Puppy Information

Housebreaking

All dogs can be housebroken if you are consistent, as well as persistent, in training them. We recommend crate training because it teaches direct housebreaking.
When indoors, keep your dog in the crate or under very close supervision. Take your dog out frequently, and give your dog praise for relieving itself. It won’t be long before your dog gets the concept of only eliminating outdoors. For the first few nights your puppy is home and crate training starts it is a good idea to keep your puppy’s crate close to you so it can hear your breathing and if it whines it’s an easy shhhh for a correction. If your puppy is too noisy try covering the crate with a blanket. A stuffed animal in the crate with your puppy when it first comes home can help ease separation anxiety.

Feeding

Labradors LOVE food, three feedings a day are usually adequate for young puppies. At around  6 months puppies can be cut back to twice a day, as an adult most dogs can eat one meal  day, but for labs two is recommended. We recommend stainless steel dishes for food and water because they are easy to keep clean. When feeding your puppy, make your puppy sit and wait for the food until it placed on the floor and you say ok. Do not leave the dish down for more then 15 minutes, this will teach you puppy to eat his food at his allotted times.


Bathing & Grooming

In general, especially with Labs you only need to bathe your dog once to twice a year (unless it has gotten into something very smelly. Bathing too often removes natural oils, making your dog’s skin and coat too dry. Brush your dog at least once a week t stimulate your natural coat and oils and is a great way to keep an eye out for external parasites and skin irritations. Check your dog’s ears regularly, especially if your lab spends a lot of time swimming. Keep them clean and dry. Get your puppy used to be groomed as soon as you bring your puppy home. Grooming should be a comfortable experience for you and your dog.


Brushing Your Dog’s Teeth

It is important to brush your dog’s teeth regularly to prevent the build up of plaque and tartar. The teeth should be brushed at least once or twice a week. As with grooming, this will be easier if you accustom your dog early in life.


Routine Healthcare

Establishing routine health care from an early age can prevent disease, prolong your dog’s quality of life.

Picking a Vet:  It is important to find a vet you feel comfortable and trust with your animals. If you are unfamiliar with vets in your area, ask friends and family in the area who they use. If your vet’s bedside manner, personality, or actions, make you uncomfortable, or of they do not seem to know a  lot about your breed of puppy find another one.
Vaccinations:   some of the most common vaccinations produce immunity to distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and Para influenza. If you plan to kennel your puppy you will also need to get him a kennel cough vaccination.   Puppies receive a series of these shots until they reach the proper degree of immunity, around 3 – 4 months. After these initial shots your dog will require annual boosters as well as rabies.
Parasites: Gastrointestinal parasites are common among puppies . They are easy to treat if caught promptly. Left untreated, they can cause serious harm. Your vet may ask you to submit stool samples from your dog during routine visits to keep these parasites in check.
Another common parasite is heartworm. The heartworm gains entry through the bite of an infected mosquito. Heartworms can be life threatening if left untreated. Veterinarians usually dispense preventative drugs whenever mosquitoes are active.
Spay /Neuter:  Spaying (for females ) or neutering (for males) is a surgical procedure that makes your dog unable to reproduce. If you don`t plan to breed your dog or compete in the show ring, you should strongly consider spaying or neutering your dog. There are many benefits to spaying é neutering including preventing unwanted litters and overall health.


Exercise
Your dog needs regular exercise to stay fit and healthy. Labradors have varying needs for exercise, some are more active and require more activity and others are less active and can o with less activity. In general labs love to play outside, retrieving, swimming, and hiking are all great activities for you and your lab.

Bringing Puppy Home – What You Need

  1. High premium dog food. We will send home what your puppy is eating with us so that if you are changing foods you can mix it to make the transition easier on your Puppy’s tummy. It is a god idea to research foods and look for a food with no fillers. Also a variety of soft and hard treats for your puppy.
  2. Stainless steel bowls for food and water (non tip ones can save you time on mess clean ups). We do not recommend plastic dishes because they are harder to sanitize and hold odor also some plastics contain chemicals that can cause nose pigment to fade.
  3. Name tag for your puppy with at least the puppy’s name and your phone #.
  4. A collar and leash. WE use nylon because leather leads tend to stretch when wet or after time. We use breakaway collars or safe collars with plastic clips that release if your puppy gets caught on something.
  5. A crate that will fit them in their adulthood to save buying another one. If you plan to travel with your puppy you will need an airline approved plastic kennel. We use wire crates – they come with dividers so you can adjust the size of the crate to suit your puppy’s growth, a puppy can see what’s going on around him and they break down into a nice storable size. Crates should be a safe place for puppy to hang out and to keep puppy out of trouble don’t use it for punishment. Crates make vehicle traveling easier as well especially for stressful trips like the vet office.
  6. A crate mat or washable cushion, blanket or towel. Some puppies may not want one but most like the coziness.
  7. Stain/soil remover for accidental soiling (bissel little green machine also good for spot cleaning)
  8. Brush/Comb for your puppy’s fur, pet wipes for quick wash downs, puppy safe shampoo, nail clippers, ear cleaner, and a toothbrush and paste.
  9. CHEW TOYS – keep lots of safe chew toys for teething as well as to redirect inappropriate chewing/biting. Some soft stuffed toys for cuddling can help ease separation anxiety.
  10. Flea, tick and parasite controls such as revolution and frontline.
  11. A fenced yard or dog run. Puppy needs a safe place to play and run off energy and to stay out of trouble. A dog house or outdoor crate to offer shelter from the elements.

PUPPY PROOFING
• Put breakables away or out of reach
• Hide and/or cover all electrical cords  and put safety covers in your outlets
• Keep all chemicals safely stored – many things are toxic for dogs
• Keep garage chemicals (oil, lubes & especially ANTI-FREEZE) stored safely from puppy
• Research your household plants many are very poisonous for dogs – keep them up pout of reach
• Pools and hot tubs should be fenced and/or covered for puppy safety.