BUYING A PUPPY

Before you buy a puppy, there are one or two things that you need to consider.

A puppy needs time.

He needs attention.

♥He needs lots of love. ♥

He needs feeding at regular times.

He also needs to be house trained.

As he gets older he will need his injections,

he will need regular exercise.

He will also need training.

How can you do all of these important tasks if you are at work all day?

Puppies need attention, and have been known to be destructive when left for any length of time.

Can you afford to feed and provide for Veterinary care, Insurance, Holidays.
And the most important is

WHY DO YOU WANT A PUPPY?

BUYING A PEDIGREE PUPPY ~ WHERE TO START?

The very first thing that you must do is to contact a recognised breeder.

This means a breeder who breeds from Kennel Club registered dogs and who has a reputation of breeding quality dogs that adhere to the standard and that have a reputation of good temperaments.

Anyone can breed a dog.
It is one of the most simplest things to do.
You owe to it to yourself and to your puppy to buy the best in your area.
If the best isn't available then be prepared to travel.

You don’t have to buy from Championship stock, there are many good breeders that don’t necessarily show their dogs, but they are still registered dogs that they breed from and their foundation stock is often from Championship lines.

When you go to see puppy litters, ask to see the puppies with their mother, but bear in mind some mums are very possessive over their babies, especially maiden mums and they may protect and guard their babies against complete strangers. This is normal behaviour for all breeds of dogs. All you need to do is ask to see the puppies on their own and then mum on her own. You will be able to assess her temperament better this way.

Ask if the puppies have been reared indoors, as this tends to socialise puppies better. (This is a valid point, although it doesn't necessarily mean that puppies bred outside are not socialised).

Make sure the puppies are clean and the environment that they are living in must be clean.

Make sure that they are obviously well nourished and that generally, they are happy.

They should have bright eyes, a glossy coat and be playful, unless they have just been fed!

You may not be able to see the sire, as at times, the sire can live many miles away, but if you contact the sires owners then they should be more than happy to allow you to see him.

The puppies must be registered with the Kennel Club and the papers of registration must be ready with the puppy. Do not settle for “I will send the papers on to you”.
That is not good enough.

Take the puppy for a Vet check if the puppy has not had one already.

Ask about worming; have they been wormed?
When do they need worming again?
Ask if they have been Vet checked.
Ask about Insurance, there is no excuse now - the breeder of the puppies can give you 6 weeks insurance.

Ask all this before you go to see the puppies.

If the breeder of the puppies hesitates in any of the above mentioned questions, then think again.

Are they really being responsible breeders?

Ask if they will have the puppy back if you have any problems in the future (you never know what can happen in the future).

After all this, we would like to wish you many, many happy years of love and companionship from your puppy.

worldofdogs.cc

SETTLING IN AT HOME

He will need a good quality collar and lead, a bed to be used for him and him alone, not to be used as a toy box or for children to play in. He will need two bowls for his food and water, plus toys for him to play with, but be careful how you choose.

A ball must be big enough so he can't swallow it, squeaky toys should be watched as a puppy chews, he might swallow the squeak and choke.

I always found a nice box with a blanket for a young puppy is suitable at first and then progress to a more permanent one at a later date.

To help through the first few nights, I always found that a ticking clock wrapped in a towel and a cuddly toy helped the puppy to settle down.

Your puppy should settle down within a few days. Don't forget it can be a rather stressful time for puppy and you. The thing to do is to take everything gently - make sure that all the family integrates into the puppy's world and take one step at a time.

Puppies play for a short time and then they sleep. A puppy should never be woken up if he is asleep; leave him alone. When he wakes, he will need to go into the garden to do his business. When he comes in, you can then play with him. The pup will tell you when he has had enough play and will curl up and sleep again!

In the first weeks, gentle play is best for the puppy. As soon as he has had his injections he will be able to go for walks and socialise with other people and dogs. A well socialised puppy is a happy puppy - a happy puppy is a well behaved puppy which is what most owners strive for. So with plenty of patience and lots of praise, you and your family and your puppy will all be contented.

TOILET TRAINING

A few people have problems in this department, so we'll start at the beginning.

As soon as you get a new puppy home, he may well be very distressed because firstly, he has just been taken away from his mum, and he has left his litter mates and for the first time, he is completely on his own.

Once he arrives in his new home, show him at once where his bed is to be. Let him smell around and get used to the new smells and things around him.

He may well settle down for a quick nap, let him stay in his bed and leave him to sleep.

As soon as he wakes up, reassure him and take him into the garden for a wee. Let him wander round and if he performs - praise him.

Let him follow you into the house and give him his first meal. As soon as this is finished, take him back into the garden and let him do the same as before. Remember to praise him again.

Well, what do you do when he has little accidents in the house?

As I have already said, you will need lots of newspapers and, of course, the good old mop and bucket!

Place plenty of paper around his bed and if he does his business on the paper, praise him.

Over the next few days, keep taking him into the garden with lots of praise when he performs.

If this fails, and he keeps soiling your carpet, (but don't forget that once he has wet your carpet he will keep doing it in this same spot if it hasn't been cleaned really well), keep him out of the room if unattended, all the time until he gets it right.

DON’T rub his nose in it as this can cause damage to his sensitive nose. Also he will not understand why you are rubbing his nose in it! The best method of tackling this problem is to persist in taking him into the garden as many times as possible. Then he will not need to soil indoors.

VACCINATIONS

You may already know that a puppy should not be taken outside except to the vets, nor allowed to walk in the street or come into contact with other dogs until their first vaccination programme is completed, contact your vet if in any doubt. Any of the diseases listed below can prove to be fatal to a young puppy and even to an adult dog.

CANINE DISTEMPER
This disease is viral and it affects the intestines and the lungs, the nervous system and the skin. From the onset it takes two to three weeks for symptoms to appear. Weeping eyes, a fever and a dry cough, also very bad diarrhoea and the dog becomes very tired. He does not want to eat and he may also develop Hardpad. The dog may also have fits and lose the use of his hind legs with a loss of bladder and bowel control.

INFECTIOUS CANINE HEPATITIS
This disease can also be known as Rubarth's disease. It is a very serious liver disease, which is transmitted through contaminated urine. Dogs that are badly affected can die within 8 days. Healthy dogs can fight the virus through their immune system. A sign of this disease is a temporary cloudiness of the eyes which shows up about 2 weeks after the first infection.

PARVOVIRUS
The incubation period for this disease is 3 - 4 days. The pup will not eat and may not drink. It will vomit and have diarrhoea with blood in it. This disease is very fast to take hold - just 2 - 5 days and it is usually fatal.

LEPTOSPIROSIS
This disease is not very common, but can be very serious. It is caused by bacteria that are carried by rats. Dogs can catch this disease by sniffing or licking each other or by sniffing or licking contaminated urine. Liver and blood vessel damage can cause jaundice, vomiting and haemorrhage. The dog may die from kidney failure.

Your vet will provide you with a copy of the injections your puppy or dog has been given and you will get a book to keep and take with you to your vets when your dog is ready for his booster dose.

© Janet Wesley

If you have any problems, email us for advice. Training@worldofdogs.cc