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Puppy Care
Puppies are totally dependent on you to provide for their health and well-being to grow into healthy adult dogs. A proper diet,Puppy school, flea & worm treatment and desexing are issues you need to know about. Your best allies are your breeder and your veterinarian who will be happy to give you advice on all aspects of your puppy’s health. Worming Your puppy will have been wormed every 2 weeks up to the age of 12 weeks. Then continue worming them once monthly to 6 months of age. Then once every 3 months. Your veterinarian will be able to give advice on different worming and flea treatment preparations and their use.We use Endogard at Shephaven the liver flavoured tablet is more palatable than other allwormers making administration of tablet easier. Endogard converts an unpleasant task into a real treat for your dog. Endogard has been assessed by the National Regulatory Authority and approved for the treatment and prevention of roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm including hydatids in dogs  Regular worming is essential to make sure your pet enjoys the best of health - and it's easy to do! Fleas There are many different flea preparations available, some of which are combined with other parasite control. Regular and frequent treatment is recommended - by the time your actually SEE the problem it is OUT of control! Ask your veterinarian for the most appropriate flea control for your puppy. Your puppy will have received a treatment for fleas just before you collect it from us. We use Duogard as it provides 4 weeks control of the flea population, inhibiting the fleas development to the adult stage. Pyriproxyfen is extremely safe for pets, humans and the environment. It is a hormone analogue, not an insecticide.  DE-SEXING For detailed information about spaying please click here. Sparying information Generally, the appropriate time to spay/neuter is as early as possible. This can be from 6 months to 10 months of age. Your veterinarian will examine your puppy and make the decision of age appropriateness for the surgery. EXERCISE The puppy is only very young and will not require much exercise, just allowed to play and rest when he wants to. He is too young to go on walks for the first 4 months, as it places too much stress on growing bones and joints. After the puppy reaches 16 weeks of age, he can go on short walks of approximately 5 minutes duration, around the block or to the local shops, school or park. After the age of 6 months, the puppy can generally be walked more often & slightly longer periods, but must be allowed to rest when tired. Up to twelve months of age, natural free running is the best form of exercise for a youngster, for a young pup, upon tiring, can easily stop when they wish, and not keep on performing because they wish to please and keep up with you! Of course you will wish to lead train and socialise your puppy, but exercise on lead should be no more than that. Maximum time walking (the dog at a fast trot) of a puppy up to six months of age should be barely five minutes at one instance (equivalent to a short stroll around your local block or park) and then rest. Puppies need plenty of rest and sleep, just like a young toddler. Certainly they can play and romp in your back yard or in their kennel run, but they will stop when they feel tired, rest and then play again. Moderation and common sense are the guidelines. Allow your puppy to grow steadily and slowly, and the fun of having a companion with which you can run your kilometres (upon adulthood of the dog) will not be impaired by the damage you may do,by doing too much, too soon.  Enjoy your puppy's first twelve months as a friend, and savour a lifetime with a fit and healthy adult. In most cases, when the puppy is 12 months of age, he can walk and run as often as you like for longer distances, as he will have achieved his final skeletal growth, and will be starting to develop muscle. Prior to this the puppy has not had enough muscle to support the bones and joints, so walking and exercise should be moderate  .All dogs swim by instinct. How much they enjoy this form of exercise depends on how confident the dog is in the water. With some dogs it takes some time to build up their confidence, but others take to swimming like a 'duck to water'. Swimming helps to improve stamina, muscle tone & fitness. Swimming is an excellent form of exercise because most of the muscles normally used in movement are involved without the stresses caused by running on hard ground. For a dog, a 5 minute swim is purported to be the cardio equivalent of a 8km walk! The natural buoyancy of the water and the fact that sudden twists, stops and falls are impossible makes hydrotherapy a safe and effective form of exercise for dogs. |
