements. ...
Give your dog some chicken or beef bouillon broth several times a day. ...
Offer your dog small amounts of ice chips to stay dehydrated.
Potty Training Tips
At first you will want to take the puppy out every hour, he/she will probably not potty each time, but eventually will have to go potty. Always take the puppy out the same door, to the same place, and say the same thing. It is a lot of repetition, but it works. When he/she does potty outside, make a very big deal out of it, tell them what a good boy/girl they are, and give them a little treat. They may think you are goofy (as well as your neighbors), but, hey, it made you happy. Don’t take the puppy outside just to play; then it gets confusing as to what you want the puppy to do. If you really want to play with your puppy outside, take him/her to a totally different area. When the puppy has an accident in the house, pick it up in a paper towel and take it outside, that way there is scent out in your yard. That makes it a little easier for the puppy to know what they are supposed to do out there. The first person to wake up in the morning needs to take the puppy out immediately, don’t wait to get yourself ready first, the puppy can’t hold it that long. Also don’t open the door of the kennel and let the puppy come out, you need to pick the puppy up and take it outside, otherwise as soon as it’s feet hit the ground its going to realize that it has to go potty and the puppy won’t be able to make it to the door. Don’t be upset if the puppy doesn’t make it all night without an accident, especially that first night. The first night they don’t know if you are ever coming back! That first night is very scary for a little puppy; they are taken away from friends and family and put in the dark alone. Once they realize that you are coming back, then they can hold it all night.
Puppy Supply List
What you may have waiting at home for you new little one.
Toys If they have plenty of appropriate toys and things to chew on they will be less likely to find inappropriate ones to chew on. Not to say that they still won’t be a naughty little puppy and chew up something that they shouldn’t but toys do definitely help. There is also a difference between toys that they can have when they are alone and ones that they should have supervision with, if they can get any little pieces off or could possibly rip it they should not have it when they are alone. Good alone time toys are; hard chew toys, rope toys, balls, stuffed animals if made for dogs, and don't have squeakers or eyes that can be pulled/chewed off, heartbeat-sounding pillow/toy.
Collar or harness Do not spend a lot of money on your puppy's first collar because he/she will grow out of it quickly. To begin, a simple and inexpensive collar is fine, and within a month or two, you can buy a very special collar. :-) If you have small children who would like to take the puppy for a walk a harness is better than a collar, that way it puts the pressure on the puppy’s chest instead of around their neck. It is still nice to have both a collar and harness, a collar for the puppy’s tags and a harness for walks.
Wire or plastic dog crate/ bed At first the area the puppy has in their kennel should not be much larger than what the puppy needs to sit, lay down, and turn around otherwise they will quickly learn to potty in the back and sleep in the front. Once the puppy is house trained then they can have a larger area. Easily washable, hard-to-destroy bedding material like an old towel in the puppies crate is best initially in case the puppy soils it, but a doggie bed will also work and would be enjoyed later as well. They love to have something soft and warm to snuggle in, after all they did have siblings to snuggle with while they were here.
Treats At first treats should only be given when they potty in the appropriate place, and should be given immediately after. You will want something that you can break into small pieces- dog jerky breaks very easy and is one of the best for training.
Leash We recommend the retractable ones, it gives them a little more room to wander but still lets you have total control.
Food/water bowls We prefer the heavy crocks, that way they can’t tip their bowls over.
Gate A wire, wooden or plastic “baby gate” for blocking doorways
Book A good book on puppy care & training . Read through them before bringing your puppy home.
And lots of Patience and Love! A puppy can be a lot of fun, but is also a lot of work. They need love and discipline.
Spay or Neuter Your Dog
If you would like your puppy spayed or neutered, I will do this for you: $175 for spaying and $125 for neutering.
Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life. Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
Neutering provides major health benefits for your male. Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age. Neutered dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering. Your male dog won't want to roam away from home. An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.
Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat. Don’t use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds - not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.
It is highly cost-effective. The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered dog escapes and gets into fights with the neighborhood stray! Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets.
Ask questions! We want your relationship with your puppy to be successful!
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BUYING YOUR PUPPY FROM "FOUR PAWS 4 U", AND PLEASE CONTACT US IF WE CAN BE OF HELP! MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL,
ENJOY YOUR NEW PUPPY!!!
Here are links to pages on:
Crate Training: http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html
House Training: http://www.perfectpaws.com/htrp.html
Teaching New Tricks: www.dogtrickacademy.com/
Potty Training: https://www.petinsurancequotes.com/pet-care/tips-for-housebreaking-your-pet.html
America's Pet Registry: https://www.aprpets.org/
Nutri Source Dog Food: http://www.nutrisourcedogfood.com/nutrisource/
Cesars canned food, www.walmart.com/ip/CESAR-Soft-Wet-Dog-Food-Classic-Loaf-in-Sauce-Grilled-Chicken-Flavor-3-5-oz-Easy-Peel-Tray/10318946,
Pet Key http://petkey.org/
Angel Eyes: http://www.angelseyesonline.com/
Puppy Pads: http://www.newpuppypads.com/
Pamper My Puppy: http://pampermypuppy.com/
Pet Supplies 4 Less: http://www.petsupplies4less.com/
Quality Pet Supplies: http://www.moosemanpetsupply.com
Pet Bliss https://petbliss.shop/
Pet Bliss https://www.instagram.com/p/C8xfWwLJWuv/?igsh=MXJodThsdDMzem5sbg==
Missouri Pet Breeders Association: http://mpbaonline.org/
Humane Watch Team: http://www.humanewatch.org
Pet Memorials Direct: http://www.petmemorialsdirect.com/
Critters.com: http://www.critters.com/
Christian Light Publications: http://www.clp.org/
Christian Aid Ministries: https://www.christianaidministries.org/
Thomas & Sydenham, Cattle. [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2007): http://www.kidcyber.com.au/
Animal Smart: http://animalsmart.org/species