A puppy is a a wonderful pet. It can give you the best company as long as you take good care of it. As a young animal, you need to do everything that you can in order to give it the best care so that it stays healthy, comfortable, energetic, lively and free from diseases and infections. For this reason, we present the best practices on how to take care of a puppy especially if you have just acquired one for domestication purpose. Check them out.
Before the puppy arrives home
- Disinfect the place to kill bacteria or anything that might have a negative impact on the puppy’s health.
- Remove sharp objects from the place so that they do not cause injury to the puppy.
- Cover all electrical wires and ensure that they are properly insulated to prevent the puppy from suffering an electric shock.
- Make sure that you close all the windows on the lower side to prevent coldness which may predispose your puppy to diseases like pneumonia.
- Get a folding get so as to keep the puppy confined. This will enable it to settle in one position and keep itself warm.
- Keep the puppy in appropriate places
- Keep the puppy in the kitchen especially during the day. This is because the kitchen is usually warm and will therefore keep the puppy warm.
- During night time, put your puppy in its crate and place it in your bedroom. This makes it easy to monitor it for any abnormalities or know when the puppy wants to relieve itself so that you can help.
- Provide the puppy with 2 bowls
- You need to buy two stainless steel bowls for your puppy i.e. for food and water. They are highly recommended over glass because they don’t chip, stay clean, are durable and generally easy to clean.
- Provide the puppy with the right food at the right time so that it does not starve.
In case you have more than one puppy, make sure that you give each a separate bowl to avoid fighting for food.
After food, ensure that you also give it enough water to keep it hydrated and generally healthy.
- Get a good bed for the puppy
- This can be done by using a crate with heavy pillow or wicker basket that has towels in it. The bed should be soft, dry and comfortable for the puppy.
- In case of cold weather, provide the puppy with a blanket.
- Provide the puppy with toys
- A puppy is usually lively and energetic hence enjoys playing a lot. Give it enough toys so that it can play with them. However, care should be taken to avoid chocking it.
- Sturdy toys are usually preferred because they do not easily cause chocking.
Choose the best treats for the puppy
The best treats should be small, healthy and easy to chew. Some examples of the best treats to go for include Zuke’s Mini Natural and ‘Bil Jac’.
You should also ensure that you get a variety of both soft and hard treats. The soft type will help in training the puppy while the soft one will aid in cleaning its teeth.
Provide the puppy with the right food
There are different types of puppy foods available such as home cooked food, kibble, raw diet and canned food. It is always important to consult your veterinarian so as to make the best choice.
Consider asking the breeder about the kind of food that the puppy was eating before acquiring it.
Ensure that you continue that particular diet for certain duration as you plan to have a gradual transition to better food.
Avoid changing foods abruptly because this may make your puppy to vomit.
Buy the essential grooming tools
- Provide the puppy grooming tools such as comb, nail clippers, bristle brush, dog toothpaste, dog shampoo, dog conditioner rubber gloves and many.
- Grooming helps to keep your dog both healthy and happy.
- Provide the puppy with comfortable accessories
- This includes flat collar, nylon harness and a metal tag.
- Ensure that you get the right size of collar to avoid injuring your dog’s throat at the neck.
In conclusion, the above are the best practices on how to take care of a puppy. You need to embrace them to ensure that your puppy is healthy, lively, happy, comfortable and free from diseases.
[…] Always remember finally, that you are going to be introducing this puppy to a new surrounding, new smells and probably new people, make sure you get a puppy that is going […]