Helpful Advice for The New Puppy Owner

Veterinary Checks
Health Concerns
Registration & Insurance
Training & Socialising
House Training
Things to Avoid
Important Information
Useful Links

Congratulations!!! You are now the proud owner of your new puppy.

Veterinary Checks

It is important to make an appointment at the Veterinary Surgeons for a Puppy Health Check as soon as possible.

This appointment usually consists of a thorough check of your puppy, advice regarding a continued worming program, your puppy’s diet and your puppy’s first vaccination. Another appointment will need to be made for the second vaccination in two weeks time.

A period of isolation from other dogs will be necessary from the first appointment up to and following the second vaccination. Your vet will advise you on this.

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Health Concerns

If for any reason the vet is unhappy with the health of your puppy the breeder should be contacted immediately. Reputable breeders would rather know of any problems and help deal with them accordingly. If there is a particular health problem with your puppy that your vet feels should be dealt with by the breeder then reputable breeders will take the puppy back and give a full refund, or alternatively replace your puppy with another that you are happy with.

It must be stressed that this scenario very rarely happens and most puppies pass their health checks with flying colours.

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Registration & Insurance

In most cases on purchasing your new puppy you will have received a Kennel Club registration document from the breeder. This must now be altered to show that you are the new owner. The document must be signed and dated by the breeder and yourself giving your details. The Kennel Club do make a small charge for this but it is something that should be done immediately as in most cases, on receipt of your registration document, the Kennel Club will insure your new puppy for a period of six weeks for free. After this has expired you will be given the opportunity to continue your insurance.

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Training & Socialising

Start by calling your puppy by his new name that will start to give your puppy confidence.

After having all his necessary vaccinations and after the period of isolation is over it is time to take your puppy out into the world. Take care at first to find quiet areas away from busy roads and noisy traffic because these areas could affect your puppy’s confidence. You should build up your puppy’s exposure to these environments slowly.

Training and socialising your new puppy can be an exciting and pleasurable experience and is an important one.

For the safety and security of your puppy it is essential that he learns to walk on a lead sooner rather than later and should be done within the confines of your home and garden. Start with a soft collar without a lead placed around your puppy’s neck, usually allowing two fingers between the neck and the collar, for approx ten to fifteen minutes at a time. Repeat this many times throughout the day for a few days. Once your puppy has settled with his collar you can attach the lead and encourage him to follow you. This will probably be greeted with a look of disgust for the first few times, but with encouragement and persistence in just a short period of time your pup will be walking quite happily on his lead.

Once your puppy has gained in confidence it is a good idea to take him with you wherever you go. Into town is ideal, as is a trip to the pub. Local training classes can also be useful for socialising and putting you on the right track too.

If you own a car the sooner your puppy gets used to it the better. Start with short trips to the local park building up to longer trips as time progresses. It shouldn’t take many journeys before he is waiting to jump into the car at the sound of the car keys being picked up.

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House Training

House training should start the moment your puppy arrives in its new home and paper training is usually the best way to begin this.

Place sheets of newspaper on the floor leading to an outside door, over a short period of time slowly reduce the sheets of paper until only one remains next to the door, then outside. You play a big part in helping your puppy to be clean in the house so do be vigilant at all times and offer praise and encouragement when he gets it right. The most usual times that a pup will want to relieve him/herself is on waking from sleep and after finishing a meal, but all puppies are different and you will soon get to know the characteristics of your own.

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Things to Avoid

It is essential at this time not to overdo your puppy’s exercise. His bones are still soft and too much muscle build up can lead to deformity of the bones.

Under no circumstances allow your puppy to walk up and down stairs or jump from high places as this can cause serious damage that may not become evident until later in life.

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Important Information

The general information and helpful hints in this article in no way substitute veterinary advice and are intended as a guide only. Breeders should be sure in their own minds that they are satisfied with the honesty and openness of the prospective new puppy owner. Likewise the new puppy purchaser should feel that at all times the purchase of their new puppy is being dealt with in a professional and honest manner and that further help and information can be obtained from the breeder at all times.

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Useful Links:

Blue Cross Links

Caring For Your Puppy
Introducing Your Dog To The Family
Socialising Your Dog
How To Play With Your Dog
Training Your Dog
House-Training An Adult Dog
Caring For Your Adult Dog
Caring For The Older Dog
Time To Say Goodbye

RSPCA Links

Neutering Tips

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