When you bring your puppy home, be sure you have the following supplies: Premium pet food to get your new puppy off to a good start Stainless steel, non-slip food and water bowls, a collar, and a leash. Helpful Hints: use stainless steel, non-slip food bowls, which won't break or absorb odors. Toys with parts that squeak or whistle can be dangerous if swallowed. For a comfortable collar fit, allow for two-fingers of space between the collar and your dog's neck; consider using an an adjustable collar. To make your home safe for your new puppy, eliminate potential hazards around the house and pay attention to the following items: Keep breakable objects out of reach. Deny access to electrical cords by hiding or covering them; make outlets safe with plastic outlet plugs. Safely store household chemicals. Keep the following house and garden plants out of reach: poinsettias, azaleas, rhododendrons, dumb cane, Japanese yew, oleander and English ivy among others In the garage, be sure engine lubricants and other poisonous chemicals (especially antifreeze) are safely stored. If you own a pool or hot tub, check the cover or the surrounding fence to be sure they're in good condition. If you provide your puppy with an outdoor kennel, place it in an area that provides sun and shelter in the pen; be sure the kennel is large enough to comfortably accommodate your puppy's adult size. The ideal time to bring home a new puppy is when the house is quiet; Discourage friends from stopping by and don't allow overnight guests; First establish a daily routine and follow these steps: Step 1: Before bringing him in the house, take him to the area in your yard that will serve as his "bathroom" and spend a few minutes there. If he goes, praise him. If not, proceed into the house but be sure to take him to this spot each time he needs to use the bathroom. Step 2: Take him to the room that accommodates your crate—this restricted area will serve as his new "den" for several days. Put bedding and chew toys in the crate, leave the door open and line the area outside of the crate with newspaper, in case of an accident. Let him investigate the crate and the room. Step 3: Observe and interact with your puppy while he's acclimating to his new den, this will help forge a sense of pack and establish you as the pack leader.Step 4: A pen is recommended during the day when you aren't able to closely supervise your new puppy. There are many available on Amazon. 

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Special Puppy Concerns: 

Don't treat a puppy as young as 8 to 12-weeks old like an adult dog. Treat him the same way you would your own infant: with patience, constant supervision and a gentle touch. The way you interact with your puppy at this age is critical to his socialization. Use these tips: Don't bring home a puppy while you're on vacation so you can spend a lot of time with him. Instead, acclimate him to your normal, daily routine. Supervise your puppy at all times and interact with him regularly. Be alert for signs (sniffing and circling) that he has to go to the bathroom, then take him outside immediately. A young puppy has no bladder control and will need to urinate immediately after eating, drinking, sleeping or playing. At night, he will need to relieve himself at least every three hours. Don't punish an accident. Never push his nose in the waste or scold him. He won't understand, and may learn to go to the bathroom when you're out of sight. Praise your puppy every time he goes to the bathroom outside. Feed your puppy a formula designed for puppies. Like a baby, he needs nutritious, highly digestible food.

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Meeting Resident Pets :

Keep resident pets separated from your new puppy for a few days. After your new puppy is used to his new den area, put an expandable pet gate in the doorway or put your puppy in his crate. Give your resident pet access to the area. Let pets smell and touch each other through the crate or pet gate. Do this several times over the next few days. After that, give the resident pet access to the den area with your new puppy out of his crate. Supervise their meeting and go back to through-the-gate/crate meetings if trouble arises.

 

Feeding:

Keeping your puppy on the same food during their first few weeks will help with stress and gastrointestinal issues. When feeding your pet a new food, introduce it slowly. If you feed too much too soon, your pet could suffer from stomach upset, vomiting, excess gas, constipation, or diarrhea. Intestinal Bacteria play an important role, normal bacteria in the intestine help your dog digest food. A sudden change in food can result in changes to the number and type of bacteria and their ability to help digest food. These changes can lead to intestinal upset. Therefore, your pet must be switched to a new food slowly. A gradual change is best, we recommend switching to a new food gradually over the course of 7-10 days. For example, make a mixture that contains 25% of the new food and 75% of the old food and feed that for three days. Then make it 50-50 for three more days, then 75% new food and 25% old food for three more days. If your pet seems comfortable with this progression, you can start feeding 100% new food. It is not unusual for a puppy not to eat immediately when they arrive at their new home. It may take them a few hours to settle in, make sure they are eating within the first 24 hours (even quicker for small breeds). It is very important that they are taking in fluids so they do not become dehydrated.

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Hypoglycemia:

Hypoglycemia is a condition all new puppy owners must be aware of. The change of environment can cause other stress-related problems including Coccidiosis. Young puppies are frequently infected with coccidia and can develop active Coccidiosis -- even puppies obtained from diligent, professional breeders. Undeveloped immune systems make puppies more susceptible. Stress is the #1 Cause of Coccidia flare-ups..... such as new owners, travel, weather changes, and unsanitary conditions are believed to activate infections in susceptible animals. Symptoms in young dogs are universal: at some point around 2-3 months of age, an infected dog develops persistently loose stools. This diarrhea proceeds to stool containing liquid, thick mucus, and light colored fecal matter. As the infection progresses, spots of blood may become apparent in the stool, and sudden bowel movements may surprise both dog and owner alike. Coccidia infection is so common that any pup under 4 months old with these symptoms can almost surely be assumed to have coccidiosis. Fortunately, the treatment is inexpensive, extremely effective, and routine. A veterinarian can easily diagnose the disease through low-powered microscopic examination of an affected dog's feces, which usually will be replete with oocysts. One of many easily administered and inexpensive drugs will be prescribed, and, in the course of just a few days, an infection will be eliminated or perhaps reduced to such a level that the dog's immune system can make its own progress against the infection. Even when an infection has progressed sufficiently that blood is present in feces, permanent damage to the gastrointestinal system is rare, and the dog will most likely make a complete recovery without long-lasting negative effects. We diligently work to prevent this from occurring. We treat our puppies 3-5 days before shipping with Albon or Sulfa Trim to prevent, but stress of travel can still flare Coccidia up. We ask that when you take your puppy for a well-check to have their stool looked at, so that in case the puppy does develop this from all the stress he/she is under when going to a new home, you may easily catch and treat this before it becomes a problem. We do not guarantee against coccidosis as we do everything we can to prevent it's occurrence, but feel if the puppy is checked out when purchased this should not become a major problem. These physical problems are often brought on by unavoidable stress, and are similar to problems you might have if you were moving to a new area. Just like you, the puppy may not sleep or eat as regularly as it would in surroundings that are more familiar. Some puppies ease through the transition to their new homes, while other may have a harder time. If stress-related problems are ignored, secondary problems can become serious, even life threatening. Every puppy is different. The puppy's diet should NEVER be changed rapidly. The puppy might not eat the strange new food, and if does eat, develop diarrhea leading to dehydration and other complications. WATER IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOD IN THE PUPPY’S EXCITED FIRST FEW HOURS IN ITS NEW HOME. To encourage the pup to drink and reduce the risk of low blood sugar, you might put some honey in its mouth or on a dish. (Too much honey, however, will depress the appetite.) If the puppy does not eat after these methods have been tried, you might try warming the food. Many foods are coated with an outside flavor layer and its appeal is enhanced when warmed. If you can still not get the puppy to eat, seek medical care. Rest is very important to the puppy. Puppies generally sleep throughout the day, waking only to play for a short time, eat, and eliminate waste. Do not expect the puppy to run and play all day. A human baby does not play all day either. Treat your puppy just the same as if it was a newborn infant being brought home from the hospital, and you will not go wrong. This page was added to help make the addition of your new family member a positive experience. Information listed above is correct and true to the best of our knowledge. We attempted to find legitimate websites with helpful information. This is in no way meant to replace medical advice of your veterinarian. This page is not all-inclsuive and so we encourage you to do your own research and talk with your veterinarian before your new puppy arrives.