Puppy Care

Bonding

It is important to build your bond and trust with your puppy. You can strengthen this bond through various physical activities such as stroking and gentle grooming, games and exercise, and training. Make sure that the sessions are no longer than the dog's attention span, and that they always end on a high note with him successfully completing a task and earning praise.

A puppy needs a sense of order and will be naturally willing to acknowledge you as top dog. You need to reinforce your position through consistent guidance and a complete understanding of your puppy's worldview. Establishing a bond is easiest and most natural with puppies. The impressionable puppy willingly comes to see his human as the leader. You reinforce this natural tendency by calm, patient, and consistent attention and by allowing the puppy to adjust to new routines.

Exercise

Exercising gives your puppy a natural outlet for energy, minimize boredom, and reduce destructive behavior. This not only meets physical needs and strengthens the dog’s bodies, but also helps you strengthen the bond with your puppy. Most dogs will not start running around on their own, and for some, even a daily walk is insufficient. Take into consideration age, weight, health and breed. Be sure to understand the needs of your puppy, and develop an exercise routine that works with your lifestyle requirements so that you don’t feel it is a burden.

Feeding

Constant availability of food can lead to an overweight dog, and treats and snacks add up in calories as well. Check your dog's body condition, because it is vital to get an overweight puppy back to a healthy weight, since obesity increases risk of diabetes, heart problems and cancer, among other things. Keep track of all the extra bits of food given outside of regular meal, and be more stingy in offering snack treats.

Fleas and Ticks

There’s a good chance he’s got fleas if your dog scratches himself a lot. To check, separate a patch of his fur so you can see his skin. If you notice a lot of tiny black specs, which are flea excrement, your dog most likely has fleas. Your veterinarian can help you to rid your pup of these fleas.

Ticks are more problematic though, as they often carry diseases. It is important to check your dog for ticks often, especially if he spends a lot of time in wooded or grassy areas. Ticks tend to prefer areas near the ears, head, and neck, so check these spots most often. The best method for removing a tick is using tweezers. If you think your dog may have contracted a tick-borne disease, bring him to the vet as soon as possible.

Grooming

Grooming should be done often and regularly to develop the habit. Most dogs are not thrilled to be brushed, trimmed and bathed, but the best way to get a dog used to it is to begin early and to get that brush or nail clipper out on a regular basis. Grooming is an important part of a dog's health care. Nails that are too long can shift a dog's posture. Professional grooming is an option, but you should be able to take care of at least minor grooming problems. Also, remember to clean areas around the eyes, mouth, teeth, and ears during the process.

Teeth and Gums

Pups will lose their baby teeth at about four to six months, when their adult teeth come in. So don’t worry when you find a little puppy tooth on the floor or embedded in the pup’s chew toy. (Dispose of the tooth so that the pup can’t swallow it.) Examine the mouth for any soreness, and make sure nothing is wedged between the teeth. After the adult teeth come through, look for tooth discoloration or obvious decay, broken or loose teeth, and inflamed or receding gums. Unusually pale gums are also a sign of ill health. Help make teething easier on your pup by providing hard rubber bone or ball to chew on. If you don’t, he’ll probably find something else to chew.

When his adult teeth are in, keep them healthy by cleaning them with a tooth brush periodically. Be extremely careful not to hurt the dog’s gums, or he’ll be too frightened to let you, or the veterinarian, clean his teeth. Giving your pup hard meat-protein dog biscuits, may help reduce tartar formation.