PREPARING FOR THE NEW PUPPY
fYour list of important supplies for your puppy:
Food: I will send along some food, I use Purina One Healthy Puppy Formula for the dry kibble . I have food available at all times. Sometimes scrambled egg mixed with yogurt. But no problem if you prefer to feed twice a day, just make sure that your puppy is getting for example at least one or two cups per day of dry food and more as he/she grows. At the very beginning when you first get your puppy he/she may only eat 1/4 cup at a time,. You can also give your puppy canned dog food with a little kibble mixed in.. Your puppy is still used to nursing a little bit every day so the addition of the scrambled egg or canned food will transition it over to eating on a fixed schedule or eating eventually just dry kibble. Once past a year of age the growth rate will settle down and when the puppy is not growing so fast he does not need as much food. If you ever have any questions please feel free to call!
Toys: all of the puppies like to chew on bully bones. (Available at Walmart of online…the size small bully bone) I highly recommend them for hard chewers. Queenie loves her bully bone,, and her puppies take after her. Bully bones are not ugly sticks…those are rawhide type of chews and I absolutely do NOT recommend rawhide chews of any kind as the raw hide is treated with a lot of chemicals…bully bones are like nylabones so if you cant find them then look for nylabone products for the dogs that really like to chew on hard things. The puppies all love squeaky toys and soft toys and also paper off of the top of the dog food bag, it is tough paper and smells good and they drag that paper raround and love to play tug with it! Milk bones are good for occasional treats. Soft vinyl toys that squeak easily are great, they help the puppy to learn to be soft mouthed as they will squeak at the lightest touch. All the puppies like to chase balls and they all love soft squishy toys as well. Feel free to play tug but not for long sessions as it can cause the puppy’s teeth to become misaligned with too much tug of war.
Other equipment, harnesses are better than collars for sure when your puppy is learning to walk on a leash. Small dogs can suffer from collapsed trachea and this can be brought on by pulling on the leash. A harness will help to avoid this situation. Bolux harnesses available at amazon are really great. However to start with just get a cheaper small harness that is adjustable until they have grown a bit as a bolus is not as adjustable. Always have little treats on hand as a reward when you are walking your puppy for the first little while as this will keep them closer to you and help to avoid the pulling on the leash. No need to heel at this point, just letting your puppy roam on a leash is fine. I do not recommend Flexi leashes, a six foot leash is fine. I encourage you to sign up for obedience puppy classes if possible in your area.
Grooming supplies: flea/tick shampoo, a good wire pin brush and also a soft bristle brush and a human type comb for the long ears….ear wipes are handy for cleaning the ears and regular eye wipes for the eyes. you probably do not have to take your pet to the groomer as most cavaliers do not need a “full blown” grooming but if you don’t give your own baths to your dog or don’t have the facility to do that then by all means take them to a groomer. Regular nail trimming is also important. I have found that it definitely takes two people,…one to offer continuous treats and one to trim the nails! Giving the treats while the nails are being trimmed does seem to be the best way to get the job done especially with a squirmy puppy! Playing with the puppy’s feet while they are in your lap will get them more used to having their feet handled. One more thing about coat care: if your dog neutered or spayed their coats will become much more luxurious and thick and in that case taking them to a groomer may be much more of a consideration as they grow older and develop a thicker coat. Give your puppy a bath whenever you want, always use a puppy safe shampoo
Get a small wire crate with small bed and soft blankets. Allow the puppy access during the day to go in if he please for a nap and put him in the crate every night. If he howls and cries, (that is to be expected) just try to shut out the noise, and take him out of the crate when he is quiet, not when he is crying…that only teaches him to cry and that he will be let out if he yells! Puppies are like kids, they know if they whine and get their way, then they will whine more! If you can’t stand the crating at. Night, then don’t crate him at night, it is up to you. It is good however in the end that your puppy does learn at some point to be win a crate in case you travel with him (then you can take him along for a night in a motel for example) or if he even needs to be kept quiet for example after surgery such as spay/neuter..etc.…it is entirely up to you. I do recommend using a crate during the day for naps as it is a tremendous help for potty training…put him there for his nap when he gets sleepy and and then take him outside immediately when he gets up and be sure to stay out with him till he potties…..then give a treat or verbal praise or both. If a dog is used to a crate then it is much easier to travel, or keep him safe when you are away from home, or to put him in a crate if he is ill or needs to be kept quiet. It should be able to stay in there without needing to potty for at least six hours, usually longer by 8 weeks of age.
Health considerations:
Cavaliers are prone to over eating and weight gain. Plenty of exercise…walks and playtime will help to keep your puppy in shape, and feeding Purina pro smart blend or Healthy Puppy Formula one-three cups daily is best. Many dogs will do well if food is always available and they will self regulate, others need to be fed once daily (as adults) and then the food should be removed. Keep an eye on your spaniel…obesity leads to a shorter life span! Young puppies will be growing fast and should eat more as puppies than they will as adults. The puppies are used to having a food pan down all the time when they leave my house and should self regulate their eating habits…too many treats and human foods are NOT recommended.
It is strongly recommended not to give Lepto, or Lymes, shots at all, and rabies shots not until six months of age or older. Serious side effects have been noted with these vaccinations. Use of flea products……best to just give a flea shampoo every so often, a lot depends on your climate …I recommend that you use flea and tick prevention products carefully and try to stay away from the spot on the skin treatments unless you have a real problem with fleas. Heartworm should be given on a regular basis but again..it depends on the climate. Winter weather usually kills the mosquitoes that carry this disease…and if your dog is not out in mosquito areas a lot then monthly treatments are only necessary in very warm weather.
Pet Insurance is available for several companies I have heard that AKC insurance does not cover as much as some of the other companies that are available. I have been told that https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/. Is a good company that covers 90% of many visits to the vet…also have heard that trupanion.com is a good company. Vet bills have increasingly gotten higher and you might want to investigate pet health insurance.
Potty training: crate in combination with wee wee pads or immediate outdoor walking is the best ………every time after napping the puppy will want to go potty and be sure to give him/her plenty of time and to go more than once. It is good to have a wee wee pad near the crate so if they don’t make it to the outdoors or it is too cold they will (eventually) learn to use the wee wee pad. The puppies presently are already sleeping for almost a whole night without getting up or crying.I have noticed that some do get up, go potty on their wee wee pad, then climb right back into bed and go to sleep. I would say right now they will sleep four to six hours when it is night and the room is dark. I let them into the yard ( or into the house during winter months) for a good play time at least twice a day if not more and they are getting quite used to only peeing on the pee pads during the night and going outside most of the time during the days when they wake up from their nap time.
WHEN YOU PICK UP YOUR PUPPY:
Cash payment including $150 sales tax please is preferred, or money order..or cashier’s check. Payment could also be made in PayPal (you can use credit cards in PayPal).
Vet records will be included with your papers, please make an appointment to take your puppy to your vet at the age of 16 weeks for the final Parvo/distemper booster but please no other vaccines at that age are necessary. Rabies need not be given until 6 months of age. Rabies however is often required before obedience classes or grooming sessions.
The contract will be ready to sign and copy will be sent by email (my printer does not always work). If you have any questions please call me 641-260-0327 or text me.
Food: I will send along some food, I use Purina One Healthy Puppy Formula for the dry kibble . I have food available at all times. Sometimes scrambled egg mixed with yogurt. But no problem if you prefer to feed twice a day, just make sure that your puppy is getting for example at least one or two cups per day of dry food and more as he/she grows. At the very beginning when you first get your puppy he/she may only eat 1/4 cup at a time,. You can also give your puppy canned dog food with a little kibble mixed in.. Your puppy is still used to nursing a little bit every day so the addition of the scrambled egg or canned food will transition it over to eating on a fixed schedule or eating eventually just dry kibble. Once past a year of age the growth rate will settle down and when the puppy is not growing so fast he does not need as much food. If you ever have any questions please feel free to call!
Toys: all of the puppies like to chew on bully bones. (Available at Walmart of online…the size small bully bone) I highly recommend them for hard chewers. Queenie loves her bully bone,, and her puppies take after her. Bully bones are not ugly sticks…those are rawhide type of chews and I absolutely do NOT recommend rawhide chews of any kind as the raw hide is treated with a lot of chemicals…bully bones are like nylabones so if you cant find them then look for nylabone products for the dogs that really like to chew on hard things. The puppies all love squeaky toys and soft toys and also paper off of the top of the dog food bag, it is tough paper and smells good and they drag that paper raround and love to play tug with it! Milk bones are good for occasional treats. Soft vinyl toys that squeak easily are great, they help the puppy to learn to be soft mouthed as they will squeak at the lightest touch. All the puppies like to chase balls and they all love soft squishy toys as well. Feel free to play tug but not for long sessions as it can cause the puppy’s teeth to become misaligned with too much tug of war.
Other equipment, harnesses are better than collars for sure when your puppy is learning to walk on a leash. Small dogs can suffer from collapsed trachea and this can be brought on by pulling on the leash. A harness will help to avoid this situation. Bolux harnesses available at amazon are really great. However to start with just get a cheaper small harness that is adjustable until they have grown a bit as a bolus is not as adjustable. Always have little treats on hand as a reward when you are walking your puppy for the first little while as this will keep them closer to you and help to avoid the pulling on the leash. No need to heel at this point, just letting your puppy roam on a leash is fine. I do not recommend Flexi leashes, a six foot leash is fine. I encourage you to sign up for obedience puppy classes if possible in your area.
Grooming supplies: flea/tick shampoo, a good wire pin brush and also a soft bristle brush and a human type comb for the long ears….ear wipes are handy for cleaning the ears and regular eye wipes for the eyes. you probably do not have to take your pet to the groomer as most cavaliers do not need a “full blown” grooming but if you don’t give your own baths to your dog or don’t have the facility to do that then by all means take them to a groomer. Regular nail trimming is also important. I have found that it definitely takes two people,…one to offer continuous treats and one to trim the nails! Giving the treats while the nails are being trimmed does seem to be the best way to get the job done especially with a squirmy puppy! Playing with the puppy’s feet while they are in your lap will get them more used to having their feet handled. One more thing about coat care: if your dog neutered or spayed their coats will become much more luxurious and thick and in that case taking them to a groomer may be much more of a consideration as they grow older and develop a thicker coat. Give your puppy a bath whenever you want, always use a puppy safe shampoo
Get a small wire crate with small bed and soft blankets. Allow the puppy access during the day to go in if he please for a nap and put him in the crate every night. If he howls and cries, (that is to be expected) just try to shut out the noise, and take him out of the crate when he is quiet, not when he is crying…that only teaches him to cry and that he will be let out if he yells! Puppies are like kids, they know if they whine and get their way, then they will whine more! If you can’t stand the crating at. Night, then don’t crate him at night, it is up to you. It is good however in the end that your puppy does learn at some point to be win a crate in case you travel with him (then you can take him along for a night in a motel for example) or if he even needs to be kept quiet for example after surgery such as spay/neuter..etc.…it is entirely up to you. I do recommend using a crate during the day for naps as it is a tremendous help for potty training…put him there for his nap when he gets sleepy and and then take him outside immediately when he gets up and be sure to stay out with him till he potties…..then give a treat or verbal praise or both. If a dog is used to a crate then it is much easier to travel, or keep him safe when you are away from home, or to put him in a crate if he is ill or needs to be kept quiet. It should be able to stay in there without needing to potty for at least six hours, usually longer by 8 weeks of age.
Health considerations:
Cavaliers are prone to over eating and weight gain. Plenty of exercise…walks and playtime will help to keep your puppy in shape, and feeding Purina pro smart blend or Healthy Puppy Formula one-three cups daily is best. Many dogs will do well if food is always available and they will self regulate, others need to be fed once daily (as adults) and then the food should be removed. Keep an eye on your spaniel…obesity leads to a shorter life span! Young puppies will be growing fast and should eat more as puppies than they will as adults. The puppies are used to having a food pan down all the time when they leave my house and should self regulate their eating habits…too many treats and human foods are NOT recommended.
It is strongly recommended not to give Lepto, or Lymes, shots at all, and rabies shots not until six months of age or older. Serious side effects have been noted with these vaccinations. Use of flea products……best to just give a flea shampoo every so often, a lot depends on your climate …I recommend that you use flea and tick prevention products carefully and try to stay away from the spot on the skin treatments unless you have a real problem with fleas. Heartworm should be given on a regular basis but again..it depends on the climate. Winter weather usually kills the mosquitoes that carry this disease…and if your dog is not out in mosquito areas a lot then monthly treatments are only necessary in very warm weather.
Pet Insurance is available for several companies I have heard that AKC insurance does not cover as much as some of the other companies that are available. I have been told that https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/. Is a good company that covers 90% of many visits to the vet…also have heard that trupanion.com is a good company. Vet bills have increasingly gotten higher and you might want to investigate pet health insurance.
Potty training: crate in combination with wee wee pads or immediate outdoor walking is the best ………every time after napping the puppy will want to go potty and be sure to give him/her plenty of time and to go more than once. It is good to have a wee wee pad near the crate so if they don’t make it to the outdoors or it is too cold they will (eventually) learn to use the wee wee pad. The puppies presently are already sleeping for almost a whole night without getting up or crying.I have noticed that some do get up, go potty on their wee wee pad, then climb right back into bed and go to sleep. I would say right now they will sleep four to six hours when it is night and the room is dark. I let them into the yard ( or into the house during winter months) for a good play time at least twice a day if not more and they are getting quite used to only peeing on the pee pads during the night and going outside most of the time during the days when they wake up from their nap time.
WHEN YOU PICK UP YOUR PUPPY:
Cash payment including $150 sales tax please is preferred, or money order..or cashier’s check. Payment could also be made in PayPal (you can use credit cards in PayPal).
Vet records will be included with your papers, please make an appointment to take your puppy to your vet at the age of 16 weeks for the final Parvo/distemper booster but please no other vaccines at that age are necessary. Rabies need not be given until 6 months of age. Rabies however is often required before obedience classes or grooming sessions.
The contract will be ready to sign and copy will be sent by email (my printer does not always work). If you have any questions please call me 641-260-0327 or text me.