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| This page contains information and helpful hints to help you take care of your new pup's needs. |
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| Feeding Pups should be fed 3 times daily at regular intervals until he/she is 6 months of age to supply him/her with adequate caloric and nutrition for rapid growth. Pups should not be overweight (fat) but their ribs and spine should not show. Pups on a regular feeding schedule are much easier to housetrain because the bowel is activated by eating. If food is left down to nibble all day, then bowel movements will be erratic which makes training much more difficult for you. You may find that the puppy is not eating every meal at about the 5 month mark, which is an indication that he is getting ready to reduce his numbers of meals. Do not leave the food sitting around for the pup to nibble at when he feels like it. If he has not finished his meal in 10-15 minutes, remove it and refrigerate it until the next feeding time. Do not tempt him by adding tidbits to it to coax him to eat. This will only make him a picky eater, and cause many problems later in life. If he is finishing the meal very quickly and seems to be still hungry, gradually increase the food, a teaspoon at a time, watching to make sure that he does not develop diarrhea. He/she will be fed 3 times a day as a small pup. Clean fresh water should be available at all times for him, except when he is crated for his sleeping. He knows how much water he needs to drink at any given time for digestion and thirst. Changing Food Brands Day 1-3 Add 1/3 of the daily recommended amount of new food to a little less than 2/3 of the pet's regular food . Day 4-7 Add 1 /2 of the daily recommended amount of new food to a little less than 1/2 of the pet's regular food. Day 8-11Add 2/3 of the daily recommended amount of new food to a little less than 1/3 of the pet's regular food. Continue at this proportion until you have used up all your old food, if you wish.Cooked rice may be substituted if you run out of the old food. Day 8-11 Add 2/3 of the daily recommended amount of the new food to a little less than 1/3 of the pet’s regular food, continue at this proportion until you have used up all of the old food. If you wish, cooked rice can be substituted if you run out of the old food. Tips For Housebreaking Your New Pup Always bear in mind that a dog evacuates his bowels on waking in the morning, after a meal, and about 3 hours after a meal, especially as a puppy. As soon as he wakes in the morning, and after every nap, take him directly outdoors on a leash and collar to empty his bladder and/or bowel. Take him to the same place each time, stay with him and give him 10-15 minutes to perform his duty. I find that an expression associated with the action is very helpful in the teaching process. You choose your own words such as, do your chores, do your business, go potty, etc. When the same phrase is repeated over a few days, the pup learns what it is you want of him very quickly. Your puppy is a very intelligent dog and eager to please you. When he does what you've requested of him, heap praise on him and bring him back into the house immediately and give him a little reward treat. There should be no outdoor play until he has it firmly in his mind that the outdoors is the place to go to relieve himself, and is giving you signals that he needs to go out and RIGHT NOW!!. This may be whining, circling, sniffing at various places or going towards the door. IT'S UP TO YOU TO LEARN TO READ HIS MESSAGES !!!Remember that you are dealing with a baby with a small bladder, and you should expect to have accidents to clean up until he is about 6 months old. There are many formulas on the market today to help remove the potty stain and odor should your pup have accidents. When accidents do happen, DO NOT RUB HIS NOSE IN IT, OR HIT HIM. A rolled up newspaper has no value in teaching a dog. You wouldn't do that to a child or want it done to you. YOUR PUP DOES HAVE DIGNITY TOO!! The dog crate will be your most valuable asset in the house-training effort. Dogs are den animals and he will not want to soil his sleeping area if he can help it. He will whine or bark from the crate when he needs to go out, but he will do that too if he just wants to be with you. This is what we call the puppy con and you will learn to differentiate between the two. Ring A Bell Puppies may also be trained to ring the bell when they need to go potty You will need a 3'-4' length of soft rope. Make a loop at one end that will fit over the door knob and tie a great big knobby knot on the other end, so that the puppy has something to grab on to. Attach a group of little brass bells - available at dollar stores - above the knobby knot, so that they ring when the rope is shaken, then hang this over the door knob of the door going outside, so that it is low enough for the pup to reach. When you are starting the housetraining, each time you go out the door, reach over and grab the rope so that the bells ring, and say, time to potty; or whatever word you have chosen. Normally within a matter of weeks, the puppy will be ringing the bells on his own. Eyes and Ear Care For Your Puppy EYECARE Daily, gently clean the sleep from the corner of the eyes with a dampened kleenex or cotton ball. This is usually a darkish brown material, and a small to moderate amount if any, but if it is green or yellow in color, an eye infection is indicated and veterinary care is required. It has been generally agreed that dogs see in shades of gray. Some owners 'swear' that their dog sees colors, but it is believed that the dog sees the subtle change of a gray tone, and so he can pick out the red ball from the yellow one. New studies believe that dogs do indeed distinguish colors, but differently from normal human vision. As dogs age, and get into their senior years, they do lose their depth perception and can have problems with judging distances and heights. You may have to stop playing certain games - like catching a Frisbee or a ball so that the dog doesn't get frustrated at being unable to make the catch as usual. It is not abnormal for them to develop small cataracts and/or cloudy looking eyes as their senior years progress. As long as there is no abnormal colored discharge, none of these conditions require any medical treatment. EAR CARE Good healthy dog ears have no smell, so if you notice an odor coming from the ear, you need to take the dog to see a Veterinarian. Dogs such as Cockers with drop ears, those ears that fall down and close off the opening, are prone to infections because of the lack of air circulation into the ear. If you notice a strong smell, or if the puppy/dog is shaking his head or scratching frequently, then you need to see the Veterinarian for medication. Another common problem are ear mites. These are most often transmitted from infected cats, and the ears really smell badly. A dark brown, thick and profuse wax is present in the ear. Again, this condition requires medication from a Veterinarian. I prefer once weekly to clean the ears using a damp cotton ball to wipe the inner ear folds with. It is also recommended that the hair be clipped or plucked from the ear opening to help keep the ear cleaner. Many pet stores and veterinary offices sell an ear cleaner solution that dissolves old wax and freshens the ears. I like a product called Vet Solutions as it cleans, dries, acidifies, and deodorizes. Be very careful if you use a Q- tip, that you don't push a ball of wax down into the ear drum .If it comes to rest against the ear drum, the dog's hearing will be impaired and his balance may be affected. Swimming and bathing can cause problems if the dog doesn't shake all the water out, so watch out for tender ears. There are products available to help evaporate water from the ears. (Much like for swimmer’s ear in humans). If he yelps when you scratch the ears, then a trip to the Vet is in order. When you bathe the dog, try to keep the water from entering the ear canal. You may place a little vaseline on a cotton ball and put in the ears before bath time to help keep the water out. I recommend that you start teaching the pup hand signals early - a signal for come, sit, down, stay etc. As a dog ages, the hearing ability decreases, and some dogs become totally deaf. You can help their confusion by using the hand signals that you taught and used along with your voice since puppyhood. Below is a link to a ear cleaner and ear wash solution that you can make at home. It is very inexpensice and it is wonderful. This is what we use for our Cocker's ears. Click Here For EarCleaner/WashSolution Recipe Grooming Your Cocker Spaniel pup is one of the 'coated' breeds that will require regular clippering and scissoring. It is very important that he/she be taken to the Grooming Shop for his/her next trim (as we do their first before home placement) after he/she has had at least their 3rd set of shots - at about 12 -15 weeks of age. It is much like introducing your child to the dentist BEFORE the cavity develops to develop confidence and security. The pup needs to be introduced to professional grooming BEFORE his/her coat is a matted mess. Be sure to check toenails as they grow fast, and should be trimmed carefully to avoid clipping the quick. LOVE AND ATTENTION Give your new pup plenty of Love and Attention and don't forget to excercise! The most important time for bonding is between the ages of birth to 16 weeks. Most importantly , Enjoy your new Friend as he/she will offer you many years of love and companionship. Also, keep us posted on his or her progress! We love to share through updates and photos throughout “our” puppies life. The Advantages of Spay and Neuter Will my dog or cat be a better pet after altering? Yes. In addition to the benefits of not having heat periods and unwanted offspring, the animal’s tendency to roam is decreased. Most pets become less aggressive toward people and other animals. What are some of the other known advantages of having my pet altered? The neutered male dog is less likely to roam, mark territory, and display aggression toward other dogs. Neutered dogs have fewer prostrate problems, tumors around the anus, and decreased urine odor. The spayed female does not have reproductive tract disease problems and both are troubled with significantly fewer cases of mammary cancer. Spaying females reduces the risk of mammary gland cancer by 90%. What is actually done in a spay or neuter procedure? In both cases, the animal is put under general anesthesia so that it cannot feel anything. A spay surgery (also called an ovariohysterectomy) is performed on females. While performed routinely, an ovariohysterectomy is a major surgery in which the reproductive tract – including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus – is removed. Bloodwork may be performed to make sure the pet is healthy enough for anesthesia and surgery. Neutering refers to the castration of a male animal. It is a surgical procedure in which both testicles are removed. Neutering requires considerably less time and equipment than a spay surgery. How old should my pet be before surgery? The best way to decide on a timetable for your particular pet is to consult with your veterinarian. Current research has shown that, in general, it is safe to alter dogs as early as eight weeks of age. However, we suggest having the procedure done at the 6 month of age mark. This gives the puppy time to build up antibodies from it's previous vaccinations. At the 6 month mark, females usually have not come into their first season or heat cycle yet and some males are just beginning to show testostrone production. Should the female have a heat period or a litter before being spayed? If your pet is going to be a companion animal rather than a breeding animal, then there are no benefits to allowing her to have a litter or to go through a heat period. It is actually healthier for your dog never to experience a heat as it lessen’s the animal’s chance of getting mammary cancer and decreases the animal’s stress and risks due to pregnancy and delivery. Research indicates that dogs spayed prior to their first heat have less than a half of one percent chance of experiencing mammary cancer as compared to an eight percent chance after the second heat. Is it safe for a dog to be spayed when she is in heat? Females in good health can have the surgery done when they are in heat. Talk with your veterinarians as to what is best for your pet. Isn’t it unnatural to deprive my pet of a sex life? No. Dogs have sex strictly to satisfy hormone-induced instincts, not for pleasure. Will spaying or neutering my pet cause it to become fat and lazy? No. Weight gain is due to being fed more calories than the animal uses. Watch the quantity of food you give your pet. Also, older pets need fewer calories than younger ones because they tend to be less active and are no longer growing. Regular play and exercise, along with diet, are the keys to keeping your pet in shape. |
| NOTICE: Health Warning!! Never feed your dog onions, chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins, or grapes as these foods are known to be toxic to our canine friends. As little as 7 raisins or grapes can cause severe renal failure (kidney failure) which can lead to death. |