
Puppy Care
The following is the information sheet I give out to puppy purchasers. I have
more Pomeranian Information on my website Pomeranian
Resources. You will find a link to that site on the left menu under other
sites. The Pomeranian Resource site has extensive Pomeranian Information including,
grooming , feeding, puppy care, house training, puppy growth chart, where and
how to purchase a healthy Pomeranian, whelping chart and much more.
Everything you need to know about Pomeranians located at Pomeranian
Resources.
The Dochlaggie Pomeranian Site is not my only Pomeranian Website, I am working
on many sites about my favourite subject- THE POMERANIAN. So please visit some
of the sites under the other sites link in the menu on the left.
FEEDING: I recommend that you feed your pup at least 3 times
per day.
I leave puppy dry food available at all times e.g. Optimum puppy
[ available from local grocery store]
The Following are examples of what puppy has been eating-
MORNING FEED: Canned Pal Puppy Food and pets own milk [ available
at your local supermarket]
MIDDAY: a small bowl of uncooked mince [human quality] and
pets own milk Or Canned pal puppy food again
TEA TIME: Finely chopped cooked chicken [ no bones] and pets
own milk Or finely chopped roast lamb or beef
Or raw chicken mince Or Canned pal puppy food again
Water MUST be available at all times.
Never feed your puppy cooked chicken bones. Be very careful when feeding that
the food is minced very finely or chopped very very fine as Pomeranian Puppies
can easily choke on largish pieces of meat.
Any changes to this diet should be made gradually over a period of time. I
do not recommend feeding adult Pomeranians solely on commercial dogfood.I limit
the amount of dry food my Adult Pomeranians eat, feeding mainly a raw meat diet
with a small amount of premium dry dog food added for balance.
NEW HOME TRANSITION :
When you get your pup home he or she may be quite nervous being in a new environment
and weaned from their litter mates. In this time stress can affect some pups
considerably.
For the first few days ensure that baby is eating his food. Too much excitement
can cause exhaustion in a young Pomeranian Puppy.
Your puppy is a baby. What do babies spend most of the day doing? Sleeping-
So please ensure that your new baby Pomeranian has adequate sleep.
If you already have other pets , quietly introduce the new Pomeranian Puppy
to the other pets Do not introduce at meal times. Purchase new toys for your
other pets and make as much fuss of them as you are doing with your new addition.
HOUSETRAINING YOUR PUPPY: Your Pomeranian puppy had commenced
his/her house training. I usually train onto kitty litter or newspaper and start
this training at 3 weeks of age.
Puppies have a natural instinct to be clean. Confine your new Pomeranian baby
until he/she is completely housetrained when not under supervision. I keep the
babies confined in a play pen with newspapers at one end together with a modified
kitty litter tray. I place the puppy's bed and feed and water bowls are at the
other end. Always take baby to your preferred potty spot after feeds and after
a sleep. See the website Pomeranian resources for full details on house training
your new baby Pomeranian.
WORMING: Your Pomeranian puppy has been wormed at 2, 4, 6
& 8 weeks of age . Please ask your vet for advice on future worming and
products to use. I recommend again at 12 weeks and then every 3 to 6 months
there after.
IMMUNISATION: Your Pomeranian puppy has been Vet Checked and
Vaccinated at 6 weeks of age with Protech C3.This is an intermediate vaccination
until your pup receives its full booster vaccination at 12 weeks of age.Until
the full booster at 12 weeks please keep your puppy at home and away from public
places because of the chance of contracting one of the deadly canine diseases
such as Parvo, Distemper and Hepatitis.You will be given a vaccination card
signed by the veterinarian.The card lists the vaccines used and the dates given
and also gives the date required for any booster vaccinations. Please present
this card to your veterinarian.
HEARTWORM: Your Pomeranian puppy is not on any heart worm
preventative. I recommend the once a year vaccination, which can be given after
6 months of age and is the method of heart worm prevention used here at Dochlaggie.
MICROCHIP: Your Pomeranian puppy has been micro chipped with
an iso approved micro chip. This was done when the puppy had his/her health
check at 6 weeks.
REGISTRATION AND PEDIGREE: Your Pomeranian puppy has been registered with the Victorian Canine Association.Pet Pomeranian babies will be Registered on Limited Registration. This means that your new Pomeranian is sold as a pet only and is not for Exhibition/Breeding or Export purposes. I will forward the certificate to you as soon as I receive it from the Victorian Canine Association .
DESEXING: Your Pomeranian puppy should be desexed at approximately
6 months of age. At the same time I also recommend you ask your veterinarian
to remove any retained baby teeth.
TEETH CARE: I clean my Pomeranians teeth on a regular basis.
I use a toothbrush [ small soft human one] Never use human toothpaste. You can
purchase "doggie" toothpaste from your local vet clinic.
Start cleaning your puppy's teeth at an early age so he /she will learn to accept
this procedure as normal.
Dirty teeth will cause early tooth loss and may also lead to many health problems.
This care of your Pomeranian's teeth will only take you a few minutes weekly
.
I do not recommend dog chews , pigs ears etc for small dogs like Pomeranians.These
products are now processed in China and I am lead to believe that they are preserved
in arsenic. I am not sure if this is correct but after all the dog deaths last
year in the states from contaminated dog food from China, I do not want to risk
my babies health with these items. A large raw bone from your butcher is a much
safer option.
GROOMING:Puppies should be groomed from an early age so they learn to welcome all the attention. The double coat of the Pomeranian does not require as much attention as some of the other coated breeds but nevertheless he does require regular grooming,at least 2 or 3 times a week if not daily.
Teach your baby from a young age to accept and enjoy being groomed.Start by
laying baby on his/her back on your lap, talk soothingly and brush, paying attention
to areas that matt quickly like behind ears, armpits etc.
Occasional bathing is recommended with a shampoo formulated for dogs.A tearless
puppy shampoo is probably the best to use.Your vet will have suitable puppy
shampoos available.
Do not use talcum powder as a dry cleaning method to clean your baby.Talcum
powder is very drying and has been known to cause respiratory problems in small
puppies and allergies when a scented version of the powder is used.Think of
the size of your puppy and the amount of powder that is used. A quick clean
with a warm wet face washer is a much better option for the baby Pomeranian
if you do not have time for a a full bath and dry.Never leave your baby wet.
A human hairdryer may be used and it is actually a great idea to get your Pomeranian
used to the noise of the hairdryer from a young age.
Trimming of hair around the anus for cleanliness is recommended.When you stroke
or pat your Pomeranian stroke the coat from the tail to the head as this will
raise the dense coat.
Toe nails should be kept as short as possible. Always check the dew claws on
the front legs and check the back legs also, just in case your baby has back
dewclaws. The nails on these will need to be trimmed often. Trimming toenails
is something that your puppy will dislike. Buy a pair of toenail clippers and
start trimming the toenails when your baby Pomeranians is young. Only take a
little bit off the nail every other week, so they dont grow long and you wont
make a mistake and cut into the quick and cause bleeding and upset the Puppy.
Puppies with light coloured nails are easier to trim as the quick is visible.
By trimming a little every other week dark coloured nails will not be a problem
.
TOYS FOR YOUR POMERANIAN: A Pomeranian loves his/her toys
to play with. Certain toys are favourites. Caution must be used when allowing
your Pomeranian to play some toys. My Pomeranians love the fur rats with the
squeaker. I only allow puppies to play with these under strict supervision.
A baby could manage to get the squeaker out of the toy and swallow this object
or choke on the squeaker. Pieces of plastic from toys over time can be chewed
off . I am always vary of plastic toys.Always check toys for small items that
may prove dangerous for your Pomeranian Puppy.
LEAD TRAINING YOUR POMERANIAN PUPPY: The Pomeranian is very
intelligent and very easy to train, he is eager to please his owner.Pomeranians
also excel at obedience. I would start leading training your puppy at 10/12
weeks of age. Start by using a very small collar without the lead attached and
coax the puppy to follow you. Puppy will often scratch at the collar. Once the
Pomeranian baby is used to following you with only the collar, then attach the
lead. I don't recommend collars on Pomeranians at all times. These can cause
problems in the dense coat of a Pomeranian . Your local Vet Clinic will often
run puppy training classes .
I hope you enjoy your new pup and should you need any information or help please do not hesitate to contact me. I always like to hear from owners of Dochlaggie Babies, so please keep in touch.Photos and news are always appreciated.
Regards
Denise Leo