Bringing Home a Puppy

Getting a new puppy is exciting. Dogs are such a great part of a family and puppies represent so much promise of the things to come, but they also have a lot of needs. I remember bringing my first puppy home. I had waited so long and I was SOO excited. I had cut a cardboard box and put a pillow in it for the puppy to sleep in. I am not going to recommend that today :-) but I am going to make some recommendations that can make bringing a puppy home go smoothly.

The more prepared you are when the puppy arrives in your house, the better. Lots of people remember the puppy will need to eat. The most commonly asked question is, “what are you feeding the puppy”. We are currently feeding our puppies Iams Puppy Food. Not only do I like the puppy food, I like the fact that new puppy owners can usually buy it in the local grocery store. It is a good idea to pick up a bag prior to coming to pick up the puppy. While at the store, some people think to pick up a collar.

In the store, the “small” collars may seem small enough, but for an 8 week old sheltie, a 3/8” wide, 6-10” long adjustable collar is about right. Experience has shown me that it is very difficult for new owners to have a concept for how small their puppy is going to be when they first pick it up from the breeder, so I send the puppy home with its first collar. I usually have leashes available for purchase. Shelties are not a breed that pulls on the leash and they don’t require a big heavy leash. I sell a ¼” thick, 6 ‘ long leather leash. I like these leashes because the snap that is small enough to fit on the ring of the little collars I send home with the puppies, the snaps are not really heavy, and puppies have an easier time with the leash training if they are not being pulled down by a lot of weight.

I also send each puppy home with a new toy. It smells like home, and gives them something to cuddle (and bite!). I do recommend that new owners have additional toys available for the puppy when they get home. I think it is a good idea to have a few interactive toys, such as tug toys, squeaker toys, and balls. This will encourage you to play with your puppy. The interaction will help the two of you bond. The more you do with the puppy, the more the puppy will learn its new family interacts. Your puppy will be learning constantly, so teach it about you. If the puppy just wants to spend some time chewing, then something as simple as a carrot will provide them with something to sink their teeth into, and also be edible and digestible.

Puppies should sleep in a crate until they are house trained. What type of crate you get is up to you. We have both wire crates, and molded plastic crates and some dogs do prefer one over the other. Since your puppy will not have a choice, get the one that appeals the most to you. If you get a wire crate, drape a blanket over it to make it dark and more “cave” like. This will help settle the puppy and help them to sleep without distraction. Occasionally they can get over stimulated in a wire crate where they can still see all of the things going on around them. You want the puppy to settle down so that if it does fuss, then you can give it the benefit of the doubt and take it out to see if it needs to potty.

Baby gates are also a wonderful tool to help house train a puppy. By keeping the puppy in the same room you are in, you are more likely to see if it is having an accident. This will enable you to respond and to get the puppy outside where you can say, “go potty”, or some other “potty” command. By staying in the same room, the puppy will not be able to sneak off and find a different room to use as a potty. It that important to insure they do not develop the habit of going into a different room to go potty where you might not see it for a few days. That can be a very difficult habit to break once it has started. Now that you have gotten all of the items you will need for the puppy, you have one more thing to do before you pick up the puppy; schedule a Vet appointment.

As soon as you have scheduled the day you are going to pick your puppy up from the breeder, call your Veterinarian to make an appointment for the day or two after your puppy comes home. Even if your new puppy has been “Vet checked” prior to you picking it up, it is important that YOUR Vet examine your new puppy. My contract states that you must have your puppy examined within the first week. The puppy will not be in need of a vaccination at that visit, but a stool sample should be taken to the appointment. Your vet will ensure that your puppy is healthy (or not !) and guide you on its care.

Your checklist:

__ call your Vet to make an appointment for a day or two after you bring the new puppy home.

__ 2 bowls-

__ water

__ food

__ 5 lb. bag of Iams Puppy food (yellow bag w/ the beagle)

__¼” thick, 6’ long, leash (I usually have these for sale for $15)

__ 3/8” thick, 6-10” long adjustable, collar (included with puppy from me)

__ crate

__ crate pad

__ chew toys

__ 2 baby gates

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How do you evaluate your puppies?

Although this post is long; it is not the definitive writing on our puppy evaluation.

When do you decide which ones you are going to keep? What age can I get my puppy? When can I come visit the puppies? These are a few of the questions people ask a lot. The answer to the last question is - I only allow people to "come visit" the puppies when it is time to take one home. It is only human nature to "pick a puppy"- and it is the answer to the other questions that will help you understand why I can't run the risk of disappointing people.

Evaluation begins at birth, but the puppies change, and grow, and change... so I just have to observe, until they have grown enough I can start to get "real" information about them.

1st criteria: No obvious Faults

The reason I have litters of puppies is to produce my next "show dog". There is a written Breed Standard for each breed which describes the perfect specimen of that breed (it is this breed standard that judges at dog shows are using to evaluate each dog in the ring). Sometimes when a puppy is born, you know it has an obvious fault that may (will) prevent it from being a show dog. (pictured is Bianca: more than 50% white is a disqualifying fault). Those puppies can go to their new pet homes at 8wks.

Unfortunately for sheltie breeders, the genetic makeup of this breed is rather diffuse. This breed is not very old and a lot of breeds and mixes of breeds make up the sheltie. Genes don't get "diluted"- they get inherited or not (that is very simplistic and not entirely true- but for the purpose of this blog post it is good enough). One example is, as recently as the 1930's collies were cross-bred with the Shetland Sheepdog to cement more of the "collie look"- but it also added "collie size". Our breed standard says that any dog over 16" or under 13" (measured at the point of the shoulder) is to be disqualified from the conformation show ring.

2nd criteria: Measurements

How do you know what the adult height will be when they are babies? Well, sheltie breeders have been dutifully measuring their puppies for years, and growth charts have been developed that are a very helpful guide. They are not perfect, but they do give a breeder a "best guess". We begin measuring our puppies at 6 weeks of age, but we like to see a few measurements to know how they are tracking along the chart. Puppies that are over the charts at 6 and 7 weeks can go to their pet home at 8wks. Puppies that are "in-size" and quality stay longer.

3rd criteria: Testicles (obviously this applies to males only)
Males must have two testicles to be shown. The testicles can be felt as young as 7 weeks, but I don't usually check until around 8 weeks. If a male is nice, and meets the standard, but I can only feel one testicle, I may keep him until 10 weeks of age. If he is really, really nice I might keep him until 12 weeks of age. Testicles have been known to descend as late as 6 months, but I don't want to keep dogs that keep me guessing that long.

4th criteria: Do they have virtues? Do they have a temperament I want to live with? So maybe they don't have obvious faults, but do they have virtues? I like to photograph them between 6-8wks to get a different perspective on how they look. The picture above of Liza is the type of picture we take. I want to get a sense of overall structure and build. I find these pictures to be very helpful and I usually see them in a different way than I do when they are just playing. With temperament, what I want to live with might be different than what someone else would like to live with in terms of temperament and personality. It is in my best interest, and the best interest of the puppy, to try and ensure that each puppy gets to live the type of life that will make it happy and where it can be successful.

Evaluation is a process. We are constantly evaluating our puppies. We get to see how their reactions to new things change, we get to see how their bodies change. By the time a litter is 8 weeks we usually know a lot and most puppies go to their new homes at that age.

Of the puppies that stay here, there are still things that can render them "pets" and not "show dogs".

6-7 month criteria: Teeth Did all of their teeth come in straight and are they all there. Sometimes we have puppies available in this age range because of teeth issues.

Statistics say that of "show" breeders, only 1 in 8 shelties ever becomes a champion (that number is different in different breeds). When they are born, they all look like champions, but as the weeks go by- they begin to weed themselves out. By 8 weeks of age I may be down to one or two that I want to keep longer.

Height is always a factor. Pipi is a good example of that. She was tracking up the growth chart just fine- and she was very pretty- so I kept her. She quite growing at 6 months of age and didn't reach 13"- so she can not be shown.
Temperment is also always a factor. Not all dogs want to be "show dogs". It is difficult to win with a dog that doesn't enjoy the shows. It can be done, but it is not as fun for me either. I do this as a hobby and a way to enjoy my time with the dogs. I want them to enjoy it too.
So- the answer is be patient- they are changing and I am observing!!

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17 week old Xena Working on 2 on 2 off

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"Is your dog good with kids?"

A question many parents ask- my response- "That depends. Is your kid good with dogs?" The kid/ dog dynamic is an important one. Most young kids are afraid of dogs, and many dogs are afraid of kids. I am very lucky to have friends with kids that are "good with dogs". It is important to have good experiences right from the beginning.

If you have young children, and they see a dog they would like to pet (touch)- here is the proper etiquette. They should ask the person with the dog, "may I please pet your dog?" If the dog is not friendly, the owner can prevent a bad situation, and even if the dog is friendly, the owner has the opportunity to prepare for the encounter. For example they may ask the dog to sit, or they might kneel down to be at the level of the dog and child.

Next, your child need to hold their hand out, palm up, for the dog to sniff. I tell kids it is like "introducing yourself" to the dog. Many kids want to avoid the mouth, but unfortunately the nose also happens to be at the end of that mouth and dogs want to sniff. Kids who try to bring their hands up over the dogs head and attempt to pat them on the head without letting the dog sniff them first may feel that the dog is "attempting to bite" when the dog picks his head up to sniff the child. Most of the time, once the dog has sniffed the hand, they will just allow the child to pet them with out moving their head around in a manner that seems threatening to the child.

Your child should never approach a dog that is tied up, or stick their hand through a fence to pet a dog. If they see a loose dog, never run. They can "Stand still and pretend to be a tree."- the dog may just approach and sniff the child, or they may ignore the child- but if the child runs away, it might cause the dog to chase them. Teach your children how to behave around dogs. The relationship humans can have with dogs is so rewarding, but communication between our two species is a learned process and it is not always a natural process.

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Xena at 10 weeks 2 days- one of the cute tri puppies

This is the Cutest video of the female puppy from the Rincon x Faith puppy litter. She is in an agility home in Texas. Thank you Linda for sending this video. Linda has put a few really, really cute videos of Xena learning tricks, playing and doing agility on YouTube .

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Ears-

Some of you will find this post funny. I am not known for my great ears. It seems that I am always talking to fellow breeders who consistently have nicely tipped ears and asking them to “show me again what you do”. Long ago I did conclude that my “technique” was fine, but my “timing” was lousy. Over and over the breeders whose dogs have nice ears tell me, “you must keep them over. You can’t wait a week between the braces coming out, and new ones going in.” I have a bad habit of “if they look nice when the I take the braces out……..”

So, I will pass along to you the “technique”- but I will tell you that if you really want perfectly tipped ears, take the braces out, clean the ear up again, and that same day (yes, you can wait a few hours), put the new braces back in. The ears will need to be braced at least until the adult teeth come in. Of course if you don’t care about this- then just enjoy whichever way the ears end up!

The ear consists of 2 parts (in my mind anyway). The skin portion -that is what what we will be working with to tip, and the actual "ear"- or the parts that allow the dog to hear. The "ear" begins at the skull and is identified by folds and lumps. I am going to call this the "button" for simplicity's sake. (this is a simplification of the ear since the shape of the entire ear, skin and all, affect how the dog hears- but that is for someone else's post).

Items you will need:

1. alcohol and cotton swabs

2. moleskin

3. ruler

4. scissors

5. an adhesive- and there are a few that are fine

a. Doc Brannon's spray adhesive

b. skin-bond

6. a paper plate

7. Fabric glue such as

a. Tear mender

b. speed sew

c. jiffy sew

8. yarn

9. small crochet hook (#6 works the best)

You can buy these items from Mel Cohen at roylsroyce@aol.com or from Nadine Iroff at triumphshelties@comcast.net

Step 1:

*Clean your puppies ears thoroughly with alcohol- *then put the puppy down so the ears can dry while you prepare for the rest.

Step 2:

*Get all of your materials together in one place.

* Cut out the moleskin pieces. You don't want your puppy to be sitting nicely waiting for you while you do this part as it can take a few minutes to really get ready.

Moleskin: (picture is of the pieces that go in the bottom of the ear)

- Cut (2) 1" x 1 1/4" pieces for the bell of the ear

- round the corners of one side. (Well, you will notice that I take the edges off of the top too, but that is because I don't want anything poking the dog.) The top edge should be straight. That is the edge that will be where the tip will occur. The bottom will go all the way down to the "button" (but not over it- just above it).

-cut (2) 3/4" x 3/4" pieces for the tip of the ear. Round the tips of this too. The rounded side will follow the top edge of the ear and the straight side will meet the straight side of the bottom piece at the part of the ear that is the tip. (see the picture #1 to see how they line up).

- cut (2) 1/4" x 1 1'2" pieces. These will be the cross braces.

- poke a hole on one end of the cross braces and using your small crochet hook, thread the yarn through. If you fold the yarn in half before you pull it through the hole, you will have a loop on one side, bring the end side through the loop and pull so that you now have yarn going in one direction.

- after I have cut all of the moleskin pieces I get the dog and check for sizing by placing the pieces in the ear where they will be so I can tell if they seem too big. If they are too big, this is the right time to trim them to the right size for that dog.

- the bottom piece should go from the bottom to just over halfway up the ear and from edge to edge.

-the top piece should follow the edge of the ear and not overlap with the bottom piece. It is OK if this is "too short" because you will be folding this over to meet the bottom piece. I usually do fold the ear over while I am checking size to make sure the tip seems like it will be in the right place- not too high- not too low! (easy for me to say )

Step 3: Preparing your moleskin

- peel the backing off of the moleskin and place them sticky side up on the paper plate. Apply adhesive (skin bond or spray adhesive- #5 in the list). Regardless of which adhesive you use, you will need to let it get a little "tacky". If you just put the adhesive on the moleskin and then apply immediately to the ear, the moleskin might slide.

Step 4: Putting the moleskin in the ear

-personally, I find it easier to have someone holding the puppy so it is facing me. Some breeders can do this alone by putting the puppy on a grooming table, in a chair, or some other place where you can keep the puppy reasonably still, but I find a patient spouse or friend to be ideal.

- place the larger piece of moleskin in the bell of the ear, all the way to the button. Make sure the straight side of the moleskin is even. Your adhesive should allow you move the piece a little if you need to make some minor adjustments. HOLD for a few seconds so it adheres to the ear. That part is critical. If you don't hold it to allow some "setting time", when you put the cross brace on and apply pressure, the cross brace could cause the moleskin in the bottom of the ear to "slip".

- place the top piece of moleskin in the ear. Again, HOLD for a few seconds.

- Using your fabric glue, attach the cross piece to the bottom piece of moleskin. Place this along the top edge.

- again using the fabric glue, glue the top piece of moleskin to the bottom piece of moleskin. You are now forming the tip. HOLD for a few seconds.

Final Step:

Use the yarn to pull the ears together on top of the head and tie the yarn in a knot. The ears might be almost touching- that is fine. Cut off the excess yarn, and VOILA!

You are done!

Thank you Utley- our model. He is owned, loved and spoiled by Sally and Dave McKeever and he came to visit to have his ears done.

This is my husband Mike relaxing with Utley. Mike helps hold the puppies for me while I do ears. Another site to go to for pictures and an explaination is http://www.bronwynshelties.com/helpful_tools/ear_pattern.php

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A Puppy for Christmas?

Responsible breeders cringe when people call and say they would like a puppy for Christmas. Pets are a huge responsibility and so much goes into choosing the right puppy, the right breed, and establishing who is responsible for what activities (feeding, walking, poop scooping! etc) and attempting to "surprise" someone with a puppy precludes these conversations.

Even if these conversations have already taken place and it is established who is responsible for what- Christmas time is very busy with family, company, cooking, decorating- and potty training the puppy or making sure the puppy is not chewing on the Christmas lights is not usually the highest priority. For these reasons, bringing a new puppy home AFTER Christmas is the best option.

Here are my recommendations for how to give pets as Christmas presents.

• Accessories make GREAT gifts. They need to be purchased anyway, so you can accomplish two things at once. Crate, collar, leash, bowls, toys, beds, brushes, nail trimmers, treats, baby gate (not in picture) all provide endless unwrapping opportunities for everyone in the family and make it clear that the new pet will be everyone's responsibility.


• The Anticipation that unwrapping the accessories creates is even more exciting than "unwrapping" a pet anyway.
• shopping for pet supplies is fun.
  
• It is very clear what the "Real" gift will be-
  
• A picture of a dog (or cat) with a note saying, "this gift card is good for one..... (puppy, dog, cat, whatever) can be the "final clue".
  
• If the conversation of "what breed, what color, what sex" has not taken place, the picture will foster this conversation and good choices will result. Everyone will win.

When the hustle and bustle of the Holiday is over- then the puppy can come home and be the center of attention.

"A Dog is For Life"

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