Taking you pup home
WHAT YOU NEED TO BUY BEFORE YOUR MAJESTUEUX KENNEL PUPPY COMES HOME
There are several items that you will need to buy before you bring your puppy home.
They are as follows:
• Collar – something lightweight to begin with and it must have a ring of sorts for attaching a lead, my personal preference is a check (Slip rope collar for training, or martingale rope check for training, rope does not cut the coat on the Chow Chow. I do not leave collars on my dogs. When show I use fine snake chain martingale style on both breeds
• Lead – again something lightweight and, if possible something strong that you can use for a few months (keep in mind your puppy will grow to be very strong, very quickly) – leather is generally best, personal preference again is rope or rope webbing.
• Food bowl – my preference is something metal (Stainless steel) that will last and that can be cleaned no matter what is left in it
• Water tray/bucket – again something metal that will stand the test of time. High drive dogs tend to play with things like bowls and if they do anything other than metal won’t last
• Food – we will cover this later on, but you will receive a starter pack
• Crate – Medium size is suitable for a bulldog and Large for a chow
Bed – We use Lilcraka’s – Virtually indestructible Dog Trampoline Bed. These stand the test of time, so far have had these beds for 3 years and they still look like new, and have never needed a cover change, they are well worth the investment. Large size will suit both breeds
• Worming syrup or tablets – I prefer to change the type of worming agent every time I worm the puppies
• Toys – my preference is toys with no stuffing
• Books/Videos – I suggest that you acquire a variety of books or videos/DVD that cover the topics of dog behaviour/psychology/training that will allow you to discover what methods will suit you and your dog best.
Cooling
Our dogs use Cool Champions Cool coats by Silver Eagle Outfitters on the bulldogs, Lilcraka also have cool coats and cool mats, their cool mats do not have water there for suitable for Chow Chows.
Insurance:
We highly recommend that you maintain pet insurance. Check to make sure there are NO bulldog exclusion clauses, Your pup will come with 6 weeks complimentary insurance from Petplan
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU BRING YOUR MAJESTUEUX KENNEL PUPPY HOME
Obviously this will differ for almost everybody in the finite detail, but, taking the first timers point of view it is likely to go something like this:
Ø You’ll collect your puppy from the breeder
Ø It is likely someone will accompany you to the breeder so either they or you will end up holding the pup on the drive home
Ø When you get home you’ll play with the pup and then probably sit there and watch it for a few hours
Ø You may have visitors that come to see the new addition to the family
Ø You’ll probably feed it at some point and at some point it will be time for bed – THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING
Your puppy may not have yet experienced a night on his/her own and so will complain vigorously. This is where your crate comes in handy.
You should ensure you have your crate with you when collecting your puppy so that it can travel safely in the car. And if your puppy is preconditioned to the crate then the car trip should be no trouble at all, we do aim to do this before they go but at time it is not possible.
Ok, so now you’re home….what’s next? My preference is that the pup will have a predetermined space that it calls home, away from everything else – if this is the case then take the puppy to that area and allow it to acclimatise for a while and have a rest after the trip home (especially if it has travelled some way).
When the pup has had a rest, allow it to follow you around the house, yard and anywhere where it may find itself from here in. This process of acclimatisation should be carried out a few times over the first few days to ensure your puppy is comfortable in every area of your home. Even if your puppy has free reign of the yard, I would ensure the first few forays into the unknown are supervised so that you can note the puppy’s reaction to new stimuli.
So, within a couple of days, 4 or 5 at the most the puppy should be totally comfortable within your home – personally, I would resist the urge to have visitors for a couple of days just to give your pup the opportunity to feel at home before having to deal with overzealous visitors!! We’ll deal with the specifics of socialising later in the puppy pack.
Now, if you have brought your puppy home and none of the above breeder assistance has been rendered you are likely to have an eventful couple of days – especially with a high drive, confident, defiant working dog. They are not likely to tolerate being left alone or locked up without protest. It is likely that the first time you put your puppy in its run, crate, laundry or even the backyard on its own; it will start to protest and howl/scream the place down.
Now read this carefully and make sure you understand it 100% – DO NOT GO TO THE PUP WHEN IT IS SCREAMING (unless there is something wrong with it – but be prepared so you know nothing is wrong check the area to ensure all is safe); wait till it stops and then you can go – if you do not follow these rules you will have much difficulty is settling the pup down for the evening etc. If you follow the rules you should be ok within a couple of days at most.
In summary, when you put the pup somewhere for its own time – do not go to it unless it is quiet and you do it on your own terms.
GENERAL HEALTH CARE OF YOUR MAJESTUEUX KENNEL PUPPY
Bulldogs are a generally robust breed and coupled with a high pain tolerance will rarely show signs of discomfort or that they are not feeling well.
Bulldogs are essentially a low maintenance type breed, but in saying that there are some things that need your attention to ensure their well-being.
You will need to:
Ø Ensure the diet that your dog is on delivers the required vitamins and minerals.
Ø Maintain the correct worming and vaccination schedule
Ø Keep your dog clean and well groomed – including nail clipping, flea treatment and occasional bath and bones (always bigger than the head) for the teeth, wrinkles and around eyes wiped and dried daily. Chow Chows groomed with a rake once per week, bathed and dried thoroughly once a month.
Ø Ensure you dog receives adequate exercise – All dogs need daily exercise. The amount your puppy needs depends not only upon his size but also upon his breed. While he is very young, he will get enough exercise naturally, but as he grows up, he must be taken for regular walks and runs. Don't take him out until he has completed his course of vaccinations.
Regular and varied walks are not just essential to keep your puppy fit - they also provide the opportunity for him to explore and to experience new stimuli, including meeting other dogs. This helps him to develop into a contented and well-adjusted individual and helps to prevent the development of problem behaviour.
All exercise should be supervised. Don't allow your puppy to stray and never let him out during the day to fend for himself. Ø Occasional visits to vet will also ensure your dog’s health is kept in check – it is recommended that you visit the vet frequently even if you are not seeing the doctor just to let your dog familiarise itself with the environment, learns to hop on the scales etc
Vaccinations
Your puppy received a vaccination (C-3) at 6 weeks of age, the puppies vet card will contain the date of the next vaccination. Discuss with you vet which vaccination to have, as the area you live in will impact on which vaccinations your puppy will required and vets use a variety of vaccination paths. ONE THING YOU MUST DISCUSS WITH YOUR VET is the method used to give the C-5 (Kennel cough) SNUB NOSE DOGS CAN REACT TO THE INTRANASAL DELIVERY METHOD. The vaccination via injection takes longer for cover to be effective. If you live in a country area or have a lot of vernon and birds consider lepto C2I vaccination.
Worming
Your puppy has been wormed at 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks of age. Your puppy will need to wormed at 10 and 12 weeks of age than at monthly intervals until 6 months of age than 3 monthly. Your pack has a worm tablet included break this in half and give half at 10 weeks and the other half at 12 weeks of age.
Other pests (Fleas, Ticks and other pests)
Fleas, Heartworm, intestinal worm (also worm with tablets), demodex, skin mites, and TICKS. We use nexgard spectra on all of our dogs to control all of these, prevention is far easier and cheaper than cure. Your pup was given this prior to leaving so will have all of this covered for the next 4 weeks
CONCLUSION
This document has covered many topics and a large amount of content. It is by no means conclusive or all encompassing – it is meant to be a ready reference for new puppy buyers and a refresher for the more experienced people. For all topics we have only scratched the surface to give adequate insight; each of these topics has had many books written on them. We urge you to find these books and read as much as possible; information is power.
From time to time this document will be revised / have information added. Feel free to write to us and ask for anything you would like to see included or if more information is required, please ask. We will endeavour to accommodate.
In closing, we all agree that puppies and their upbringing is a very challenging task but as with everything else if you are prepared your chances of success are increased tenfold.
Good Luck with your puppies.
