Your new puppy is in a stage of life where you can help make your future together more pleasant and prevent issues. The early upbringing you give your family member will affect your relationship later (think children!). It is your chance to mold the behavior into an easy to care for adult dog. As the saying goes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let’s substitute “cure” for training or behavior modification!
1. Work with the mouth so that if you ever need to pull something out or give a pill it will be easier. We suggest saying “Open” as you open the mouth by gently squeezing in the upper gums against the teeth and pulling down the lower jaw. Some puppies will learn it quickly and open their mouth for you just after a few tries.
2. If your puppy bites too hard, say “NO BITE”, and push your thumb nail into the roof of the mouth. Sometimes you need to treat them like their mother did and show if you bite too hard you will get back pain. This helps them learn how to guard their bite. They need to learn what is appropriate play.
3. Brushing deciduous (baby) teeth is not necessary since they will fall out at 5 months of age; however, it will create the habit in both you and your pet. This treatment is the number one way to prevent dental disease in the dog. Use a child’s soft toothbrush to get them used to brushing. Start off with just water. When the adult teeth erupt start to use dog toothpaste. You can reward them with a piece of rawhide to chew on after the brushing.
4. Work with the feet to trim the nails to get them used to it. Your veterinarian’s team can demonstrate the proper way to trim nails to avoid the “quick” (blood supply and nerve). A very common problem in adult dogs is torn nails from being too long. It is major problem as the nail completely wraps around the last bone of the toe. You will also appreciate short nails if you have hardwood floors.
5. Ears. The ears of your pet may have no issues their entire life or may become a bain to deal with. Frequently dogs with allergies develop very waxy ears which make yeast and bacterial infections more likely. I like to say, “Ear” before looking in the ear with the otoscope. I suggest you do the same before cleaning the ears with an appropriate ear cleaner (never Hydrogen Peroxide) or gently swabbing out the external canal. Again your veterinarian can help you learn some basic techniques to clean out after swimming or bathing to prevent infections.
6. Train your dog. Get a good book on dog training and READ it! Use a recommended trainer if you are not a DIY person! Don’t rely on advice from the internet which may not have been vetted. It is sad to see good intentioned people ruin their dogs with inappropriate or no training. Your veterinarian will have recommended trainers and books. We like to recommend Dr. Kenneth Martin’s book, “Puppy Start Right”. Dr. Martin is based here in the ATX.
John G. Unflat, DVM, MS 4/18/18
1. Work with the mouth so that if you ever need to pull something out or give a pill it will be easier. We suggest saying “Open” as you open the mouth by gently squeezing in the upper gums against the teeth and pulling down the lower jaw. Some puppies will learn it quickly and open their mouth for you just after a few tries.
2. If your puppy bites too hard, say “NO BITE”, and push your thumb nail into the roof of the mouth. Sometimes you need to treat them like their mother did and show if you bite too hard you will get back pain. This helps them learn how to guard their bite. They need to learn what is appropriate play.
3. Brushing deciduous (baby) teeth is not necessary since they will fall out at 5 months of age; however, it will create the habit in both you and your pet. This treatment is the number one way to prevent dental disease in the dog. Use a child’s soft toothbrush to get them used to brushing. Start off with just water. When the adult teeth erupt start to use dog toothpaste. You can reward them with a piece of rawhide to chew on after the brushing.
4. Work with the feet to trim the nails to get them used to it. Your veterinarian’s team can demonstrate the proper way to trim nails to avoid the “quick” (blood supply and nerve). A very common problem in adult dogs is torn nails from being too long. It is major problem as the nail completely wraps around the last bone of the toe. You will also appreciate short nails if you have hardwood floors.
5. Ears. The ears of your pet may have no issues their entire life or may become a bain to deal with. Frequently dogs with allergies develop very waxy ears which make yeast and bacterial infections more likely. I like to say, “Ear” before looking in the ear with the otoscope. I suggest you do the same before cleaning the ears with an appropriate ear cleaner (never Hydrogen Peroxide) or gently swabbing out the external canal. Again your veterinarian can help you learn some basic techniques to clean out after swimming or bathing to prevent infections.
6. Train your dog. Get a good book on dog training and READ it! Use a recommended trainer if you are not a DIY person! Don’t rely on advice from the internet which may not have been vetted. It is sad to see good intentioned people ruin their dogs with inappropriate or no training. Your veterinarian will have recommended trainers and books. We like to recommend Dr. Kenneth Martin’s book, “Puppy Start Right”. Dr. Martin is based here in the ATX.
John G. Unflat, DVM, MS 4/18/18
