Congratulations on your New Puppy!

Puppies are so cute and fun…..and frustrating!!  We hope these resources will help you settle in with your new family member and prepare for a wonderful life together. These first few weeks are incredibly important for relationship building and socialization. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have ANY questions or concerns as we’d rather hear from you daily than miss an opportunity to help your new pup thrive!

Goals For Your New Puppy

We’ve listed some goals for your puppy during this period. For each goal, there’s an associated handout or two.

Here is a list of some goals for puppies aged 8 to 14 weeks:

• MOST IMPORTANT: Socialization 
  • Puppy socialization overview
  • Checklist for puppy socialization
  • Operation Socialization - an excellent website dedicated to helping you make the most of your puppy's socialization period 
• House Training
  • This is a process. Look for progress, not perfection!
  • Consistency is key!
  • Crate training can help!
• Teaching a Soft Mouth
  • This is so important for so many reasons:
    • Appropriate play
    • Reducing nips and scratches from those crazy puppy teach
    • Most importantly: reducing the chance of injury from a bite as an adult. Any dog could bite if put in a scary or painful situation. Dogs that have been conditioned to have a soft mouth do significantly less damage than those that haven’t
• Enrichment
  • This is something we will talk about life-long. It’s important that your pup gets plenty of physical AND mental exercise. Training is a great way to exercise those brains, but when you need a break, food, toys, and puzzles can be a great alternative.

How Do I Choose Pet Insurance?

We can’t talk enough about how valuable pet insurance can be for your new friend. It is our experience that pets that are insured, get better healthcare throughout their lives because finances become a lot less of the picture. 

We take all pet insurance carriers, but we work closely with Trupanion due to their dedication to quality pet care and their phenomenal customer service. Your pup gets a 30-day free trial with their first visit.  Be sure to activate the trial within 24 hours of the exam to keep them protected.

Puppies and Parasites

Everything you wanted (or didn’t want) to know about the critters that can affect your pup (and sometimes you!)  Check out the Companion Animal Parasite Council’s website for more information  

Heartworm and Flea/Tick Preventions For Puppies

In your puppy kit, you received a dose of Simparica Trio for heartworms, fleas and ticks prevention. We recommend keeping all dogs on this prevention year-round.

What Are Some Training Resources For Puppies?

Here are some excellent books we think are great resources for helping to train your new puppy.

• The Puppy Primer by Dr. Patricia McConnell
• Perfect Puppy in 7 Days by Dr. Sophia Yin
• Living with Kids and Dogs by Colleen Pellar

And of course, puppy classes! We cannot stress enough the importance of puppy classes. These are opportunities for puppies to socialize with different puppies their age as well as new people. They also get a chance to learn new skills in a busy environment. The American Kennel Club has a great article on why puppy classes are so important. 

We are dedicated to a lifetime of health and happiness for your new pup!  We can't wait to see you on your next visit!