CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’RE BRINGING HOME A PUPPY…
NOW ROLL UP YOUR CARPETS AND HIDE EVERYTHING THAT YOU VALUE FOR THE NEXT 18 MONTHS! NO JOKE!
PREPARATION…WHAT TO HAVE READY
IRIS PEN
HERE’S A LIST OF PUPPY SUPPLIES WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO HAVE ON HAND IN ADVANCE OF THE BIG DAY
HOT WATER BOTTLE OR PUPPY HEARTBEAT TOY
CRATE: SIZED FOR YOUR PUPPY’S PROJECTED ADULT WEIGHT(with a divider)
IRIS DOG PEN
BABY GATE (OPTIONAL)
DOGGY BED: BIG ENOUGH TO ALLOW FOR GROWTH
HEALTHY NATURAL CHEWS - Himalayan YAK CHEESE DOG CHEW OR BULLY STICKS
BLANKET
ROYAL CANIN SMALL BREED PUPPY
STELLA & CHEWY’S DEHYDRATED DOG FOOD
HEALTHY NATURAL TRAINING TREATS
HEALTHY NATURAL CHEW TOYS
GLASS OR STAINLESS FOOD BOWLS
COLLAR & LEASH
POOP BAG
PAPER TOWELS & OXYGEN BLEACH FOR ACCIDENTS
FEEDING
IN THE BEGINNING
All Lahey House puppies are free fed, meaning they have 24/7 access to food. This ensures that our puppies are never hungry. It also helps to prevent food aggression which can develop in larger litters where puppies compete for space at the food dishes.
Lahey House’s choice for kibble is Royal Canin Small Breed Puppy. I send home a bag with each puppy. Our choice for meat is Raw Performance brand raw dog food.
For the first 2 or 3 days after bringing puppy home, we suggest that you continue the free-feed kibble-only model until you new pet settles in and gets into his stride.
Once puppy is settled, eating and feeling more relaxed in his new surroundings, we recommend that you move away from the free-feed model and encourage your new pet to eat full meals. While free-feed kibble works for young puppies, it can be detrimental for adult dogs by having a negative impact on dental, digestive and metabolic health.
To motivate your puppy to eat a whole meal and stop snacking, we recommend feeding the following twice per day:
1 quarter cup of kibble.
1 teaspoon of quality meat that is specially formulated for dogs
Mix the meat and kibble together with a touch of warm water to help blend. Your puppy should enjoy this very much and eat all the way to the end. If she doesn’t eat it all, monitor over a few days and reduce the amount of food you give. If your puppy is gobbling it all up with gusto, you can increase the amount of kibble according to her weight and the feeding guide on the label of kibble.
STRESS & FEEDING DURING TRANSITION
The single most stressful time of any dog’s life is a transition to a new home. Some puppies will refuse their food for up to 24 hours. Other puppies may experience loose stool, or diarrhea. Feed your puppy according to the above instructions through this transition.
LOOSE STOOL
If stool becomes loose from stress for longer than 24 hours, we recommend adding 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin every feeding for 24-48 hours and you should see stool return to normal. As stool returns to normal, you can gradually reduce the pumpkin to zero, while monitoring stool to make sure it is firm and healthy.
TREATS & CHEWS
We choose to keep our treats, rewards and chews as natural as possible. Single ingredient training bits, including dehydrated liver are a healthy option. They can be broken up into tiny pieces for training and don’t contain additives and chemicals. Benny’s Bully Treats is a popular brand of dehydrated liver.
PUPPIES LOVE TO CHEW!!
For chewing we like Himalayan Yak cheese chews or bully sticks.
We avoid rubber, plastic and synthetic chew toys and stuffed toys. Stuffed toys are destroyed quickly, and release toxic plastic batting into the dog’s digestive system.
If you want to give your puppy a stuffed toy, look for a well made, well sewed brand, made from natural fibers with either no-filling, or non-toxic stuffing.
HOUSE & CRATE TRAINING
Lahey House puppies begin pee pad training at just 3 weeks of age when we provide them with pee pads at the back of their puppy-box. The pee pads provide puppies with the opportunity to develop their natural instinct and leave the bed to eliminate. It’s amazing to see how quickly a puppy learns!
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NEXT
Remember, PUPPIES DO NOT PEE OR POOP IN THEIR DEN. Your job is to teach your puppy that your house is her den. Once she knows this, she will look to go outside when its time to eliminate.
You can teach your puppy quickly by being attentive and dedicated to taking your puppy outside at half hour intervals during waking hours, whenever you are home.
Also when your puppy wakes from a nap, quickly take her outside within 60 seconds if possible.
When your puppy pees and poops outside, heap love, praise and (optional) treats upon him. If you want him to go in a specific spot, take him to that spot every time you go outside, and praise him heavily when he succeeds. You should see success come quickly before 12 weeks of age. And remember that perfection takes time. Be gentle and compassionate in your training.
Negative reinforcement is never an effective training tool when puppy pees or poops in your house. If you scold your puppy for peeing and pooping in the house, they won’t understand. The message you will give your dog is that peeing and pooping is wrong which could lead to house-training problems and a sneaky pooper!
ON LEASH IN THE HOUSE?
House training can be a little tiring sometimes. If you want to zone out at the computer or with a book (do folks still do that?), we recommend having your puppy on a leash secured either nearby or on your wrist. That way you will notice when they become restless and you won’t miss the training opportunity to take them outside.
MULCH BOX OUTSIDE
Whether you have a balcony, or a big back-yard, you might like to set up a designated mulch yard to train you puppy to use as a bathroom-area. Mulch is easy to clean up and will spare your lawn and shrubs.
TO CRATE, OR NOT TO CRATE…..
Place puppy’s crate as close to the exit door as possible. The first few nights can be difficult both for puppy and new parents. Some pups settle in quickly, others cry for long periods of time. We say, “begin as you mean to continue.” If you require your puppy to be crate trained and learn to be alone for limited periods, its important that you fortify your emotions and hunker down to crate training. Decide how long you will leave your puppy to cry without being soothed. In some cases this may take up to 30 minutes.
During the day, leave the crate uncovered. At bed-time you may choose to place a dark coloured sheet or light cover over the crate as a signal that its time for sleep. Ensure that there is enough ventilation.
Once a puppy is routinely dry and clean through the night we opt to increase overnight and alone-time spaces to a larger confined space instead of a crate. This is to gives a puppy more space to move around in, but only after they have learned to pee and poop outside. The larger space is always controlled and safe with suitable bones and chew toys provided and nothing dangerous of valuable is left within reach.
Some families will choose to crate train for longer, and this is fine as long as your crate provides enough room for comfort and is made to be an enjoyable space.
EARLY DAYS
For up to the first week during overnights, or if your puppy will be left for over 2 hours in the crate during daytime hours, its recommended to cover half the crate with bedding and the other half with paper, so that puppy can relieve himself on the paper in a space separate from his bedding. As you experience success with bladder control and outdoor training, you can reduce the amount of paper and eventually stop papering inside the crate.
Make sure you leave puppy with adequate, healthy and delicious chew toys and treats to keep him happy and make his crate a welcome place.
GROOMING
THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS…..
We recommend that you schedule a wash and tidy with your groomer for between 12 and 16 weeks to get them used to the Groomer experience.
You should brush your puppy a few times every week.
If you’d like a more stylish, longer look, consult with your groomer and decide upon a style that suits your lifestyle and the amount of time you have to maintain a healthy coat. A quick “Google” of “Yorkie Clips” will provide you with dozens of options.
You should visit your groomer every 6-9 weeks after your initial visit and sooner if you choose a longer style. A trip to the groomer should always include a full shampoo bath, cut and nail clipping. This should all be provided for under $75.