Only ONE Mahogany boy (Cooper) left from the current (Born 2-25-11) litter!

Congratulations to the Ryon family for purchasing not one but TWO of these lucky brothers! See below.



Sunday, July 18, 2010

Carefully trained HUMANS = Happy, Healthy Dogs!

Our adult dogs thrive on an organic diet of dry kibble brand "4Health" formulated for Tractor Supply Stores and get rave reviews. Our dogs, even the adults, eat the rice and lamb puppy formula.
All of our puppies and pregnant mommies (for higher calorie/vitamin content during pregnancy) are fed the Puppy formula in the can or kibble version of this same product. We buy ours at our local TSC. If you google the brand, you can find suppliers near you.
During pregnancy, momma gets 2tsp of vanilla ice cream ("Blue Bell, please!") for the added calcium demands on her body. Immediately following birth, she will have a Tums each day for the calcium and vitamin content in each tablet and will also enjoy a catered diet of lean beef, chicken and rice cooked especially for her to keep up her healthy milk supply. Charley seems to know that she is the boss during this time and can be demanding, picky, etc. ("no green MnM's in my dressing room, please") and we'll cater to her whims.

All of our dogs (except during pregnancy) that meet the weight requirements are given regular, monthly doses of the following:
Frontline plus: helps protect from mosquito's, ticks and fleas
Ivermax Plus: for heart worm prevention
Pyrantel Pamoate: dewormer

Puppy Care:
For the first 6 weeks the pups need little care from humans as they get all that they need from Charley, other than keeping their kennel area clean, nice warm heating pad underneath them and toys to stimulate them as they begin to move around. Of course all puppies come to you with an overdose of cuddles and kisses.

Puppies that are weaned from their mommas should be able to graze freely from a bowl of the puppy kibble suggested above. If for any reason your puppy has trouble eating when coming to live with you, please contact me for helpful hints. This is common but can be dangerous of your pup refuses to eat for more than a day.
A tube of Forti-Cal is a good thing to have on hand to transition your pup from my home and away from momma, to yours. It's a vitamin and calorie supplement for pups and they LOVE it!

We bathe our puppies with Johnson and Johnson baby bath as it's meant for sensitive skin, easy on the eyes, etc. Once babies start to go outside to pee on a leash, they can transition to a puppy safe product such as an oatmeal shampoo for pups that helps with fleas.

All puppies are kenneled with pee pads from the time they start moving on their own. They learn early to pee on these so if you continue putting these inside for the occasional accident, but be sure to walk your puppy after they eat or drink, potty training is relatively easy. Remember: if your puppy has an accident it's because YOU did something wrong, not the puppy. So rather than scold a pup who's had an accident, recognize what it is you didn't do correctly and be more vigilant. Remember, a pup can go for their age, plus two hours before needing to let out to pee or have a place to go on a pee pad. So a 0-1 year old will go every 2 hours or so. A 1 year old, will go every few hours (though it starts to increase in time rapidly, this is just a good guide to remember).

Once the puppy comes to live with you, it's important not to feed your pup scraps, treats, etc. so they can maintain the healthiest weight possible. It is VITAL to understand that puppies love to chew because they are teething. Adult dogs love to chew as well. We have NEVER had any item destroyed at our home because we keep several "Kongs" and plain rawhide (not those gooey things covered in meaty flavor) rolls for the dogs to chew. If you offer them these items and use common sense about what you leave laying around on the floor, that's all they'll ever chew.

CRATE YOUR DOG WHEN YOU ARE NOT HOME...you cannot expect a puppy to behave like a grown dog or like a human being. You cannot curb undesirable behaviors if you are not there. A crate can be a safe haven for your home and your dog when you are away. It may seem cruel to you but instead, it's like your dogs bedroom. If you get a nice roomy one and put it in a common area of the house, the dog will actually go in and lay down in there on it's own at times. Make sure to leave water, food and a rawhide to keep him/her company. There are bowls that attach to the sides of the wire crates, which we use and I recommend.