Congratulations on the new addition to your family! This sheet is a guide to how best to look after your new puppy.

Settling in
First things first, if you haven’t already bought everything, dogs like their own personal place so provide a suitable bed, which should be off the ground and in a draught free position. Puppy crates are now widely available and have proven to be very worthwhile as they provide a safe haven for your puppy. These also help protect your furniture, slippers and other household goods from being chewed or swallowed!

Other essential items include food and water bowls, collar and lead, brush (we love kong zoom grooms) and some safe toys (be sure your puppy can not bite off pieces and swallow them!).

It is advisable not to go to your pup every time he barks or cries, as he may become too dependent on you, which can lead to behavioural problems later on. Some soft warm bedding and a favoured dog toy should provide comfort.

Insurance
We recommend that you get your pup insured. He may be covered for a short time under the breeder’s policy when you take charge of him. We highly recommend you take out insurance and keep them ‘insured for life’ rather than a 12-month policy.

Socialisation and handling
The first few months of a puppy’s life are the most important for social development. During the early months introduce your puppy to a variety of sights, sounds, people and experiences –your puppy can mix with other fully vaccinated dogs and can be carried outdoors to observe other animals, traffic noise. Don’t take your dog out on to public areas such as pavements, parks or gardens which may have been soiled by other animals until he has completed his initial course of vaccinations.

Handle your puppy regularly, looking in his ears, mouth, feel over their body, legs and feet. Then give a treat as a reward for letting you do this –this will help them to feel relaxed during an examination at the vets and also if they need their nails trimmed or teeth brushed when they are bigger. Puppies, like children, can swallow all kinds of objects which sometimes can cause blockages in the gut. Take care to try and keep appealing objects out of reach!

Puppy classes
These will help your puppy interact with other animals and people in a fun way. When your puppy is a little older, he can progress to basic training, in the company of other puppies. This will reinforce your bond and confidence with your dog.

Vaccinations
A puppy is born with acquired immunity from his mother, which gradually fades over the first 2 months. Vaccination can be started from 6 weeks of age with the final vaccine dose given 4 weeks later.  The vaccine gives your puppy protection for Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Leptospirosis. We offer kennel cough vaccination at the same time as the puppy vaccination course. Kennel cough is a contagious cough that can be easily picked up from other dogs, vaccination is required by most dog kennels and day- boarding establishments but we also recommend it as a core vaccine.

Worming and parasites
The most common intestinal parasite in dogs is roundworm and young puppies can become seriously ill as a result of heavy infestations. It is important to commence a worming programme as soon as possible and we recommend monthly worming for the first 6 months. Remember you may not be able to see the worms in your pet’s faeces!

Another very good reason to start worming your puppy as soon as you can is that roundworm eggs can be passed on to humans.

Other common parasites are fleas, ticks, ear mites and lungworm. We recommend ‘Nexgard Spectra’ monthly as it treats round worms, fleas, ticks, prevents lungworm and comes as a tasty chewable tablet.

House Training
Puppies usually toilet soon after waking or feeding and, if you put him in the correct area at these times, he is likely to urinate or defecate –when he uses the correct area immediately praise him with affection, kind words and a reward of a tit-bit. By rewarding the correct action, he will soon learn how you want him to behave. Scolding a puppy for bad behaviour can be counterproductive, as may not connect the punishment with the misdeed.

Neutering
We recommend that if you are not planning to breed, that you get your bitch spayed following her first season. Spaying your young bitch prevents unwanted pregnancy, life threatening infection of the womb in later life and reduces the risk of mammary cancer.

Male dogs can be castrated from 6 months of age, this can be helpful for behavioural reasons and reduce prostate problems in older dogs.

Food
It is important to feed your puppy a balanced diet. We recommend feeding a complete commercially available diet. They only require water to drink – milk can cause diarrhoea – and be sure to keep things like chocolate and raisins out of reach as these can be toxic. Larger breeds should have a large breed specific diet as their growth requirements differ from small dogs.

Nurse clinics
We offer a cuddle clinic for our nurse team to meet your new pet and introduce him/her to the surgery. Following their vaccination course our monthly weigh and worm clinics are popular to check your pets’ weight, answer questions and dispense parasite prevention products tailored to their lifestyle. Please see our website for more information about the nurse team and specialist consults.

<— Back to Puppy Pack

Congratulations on the new addition to your family! This sheet is a guide to how best to look after your new puppy.

Settling in
First things first, if you haven’t already bought everything, dogs like their own personal place so provide a suitable bed, which should be off the ground and in a draught free position. Puppy crates are now widely available and have proven to be very worthwhile as they provide a safe haven for your puppy. These also help protect your furniture, slippers and other household goods from being chewed or swallowed!

Other essential items include food and water bowls, collar and lead, brush (we love kong zoom grooms) and some safe toys (be sure your puppy can not bite off pieces and swallow them!).

It is advisable not to go to your pup every time he barks or cries, as he may become too dependent on you, which can lead to behavioural problems later on. Some soft warm bedding and a favoured dog toy should provide comfort.

Insurance
We recommend that you get your pup insured. He may be covered for a short time under the breeder’s policy when you take charge of him. We highly recommend you take out insurance and keep them ‘insured for life’ rather than a 12-month policy.

Socialisation and handling
The first few months of a puppy’s life are the most important for social development. During the early months introduce your puppy to a variety of sights, sounds, people and experiences –your puppy can mix with other fully vaccinated dogs and can be carried outdoors to observe other animals, traffic noise. Don’t take your dog out on to public areas such as pavements, parks or gardens which may have been soiled by other animals until he has completed his initial course of vaccinations.

Handle your puppy regularly, looking in his ears, mouth, feel over their body, legs and feet. Then give a treat as a reward for letting you do this –this will help them to feel relaxed during an examination at the vets and also if they need their nails trimmed or teeth brushed when they are bigger. Puppies, like children, can swallow all kinds of objects which sometimes can cause blockages in the gut. Take care to try and keep appealing objects out of reach!

Puppy classes
These will help your puppy interact with other animals and people in a fun way. When your puppy is a little older, he can progress to basic training, in the company of other puppies. This will reinforce your bond and confidence with your dog.

Vaccinations
A puppy is born with acquired immunity from his mother, which gradually fades over the first 2 months. Vaccination can be started from 6 weeks of age with the final vaccine dose given 4 weeks later.  The vaccine gives your puppy protection for Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Leptospirosis. We offer kennel cough vaccination at the same time as the puppy vaccination course. Kennel cough is a contagious cough that can be easily picked up from other dogs, vaccination is required by most dog kennels and day- boarding establishments but we also recommend it as a core vaccine.

Worming and parasites
The most common intestinal parasite in dogs is roundworm and young puppies can become seriously ill as a result of heavy infestations. It is important to commence a worming programme as soon as possible and we recommend monthly worming for the first 6 months. Remember you may not be able to see the worms in your pet’s faeces!

Another very good reason to start worming your puppy as soon as you can is that roundworm eggs can be passed on to humans.

Other common parasites are fleas, ticks, ear mites and lungworm. We recommend ‘Nexgard Spectra’ monthly as it treats round worms, fleas, ticks, prevents lungworm and comes as a tasty chewable tablet.

House Training
Puppies usually toilet soon after waking or feeding and, if you put him in the correct area at these times, he is likely to urinate or defecate –when he uses the correct area immediately praise him with affection, kind words and a reward of a tit-bit. By rewarding the correct action, he will soon learn how you want him to behave. Scolding a puppy for bad behaviour can be counterproductive, as may not connect the punishment with the misdeed.

Neutering
We recommend that if you are not planning to breed, that you get your bitch spayed following her first season. Spaying your young bitch prevents unwanted pregnancy, life threatening infection of the womb in later life and reduces the risk of mammary cancer.

Male dogs can be castrated from 6 months of age, this can be helpful for behavioural reasons and reduce prostate problems in older dogs.

Food
It is important to feed your puppy a balanced diet. We recommend feeding a complete commercially available diet. They only require water to drink – milk can cause diarrhoea – and be sure to keep things like chocolate and raisins out of reach as these can be toxic. Larger breeds should have a large breed specific diet as their growth requirements differ from small dogs.

Nurse clinics
We offer a cuddle clinic for our nurse team to meet your new pet and introduce him/her to the surgery. Following their vaccination course our monthly weigh and worm clinics are popular to check your pets’ weight, answer questions and dispense parasite prevention products tailored to their lifestyle. Please see our website for more information about the nurse team and specialist consults.

<— Back to Puppy Pack