Number 1 Warning: Please delay exposing your puppy to possible diseases by avoiding doggy parks, public parks, pet store floors, veterinary clinic floors, recreation areas where there is wildlife like raccoons, skunks until completion of the puppy boosters. Your puppy should be fine to go those places about two weeks after the last vaccination. In the meantime, your puppy should be O.K. being around other dogs/ puppies that are up to date on vaccines. Click here to read more about a puppies vaccination schedule.
The crate training method is considered the quickest way to potty train a puppy. Dogs are basically den animals and tend to be very comfortable in small areas like their kennel. If you follow the crate training method your puppy will be fully potted trained within a week to 5 weeks depending on the owners consistency.
1) Make sure the kennel area is small enough. The kennel should be large enough for your puppy to spin in a circle, but not able to walk front to back. We suggest using a piece of cardboard, empty milk/juice jug, or towels rolled up to make the kennel smaller if it's needed. You can also buy a kennel with a divider which can be used to reduce the space.
2) Feed and water on a schedule. DO NOT FREE FEED OR WATER. If you were to free feed/ water the puppy will likely graze throughout the day and since they'll be eating all day their GI tract will constantly be going which causes more errors for potty mistakes. Give water with each meal, if they're panting, its hot outside, or after long sessions of playing.
3) Whenever you're not supervising the puppy they should be in their kennel. Do not leave them out of their kennel unless you're certain they are 100% potty trained.
4) Be consistent.
5) Reward the puppy immediately for good behaviors or when pottying outside. Rewarding the puppy should be done within 2 seconds or less.
6) Finally, do use the crate training method and don’t be concerned that you are being cruel or hard on the puppy. On average, a puppy sleeps 16- 18 hours a day, so even if they aren't in their kennel it's likely that they'd be sleeping on the floor. You're just placing a barrier (the kennel) around them. A first time dog owner probably feels bad about this, but experienced owners, trainers, and veterinarians know that this allows them to get potty training done quickly and efficiently with the least amount of frustration to puppy and owner so this is kinder in the long run.
1) Make sure the kennel area is small enough. The kennel should be large enough for your puppy to spin in a circle, but not able to walk front to back. We suggest using a piece of cardboard, empty milk/juice jug, or towels rolled up to make the kennel smaller if it's needed. You can also buy a kennel with a divider which can be used to reduce the space.
2) Feed and water on a schedule. DO NOT FREE FEED OR WATER. If you were to free feed/ water the puppy will likely graze throughout the day and since they'll be eating all day their GI tract will constantly be going which causes more errors for potty mistakes. Give water with each meal, if they're panting, its hot outside, or after long sessions of playing.
3) Whenever you're not supervising the puppy they should be in their kennel. Do not leave them out of their kennel unless you're certain they are 100% potty trained.
4) Be consistent.
5) Reward the puppy immediately for good behaviors or when pottying outside. Rewarding the puppy should be done within 2 seconds or less.
6) Finally, do use the crate training method and don’t be concerned that you are being cruel or hard on the puppy. On average, a puppy sleeps 16- 18 hours a day, so even if they aren't in their kennel it's likely that they'd be sleeping on the floor. You're just placing a barrier (the kennel) around them. A first time dog owner probably feels bad about this, but experienced owners, trainers, and veterinarians know that this allows them to get potty training done quickly and efficiently with the least amount of frustration to puppy and owner so this is kinder in the long run.
Example Schedule for Potty Training your puppy:
- Right when you wake up in the morning take your puppy outside to go potty. We recommend carrying them outside versus attaching a leash to their harness and letting them walk to the door (the hope is that they've held potty overnight so they'll likely need to go potty really bad.) If you let them walk to the doors, they may squat and pee before you even get them outside.
- Bring your puppy to a specific location to familiarize the puppy that "this is their potty area" by a certain tree or bush. It's also important to use the same phrase, whether that be "go potty" or "go to the bathroom," etc. Give the puppy a lot of praise, petting, or a treat immediately after going potty.
- Regardless of whether the puppy went potty outside or not bring them inside the house for their first meal of the day. It often works well to put your puppy and their food and water in the kennel. You can also put the food and water in an ex- pen with the puppy if the kennel area is too small or in the bathroom/ laundry room with a baby gate up. We don't recommend placing the food and water in the living room since the area is so large that the puppy will likely want to go play or sniff around and won't focus on eating.
- After about 10- 15 minutes of eating/drinking remove the food and water from the puppy and take them outside to go potty. If the puppy goes potty outside they can have free roam of the house so long as you supervise them. If the puppy does NOT potty outside either closely supervise them if free roaming the house or place them in their kennel to try to take them outside again 10- 15 mins later.
- If you catch the puppy making a mistake say a firm “No!” (or some prefer the word “Net!” supposedly sharper and more like mother dog) and take them to where they should have gone even if they had already gone on the floor. If you come into the room and see a pile or a puddle DO NOTHING but clean it up. Especially, don’t rub their nose in it or whack them with a rolled up newspaper. That was old advice that tended to just make a scared dog that didn’t know why they were being punished. They have to pee and poop and should not be punished for that, but they must learn where they should do this. Reinforcement must be made within 2 seconds or less in order to correct it.
- Feed the puppy again for dinner (the same way as you did for breakfast.) Make sure the last feeding/ watering is 2- 3 hours before you're exhausting and go to sleep. This will give you ample amount of time to bring the puppy outside to go potty before placing them in their kennel for the night.
*** Remember: most puppies will vocalize in some way while in their kennel, whether that be whining, crying, or barking as they want your attention and to be out of the kennel. It is very important NOT to take them out of the kennel when they're whining or barking. The moment you take them out of the kennel while exhibiting that behavior is when they learn "when I bark or whine I get the attention I want" and you will create a barky dog. Instead, take them out of their kennel once they're quiet so that you train them "that they get the attention they want once they're quiet." They listen to classical music at night here with us so you could try turning on the radio, TV, or fan on so that there's some type of noise in the background. There's also heartbeat toys you can purchase that can be placed in their kennel.
- Find a place to put the kennel. You can try putting a blanket/ towel over the kennel. Sometimes when it's covered the heat will hold better and the puppy has less anxiety because they can't see you. If that doesn't seem to help, you can also try placing the puppy's kennel near you (or even on your bed next to you) because sometimes when they can see you they feel less alone and will become quieter. They aren't used to being kenneled here and by themselves so this is new for them.
- Most puppies will be able to hold potty overnight if you have fed/watered them long enough before you placed them in the kennel for the night, if you guaranteed potty outside before putting them in their kennel, and so long as the kennel area is small enough. We don't recommend waking up in the middle of the night as their internal time clock will start to go "oh its 4am, lets starting making noise to go outside." If the puppy, however, makes a potty mistake for 3- 4 nights in a row and you've eliminated any errors that it could be your fault (listed above,) I would then wake up a little earlier to give the puppy a chance to go potty.
Important Reminders with Potty Training:
- Our small miniature poodle puppies should be fed 2- 3 times per day. Our toy- sized breed puppies should be fed 3- 5 times per day if possible.
- Give the puppy something to do while in their kennel. It would be boring if we sat in an empty bedroom. Give them the toy that we gave you, a rib bone, or you can put a kong toy and fill with it up with peanut butter or canned dog food, freeze it for a few hours, and place that in their kennel with them. This shouldn't cause the puppy to go potty.
- When bringing the puppy outside to go potty you may need to stand with them for 10+ minutes before they finally go. If you go outside for a minute and bring the puppy inside and they go potty on the floor it's likely because you didn't give them enough time to sniff around and go outside.
- If you put a pee pad in their kennel to sleep on they may very well rip it up. Put a dog bed, towel, blanket, or old t-shirt for them to sleep on at night which is more durable.
- It's still very important to ensure that the puppy is getting enough exercise so don't forget that while using the crate training method.
- When you're supervising your puppy and they're playing on the floor, leave the kennel out with the door open, throw toys in there for them to take out and give them treats every time they go in. You want to associate the kennel with a good thing and not just where they go to be left alone.
- Regardless of the size of the puppy, they should be fine to be potty trained outside. They'll typically run outside to go potty quickly run back into the warm house. Sometimes the puppies do need a few days to acclimate to the colder weather though. If they seem a little chilly you can buy a little doggy sweater or jacket. (Their coats tend to be thick enough that they won't need it, but it may help.)
- Mushers Secret is also great to use on their paws during the colder months.
When to Spay and Neuter:
- If you get a male, the optimal time to neuter them is around 4- 6 months of age. By neutering at a young age you eliminate ANY chance of the male marking. **The marking behavior is often learned when they're left intact for too long because their testosterone increases, they become "macho," and will mark things as their territory. This becomes a habit that is hard to break.** The first time you see your male lift their leg we would recommend scheduling their neuter right away. (As a breeding facility our dogs can't be spayed or neutered as they produce puppies. Believe it or not, we have females that will also mark their territory. It isn't only a male dog thing!)
- We recommend that the females get spayed around 6- 8 months of age. In general, a female will come into heat around 9- 12 months of age. The current recommendation for small breed dogs by most veterinarians is to spay before their first heat cycle. This will reduce the chance of mammary cancer! It is not true that you should wait until after the first heat cycle.
- A spayed female and neutered male also makes for better pets as they have less behavioral issues since they aren't as hormonal. The surgeries tend to be very safe if you do blood work prior to spaying/ neutering your puppy and the health benefits of doing so far outweigh any risks associated with the surgery.
- Our puppies must also be spayed or neutered no later than 8 months of age per our contract.
- Some people have asked me; why do some people wait until 1-2 years of age before spaying and neutering their dog? Often, people will wait to spay/ neuter large or giant breed dogs to give them some time to grow to their full potential. Giant breed dogs aren't considered full grown until about 2 years of age. The small breeds we offer are generally full grown at approx. 7 months of age so you aren't interrupting that by any means. I've also had people ask; isn't the puppy too young to spay/ neuter? The answer to that is no, some people are familiar that spaying/neutering at too young of an age can cause some issues like urinary incontinence. The chances of this occurring is substantially high if this is done BEFORE 12 weeks of age. Often humane societies and rescues will spay/ neuter at a young age, but they're also generally having larger lab or pit bull mixes which are able to undergo anesthesia more safely as they aren't at risk for hypoglycemia. I wouldn't recommend spaying/neutering small breed dogs (like we offer) under 12 weeks of age as they have to be fasted 12 hours before their surgery and are more prone to hypoglycemia if they don't eat for a long period of time. Hypoglycemia occurs in toy- sized breeds under 14 weeks of age.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: ASK YOUR VET ABOUT REMOVING RETAINED BABY TEETH AT SPAY/ NEUTER TIME
Many small breed dogs are predisposed to retaining their baby teeth. This means that some puppy teeth may not fall out and their adult teeth will grow in. This gives an appearance of two rows of teeth or a "shark mouth." The time to remove the baby teeth are when they're already under anesthesia, already have pain medicine, etc. This will save you on a second vet bill! If you don't remove the baby teeth at time of spay or neuter, you'll have to bring your puppy back in to get those teeth removed at a later time and it will cost another $300- 500 versus a $50 fee (just as an example) to remove the teeth at time of spay/ neuter. Their adult teeth will be in by 6- 7 months of age. For a male, it may be best to wait towards that 6 month mark to neuter him so long as he isn't lifting his leg to give his puppy teeth some extra time to fall out.
Grooming:
- How often the puppy will be groomed will depend on the owner's preference. If you're able to brush your puppy more often then you'll be able to grow the hair longer without it matting and can go longer between grooming sessions.
- It would be a good idea to get your puppy an introductory grooming session to get them comfortable with the sounds and feelings as puppies so that they do well with it in the future.
- We like to use a slicker dog brush for their thicker portions of hair (on the back) and use a dog slicker brush with coated pins for thinner haired areas like the legs, belly, and face.
- A puppy/dog should be bathed no more than 4- 6 weeks otherwise you can dry out the hair coat. A lot of vets will recommend oatmeal type dog shampoos.
- It is also a good idea to clean inside the ears every 2-3 weeks with a dog ear cleaner and cotton balls. If unfamiliar with a dog's ear canal DO NOT USE Q- TIPS. Poodle and poodle hybrids have hair that grow in their ear canal and are more predisposed to ear infections so by cleaning the ears you can prevent this. An ear cleaner and cotton balls will be lesser in price than an office exam and ear medications by your vet.
- Products we recommend purchasing is on our Puppy Kit page.
Our puppies currently eat Fromm's gold.
If you do switch foods we recommend waiting until at least 2 weeks after you bring your puppy home. Mix in the new food gradually and be sure to use a high quality (usually means more expensive) puppy food for the first year while the puppy is still growing. Take approximately 7 days to fully transfer them to their new food as a rapid change in diet will cause GI upset.
If your new puppy doesn't seem to be eating try the following:
1. Add dog canned food. Use just enough to coat the puppy kibbles.
2. Pour hot water or low sodium chicken broth over the food making mush.
If you do switch foods we recommend waiting until at least 2 weeks after you bring your puppy home. Mix in the new food gradually and be sure to use a high quality (usually means more expensive) puppy food for the first year while the puppy is still growing. Take approximately 7 days to fully transfer them to their new food as a rapid change in diet will cause GI upset.
If your new puppy doesn't seem to be eating try the following:
1. Add dog canned food. Use just enough to coat the puppy kibbles.
2. Pour hot water or low sodium chicken broth over the food making mush.
Vaccines
A general puppy vaccine protocol for CORE vaccines is-
8 weeks: Initial distemper combination (DA2PPV.) 12 weeks: Distemper combination (DA2PPV) booster. 16 weeks: Distemper combination (DA2PPV) final booster and Rabies. ***The DA2PPV and rabies is then boostered a year later and then every 3 years.*** |
You can also do non- core vaccines like-
8 weeks: bordetella 12 weeks: Lyme and/ or Leptospirosis initial vaccine. 16 weeks: Lyme booster and/ or Leptospirosis booster ***The Lyme and Leptospirosis is then boostered annually. *** |
Dental/ Oral Health:
Please use VOHC recommended products. "VOHC exists to recognize products that meet pre-set standards of plaque and calculus (tartar) retardation in dogs and cats. Products are awarded the VOHC Seal of Acceptance following review of data from trials conducted according to VOHC protocols.
For dental care we recommend the following:
1) Brush the teeth daily with a toothbrush and dog toothpaste. If you find that brushing the teeth isn't doable in your lifestyle, VOHC does have different types of water additives, dental sprays, or dental gels.
2) Give VOHC recommended dental treats.
3) If you can't brush the teeth or provide your puppy with dental treats, you'll likely need to do dental cleanings on your dog every 1-2 years. In order to do a dental cleaning, the pet must be anesthetized and care can be costly ranging from about $300 up to a $1,000+ per dental depending on the severity of dental disease.
1) Brush the teeth daily with a toothbrush and dog toothpaste. If you find that brushing the teeth isn't doable in your lifestyle, VOHC does have different types of water additives, dental sprays, or dental gels.
2) Give VOHC recommended dental treats.
3) If you can't brush the teeth or provide your puppy with dental treats, you'll likely need to do dental cleanings on your dog every 1-2 years. In order to do a dental cleaning, the pet must be anesthetized and care can be costly ranging from about $300 up to a $1,000+ per dental depending on the severity of dental disease.
Address Nipping/ Teething:
Puppies may bite/nip for several reasons including that they are teething or for attention or in play.
You can try any of the following and I would go from mildest to sternest as needed but you must be in charge. Do discipline with kindness but also be firm.
You can try any of the following and I would go from mildest to sternest as needed but you must be in charge. Do discipline with kindness but also be firm.
- Disengage- Let the puppy know that biting you will not get you to play with him.
- Although the kennel is generally a safe haven and not used for discipline you can in this instance use it for a brief time out.
Advice from Friend/ Top U.S. Agility Poodle Owner Expert on Training is Given Below.
"Yelp like one of the puppies in the litter would do if another pup played or bit too hard. Gradually, yelp or I don't agree on saying "no" as any language other than the dog language is not understood by the dog and it's not fair to ask for his/her comprehension. Besides, NO is not instructive. It is saying "not that" but then "what is the proper action," that is, you have to steer the dog into doing something which is advisable. Therefore, say the dog is chewing on you, then I recommend a few online articles by the renowned trainer Ian Dunbar but offering a proper alternative behavior is the first option. That is, offer something the dog can enjoy and chew which is not destructive to the house or the owner.
1. Teaching Bite Inhibition | Dog Star Daily
Teaching Bite Inhibition | Dog Star DailyPlease read this section extremely carefully. I shall repeat over and over: teaching bite inhibition is the most...
2. Errorless Chewtoy-Training | Dog Star Daily
Errorless Chewtoy-Training | Dog Star Daily The dog is a social and inquisitive animal. He needs to do something, especially if left at home alone. What wou...
3. Puppy Biting | Dog Star Daily
Puppy Biting | Dog Star DailyBite inhibition is the single most important lesson a dog must learn. Adult dogs have teeth and jaws that can hu...
The above may have some overlaps, but each is a precious message worth reading carefully. You don't want to raise a puppy who cowers because the owner is angrily uttering something they don't understand. You want to raise a puppy who will choose (on his/her own volition) to do the things you'd like him/her to do. Teething time as you may know in babies is a hard/feverish time."
"Yelp like one of the puppies in the litter would do if another pup played or bit too hard. Gradually, yelp or I don't agree on saying "no" as any language other than the dog language is not understood by the dog and it's not fair to ask for his/her comprehension. Besides, NO is not instructive. It is saying "not that" but then "what is the proper action," that is, you have to steer the dog into doing something which is advisable. Therefore, say the dog is chewing on you, then I recommend a few online articles by the renowned trainer Ian Dunbar but offering a proper alternative behavior is the first option. That is, offer something the dog can enjoy and chew which is not destructive to the house or the owner.
- Also scolding (punishment) is over-rated. Because if you want to stop the dog (or people for that matter) from doing something, then you have to be consistent each time the dog is biting/chewing then to correct it. But what if you miss once because you were too late or whatever. Here the training value declines tremendously. Dog training is black and white and not fuzzy grey, like sometimes you can do it OK and some other times it is NOT. It's too confusing for the dog. He/she is learning to live in YOUR world trying to learn YOUR language, with the meal and care dependent on YOU... You as the owner want to be a fair leader to the dog. Yelling, shouting doesn't make a good leader.
- Biting inhibition should be one of the 1st if not 2nd (where the house breaking maybe the 1st) thing to train for any new puppy.
1. Teaching Bite Inhibition | Dog Star Daily
Teaching Bite Inhibition | Dog Star DailyPlease read this section extremely carefully. I shall repeat over and over: teaching bite inhibition is the most...
2. Errorless Chewtoy-Training | Dog Star Daily
Errorless Chewtoy-Training | Dog Star Daily The dog is a social and inquisitive animal. He needs to do something, especially if left at home alone. What wou...
3. Puppy Biting | Dog Star Daily
Puppy Biting | Dog Star DailyBite inhibition is the single most important lesson a dog must learn. Adult dogs have teeth and jaws that can hu...
The above may have some overlaps, but each is a precious message worth reading carefully. You don't want to raise a puppy who cowers because the owner is angrily uttering something they don't understand. You want to raise a puppy who will choose (on his/her own volition) to do the things you'd like him/her to do. Teething time as you may know in babies is a hard/feverish time."
- You can also refer to Cesar Millan who is a renowned dog trainer.
Barking:
As dog breeders, we hear "I want a non-barking" puppy quite often, especially in our inquiries. Most commonly, a puppy will bark for attention or as a way of communication. It is so very important that you do not reward any behavior that's unacceptable. As puppies they learn quickly what they can and can't get away with. It also doesn't help that poodles themselves are the 2nd smartest breed of 193 recognized AKC breeds. Our hybrid puppies also tend to be quick learners. Barking can be instinctual or self taught by owners. A good example of this is when the puppies go to their new homes for the first time. Most people will choose to train their puppies by crate training (which is one of the quickest ways to house train a puppy.) The puppies will whine the first few nights as they're not used to being in a confined space like the crate and are in a new unfamiliar place. The best advice I give to people is when the puppies are whining DO NOT reward that behavior. It's very easy to feel bad for them and break down and take them out of their crate. If you do, then they start to learn "when I make noise, I get the attention I want" and will learn that barking/ whining behavior. It's important to wait until the puppy stops whining and then reward them by taking them out of the crate or by giving them a treat.
All dogs will bark to some extent. If you want a dog that for-surely doesn't bark then perhaps you want to consider a Basenji. The only "bark-less dog," they do howl though. (We do not offer that breed.) All our puppies tend to be very quiet though. Just keep in mind it's important you set good standards for your new furry friend too.
All dogs will bark to some extent. If you want a dog that for-surely doesn't bark then perhaps you want to consider a Basenji. The only "bark-less dog," they do howl though. (We do not offer that breed.) All our puppies tend to be very quiet though. Just keep in mind it's important you set good standards for your new furry friend too.
"Have some high-value treats ready – small and soft so they can be eaten quickly. While the dog is barking, just wait for her to stop. When she does stop, wait a beat, praise, and give her a treat. Gradually increase the time she must be quiet before rewarding her. If she starts barking, take a few steps backward and make the duration less. Once she seems to be understanding, add a word – hush, quiet, whatever works for you. Be consistent.
It is unreasonable to expect your dog to never bark as barking is the way they communicate with the world, but you can teach her some control." (AKC.org)
It is unreasonable to expect your dog to never bark as barking is the way they communicate with the world, but you can teach her some control." (AKC.org)
"It is completely natural for dogs to bark, and it’s one of their most important forms of communication after energy and body language. Dogs will bark as a warning, to protect their pack and territory. They will also bark to express excitement.Those forms of barking are rarely a nuisance and don’t last long. That is why nuisance barking almost always has the same cause and the same solution. When a dog barks excessively, it’s telling you that it is bored and is looking for stimulation or a challenge." (Cesar Millan)
Tear Staining:
"Tear stains are usually caused by dye molecules called porphyrins. Porphyrins are iron-containing molecules, produced when the body breaks down red blood cells. Porphyrins are excreted primarily through bile and the intestinal tract, but in dogs a significant amount of porphyrin is excreted through tears, saliva and also urine.
When porphyrin containing tears or saliva sits on white fur for any length of time, stains result. These iron-related stains intensify/darken in the presence of sunlight.
All dogs produce porphyrin, but of course porphyrin staining is most noticeable on light colored dogs. If you have ever noticed a white dog who has been licking or chewing on his leg, the hair in that area will turn iron-brown in color as well.
Primarily, then, most tear stains in most dogs can be simply prevented by keeping the face meticulously free of porphyrin-containing tears. That means keeping the face hair trimmed, and wiping the face at least twice daily with a slightly damp wash cloth, to dilute out and wash away the tears." Leo's Pet Care Veterinary Clinic.
Tear staining can also be caused by-
When porphyrin containing tears or saliva sits on white fur for any length of time, stains result. These iron-related stains intensify/darken in the presence of sunlight.
All dogs produce porphyrin, but of course porphyrin staining is most noticeable on light colored dogs. If you have ever noticed a white dog who has been licking or chewing on his leg, the hair in that area will turn iron-brown in color as well.
Primarily, then, most tear stains in most dogs can be simply prevented by keeping the face meticulously free of porphyrin-containing tears. That means keeping the face hair trimmed, and wiping the face at least twice daily with a slightly damp wash cloth, to dilute out and wash away the tears." Leo's Pet Care Veterinary Clinic.
Tear staining can also be caused by-
- Teething- once the adult teeth are in (usually 6-7 months of age) and the puppy is no longer teething, you should notice the tear staining decreasing. Puppies generally produce more tears while they're teething.
- Consider the water quality that the puppy is drinking- give the puppy purified, distilled, or reverse osmosis water. Certain minerals can cause the tear staining. Our puppies and parents drink well water here which is not purified.
- Ears- poodles/ poodle mixes are more prone to ear infections as they are some of the only breeds that naturally grow hair in their ear canal. The ear also flops over and can be a warm environment for bacteria to grow if the puppy gets water in their ear. Please check to insure that the ears are clean.
- Genetics- certain breeds like Maltese, Shih- Tzus, Poodles, Bichons, etc. more commonly have tear stains due to their genes and the way their head and eyes are shaped.
- Hair- Make sure that there's nothing bothering the eye. It's possible that little wisps of hairs may be rubbing against the eye. I would recommend getting a dog eye trimming scissors. This type of scissor has a rounded tipped end to ensure that you don't poke the puppy in the eye. Trimming the hair from those areas will help to eliminate hair irritating the eye.
- Daily grooming around the face- AKC recommends to
• Flush eyes with an appropriate canine eye-wash, such as saline eye-wash solutions or Terra Septic eye drops.
• Moisten a cotton ball with the same eye wash or a contact lens solution, and rub underneath and around the eye area. Opti-Clear and Bio True are two pre-made options; a do-it-yourself option is to mix one tablespoon boric acid powder boiled in one cup distilled water. (Be sure to keep refrigerated, and remake a fresh batch weekly.)
• Wash the muzzle hair with dry shampoo or waterless shampoo and a wet washcloth. You may also try 3% hydrogen peroxide on a paper towel. Comb and blow-dry afterwards.
• Keep the hair around the eyes trimmed to avoid it irritating the eye and causing tearing." - Plastic/ ceramic bowls- use stainless steel or glass bowls only! Plastic and ceramic bowls more commonly harbor bacteria which can be an irritant to the puppy.
- Food- certain foods contain more dyes that can lead to increased tear staining.
- Allergies
- Fleas- We highly recommend using a flea and tick preventative all year round! This should help reduce the chances of your puppy catching fleas.
- You can also try different tear stain removing creams and/or food additives. Just google search "dog tear stain cream" or "dog tear stain additive" and many options will pop up.
- With anything, there could be a more serious medical problem occurring. If you've tried all of the above, please reach out to your veterinarian. We've never had any eye problems for 30+ years since the beginning of breeding, so we'd expect the tear staining would be something fixable and not serious.
Deworming a Puppy:
We deworm our puppies according to the veterinary clinic that we're regulated by. It is said that 90% of puppies are born with roundworms and 50% are born with protozoans. Your puppy has been dewormed and should be parasite- free. Just like people, however, not all puppies are created the same. Some puppies need a higher dose or longer duration of deworming medications. If that is the case, we will reimburse the cost associated with the dewormer if that's needed. Your vet will very likely recommend bringing in a fecal sample for their first puppy visit to look for intestinal parasites under the microscope. They will then recommend checking the fecal sample as needed or annually. Dogs can get intestinal parasites/ protozoans at any point of their life from eating other dogs stools, eating rabbit stool, drinking water from lakes/ streams/ contaminated water, or from going to doggy parks, boarding facilities, or even puppy socialization classes. Some dogs will also carry low levels of protozoans and if not showing any symptoms (like loose stool) most vets won't deworm them. Sometimes when puppies are stressed though (like transferring to their new homes) it can cause an increase of protozoans which then starts to loosen the stool.
Old Age:
At some point it may be unnecessary to continue giving vaccines. You can talk with your vet about when that should be. After many years of shots there should be residual anti-bodies protecting against disease and a blood test can also be done if you want to know anti-body levels.