Guide To Bringing Home A New Puppy

You have found the newest member of your family and are finally bringing him/her home for the first time. But what do you need to do in order to ensure that this new family member will have a smooth, healthy and safe transition from the kennel/breeder to your house?

When bringing home a new puppy, you need to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Chances are, your puppy will be an angel compared to what you expect of him/her, but at least you would have covered all bases. As with anything else in life, it is always better to be over-prepared than to be under-prepared.

The most obvious supplies are usually at the forefront of any new pet-owner’s mind. These include feeding and water dishes, a leash, a collar or harness, teething toys, a bed, some sort of confinement and sleeping quarters for the puppy, wee wee pads, food and of course treats.

When choosing feeding and water dishes, consideration must be given to the size of the puppy. Dishes too large may prevent a tiny puppy from eating and dishes too small may provide too little food for a large puppy. Pay particular attention to the amount of food the puppy is currently eating and the height of the puppy when choosing dishes.

A leash and a collar are two very important items as a puppy needs to get used to walking on a leash even before he/she is ready to go outside. Speak to your veterinarian before taking your puppy out for walks but in the meantime you can get your little furry addition to warm up to the leash by walking him/her inside the house. When choosing between a harness and a collar, attention must be focused on the size of the dog. If a dog is very tiny and fragile, a harness may be a better option because it will prevent accidental injury to your puppy when restraining him/her with a leash.

Teething toys are a must in any household with a new puppy. Puppies, just like babies, lose their puppy teeth and gain adult teeth as they grow. Because of this, they constantly like to gnaw on anything in sight. If you provide your puppy with quality teething toys that entertain him/her then the puppy will continue to chew on the provided toys. You must be sure to select toys that you know your puppy will be entertained by. If the puppy is not entertained, he/she will look to other “toys” around the house to play with.

Choosing a confinement area for your new puppy also needs a lot of planning and thought. Puppies should be supervised at all times if they are freely running around the house. However, there will be times when no one is able to supervise the puppy (when you are sleeping or out of the house etc). During these times, the puppy needs to be confined to a crate or a safe area of the house. If left alone, puppies can be destructive and they can cause harm to themselves. The easiest and most popular form of confinement is usually a crate or an exercise pen. However, you may also choose to have the puppy confined to a gated off section of the house like the kitchen, hallway or bathroom. Whichever form of confinement you choose, you need to choose the proper bedding and soiling area for that arrangement as well. Wee wee pads work well as a scented paper that encourages a puppy to go to the bathroom. These pads will help to ensure that a puppy has an area to go to the bathroom when you are not there so that there are not many soiled areas of the puppy’s sleeping quarters. These pads should be placed away from the puppy’s bed so that the puppy can differentiate between the sleeping quarters and the bathroom area as puppies inherently do not like to soil where they sleep.

Feeding your puppy is also another important factor in preparation planning. As far as treats are concerned, they should only be given to a puppy when the puppy has done something to earn a treat. Always follow the guidelines on the packages to ensure that you are not over-treating your puppy. As for feeding your puppy, you need to ensure that you have the same food for your puppy that the puppy has already been eating. Changing your puppy’s food too quickly can cause upset stomach and diarrhea. Keeping your puppy on a constant, healthy formula is the best way to guarantee your puppy a healthy transition to your home.

After all these factors have been considered and decided upon, you need to make an appointment to have your puppy examined by a Veterinarian to keep him/her current on vaccines. If all goes well, then it is up to you when it comes to training and caring for your new puppy. You can always seek the help of a professional trainer if you are not able to train the puppy properly or you can read training tutorials online or buy training books specific to your breed of dog.

With the proper planning, care and attention, your puppy will be acclimated to your household within a short period of time. Always remember to socialize your puppy with people, kids and other dogs so he/she will be well rounded as an adult. Puppies need lots of sleep, lots of care and most importantly, lots of love.

Looking for puppies for sale?

Visit us at http://www.internationalkennel.com/ for your new puppy. Or call us at 516-794-PUPS for more information on how you can get your puppy bred for quality, temperament and trainability. The International Kennel Club has brought happiness and joy with its selection of puppies to New York residents since 1979.

Guide To Puppy Travel

Planning a trip or a move with your family and your four legged friend? If so, have you set aside any time to gather the proper information for a safe travel for your puppy? Most people do not know how much preparation is required when traveling with a puppy. Much thought should be given to transporting your puppy whether the destination is another house, state or country in order to guarantee a safe and comfortable trip for your pet.

Transporting your puppy over long or short distances requires more planning than most would think. There are certainly more steps to transporting a puppy via an airplane than by car however, both types of transport require some preparation ahead of time.

If the puppy is to be transported to another state or country, there are certain requirements that must be met before the puppy can travel. The puppy must be up to date on all vaccinations that are mandatory by the state or country the puppy will be traveling to. This usually includes a rabies vaccination. You must also be aware of and abide by all the laws and regulations concerning incoming puppies within the destination country or state. If the destination is another country, these laws and customs regulations can be found by contacting the appropriate Consulate within the United States.

When traveling via airplane it is usually mandatory for the puppy to have a health certificate within ten (10) days of travel from a licensed veterinarian stating that the puppy is free of any contagious, infectious or communicable diseases. This certificate must also contain an acclimation statement which would affirm the temperatures between which the puppy would be able to adapt.

Consideration also needs to be given to the carrier within which the puppy would be transported. If the puppy will be traveling via airplane as pet cargo, a plastic transport crate would be sufficient. You would need to find the suitable size for your puppy. A general requirement is that the puppy should be able to stand comfortably in the crate. Dishes for food and water must be mounted within the crate so that the puppy is nourished throughout the trip. You should also decorate the crate with the appropriate “Live Animal” and “This Way Up” stickers to ensure a smooth and safe trip for your puppy.

If the puppy will be traveling via car then a plastic travel crate, a soft sided carrier, a regular metal crate or a seatbelt harness are all suitable to keep your puppy safe within the car during vehicular movement. The type of containment you choose for transport within the car would depend completely on your puppy’s preferences. This trip needs to be as comfortable for your loved one as it must be for yourself.

In short, planning your pet’s move ahead of time is the safest choice especially if the puppy is traveling to foreign territory. Having the proper documentation, travel crate and knowledge prior to the day of travel will give you the peace of mind you will need to provide your puppy with a comfortable and safe travel experience.

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Looking for a new puppy?

Visit us at http://www.internationalkennel.com/ for your new puppy. Or call us at 516-794-PUPS for more information on how you can get your puppy bred for quality, temperament and trainability. The International Kennel Club has brought happiness and joy with its selection of puppies to New York residents since 1979.

Guide To Choosing The Right Puppy For Your Family

You are finally entertaining the idea of adding a four legged member to your family but every member of your family wants a different breed of dog. Deciding on a breed of dog may seem like a daunting task at first but here are a few tips to help you when making this very important decision. Remember patience is key!

The first step to narrow down your search is to find out whether any member of the household is allergic to fur. If this is the case, then you will have to only entertain breeds with hair such as the yorkshire terrier, maltese, poodle, wheaten terrier, bichon frise, havanese etc. Dogs with hair do not produce as much dander as dogs with fur and therefore are less likely to stir up allergies.

The second step is to understand why every member of the family wants the dog and what they would be capable of doing with the dog. Our four legged friends can be watchdogs, playful companions, exercise buddies or just simply lapdogs or lazy couch potatoes (bulldogs anyone?). The main issue you need to address here is the exercise requirements. If everyone wants a dog to roughhouse with or to exercise/play with then you definitely want to steer towards a more agile and athletic pup. If no one wants the responsibility of taking the dog on long walks or actively entertaining the dog with quality play and exercise time then you want to turn your focus to dogs that require very little physical exercise.

The third step is to decide whether you want a purebred or a mixed breed pup. While choosing a purebred seems to be the most predictable option (as every purebred pup has their own breed personalities), going with the new “designer breeds” may be as viable an option as a purebred because they are purposely mixed and therefore their temperaments can be predicted almost as perfectly as a purebred’s temperament. Understand though that every dog has their own unique personality regardless of breed, size or gender and it is wise to interact with your puppy before you purchase him or her.

The fourth step is to determine whether you want to buy a puppy or adopt a dog. Ultimately this is
a choice you will have to make on your own and it will be based on your own preference. However, the key question is whether you want a puppy or an adult dog. If you have young kids, it may be wise to get a young puppy (under 1 year of age) due to the fact that a puppy is a lot more trainable at this age and has not been exposed to any ill treatment or abuse that would adversely affect the temperament of the puppy. The main concern here is the dog’s personality.

Other factors that may contribute to a better result for you and your family are smaller concerns but yet will help make everyone happier with the new addition. These include how much shedding would be tolerated and how large or small of a dog everyone would be able to handle.

Visit us at http://www.internationalkennel.com for your new puppy. Or call us at 516-794-PUPS for more information on how you can get your puppy bred for quality, temperament and trainability. The International Kennel Club has brought happiness and joy with its selection of puppies to New York residents since 1979.

Puppy Scams: A Growing Online Business.

There are many scammers parading around the internet as puppy lovers trying to sell you puppies they do not possess. It is an utter shame that these scammers would take advantage of kind-hearted people searching for a new puppy to add to their family. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when searching for a puppy online:

-You should always ensure that the pet seller has a public location where customers can visit to interact with the puppies. Even if that location is not anywhere near you, at least you know that other people are able to visit the puppies and that the puppies actually exist. If they do not offer you this option, you should ask for pictures of the puppies next to specific items (such as a coke can etc.) to ensure that this puppy exists at the seller’s location.

-Never wire money! If you are purchasing a puppy online without visiting the seller’s location, always ensure that payment is made via a traceable source (such as credit card or paypal) to ensure that you are guaranteed a refund if the puppy never arrives.

-Try to stay away from “Free Puppy” ads. Usually these are scammers disguised as puppy lovers who will rip you off by asking you for money for shipping in advance.

-Never fall for ads from people disguised as so-called missionaries from other countries (Africa etc.) They usually claim to have high end pedigreed puppies such as bulldogs, yorkshire terriers and maltese puppies for ten times less than the price of the puppies at local or other reputable breeders and they usually ask for money to be wired to have their “babies” shipped to you.

-If the seller is a reputable business, you should find out if complaints have been made and have never been resolved by searching the BBB’s website.

Always adhere to these guidelines when looking for a new puppy to avoid emotional and financial pain associated with trying to acquire a puppy from an online scammer. Many people have made and are currently making these mistakes. Don’t be one of them!

Looking for a new puppy?

Go to http://www.internationalkennel.com/ for your new puppy. Or call us at 516-794-PUPS for more information on how you can get your puppy bred for quality, temperament and trainability. The International Kennel Club has brought happiness and joy with its selection of puppies to New York residents since 1979.