Puppy Care

Feeding Tips

We feed Loyall Life puppy food or Purina Proplan puppy. It is the best that we have found. We like to keep the puppy on our food until they are comfortable in their new home.
If you would like to switch food make sure and do it gradually. You will need to mix it 50/50 at first and slowly change it over.
Make sure that if you are going to change dog food that it is a good, high quality dog food, such as Science Diet. To start the puppy should have as much to eat as it wants because they are in a rapid growth stage. At about 6 months, if it looks like it is getting a little chubby you can restrict the amount of puppy food. Puppies are nibblers; they will run over and grab 5 pieces of food, spit them on the floor and then eat them one by one. Then in another 30 minutes run over and grab another piece and eat that.
You need to make sure that the puppy had a chance to eat, drink and rest! If it doesn’t get enough to eat it could get low blood sugar(become hypoglycemic). If that should happen and the puppy is lethargic, you need to get some sugar into the puppy immediately- honey or corn syrup works well. Call us first and then, if necessary, the vet if this should happen.
Take the food and water away about an hour or so before bed. Puppies are just like little kids- if they are empty they can go all night.
If you have any questions (no matter how stupid you think they sound) don’t be afraid to give us a call! (319) 415-8002.

Potty Training Tips

At first you will want to take the puppy out every hour, he/she will probably not potty each time, but eventually will have to go potty.
Always take the puppy out the same door, to the same place, and say the same thing. It is a lot of repetition, but it works.
When he/she does potty outside, make a very big deal out of it, tell them what a good boy/girl they are, and give them a little treat. They may think you are goofy (as well as your neighbors), but, hey, it made you happy.
Don’t take the puppy outside just to play; then it gets confusing as to what you want the puppy to do. If you really want to play with your puppy outside, take him/her to a totally different area.
When the puppy has an accident in the house, pick it up in a paper towel and take it outside, that way there is scent out in your yard. That makes it a little easier for the puppy to know what they are supposed to do out there.
The first person to wake up in the morning needs to take the puppy out immediately, don’t wait to get yourself ready first, the puppy can’t hold it that long. Also don’t open the door of the kennel and let the puppy come out, you need to pick the puppy up and take it outside, otherwise, as soon as its feet hit the ground it's going to realize that it has to go potty and the puppy won’t be able to make it to the door.
Take the food and water away about an hour or so before bed, puppies are just like little kids, if they are empty, they can go all night.
Don’t be upset if the puppy doesn’t make it all night without an accident, especially that first night. The first night they don’t know if you are ever coming back! Once they realize that you are coming back, then they can hold it all night. That first night is very scary for a little puppy; they are taken away from friends and family and put in the dark alone.

Puppy Supply List

Toys. The more the better! If they have plenty of appropriate toys and things to chew on they will be less likely to find inappropriate ones to chew on. Not to say that they still won’t be a naughty little puppy and chew up something that they shouldn’t but toys do definitely help, and puppies have very good taste- they go for the most expensive piece of furniture or antiques. There is also a difference between toys that they can have when they are alone and ones that they should have supervision with, if they can get any little pieces off or could possibly rip it they should not have it when they are alone. Good alone time toys are; hard chew toys, rope toys, balls, etc.
A Leash. We really like the retractable ones, it gives them a little more room to wander but still lets you have total control.
Collar or harness. If you have small children who would like to take the puppy for a walk a harness is better than a collar, that way it puts the pressure on the puppy’s chest instead of around their neck. It is still nice to have both a collar and harness, a collar for the puppy’s tags and a harness for walks.
Food/water bowls. We prefer the heavy crocks, that way they can’t tip their bowls over.
Kennel/cage. At first the area the puppy has in their kennel should not be much larger than what the puppy needs to sit, lay down, and turn around otherwise they will quickly learn to potty in the back and sleep in the front. Once the puppy is house trained then they can have a larger area.
Puppy food. We do send a small bag of puppy food home with each puppy, but you will either need to have another good, high quality puppy food or keep him on our brand (Pro Pac Performance Puppy). If you do not plan to leave them on our brand you will need to slowly and gradually switch foods over.
Treats. At first treats should only be given when they potty in the appropriate place, and should be given immediately after. You will want something that you can break into small pieces- we like the dog jerky it breaks very easy and is one of the best for training.
A plush doggy bed to lay in is always appreciated. They love to have something soft and warm to snuggle in, after all they did have siblings to snuggle with while they were here.
And lots of Patience and Love! A puppy can be a lot of fun, but is also a lot of work. They need love and discipline.