Puppy Care After Your Purchase

 Health

Your new puppy comes implanted with a microchip, all vaccinations and worming current to the age of your pup. The general schedule of medications is as follows:

21 days: Worming.
31 days: Worming.
Between 5 and 6 weeks: Fecal exam.
8 weeks: Fecal exam and 1st 4-way booster vaccination.
10 weeks: Fecal exam and 2nd 4-way booster vaccination.
16 weeks: 3rd 4-way adult vaccination and adult rabies shot.
1 year: Annual booster shot (your discretion) and rabies.

Temperament

Your new puppy will have experienced all age appropriate socialization while at our kennel. A few of the things we do are as follows:

Stress exercises between 3 and 16 days including temperature and position change.
Noise stimuli.
Different surfaces.
Interaction with lots of different people.
Visits to training day.
Visits to Pets Mart, Wal Mart and Home Depot.

Your puppy will need to be taken EVERYWHERE! You need to expose the puppy to as many different sounds, sights, surfaces and people as you can before 16 to 20 weeks of age. This is a critical period where the puppy learns almost all of its socialization. Once you get passed this period of time, the pup is pretty much finished as to what it will be able to take as an adult. Lack of socialization in this breed is one of the number one causes of poor temperament in pups who 'should' be strong and stable.

All interactions need to be positive. If you see the puppy begin to show some hesitation or fear of an object or situation, stop and ignore the pup. Walk slowly up to the object or situation and try to call the pup up to it. If he comes, praise him if he doesn't, ignore him. DO NOT praise a pup who is acting fearful, this will only serve to reinforce the poor behavior. Remember, startling or reaction to things is normal, its the recovery time you want to watch. In well bred puppies, it should be minimal.

Food

The puppy has been fed a high quality, grain free puppy food and you should seek to feed the same or a similar quality food for your dog. If you are going with a grain based food, please try to avoid corn as an ingredient and look for something that has meat meal as the first couple of ingredients. Do not use puppy food in these lower quality foods. Our recommendation for the best quality food for the most reasonable price is Taste of the Wild. We use the High Prairie Puppy formula for your puppy but the other formulas are good as well. If the puppy has a bad reaction to one formula, change to another. The fish based formulas are lower in protein and a higher protein level can sometimes cause loose stools.

Ear Cropping

If your pup came with its ears cropped, it may need to have the stitches removed. Call your vet and make an appointment within 10 days of the crop. DO NOT EVER USE ACEPROMAZINE WITH THIS BREED. Also make your vet aware of the sensitivities this breed has with anesthesia. He should only use enough to put the dog to sleep, not what he may think the pup needs. After the stitches come out, the pup may need to have the ears taped. Put something in the ear about the size of your middle finger then wrap tape around it a few times. Leave them taped for 3 days and remove. Repeat if they fall down.

If you need your pups ears cropped, here are instructions and pictures. Tell your vet to find the folded flap of skin that is about 2 or 2½ inches from the top of the head. Move up the ear about another ¼ inch and that will be the length of the crop. A good general rule of thumb for a 15 pound puppy, the ear length will be about 5 centimeters. For the bell of the ear, use a Boxer pattern and cut on the outside of the pattern instead of the inside.

Here are a few pictures.
 

Length too short. Bell too short.

Length too short. Bell good.

Length good. Bell too short.

Length perfect. Bell perfect.

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