List of Recommended Items Before Puppy Homecoming
Although we include a puppy starter kit to our new owners, a few items are suggested as your puppy’s growth develop rapidly which includes:
- Large to extra large heavy duty crate (wire, open-air) with double doors and divider so it can be adjusted as your puppy grows
- Food and water feeding systems such as Neater Feeders to lessen the mess of sloppy eaters and drinkers while also aiding in digestion by eliminating low profile food intake
- Premium dog food without corn, wheat, gluten, or soy as we recommend Life’s Abundance All Life Stages
- Martingale collar and leather leash for the reason both have more control when correcting bad behavior is needed
- Safe puppy toys such as Nylabones, real deer antlers, stuffed animals without stuffing, Kong toys, smoked real bones, and digestible rawhides made in the U.S.A
- Unscented baby wipes
- Puppy training pads
- Disinfectant spray/carpet cleaner
Search for a Creditable Veterinarian
Finding a great veterinarian and establishing a nice relationship with them makes a good head start toward your puppy’s health and well being and such discussions may include:
- Vaccination plan based on their practice and demography.
- Safe and effective options for internal and external parasite prevention.
- Appropriate age of spaying or neutering.
- Detecting early signs of ailments during the first several months such as:
- failure to thrive secondary to persistent lack of appetite
- vomiting/diarrhea
- pale gums
- unusual fatigue or lethargy
- wheezing, coughing, or difficulty breathing
- eye or nasal discharge
- eye inflammation
- urine or stool incapabilities
Develop a Potty Training Routine
Even though we start our potty training routine as early as three weeks of age with our puppies, it is highly imperative for new owners to maintain the routine consistency along with plenty of patience and positive reinforcement. Learn the cues of your new puppy and establish his or her potty training routine with frequent times to go outside like:
- First task in the morning
- Before bedtime (no water after 7 pm)
- Instantly after eating and drinking
- After naps
- During and after physical activities
Your puppy’s bladder is tiny and he or she can only hold a small amount of fluid for short periods of time. As your puppy grows bigger, the bladder also grows bigger thus less frequent potty time will be needed.
Crate Training Your New Puppy
Another beneficial factor about our puppies is that they are introduced to crate training before going to their furever homes. This routine decreases the stress level of a whining and crying puppy who will no longer be with his or her mother and siblings on top of living in a new environment thus helping new owners during the first phase of transition. Crate training also aids in the potty training routine as dogges do not like to pee or poop in the area they sleep in as their crate plays a safe haven den. Puppies less than six months of age should not stay in their crate for more than three to four hours at a time as they cannot control their small bladders and bowels for that long. My rule of thumb is the puppy’s age in months should be the equivalent hours of time in the crate (e.i. 2 month old puppy = 2 hours in crate at a time). The crate should never be a playpen and it should never be used as punishment for bad behaviors whereas it should only be used for safe sleeping. Be aware of your new puppy’s cues with play versus potty time. When in doubt, take them out and always praise them for their good deeds.
Transitioning From One Dog Food to Another
Your new puppy is currently on premium dog food from Life’s Abundance All Life Stages and you are planning to change his or her dog food, it is important to slowly adjust their old diet to the new food. This guideline decreases the risk of diarrhea thus ensures a smooth transition with your new puppy by following:
Day 1 & 2: Feed 1/4 new dog food and 3/4 old diet.
Day 3 & 4: Feed 1/2 new dog food and 1/2 old diet.
Day 5 & 6: Feed 3/4 new dog food and 1/4 old diet.
Day 7: Transition complete! Feed a full amount of new dog food.
It is very easy to spoil your dogges with treats and goodies but it is detrimental to their health in the long run. Obesity in dogges will accelerate their aging process to arthritis, immobility, hip and elbow dysplasia, and heart disease.
Obedience Class
We always encourage our new owner to take obedience classes with their fur baby. Not only it teaches new puppies tricks and socialization skills but it also teaches their owners about dogge behaviors and how to correct them. Obedience classes create a tighter bond that benefits both parties with overall positive and safe outcomes. Usually, these classes begin accepting puppies at four to six months of age with the requirement of up-to-date series of vaccination. Important tips include positive reinforcement such as savory treats and plenty of patience has been proven to be more effective than punishment. Also, praise and rewards for good behavior do not have to be food driven either as it can be a simple pat on the head or cheeks or even a happy tone of voice.
Maintenance
Olde English Bulldogges (OEB) is proven to be low maintenance compared to its close cousin the English Bulldog hence does not require any special skills from new owners.
Nails:
We trim our puppies’ claws at least five times before going to their furever homes so each can get used to having their paws handled in a positive way for both groomer and vet. We recommend continuing this routine to trim your puppy’s claws every week or so for the first two months to avoid paw handling stress and discomfort.
Coat:
OEBs are short haired breeds and sheds minimal to moderate amounts of fur. We invest in a Furminator, an anti-shedding comb for short haired breed of dogges and uses it once or twice a week more so in the spring season as they lose their winter coat.
Tear Stains:
OEBs have minimal wrinkles under their eyes that tend to collect moisture from tears which create harmless but unsightly red to brownish fungal stains in the folds. Treatment include keeping the area clean and dry once or twice a day with pet eye wipes from the pet store or from the vet.
Heat:
Even though OEBs have corrected the size of their snout over the years, brachycephalic dogge breeds are sensitive to heat exhaustion. Outside temperature with sun exposure of 85 degrees or higher is very dangerous to short-nosed dogs and should have caution and be avoided at all cost. Our pack lives in our home and we never leave them outside for more than an hour when the heat index and temperature is between 80-85 degrees even with shade. Heat strokes have rapidly killed dogges in the past and are often difficult to treat thus sometimes irreversible. Remember, when it is hot for us then it is three times hotter for them and water must be available at all times. On the other hand, OEBs thrive best in the fall, winter, and spring months as we have had our pack play outside for more than one hour without any complications.