Welcome Puppy Guide

This guide will help you and your puppy get to the best start in life together. Basic healthcare can be provided by your vet and includes annual vaccines, and regular flea and worming treatments. Decisions about which food to feed, early socialisation of your puppy and getting the right insurance cover deserve some research and require a dedicated owner.

Puppy socialisation

Early socialisation is vital to the psychological development and well being of your puppy. This means introducing it to new environments, smells, noises, people and building positive associations with its environment. This should start in the breeding environment and continue with you the new owner even before the vaccine course is complete. By carrying your puppy instead of allowing them on the ground they can still experience the outside world without being exposed to potentially harmful diseases outside. It’s useful to use a puppy socialistion checklist like this one to enure a broad spectrum of handling and stimuli.

Nutrition

Packaging and marketing messages are designed to be confusing fortunately a website called All About Dog Food (https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk) cuts through the sales and marketing material providing a list of ingredients, breakdown of macro nutrients, price and each food is given a general nutritional rating out of 100%. I strongly recommend selecting a food from this site and researching the raw, wet and dry kibble foods and slowly transitioning to new foods over 5-7 days by slowly adding the new food and taking away from the old one teaspoon at a time. Each puppy is different and it is important to do some research yourself and select a food that works for both you and your pup!

Vaccinations

Puppy vaccinations are a set of vaccines called the primary vaccine course designed to protect against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Leptospirosis (DHPL). They are given initially as two to three injections 2-4 weeks apart to cover the period during which a puppy’s maternal antibodies are waning. A year later the DHPL vaccines are boosted and the years following the Leptospirosis vaccine is given annually. The DHP vaccine can be given every three years or the owner can choose to monitor DHP antibody levels annually instead. As much as possible we try to continue the brand of vaccinations started by the breeder to encourage early socialisation and prevent over vaccination.

Oral Hygiene

It is a common myth perpetuated by the veterinary industry that some types of food particularly dry kibble will prevent dentals. Unfortunately this is not in my experience accurate. Small breed dogs are particularly susceptible to dental disease and are likely to require a dental in their lifetime. Chewing on half a raw carrot a day, raw non-weight bearing bones and above all brushing your dog's teeth daily will make the biggest difference. Never leave your dog unattended with raw bones as these can be choke hazards. Get your puppy used to you brushing their teeth as early as possible. You can do this by purchasing a microfibre finger brush and enzymatic toothpaste for dogs and making this a fun treat filled activity from the very beginning.

Flea and worming

Flea and worming treatments are part of basic preventative healthcare and it is advisable to use a broad spectrum parasitic product that includes prevention against lungworm. These are mostly prescription only products. Not only does monthly use rule out most parasites that cause skin disease, they prevent frustrating infestations of fleas into your home. Worming products are mostly given more frequently in younger puppies because of the high incidence of intestinal worms in breeding environments.

Insurance

Vets are no longer allowed to provide advice regarding which insurance to select. Personally, I try to avoid the cheapest option which can be a lure and very certainly will dramatically increase over time. Ensuring affordability over your dogs lifetime is important. Any insurance is better than none. Puppies are accident prone and can incur very large bills from a very young age. Good breeders often provide four weeks of free insurance, this should cover you before your own kicks in. Vet bills are expensive often in the thousands of pounds if hospitalisation is required and insurance cannot be purchased after the event - ever!

Neutering

Research from UC Davis vet school suggests waiting has health benefits for large breed dogs but none in dogs less than 20kg. My general advice is to wait until males dogs are cocking their legs consistently for two to three months which will be from six months of age or older in dogs under 20kg and in dogs that are likely to be over 20kg wait at least until they are one year old or older. For female dogs I suggest spaying between their first and second season. There are no known health benefits in allowing a female dog to have a litter. Pyometras (infections of the uterus) are common in dogs over six years of age. Females cycle roughly every six months, and their season lasts approximately three weeks. Signs include swollen vulva, increased licking of the area and blood spotting.