25/03/2022
With puppies coming soon, I'd like to make a post about puppy care
TAKING CARE OF YOUR NEW PUPPY
The first few days are incredibly important to the well being of your new puppy. Please read these instructions carefully and keep them for future reference.
STRESS: No matter how much you love your new puppy, it is going to experience stress. Leaving everything that is secure and familiar to him/her is going to cause some fear and confusion. It is so vital to recognize the signs of stress and help your puppy through this tough time. Signs of stress in a puppy can be timidity, failure to eat, lethargy, diarrhea or vomiting, and crying. Please be patient with your puppy. He's looking to you to comfort, protect and lead him. You should pick up your new puppy when you have at least a day or two to spend with him before leaving him alone. If you are off of work on weekends, pick up your puppy on Friday or Saturday and make plans to spend the weekend making him a priority or take a day off of work if you have to. It's cruel to bring a puppy into a completely unfamiliar environment and then leave him alone for 8-10 hours while you go off to work. If possible, come home for lunch if you work, or ask a friend to check in on him.
FAILURE TO EAT: Your puppy must eat often to survive. If he's off his feed, give him a food supplement such as Nutri-Drops or Nutri-Cal. This will keep blood sugar levels stable. You MUST entice him to eat. Cook him some chicken or a hamburger if you have to, But make sure that she/he eats. The Nutri-Drops/Nurti-Cal is only a short term fix. But they can be a life saver if your puppy ever gets sick, overheated, chilled, injured, or stressed.
FEEDING YOUR PUPPY: Yorkies are nibblers. Make food and water available to him/her AT ALL TIMES-24/7. Yorkie puppies eat very small quantities at a time so you cannot put them on a once or twice daily feeding schedule like some dogs. This may be difficult if you have other breeds in the home, but it is vital that you heed this advise. If you plan on changing him/her to another food, do it slowly or your puppy may get diarrhea or may stop eating. Changing food is NOT recommended for at least 6 months. If your puppy is very small you may wish to supplement with a little goats milk daily. Goats milk can be found in the upper end grocery stores in the diary section next to soy milk. It is also located in the section near evaporated milk. If you use the canned remember it is condensed and must be cut 1/2 to 1/2 with water.
IF YOUR PUPPY IS SICK: Seek professional help. CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN. You have chosen to have a tiny breed as your new family member. With tiny breeds such as Yorkies, you must act quickly if your puppy becomes ill. Their size prohibits waiting to get help.
ALLOW YOUR PUPPY TIME TO REST: A good rule of thumb for tiny puppies is 15 minutes of play requires 45 minutes of rest. It is important at a young age not to wear them out. Like children, they don't know when to quit sometimes. Make sure never to leave a tiny puppy unattended with small children. Teach children to allow the puppy time to rest. If the puppy has been playing hard let him sleep.
GROOMING & BATHING: Always comb/brush your puppy "before" bathing and after drying. Make sure you use an ear cleaner and blow dry the ears completely. Yorkies require regular brushing to maintain their beautiful hair coats and to avoid painful matting of the hair. For cleanliness, trim hair around buttocks and ge***al areas at least twice a week. Yorkies tend to grow hair that covers the a**s and that blocks f***s and they become impacted. Gently using beard trimmers around that area weekly will prevent this. Be careful not to injure the protruding a**s. Bathe your puppy as needed or every couple of weeks. Bathing too often can cause dry skin and hair. Coconut Oil is excellent both as a conditioner and a food supplement. Just put a teaspoon on their food. Be sure and clean around the eyes a couple of times per week. Those eye secretions can cause an eye infection. So if you do butts, eyes, regular brushing, shampoo with conditioner every other week you can postpone trips to the groomers until after your puppy is fully immunized and on flea and heartworm protection. Most importantly, comb from the base of the hair to the top to prevent under matting. Begin doing this immediately and continue at least every other night until matting is no longer an issue. While combing EVERY night, rub your puppies feet and ears to get them used to being touched for future ease on them and the groomer. This combing will get to mats before they become a problem.
PADS & NAILS: We use small safety scissors (nose hair scissors) to trim the pads of the feet, hair grows from between them and it should be trimmed to at least where the hair is level with the paws themselves. Trimming nails should be done with almost each bath. Trim the hair around the foot at this time. The feet should be rounded following the outline of the foot itself before bathing. I use cuticle nippers for the first few months for cutting toenails.
POTTY: Caution should be used in selecting where your puppy goes if you take it outside. Two deadly diseases, Parvo and Distemper can stay in the soil for seven years. When traveling with our dogs never "walk" them in the "doggie areas" until all immunizations are complete. Your puppy has had his/her 1st shots (8 weeks old) and will need the entire series of 3. Rabies is given after the 3rd set of immunizations. Then they will need boosters every year. Keep your puppy away from other dog f***s and urine. If you take him/her out, carry them. Do not let their feet down in strange unprotected areas. Avoid the groomers until your puppy is immunized. When at the Vets office carry your puppy in. Remember sick dogs go to groomers and to the Vets.
Be consistent, gentle, and understanding, as this puppy is just a baby. Training your puppy to potty on pads inside a small confined area is by far the easiest method of housebreaking, especially since it will come naturally to them not to potty in their bed. All of our puppies are partially housebroken to go on potty pads inside and outside their playpen. A gated area of the floor is an excellent way of allowing your puppy freedom while learning to use the pads.
Use lots of praise when you puppy actually potties on the potty pads outside their playpen as well and when he/she goes outside. The best time for training is after the puppy eats or wakes up from a nap. They usually will potty within 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on your puppy and when they look like they are about to potty, take them to the nearest pad. If they get anything on the pad, give them lots of praise!
This process could take few weeks to a few months, so, like any other training procedure, have patience. In addition, a very young puppy will not be able to hold its urine all night, so be prepared to take her out during the night or allow them to use their pad. Rush the puppy to the door or carry her so she can avoid an accident. Watch to be sure that she relieves herself once you are outside and give a reward immediately.
TRAINING AND SPECIAL NOTES: Your puppy might be nervous in their new environment. Everything from sights, smells, people, etc. is strange and very new to them. You have to allow new puppies to explore their new home and encourage them to play. Try not to pick them up too much the first couple of days and play with them on the floor in their eye level rather than your couch or table. Remember to them you are a giant !! When you speak to your new puppy, you need to speak quietly and calmly in your lowest voice. Training can be effective with a can of coins rattled but the most effective method is repetition, repetition and reward reward.
