TAMERLANE LABRADORS
Puppy Care Tips
o Your puppy will be under some stress as he has left his mother and littermates, as well as others that he has become used to. Do not expose him to too much activity or a great number of people in the first few days until he adjusts to his new home.
o We strongly advise that you crate train your new puppy. Please refer to our Crate Training article.
o We ask that you take your new puppy to the vet within a few days of bringing him home. Your pup will have had at least 1 set of shots and have been wormed 3 times.
o Please do not put your new pup on the floor at the veterinarian’s office. He has not completed his series of vaccinations and his immune system is not at an optimum level yet. Keep him in your lap or outside until the vet is ready to see him.
o Your pup will be ready for heartworm prevention at 4-5 months of age, or according to your veterinarian recommendations. We recommend Heartguard Plus.
o Do not give your puppy bones as they can splinter and injure him. Rawhide chews are good for the first 3 months as they are teething. Change to Nylabones or natural bones when their permanent teeth come in.
o Your puppy should have his own toys, and LOTS of them to help prevent chewing up your home and shoes. A knotted up sock, a plastic soft drink bottle with rocks in it with the lid securely on, and tennis balls. “Booda Bones” are GREAT. Plastic toys tend to get destroyed rather quickly.
o Nylon slip leads are recommended for your puppy. This is a nylon collar with a metal “O” ring on each end. These tend to last a little longer than a regular collar during their growth period. A regular collar is fine for your puppy, but he will be much easier to control with a slip collar, as you can control the tension. Take your time when you first introduce your puppy to a collar and leash. Use plenty of praise during this time. Do not drag or pull your puppy. Make this a positive experience. And, walk your puppy on the left side of you.
o After your puppy has had all of his shots, it is a great idea to socialize him as much as possible. Parks, public places, etc. are all good. This allows your pup to get used to other people and other animals. Let others pet him, especially children. He will love this and it is good for his development.
o Take your puppy for car rides, both in and out of the crate.
o Your puppy will respond very well to the tone of your voice. Your puppy wants to please you and the tone of your voice is sufficient. Please do not hit, whip or spank your puppy. A bold “NO” suffices when puppy mistakes are made.
o One word commands are best – sit, stay, come, heel, kennel and no. However, “good boy” works well too.
o Poor habits that your puppy is allowed to do are harder to break as they are older. Do not allow your puppy to jump on you or anyone else. If you don’t want your pup on the furniture or in certain rooms, do not make it “ok” sometimes, he will not understand.
o We strongly recommend that you take your puppy to obedience class. There is no replacement for good manners. This is great bonding time with you and your puppy and can be a lot of fun for all of you.
o Call us anytime. Our responsibility to your puppy does not end when you take him home.
Jayson & Candice Moore
Tamerlane Labradors
281-324-5039
candicemo71@aol.com