Wednesday 28 March 2012

Puppy Vaccines







To ensure that your puppy is healthy and vigorous you need to get him/her vaccinated. The puppy needs to be protected against the many diseases he/she could pick up. The first set off vaccines are given at 6 to 8 weeks and the second at 10 to 12 weeks. If you are planing on bringing your puppy out of Ireland he/she will need the rabies vaccine which is given at 12 weeks. It usually takes 14 days after the vaccination for the puppy to be fully protected from the disease. Some puppies can still get the diseases that they were vacinated against. The most common reason is the maternal antibodies interfering with the vaccine also it could be genetic, a problem with the vaccine itself or the puppies immune system. All puppies are given the same dose. You must also ensure that you partake in year round protection of your puppy from fleas, ticks, worms and parasites.


  • 6 to 8 weeks- Get full check up from vet - 1st DHPP-Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfulenza, Parovirus. Also get a fecal sample for parasites. 
  • 10 to 12 weeks- Get full check up from vet- 2nd DHPP. Leptospirosis 1st and Lyme 1st if in risk group.
  • 16 weeks- 3rd DHPP.Boster for lepospirosis and lyme.Get full check up from vet. 




Fading Puppy Syndrome

This is  often a tragic condition which leads to the death of the puppy. It affects puppies under 12 weeks of age. Sometimes in a litter of puppies a puppy or puppies that were perfect and vigorous at birth will begin to fade at a week or two weeks old. They will stop growing, crawling, nursing and will not gain weight. They may also cry continuously and will not be able to stay upright. The puppies get very ill very quickly. They will only last 48 hours without vet care. Despite early and aggressive vet care the mortality rate is very high. There is usually no clear cause for the condition. Some experts say it may be due to birth defects, infections or environmental stress. Watch out for the puppy that lies away from the other litter mates, constant crying, restless and failure to nurse. The vet will often supply extra warmth, fluids, glucose, tube feed, perhaps a blood transfusion and oxygen. The puppy may also be given antibiotics and parasiticides. A Plasma Transfusion from a healthy vaccinated dog has been shown to give great results in curing fading puppy. Here is an article about a dog owner who has had an experience with fading  puppy.
http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/board/topic/39665.html

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Fourth Stage of Puppy Development(3 months to four months)

This is the puppies toddler stage. The puppies gain alot more independence. They are testing the rules during this juvenile stage seeing what the limits are. With this independence they start to ignore the commands that they just learned. You will wonder where your lovely puppies have gone to for a while. You may also notice that the pup will try alot of play biting with you. Nipping at your heals and hands. A strong NO and ignore the puppy should stop this bold behaviour. Alot of practise of commands should be done with the puppy at this stage. The pups have more coordination.  The Puppy is going to have a teething cycle he will have some pain. There is alot of chewing watch out for your furniture. I purchased an anti chew spray for furniture but the puppies liked to lick it off and then continue chewing. Training during this stage is vital to having a happy well behaved dog in the future. You should also go to puppy socialisation classes if they are available in your area. Puppies will be learning the consequences of their behaviour but they will be at times stubborn. There will be alot of running, biting, chasing, digging, affection. There is an increase in the puppies hormones also. The way you play is also important. Don't be too rough as when the puppy is older he will be more difficult to handle.

Saturday 17 March 2012

Third Stage of Puppy Development (8 to 12 weeks)

This third stage is often known as the fear period. Curiosity is replaced with fearfulness. This is the stage where they learn to be cautious. They seem terrified of things that they would have taken  in their stride before this stage. Anything that frightens them at this point may have a lasting negative impact. Careful socialisation at this stage helps reduce greatly fear reactions. Loud noises and traumatic events should be  avoided.
At 8 weeks I was able to introduce the orphan puppies to different people and animals as they had their full vaccines. It will do your puppy a great service to meet many people animals etc so that they will be familiar and not fearful of things and people in the future. Don't over react if a puppy shows fear towards someone else just use a happy positive tone in your voice to show him/her  that there is nothing  to be fearful of.
The puppy's learn their basic commands how to sit, stand etc. At this age the pups began to sleep through the night. Most of their time is dedicated to play. At 10 weeks the puppies really begin to test their boundaries. They are rebels without a cause act like they have learned nothing. The puppy begins to test you but you must stay in control.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Second stage of puppy development (3 -7 weeks)



The pups start to grow very quickly. Once the puppy reaches this age you can really begin to enjoy the experience of hand raising them . The chances of them dieing is greatly reduced. They are starting to regulate their own temperature and can pee and poop without your help.There is alot of sensory development at this stage.Negative experiences can have a negative effect on their personality at this age. At 4 weeks the puppies show their fun side they enjoy playing with each other. They learn social interaction at this stage. They learn bite inhibition. That is why if a puppy is taken away from its littermates too soon it will have alot of social problems training issues etc. The puppy teeth will appear at around 5 to 7 weeks. At 4 weeks you can introduce the puppy to puppy chow. 

First Stage of Puppy Development (0-3 weeks)


At birth pups are deaf blind and toothless. They spend 90% of their time asleep. They use their sense of smell and touch to get around. The puppy is born with its eyes and ears shut. You should never try to open the newborn puppies eyes. They will open naturally at 2 weeks or so. The puppies eyes are blue and will darken as they get older. The puppy at 2 weeeks will start to respond to light sound and movement around him/her. The puppies will start to crawl around the box. They will recognise you as his/her mom you will have to tiptoe about at this stage. They start to bark and whine. Puppies stand at around 2 weeks and walk at 3 weeks. At 3 weeks they begin to gain independence and start to play with littermates. At this age potty training can begin as they start to move away from their sleeping area to eliminate. During this stage the puppy will start to not need help from its mother or you to eliminate.

Sunday 11 March 2012

Sleeping Habits of Puppies

Its a good sign that your puppy is healthy when they jerk move around in their sleep. Its when they lie still when they are sleeping that you will need to worry. Puppies only grow while they are sleeping so a good sleep pattern for the puppy is vital. Puppies dream while sleeping and will dream all their life. During sleep the twitching movements help strengthen their legs. The newborn puppy will sleep most of the day only waking when they want to be fed. A normal puppy will sleep most of the time until they are 3 to 4 weeks of age. They will sleep close together for warmth and safety.

Saturday 10 March 2012

Temperature and Bedding neonatal period

When the puppies are in the neonatal stage make sure the nest box is clean and stable. Not too big but big enough for the puppies to be able to turn around in. Make sure that the bedding does not allow the puppies to get tangled. Ensure the puppies cannot fallout of the box. Clean towels are best for the bedding. Puppies cannot regulate their own body temperature. They lack the shiver reflex. In their natural environment the mother dog would keep them warm. You will need to use hot water bottles, heat pads or a heat lamp to keep the puppies temperature regulated for the first few weeks. Have the hot water bottle or heat pad at one side of the box so that if the puppies get too warm they can move away from it. If a puppy is chilled warm them up very slowly too quick could kill them. If a newborns rectal temperature drops below 94 degrees Fahrenheit it will stop nursing. The puppies nest box should be at 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 Celsius) for the first week. At 80 degrees Fahrenheit the second week. When the puppy is a month old it will be content at room temperature. Make sure that the puppies living area is away from other people animals and children. The puppies can easily pick up infections at this neonatal stage before they have their inoculations.

Bathing Puppy

During the first few weeks you should clean the puppy with a damp piece of cotton wool. After the second week clean with a damp cloth and dry quickly. Do not use any product at this stage as the puppy's skin is still too delicate. When finished blow dry but from a distance as to not burn or overheat the puppy.

Helping Puppy Eliminate (go potty) Neonatal Period

Before and after every feeding gently massage the anus and the genital area with a warm moistened cotton  ball. The puppy cannot eliminate by itself during the neonatal period. The mother dog would do alot of licking to help the puppy eliminate. You take over this role by massaging gently with the moist cotton ball. Normal puppy stools  should be yellowish brown with a jam like consistency. Green stools can indicate an infection. Observe the urine and stools for the health of the pup. The urine should be pale or light yellow. If it is dark the puppy needs more feeding or it is dehydrated. Most puppies will eliminate on their own by 3 weeks of age