A dog's first days in a new home - a practical step-by-step guide
A puppy is a charming ball full of energy and love that enters our homes and hearts with great force. However, the new owner may not be prepared for the fact that in the first few days the puppy will pee in his shoes or bite the TV remote control. Does it have to be this way? What are the beginnings of a dog in a new home like? What should a caregiver know and do?
Prevention - how to take care of your puppy's health?
The basic form of protecting a dog's health is the use of vaccinations.
In the case of dogs, they are divided into mandatory and optional. It is the owner's statutory obligation to vaccinate the pet against rabies. The legislator specifies that it must take place within 30 days of the third month of life. According to Polish law, vaccination should take place within 12 months.
In terms of protecting the health of a young dog, optional vaccinations are also very important. They provide protection or a milder course of diseases such as:
- nasal
- pariovirus
- viral hepatitis
- para influenza
The earliest you can vaccinate a puppy is 5-6 weeks of age. The "puppy" vaccine is then used, which is intended for puppies with high levels of maternal antibodies. Subsequent vaccinations take place two or three times at 3-4 week intervals. It is therefore recommended to vaccinate your dog at approximately 9, 12 and sometimes 16 weeks of age. Each time the vaccination is decided by a veterinarian who, before administering the preparation, conducts an interview with the owner and conducts a clinical examination. Only healthy and dewormed dogs are eligible for vaccination. You should not vaccinate your dog immediately after arriving at a new home, as the stress it experiences has properties that lower immunity and may cause disturbances in the development of post-vaccination immunity.
The first deworming can be carried out in dogs that are 2-3 weeks old. Then they should be repeated according to a schedule of administering fenbendazole, pyrantel, or another substance appropriate for young dogs every 14 days until the puppy is two weeks after weaning. The next deworming is recommended every 4 weeks until the child is 6 months old.
In terms of prevention, it is also important to protect your dog against fleas and ticks. Preparations are available in the form of drops on the neck, collars and tablets. It is best to select the appropriate preparation by a veterinarian, who will inform the guardian about the duration of action of the preparation and enter all data in the dog's health booklet.
Puppies that are vaccinated do not yet have full immunity, so it is recommended to quarantine the young dog. During this time, he should not have contact with other strange dogs and their excrements, which are often found on lawns. It is natural to want to socialize a dog with other individuals of its species, but in this case only contact with healthy, regularly vaccinated animals is allowed. The area available to puppies during the immunity period should be strictly controlled.
Ear and claw care
The puppy should be taught all care activities from the very beginning. Positive associations with cleaning ears, trimming claws or brushing teeth will provide snacks that reward calm behavior. Learning should be done in small steps, and any treatment should be discontinued when the dog shows signs of discomfort.
Brushing your teeth is a very important element of taking care of your pets' health. For this purpose, only pastes intended for dogs should be used, which are safe and tasty for them. In some cases, it is necessary to try several preparations to find a taste that the dog tolerates. Brushing your dog's teeth will reduce the build-up of plaque, and therefore reduce the risk of tartar formation and the development of gum disease. Taking care of your oral hygiene should be part of your daily routine or at least twice a week. In the case of dogs that are aggressive or very resistant to brushing, powders or liquids added to water can be used as a type of passive prevention of dental diseases. However, they do not replace brushing, but only slow down the build-up of tartar and improve the odor in the dog's mouth.
Dogs' claws should be trimmed when the dog does not wear them naturally. Puppies spend most of their time at home for the first few weeks, so it is worth paying attention to their claws. The general rule is that the claws should slightly rise above the ground. When trimming a dog's claws, do not shorten them too much, as it may damage the blood vessels and nerves in the claws, which causes pain and bleeding.
Both long-haired and short-haired dogs will require regular brushing. For this purpose, you need to buy the necessary brushes and combs. Proper care of the coat will ensure its nice and healthy appearance.
Ears are a sensitive area and many dogs do not like having this area touched. Especially in the veterinary office! Therefore, getting your puppy used to it is an important element that will make it easier to care for the ear canal later. Ear cleaning is not necessary routinely, but the condition of the ear canal should be checked every few days. In case of visible dirt, special ear cleaning preparations can be used. If you also notice redness and swelling, you should see a veterinarian.
In pugs, French bulldogs and other breeds with more skin folds, proper care of the folds around the face is necessary. For this purpose, you can use, for example, wipes saturated with chlorhexidine, which has disinfecting properties.
Puppy nutrition, or what to feed a puppy?
At the very beginning, it is worth feeding your small dog the food it received in the kennel.
Sudden changes in diet are not recommended due to the risk of gastrointestinal disorders. If you want to change the food to a different one over time, you should give your dog the opportunity to get used to the new product by mixing both foods in different proportions for at least 7 days. The share of new food is then gradually increased.
When choosing food, pay attention to its composition. Good quality food should not contain artificial preservatives and dyes. Its main ingredient should be meat. It is worth paying attention to the content of vegetables and herbs, as well as the type of filler. Premium foods often contain the addition of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, i.e. substances that support joint cartilage. They are especially important in fast-growing breeds. It is worth consulting their content with a veterinarian and, if necessary, including additional supplementation.
The caregiver may also decide to follow a home diet or BARF. In the first case, it is necessary to be aware that a home diet does not mean feeding the dog leftovers from human meals. By choosing this model of dog nutrition, the dog owner takes on the responsibility of cooking balanced meals for the dog containing meat, vegetables and some fillers or dairy products. BARF is dog nutrition similar to the natural diet of wolves. This model is based on 80% animal products (including 60% meat, 20% bones and 20% offal) and 20% plant products (20% fruit, 80% vegetables).
Diarrhea that appears in a puppy should always be consulted with a veterinarian. Unfortunately, it does not always result from the consumption of a new product and may be a symptom of pariovirus, which is life-threatening for puppies. Dehydration is very common in young dogs, which is why the owner's reaction speed is so important.
How often should you feed your puppy?
During the first six months of life, it is assumed that a dog should receive 3-4 meals a day. Some sources specify more precisely that dogs aged 6-8 weeks should eat 5-6 portions of food a day, and those aged 3 months should eat 4 portions, and in the next month the number of servings should be reduced to 3. Around the 12th week the puppy should start to lose a round belly and take on more adult shapes.
The guardian does not have to worry if the puppy does not want to eat one of the meals or eats half of the portion. Nutritional requirements are an individual matter for a puppy, so in such a situation you can reduce portions and regulate them, taking into account the needs of your pet.
However, a cause for concern is a persistent lack of appetite or weight loss despite eating entire portions of food. Such problems should be consulted with a veterinarian.
Fun, learning and socialization
A puppy is seemingly a volcano of energy. However, in addition to playing and training, he also needs a lot of sleep and rest. The first training sessions should not be longer than 5-10 minutes and end with the puppy's success. Dogs, like children, can easily become discouraged, so small steps towards completing a given activity should be appreciated. Positive training is based on rewarding the dog! For this purpose, snacks, toys and rewards in the form of praise and attention from the owner are used.
While waiting for your pet to appear, you should stock up on toys. They should be of appropriate size and hardness. Dogs have a natural need to chew and deer antler chews are often recommended. However, they are not suitable for the youngest dogs due to their excessive hardness and the risk of breaking primary teeth. You should also not give your dog all the accessories at once. It is worth hiding them in the closet and replacing the sets every few days so that they still seem new and interesting.
The young dog will need to be taught to stay home alone. Many guardians take a few days off when the dog arrives home. This is a good idea, but during these few days you should slowly accustom the puppy to being alone. At the beginning, it is worth leaving him in the room for a few seconds and rewarding his calmness, over time you can go out for a few minutes, for example, to take out the garbage. If you are afraid that your dog will destroy household items during lonely hours at home, you should give him a walk or a toy before you leave. You can leave your puppy with Kong toys that will keep him occupied for at least a dozen or so minutes.
It can sometimes be a challenge to teach a small dog to meet its physiological needs outdoors. When your pet is in quarantine and does not leave the house, it is a good idea to prepare a mat for him to relieve himself on and place it near the exit door. If your puppy relieves himself in another place, move him to the mat as soon as you notice the problem. If you want to teach him to do his business outside, take him outside after every nap, meal and play. You should never punish or hit your puppy for relieving itself in an inappropriate place. Such behavior negatively affects the relationship with a person!