Tips and Suggestions

Hi Folks, We put together a  list of suggestions you may want to get for your new puppy! You can find all these items at PetsMart, Petco & Amazon: 

1. Bag of Bil-Jac Puppy or Purina Pro Plan Puppy . 

2. Bag of treats-I recommend milk bones or greenies are better for their teeth and we just cut them in small pieces to give as a reward.  

3. 6 ft. leash.   

4. Harness - better than a collar for walking, but does need to fit right.   

5. A bowl for food and glass bottle water likit.   

6. Puppy pee pee pads , we like the GLAD brand with charcoal, no smell, can't see stains.  

7. Bitter Barrier - spray for electric cords, and anything he tries to chew on.   

8. Odoban - to clean up any accidents.  

9. Squeaky toys.   

10. Tennis ball, whiffel ball, or squeaky ball.  

11. Soft cuddle toy - teddy bear or some soft toy (no eyes or nosesthat can be pulled off!!)   

12. Travel crate, pet taxi, or puppy purse.  

13. Puppy exercise pen, or playpen.  

14. Baby gate if you want to confine him/her to a larger area than a crate (like a laundry room or bathroom).   

15. Some old towels (bring with you because he/she will probably pee on the way home!).   

16. Pillow, blanket or towel for his/her crate.   

17. Brush and Comb.  

18. Puppy Shampoo, human shampoo is not PH balanced for a puppy.   

20. Combination heartworm and flea/tick preventative (ask your vet).   

21. Doggie toothbrush and toothpaste.  

22. Nail clippers - you can use your own.   

23. Cotton swabs or Q-tips to clean his ears.   

24. Paper towels.   

229-425-3436  Shady Acre Kennels    shadyacrekennels@gmail.com

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SOME TIPS FOR YOU AND YOUR NEW PUPPY!

 1. HARNESS 

Get him a harness, not a collar. It's easier to teach him to walk with you if you don't have something around his neck choking him. Teach him to walk with you. Don't let him pull you. If he does pull, say NO, and firmly pull him back. Be consistent and he will learn. There are several dog training shows online that will give you a lot of tips on training.

2. PRAISE

Always praise her for good behavior. It's better to praise her verbally instead of giving her a treat, otherwise she will come to expect a treat every time. You want her to do the right thing because she wants to please you, not just to get a treat, but there is definitely a time for treats!

3. TOYS AND TREATS

Any kind of puppy treat is fine. Something to chew on to help with his teething; rope chews, tennis balls and the balls that have ropes coming out from them like an octopus are great. Be careful of the squeaky toys, get only the hard rubber/plastic ones, not the soft rubber, because his sharp little teeth will tear the rubber and he will eat that. Also watch to see that the squeaker doesn't come out or he will swallow that and get very sick! Stuffed toys are good, unless he starts tearing them apart, then take them away. Also, he will love to play with an empty plastic soda bottle, about the cheapest toy you can get!! Be sure to remove the cap, the ring that the cap attaches to, the paper and wash it out. It is so light weight that it will skitter across the floor when he plays with it! Be sure to look at it carefully and if he starts to chew it up, take it away and give himr a new one. You don't want him to swallow any plastic, etc. Another thing puppies like is a cat toy that is attached to a stick with a string. You can bounce it around and he will love to chase it. You can make your own with a dowel rod. Attach a piece of string to the dowel rod and wrap the other end around a wad of paper or small toy.

4. PARVO VIRUS

Your puppy will already have  at least 2 vaccinations, that include distemper, parvo, etc. when you get her. You can see all the vaccination she will have on "Our Vaccination Policy" page. This starts her on building her immune system, but she needs more vaccinations to protect her. You have a given time to take her to your vet for an examination, as per the purchase agreement. Don't take her outside and put her down on the grass. Also don't let her chew or play with your shoes. A sick dog could have walked through your yard without you knowing it, you could have walked where a sick dog had been and your puppy could get sick just from chewing or licking your shoes! The Vet can advise you on what your puppy needs to be completely safe. I don't take them outside until they have had their 3rd vaccination because parvo is so prevalent and the puppy doesn't have complete immunity for a while. Your vet will tell you when you can take her outside.

5. CRYING

He may be a little lonesome for the first couple of days and cry for his siblings because he is used to having them to play with all the time. Whenever he cries, pick him up and love him and play with him and he will begin to look to you for comfort and play and love time. They want to be with you as much as they can - go in the car and in stores (where there isn't any food) and people will just fall all over them because they are sooooo cute!!

6. TRAVELING CRATE

If you plan to take your puppy with you when you go out, you might consider getting a pet car seat. That way she can look out the window without being loose in the car. Quick stops can make her lose her balance and fall. You will also need to get a travel crate. The best size to get is one size bigger than their projected adult weight, This will be large enough for her when she is full grown.

7. SCHEDULE

I get up around 6:00 A.M. and they all go wild to be picked up and held! I take turns loving them a bit and then I feed them. Then they poop and play for a while and around 9 AM they crash for a couple of hours. Then they wake and play with each other until the middle of the afternoon and crash again. They will adapt to your schedule very quickly. They are always ready to play and to be held!! They will wake up from a sound sleep and be ready to play!! They also love to run and all of a sudden they take off and race around through the house like crazy!!

8. FOOD

I don't use chow that has red dye in it. Leave a bowl of water (or likit) and a bowl of dry food down all the time so he can eat whenever he wants. Finally, don't give him any canned food at all, just leave the dry food down. This will keep his teeth much more healthy than canned food (canned food also causes a looser stool) and dry food  has all of the nutrients he needs. I like Bil-Jac Puppy & Purina Pro Plan Puppy,  but your vet can suggest others.

9.  PENS

If you work all day, it is very hard on your puppy and really not good for her to be crated all day, then out for a few hours when you get home and then crated again all night. I think that a pen like at least the size of a play pen would be perfect for her and very easy for you when you want to keep her out of the way, but still with you. You can buy a nice size pen or you can put them in a small room like a bathroom or laundry room.  Amazon has some really nice puppy play pens, text me for the link!

This is not so confining so she can get some exercise too and you can talk to her or give her a little pat as you go by. If you put the pen on a carpeted surface, put an old blanket down and then place the pen on top of the blanket. Put her crate, with a nice soft pillow or towel  inside the pen with the door taken off or propped open. Put her food and water next to the crate and her pee pad/paper at the other end of the pen. Since she is used to that set-up here, she should be happy to stay there and sleep there too. She will probably go into the crate to sleep at night without any fuss. Some of my buyers have gotten puppies and said that the puppy seemed to feel right at home in it's crate since that is what she was used to.  REMEMBER - Until your vet says you can take her outside to go potty, keep a paper or puppy training pad (pet stores, Wal-Mart, etc. have them) down all the time.

10. POTTY TRAINING

When you first wake up, take him out of the crate and to the puppy pad or paper and tell him to go potty and praise him when he goes. Most dogs will not go potty where they sleep. (He may have accidents at first because he is still a baby.) Then let him eat. Take him out or to the paper again each time after he eats and several times during the day (usually every 2 hours)and finally again before you go to bed. Keep paper or puppy pee pad down in the same place all the time so he will eventually learn to go there, until you can take him out to train him. ODOBAN or SIMPLE SOLUTION or WOOLITE pet carpet cleaners are good to remove 'accidents'!

11. BRUSHING/GROOMING

The best kind of brush to use when she is still a baby, is a hairbrush and also a plastic comb. A Brush her as often as you can, to get her used to it. A couple of helpful tips here: most dogs don't like their feet or their lips/mouths touched so you should handle and play with her feet and toes. Open her mouth and play/tug lightly with her lips and tongue. This will help the groomer, or you, when he has to have his claws trimmed and his teeth cleaned. I only bathe my dogs about once a week, unless they get very, very dirty. I think it is better for their skin, an Oatmeal/Aloe shampoo is very good for her skin. A baby hair de-tangler will help. If you plan to groom your puppy yourself.

12. TEARING EYES

 (If you are getting a white or cream puppy!)There is a very good item for clearing up the brown coloring they get from tearing eyes called ANGELS EYES. It does a very good job. (Just do not get in the eyes or it will make it worse!)

13. BITING

Your puppy will probably bite your fingers when you are playing with him as that is the nature of their wild heritage from the wolf family. You must stop this right away - don't allow it to start. When he does this, tap him on the nose and firmly say NO! and give him a rawhide chew or rope toy to chew on. Be consistent! Don't correct him one time and then let him do it later. IStop it immediately, before he starts doing it all the time! This is extremely important! You don't want a biter in your family!

14. CHEWING

Your puppy is teething and needs to chew on something. Just make sure it isn't you or the wires in your house! Be sure to buy a bottle of BITTER APPLE or BITTER BARRIER or some other brand of spray that you can put on any wires that are near the floor. It tastes very bad so he will avoid it. Also watch to see if he starts to chew on any furniture legs, etc. When you see him doing this, say NO firmly and give him a toy or a rawhide bone to replace what he was going after and praise him when he starts to chew on it and then put the spray on whatever he was chewing on. PLEASE DON'T use hot sauce!! Some people will tell you to do this, but it is cruel and will burn puppy's mouth!!

If you have any more questions, feel free to click the chat button, or call/text 229-425-3436, or email me!!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND LOVE THAT PUPPY FOR ME TOO!!!

229-425-3436  Shady Acre Kennels

 shadyacrekennels@gmail.com