New Puppy Information
Tips and advice.
What To Expect
Puppy timeline for all stages of life.
7-12 Weeks
- Do NOT take your puppy away from home until fully vaccinated
- Carry your puppy when bringing him/her for veterinary visits to avoid any unnecessary exposure (no walking on parking lot or floors)
- Avoid aggressive play time (tug of war etc.)
- Puppy starts to learn its name … still has very short attention span
- Puppy will start house training
- At first, the puppy should be fed 4 times a day. Feedings should be reduced to twice a day by the time a puppy is mature or even once a day in the case of a dog that gets little exercise.
- The puppy’s motor skills improve
- Puppy will still sleep a lot and grow while sleeping
- During times of stress, a dog raises its hackles – the hair along neck and spine
- Puppy training must begin and your pup needs to be made aware of your rules
12-16 Weeks
- The first permanent teeth will come through
- Ensure the puppy has plenty of attention and toys to play with
- At this age the puppy might demonstrate Pack Leader Behavior and test who is the boss. A puppy will challenge your authority.
- Enroll in puppy preschool after your puppy has been vaccinated
4-8 Months
- Time to switch to a high quality adult food
- Adult teeth continue to come through and during this time puppies need to chew!
- Provide items for your puppy to chew – avoid small raw hides, hooves, bones which they can consume
- The puppy’s confidence will now have grown as well as its physical size
- Puppy becomes more independent
- Have your puppy spayed or neutered before 6 months of age
8 Months – 1 Year
- Reduce feeding to 2 or 3 meals a day, using high quality food
- Your puppy is old enough to start obedience classes or training
- Your puppy should have grown to ½ or ¾ of its adult size
- Females have probably reached their adult height and will continue to fill out
Helpful Information
What you should know to protect love.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a potentially fatal bacterial disease that damages the liver and kidneys of dogs, humans and other animals.
Leptospirosis is spread by bacteria in the urine of rodents and other infected animals, as well as in water, such as pond water. The Leptospires enter the body through mucous membranes or through abraded skin.
For dog owners, the first signs of Leptospirosis in a pet often are several days of anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, depression, muscle pain and sometimes diarrhea or bloody urine. The disease damages the animal’s liver and kidneys, sometimes resulting in renal failure and death Read More
Leptospirosis is spread by bacteria in the urine of rodents and other infected animals, as well as in water, such as pond water. The Leptospires enter the body through mucous membranes or through abraded skin.
For dog owners, the first signs of Leptospirosis in a pet often are several days of anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, depression, muscle pain and sometimes diarrhea or bloody urine. The disease damages the animal’s liver and kidneys, sometimes resulting in renal failure and death Read More
Microchipping
HomeAgain is an advanced lost pet recovery service dedicated to the safety and well-being of your pet. Our system is
best utilized when a microchip with a unique ID number is injected between the shoulder blades of your pet. This can be done by a veterinarian, if your pet is not already microchipped. A veterinarian simply injects a microchip about the size of a grain of rice (12mm), beneath the surface of your pet’s skin between the shoulder blades. The process is similar to a routine shot, only takes a few seconds, and your pet will not react any more than he would to a vaccination. No anesthetic is required.
A HomeAgain microchip is a permanent pet ID. The microchip itself has no internal energy source, so it will last the life of your pet. It is read by passing a microchip scanner over the pet’s shoulder blades. The scanner emits a low radio frequency that provides the power necessary to transmit the microchips unique cat or dog ID code and positively identify the pet.
Once your pet is microchipped, it is enrolled in HomeAgain’s pet database, which is critical to reuniting you immediately with your lost pet once he is found. Once informed of a missing pet, HomeAgain immediately sends out Rapid Lost Pet Alerts to veterinarians and shelters surrounding the area in which your pet was lost. HomeAgain also supplies you with an easy-to-personalize “lost Pet” poster that you can print and post in the neighborhood. Once enrolled, you pet is entitled to all the additional benefits of the HomeAgain annual membership including:
Updates to your pet or contact information online or by phone
Read More
A HomeAgain microchip is a permanent pet ID. The microchip itself has no internal energy source, so it will last the life of your pet. It is read by passing a microchip scanner over the pet’s shoulder blades. The scanner emits a low radio frequency that provides the power necessary to transmit the microchips unique cat or dog ID code and positively identify the pet.
Once your pet is microchipped, it is enrolled in HomeAgain’s pet database, which is critical to reuniting you immediately with your lost pet once he is found. Once informed of a missing pet, HomeAgain immediately sends out Rapid Lost Pet Alerts to veterinarians and shelters surrounding the area in which your pet was lost. HomeAgain also supplies you with an easy-to-personalize “lost Pet” poster that you can print and post in the neighborhood. Once enrolled, you pet is entitled to all the additional benefits of the HomeAgain annual membership including:
Updates to your pet or contact information online or by phone
- 24/7 access to our lost pet hotline
- Rapid Lost Alerts and Lost Pet Posters
- 24/7 access to the Pet Medical Emergency Hotline
- Travel Assistance for Found Dogs or Cats
Spay & Neuter
The benefits explained.
Benefits of Spay
Early spay (between 5 and 6 months, before first heat) has many health benefits. Spaying your pet can
help prevent:
Read More
- Mammary cancer, a common often deadly disease. Mammary tumors can be large and difficult to remove; these tumors can also metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body.
- Pyometra, a severe infection of the uterine lining. Dogs with Pyometra are prone to becoming septic, or systemically ill as a result of the infection. If left unchecked, the disease is potentially life-threatening. Surgery to remove the ovaries and uterus is indicated and far more risky than if it is an uninfected, younger dog.
- Number 1 reason of getting hit by car
Benefits of Neuter
Early neutering of your pet has many health and behavioral benefits. Neutering your pet can help prevent:
Some behavior benefits to neutering your pet include:
Read More
- Early neutering (between 5-9 months of age) will prevent almost all disorders of the prostate and anal area.
- BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) – characterized by enlarged prostate which leads to difficulty in defecating because of pressure on the rectum; this can lead also to bacterial infection, cysts, and abscess of the glands that drain the prostate (surgery indicated to correct these issues)
- Prostate diseases are often not life threatening, but can be expensive to diagnose and treat.
- Perianal Hernia – prostatic enlargement and testosterone may contribute to a weakening of the pelvic diaphragm, allowing abdominal organs to pass through the pelvic canal into the areas surrounding the anus. Surgery to repair the hernia is indicated to alleviate the constipation or straining that accompanies this condition.
- Perianal and testicular tumors – these tumors can be painful and surgical removal with biopsy is recommended to rule out cancer.
- Less likely to “mark” territory by urinating in inappropriate areas
- Diminishes mounting, “humping”, roaming
- Lessens aggression toward other animals or family members
- Number 1 reason of getting hit by car