GENERAL NOTES ON PUPPY CARE
Recommended reading is Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Volhard and Brown. Wendy Volhard has been my mentor for 23 years, and Dr. Kerry Brown has been my veterinarian for nearly as long. This book reflects my philosophy for raising dogs.
Puppies should spend several hours a day outside on natural surfaces where they can build up their muscles. Leash walking, stairs, slippery floors, sleeping on concrete, and playing with older, heavier dogs, all contribute to the crippling of puppies. A special section on caring for Newfoundland Puppies is found below.
Giant dog breeds do best as puppies when fed a moderate protein food, and when they are slightly underfed during that first critical year. (Always ask your veterinarian for her or his nutritional advice first.) We feed a balanced commercial raw diet. Available here in Mendon is "Final Choice" at Hillcrest Food Services on Route 251. Call Paul at 585.615.0934. Also available is fresh frozen food called Bil-Jac® available from Orchard Kennels on Route 441. Call Deb at 315.986.1605.
Puppies need to be trained at an early age. Puppy obedience can be started as early as 10 weeks-of-age. Be sure to pick a class where a good motivational method is taught by instructors who are experienced. A good book to help start your puppy raising is What All Good Dogs Should Know by Volhard and Bartlett.
CLEANING UP ACCIDENTS
Use white vinegar on floors to neutralize odor. Use club soda on carpet to remove stain and odor. Use a crate for housebreaking. Nature’s Miracle has an excellent product for cleaning up accidents, for getting rid of 'doggy odor’ on the dog, and ‘Skunk Off’ for totally neutralizing the worst odors. If applied to the dog, do not wet the coat first.
GROOMING
A puppy should be groomed daily to teach it to let you handle its body. An adult should be groomed with a Belgium Greyhound comb at least once a week (the picnic table is an excellent place for this). Bathe every two to four weeks. Shampoo recipe above does not dry skin. Do nails every week (see enclosed nail chart) and file off sharp edges. I use a nail grinder. Any dremmel tool will work. Do ears every week (see above) with a cotton square or ball. Feet and ears should be trimmed every 4-6 weeks with thinning shears. Remember, being able to do your dog’s nails yourself means that your dog accepts you as the ‘pack leader’ and everything else that you do with your dog will be easier. At first it may take two of you to teach your dog to lie on its back and have its nails done, but later your dog will lie down and roll over on command when you tell it to - ahhh, that’s much easier...
TREATS
Stay with natural treats. Nothing else.
EXERCISE: Should be moderate and daily. Double extension running is important every day, and becomes more important as the dog gets older and stronger. Remember, most barking, naughty chewing, stealing and general ‘naughtiness’ in the home can be prevented with adequate daily exercise, combined with obedience training. Absolutely no wrestling , tug of war games. Play by teaching your dog to retrieve and bring it back to you, and by running away and hiding and letting your smart puppy find you. A fenced in back yard is a must. Puppies need to play on natural surfaces off leash to grow properly. Exercise increases the density of their bones and makes their muscles stronger. Puppies should be outside off leash playing on natural surfaces at least 60% of their waking hours each day. Leash walking should be limited, several miles will tire the puppy’s muscles too much. Off leash the puppy can stop and rest when needed, and can actually get more beneficial exercise that way. Playing with another puppy that is not too large is good. Absolutely no sleeping on concrete, no slippery floors. These surfaces are very bad for growing bones and muscles. Keep puppy slim the first year. It goes without saying that for a Newfoundland the very best exercise is SWIMMING in clean water. Teach your Newf to retrieve a boat bumper from the water, it’s great fun.
FEEDING: Since 1977 we at Denali Farm have been feeding the Natural Diet, and more recently, Bil-Jac® fresh frozen food to our dogs. We strongly feel that careful feeding of high quality ‘real’ food has given us healthier dogs that live longer. We urge you to follow in our tradition and recommend that you make the effort to feed your puppy, at least for the first critical year of growth, in the following way:
1. Bil-Jac® fresh frozen food (1-800-842-5098) OR from Orchard Kennels on Route 441. Call Deb at 315.986.1605.
2. The Natural Diet: Get the book Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Volhard and Brown to make sure that you are feeding a properly balanced diet.
3. Feed three times a day until puppy is four months old, then twice a day throughout the rest of the dog’s life. Keep puppy slim. Do not leave food down. Refrigerate leftovers. Give puppy five minutes to eat by itself (no watching). I fast my dogs one day a week after they are six months old. I feel they live longer.
4. Supplements: This is a dirty word in raising giant breed puppies, and no calcium supplementation is recommended. I do give vitamins C and E (1000 mg. C twice a day-start at 500 mg. and work up- and 400 IU E once a day). You can give Norwegian Kelp Meal or HokaMix which is formulated to build the constitution and immune system.
WHEN YOU FIRST TAKE PUPPY HOME...This is such an exciting time - you’re bringing home a baby! What do you do? Let’s start at the beginning:
Crating: Puppy will need a crate for sleeping - it’s best if you have a small crate for the first two months, so puppy won’t be running laps (and peeing) in an adult crate. Try to borrow one, you’ll only need it for a few weeks. Puppy should travel in the car in a crate, and should sleep at night in a crate, unless puppy is sleeping outside in a fenced area with another dog. The crate should be next to your bed at night. The dog is a social animal and should not be isolated away from others, especially for sleeping. After the age of four to five months your puppy can have an adult crate. My puppies seem to sleep best with a few ice cubes in a plastic dish in their crate at night. Later as adults they go in their crates with fresh water in a stainless steel bucket clipped to the side of the crate. The crate is a great place for eating bones and napping, but never for punishment.
Grooming: You will need a comb for grooming. Ask your breeder or pet supply store for the type of comb appropriate for your breed. Your puppy should be groomed every day because it needs to learn to be groomed. Do the nails once a week, but you can turn puppy on its back and stroke the tummy every day to prepare. Get your puppy used to being handled all over right away. Don’t forget the shampooing and ear cleaning instructions on the other sheet.
Feeding: Feed fresh food. If you’re not doing the natural diet (The Holistic Guide For A Healthy Dog by Volhard and Brown) then I recommend fresh frozen Bil-Jac® (1-800-842-5098) Puppy will eat about 2/3rds of a cup four times a day at first, then quantities will increase as puppy grows. By 11-12 weeks your puppy will be eating three times a day. Add Norwegian Kelp Meal or HokaMix or another immune system booster to each meal to help the immune system. Give your puppy 1000 mg. vitamin C each morning and night, and 400 IU vitamin E once a day. Brewers yeast and garlic tablets are recommended if you wish to prevent fleas. I do not use any chemicals on my dogs, everything is natural. I have never had fleas on the dogs in 26 years (honest) and my dogs have not had internal parasites in the last eight years.
Veterinary care: Puppies should be wormed before they go home. However, you should take a fresh stool sample to your veterinarian to be checked on your first visit. Innoculations: Puppies will have their first vaccination at 7-8 weeks. Separate the innoculations by four weeks. We recommend the new high titre, low passage vaccines by Fort Dodge® or Pfizer® which is distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and killed parvovirus. We don’t give leptospirosis or coronavirus. I give the homeopathic remedy Thuja (30C) once a day for four days after the injection to counteract side effects of the vaccine Rabies vaccine is given by itself, and the homeopathic remedy hydrophobium is given afterward. Remember, one of the best defenses against disease is puppies bred to be healthy, free of internal and external parasites, eating fresh food and living in a natural, clean environment. Talk to your veterinarian and see if he/she will work with you on this before you bring puppy home.
Training, socialization: Playing with puppy: Your puppy will use its mouth on everything, including you, to investigate. This is normal. By the age of 12 weeks your puppy should no longer be using its teeth on your body. Please get your puppy into a training program right away. Early training is never forgotten, and the socialization away from home and with other dogs is very, very important. Your puppy should be traveling with you everywhere especially during the first few weeks. You want to introduce your puppy to as many new things as possible right away. Stairs, elevators, cows, horses, traffic, vacuum cleaners, cats, other people, other dogs, etc. Games are great. Put some training treats in a fanny pack and go outside. Let your puppy get distracted and go hide. Call the puppy and when it finds you, give a treat and lots of praise. "What a smart puppy!" Now two of you take treats and separate. One calls the puppy and when puppy arrives, feed a treat and praise. Then stop interacting. The other person calls and - you know the rest.
SUPPLIES: Choose a quality supplier.
CRATE: folding General Cage - can get side door or end door, comes in gold, black or white finish.
CRATE MAT
Stainless steel dishes for water and food.
Baby Gate to keep puppy out of certain rooms.
Yard Scoop for you know what...
Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover and Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover (many dogs love to roll in disgusting things).
Brush, comb, Resco Nail Trimmer, Kwik Stop, high quality double edge thinning shears, straight shears.
Flexi-Lead
6 foot cotton web training leash 5/8’ wide. Snap around nylon training collar fits tight behind the ears - use only when the leash is on. Everyday collar should be a buckle collar or one that does not tighten up. Get your puppy tatooed and registered for protection, don’t depend on the tags.
Unreal Lambskin washable pet rug - get 2!
Small plastic training dummies - tie a line to them for better throwing.
Recommended Videos: Teaching Dog Obedience Classes - Level I by Volhard
Sirius Puppy Training by Ian Dunbar
Raw beef bones
Softball (tennis balls can get caught in a Newf’s throat - use something bigger with an adult dog).
Tired soccer balls - go see the soccer coach at the local school.
Hot weather treat: Buy puppy a round plastic kids’ swimming pool and fill with water in the fenced area.
Here are some guidelines for living with your Newf puppy at home.
COME: Always be fun to come to when you call your puppy. Squat down, don't lean forward. It's too scary to come in close when you lean forward, for a dog it's an aggressive posture. A treat is very helpful to make you more attractive than a running squirrel or another dog. If you say, "Come!" and the dog stands there, turn around quickly and run the other way, preferably squeaking or saying, "Treat!" or "Cookie!" and the dog can't help but chase you. Of course he gets a treat when he arrives.
When you are outside, carry treats and when the puppy looks away, hide somewhere. Make a little noise so the puppy can be successful finding you, and of course there's lots of praise and a treat. Do this often enough, and your puppy will grow into a dog that's on an invisible leash, always keeping track of you because you get lost so easily. Whistle training works wonders outside, it's a unique sound that breaks through whatever the dog is focusing on and the dog will spin in its tracks and beat feet to get back to you, even if it's out of sight. Guess what the puppy gets when it arrives - yes, a treat!
WALKING on a leash: Make sure that the leash is LOOSE and let the dog get in front of you. Say the dog's name in a happy voice. Give the leash a quick light tug and instantly release (in other words, don't let it stay tight). As soon as the dog turns toward you, start running backward and praising the dog. Of course a treat is right there as the dog arrives, and lots of praising. After two or three times the lesson is over because the dog won't take his eyes off you. This is not heeling, it's just walking on a loose leash. Never let the leash stay tight and you will never have a dog that pulls on the leash. It's people that TEACH a dog to pull on the leash. The dog can walk anywhere on the leash as long as it's not tight. Anytime the dog forgets and gets out too far, just say the dog's name and give the leash a quick jerk and praise as the dog comes back to you. So it's 1. Dog's name 2. Quick tug 3. Praise 4. Treat. Never never leave a choke collar on a dog.
RESPECT: Someone has to be in charge of the dog or even the most sweet, submissive dog will try to run the house. Start with a 30 Minute Down once a day. Do it when the dog is tired anyway. Place the dog on the floor next to you with the command, "Down" and "Stay" and keep putting the dog down quickly every time it tries to get up. Don't repeat the command, and keep your hands off the dog except to put it back down again. Put a leash on the dog if you need to and put your foot on the leash. Once the dog understands what you want it will fall asleep and relax. This is good, just wake it up when the 30 minutes are over and praise the puppy. During the down there is no praise, no petting, no treats, toys, bones, you are going to ignore the dog. This teaches the puppy that you are in charge. I do this at the dinner table and I automatically have a dog that never begs at the table.
BITING: Little puppies bite everything. It's how they live. You want them to stop biting you by the age of ten to twelve weeks. After that the biting stops being baby biting and becomes a controlling thing. When the puppy is quiet sit on the floor with the puppy sitting in front of you facing away from you. Surround the puppy with your arms and stroke the muzzle with your hand, making sure that your thumb goes over the top of the muzzle and the eyes and the forehead. Hold the muzzle gently shut with your hand for a few seconds and continue stroking slowly. This teaches the puppy that you have control of the head. Remember to do your 30 minute downs. They are very helpful to stop the biting. It's also helpful to let the puppy play with other puppies (like after obedience class) to have an appropriate outlet for the biting.
"But what if the puppy is biting me?" you say. I start with as little a stimulus as possible and escalate until I get the correct response (stopping the biting). When the puppy is little, I'll yell, "OW!" which is not hard to do, it hurts. This can startle the puppy and make it stop biting. If I am walking I'll carry a toy and when the puppy comes at me I'll offer the toy instead of my ankles. If the puppy comes back at me and bites hard I will press my thumb down on the tongue hard which always makes the puppy let go. Often that is enough. If a puppy has been biting for a long time then greater measures may be necessary. Some people have found squirting Binaca breath spray in the puppy's mouth as soon as it bites works after a few days. Puppies really don't like the taste of breath spray.
GROOMING: Comb a part of the puppy's body every day, even if it's only one leg. This is done with two grooming implements: the comb for you and another implement for the puppy to hold in its mouth. I use a Belgian greyhound comb. Get the puppy used to being handled all over the body now while the puppy is little. Bathe the puppy frequently and plan to get wet while you cuddle the puppy during the bath. Don't do the head until the very end. It's safe to put shampoo inside the ears during the bath, but don't rinse inside, use a damp towel. Towel dry the little puppy, it takes some time to get used to the blower. As the dog is an adult I groom twice a week and bathe once every three weeks.
NAILS: Nails should be done every 10-14 days when the puppy is little. When it gets older, if you hear a nail on the bare floor, it's too long and needs to be cut. When the puppy is little if someone cuddles the puppy and holds a treat up to the nose it's easy to do the nails. When the dogs are older I turn them upside down and have someone deep massage their chest while I do the nails. This seems to help the ones that want to fight clipping. I also use a grinder, a cordless, quiet one is best.
FEEDING: Here is where the most questions arise. Mainly, "How
do I know if I'm feeding the right amount?" "How can I tell if my
puppy is too thin (or too fat)?"
When the puppies are little it's hard to get them too fat. They are growing
so fast and they are so active. Now I feed the raw diet, which the dogs love,
so my guidelines work for that type of feeding. There are three things I look
at to gauge the feeding amount.
First, if you take the prepared dish off the counter and put it on the floor the puppy should dive in, eat right away and look up at you as if to say, "Did you feed me? I didn't notice!" If as you are bringing the dish down from the counter to the floor the puppy is raising up and trying to eat it on the way down, then the puppy is too hungry. Having said that, and knowing that it's hard to gauge the correct amount (which changes weekly as the puppy grows), this is what I do. In the morning feed more than what you expect the puppy to eat. Watch him eat and as soon as he lifts his head, take the dish with the remaining food away. Feed less at the other two feedings. After a few days you will know the correct amount to feed. Remember, treats count!
Second, feel the puppy. Stand the puppy up and feel the ribs. You should feel them easily like the bones on the back of your hand. Run your hand along the spine. Each vertebrae should not be prominent. Feel the tops of the pelvic bones on the rump. They should be covered and not prominent. The puppy should "cut in" after the last rib and have a waist.
Third, is the puppy growing at a good rate. Check with the breeder to see if your puppy is growing in line with the littermates. Boys can be heavier than girls, but a litter should grow at around the same rate.
EXERCISE: The English have an expression, "For the first year, the puppy should play in the garden." What the English call the garden, we call the yard. Ideally, the yard should be of ample size and securely fenced, just off the door to go out. It's so much easier to open the door and let the puppy out to go potty. Playing off leash on natural surfaces, and sometimes with another puppy of the same size is a great way to exercise. Swimming is the best exercise of all, not always available, but it exercises all the muscles and ligaments with no pounding on the joints. After the age of a year the young dog can go on long walks, jogging, with horses, etc. But wait until the growth plates are no longer open and you will reduce the chance of joint problems.
SLEEPING: Little puppies sleep a lot. They only grow when they
are sleeping. When your puppy has a busy day, make sure it can go into its crate
or a quiet place and sleep undisturbed. And by the way, over the life of your
dog, don't go over to the dog to pet it. Always call the dog to you, tell it
to sit, and then pet and praise the dog.
At night puppies should sleep with you. In the wild a puppy isolated from the
pack is a dead puppy. It will be unprotected from predators. So when you leave
your new puppy downstairs in the laundry room with a hot water bottle and a
ticking clock or radio, its inner voice says that it is abandoned and in danger.
No puppy needs to have that kind of stress! Later your older puppy or adult
dog will often sleep on a cold tile floor or in the hallway to keep track of
the children in their bedrooms, but a little puppy needs to sleep next to your
bed in a crate where it feels safe.
OK, would you like to know how to raise a crippled puppy? Here's what you do. Feed large breed puppy food free choice. Keep the puppy inside with you except to go potty outside. Or crate him all day while you're at work. Play with your puppy on the slippery floors. Laugh when he does the splits going around a corner. Chase him up and down the stairs. Let him pack on the pounds, weigh him often and boast about how much he weighs. On the weekends take him for long leash walks around the block on the pavement. When you get to the dog park let him off the leash to play with the adult Labrador Retriever that's so energetic. Teach him to pull you on the leash all the way to the park. I guarantee he won't be pulling you home, he's limping after the Lab bowled him over several times at the park. He's fat, he has no muscle tone and his joints are already damaged from the way he plays at home. Save your money, those hip and knee replacement surgeries are not cheap…
Remember, I'm only a phone call or e-mail away to give advice (just advice on puppies, we don't do husbands or teenagers…)
FIRST AID AND CLEANING SUPPLIES:
SHAMPOO: Mix 50% Dawn™ for dishes, 25% apple cider vinegar, 25% liquid glycerin
EAR CLEANING: Mix 1/3rd hydrogen peroxide, 1/3rd white vinegar,1/3rd water-use on cotton balls to clean ears weekly as part of the regular grooming.
ITCHY SKIN: 50% apple cider vinegar, 50% water applied twice a day if skin is not broken. Itchy, hot skin responds well to Gold Bond® Medicated Powder. A rash that doesn't go away needs to be seen by your veterinarian. Make sure skin is clean - wash with Nolvasan shampoo (available from your veterinarian). A hot spot needs to have the hair clipped away back to good skin, wash with Nolvasan, apply something that will dry and sooth (ask your vet).
BENADRYL: is an excellent antihistamine for allergies, bee stings - good for travel kit.
HONEY: under the tongue helps revive a dog that has gone down from heat prostration. Good for travel. Remember to cool a dog down, submerge in water.
RESCUE REMEDY: is a Bach Flower Remedy recommended for travel. Aids in carsickness, emotional upset, stress, trauma This is wonderful for people, too.
If you’re interested, ask about more herbal and homeopathic remedies for dogs.
RECOMMENDED READING
Click on an image or title to read more about the books.
Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Volhard and Brown |
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural...
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Homeopathic Treatment of Small Animals... by Christopher Day
|
The Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook
by Giffin and Carlson
|
Training Your Dog : The Step-By-Step... by Volhard and Fisher
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What All Good Dogs Should Know by Volhard and Bartlett
|
The books shown above are available by clicking on the appropriate image or title.
Also, these books, which are not currently available from Amazon.com, are recommended:
THE COMPLETE HERBAL BOOK FOR THE DOG AND CAT by Juliette Levy
GIVE YOUR DOG A BONE by Dr. Ian Billinghurst available by calling: 1-800-776-2665 or 1-800-487-9867 or locally from Orchard Kennels, Inc. 1-315-986-1605.
Click here for a puppy aptitude test.
