New Puppy Owner Information
Hearts Desire Labrador puppies go to their new home with the following:
· AKC Limited Registration
· 26 month hip dysplasia guarantee
· Health Guarantee
· UTD on all shots and dewormers
· Complete Vaccination Records to date
· Sample of NuVet vitamins (3 vitamins)
· 1qt of Blue Buffalo puppy food
· CD of all puppy pictures and videos taken along with pictures of both parents
· CD of parents health clearances and pedigrees
*The buyer MUST keep their puppy on NuVet Plus Tabs purchased from Hearts Desire Labradors for at least 26 months after purchase for Health/Hip Guarantee to be in compliance.
*The buyer MUST have their puppy microchipped within 10 days of receiving puppy fro the Health/Hip Guarantee to be in compliance. I would be glad to microchip your puppy for you, the charge is $50 for a prepaid Recovery chip.
When you register your puppy with the AKC you will receive:
· A frame able AKC registration certificate and your dog’s name is recorded in the AKC registry
· Complimentary 60 day trial ACK Pet Healthcare Plan
· A certificate for a complimentary first vet office visit
· Eligibility to participate in AKC events.
Puppy Psychology
Puppies understand love, repetition, consistency and tone of voice. You and your family are its new pack. I’m not suggesting you start acting like a dog but don’t ruin your dog by humanizing it or treating it like a baby. What I’m saying is: There are no bad dogs, just bad owners that don’t realize dogs can’t read minds and they can’t tell what they want. Over time your habits will be reflected in your dog so be patient and think through what your goals are before you begin teaching. Discuss with your family the command you want your new puppy to learn and rules it will live by and as a family, stay consistent! This is the golden rule to having a well trained happy pet, especially in families with your children.
Training
Moods & Tone of voice: Puppies understand your moods and tone of voice. They can even feel your stress though the leash you walk them on. As you get to know your puppy you’ll be able to see if it “senses” your emotions. If you’re happy, your puppy will learn that tone. If you’re sad or upset, it will try to comfort you or make you happy as it would do to the pack leader. Be careful that your sadness or anger is not directed at your pet when it’s trying to comfort you. That’s confusing to a dog as it would be confusing to a child. Your tone in these situations is key. Tonation is why dogs respond differently to male and female voices. The lower “baritone” in a males voice makes a dog think it’s the dominant pack member. The higher pitch in a woman’s voice makes a dog think it’s happier and more playful. To a dog, dad is the rule giver and mom is the softy which is why most women have more trouble gaining a dog’s respect and thus a harder time training a dog. Ladies don’t despair and don’t take it personally. Dogs are instinctual not rational. You’ll have to work harder 0000000ire family, even children.
Crate Training: We highly recommend crate training your puppy. Not only is it a simple and quick method of potty training but will also become a place of comfort and security throughout your dog’s life. Crate your puppy at night, during naps and whenever you cannot be with or supervise him/her. It is best to purchase a crate large enough to house your puppy after it becomes an adult but section off the crate while your puppy is still young and only provide them with enough room to be comfortable. It is a natural instinct for a dog to not mess in its den. Sectioning the crate will enforce this instinct and help teach the pup to HOLD its bladder while it’s in the crate. Make sure the first place he/she is allowed to go after opening the crate is outside to potty. Only after it goes potty where YOU decide it can go, praise it and it will learn going potty outside makes you happy. This simple habit will help potty train your pup in a matter of days. A radio has been playing for your puppy 24 hours a day, so if he/she has a hard time settling down try playing the radio for him/her.
Manners: Begging, whining, or paying under the table should never be acceptable behavior for your dog. You may think it’s cute now for your puppy to jump up to greet you or to want to join you at dinnertime but it won’t be cute when company comes or when your puppies full-grown. So it’s smart to teach your puppy good manners now.
Here are some pointers:
· Don’t Jump Up. If your puppy jumps up, walk backwards or turn around and say “off”. Reward him only when all four paws are on the ground. If more control is needed, put a leash on him whenever you’re expecting company and praise him only when he stays down.
· If your puppy has mastered the “sit” command, have him sit when greeting newcomers. Have a friend help by coming to the door again and again. Instruct your dog to sit each time the friend enters. Reward him for correct behavior or better yet, have your friend provide the reward. Repeating this exercise will reinforce it and will make having visitors a more routine experience for your puppy.
Door Training: A simple way to teach your puppy how to notify you it has to go potty is to hang a small bell or chime on the handle of the door leading to the place it will go potty. Hang it from a strong string low enough so the puppy can nudge it with its nose. The simple act of opening the door and closing the door will consistently remind the puppy that the “noise” means “I can go outside to potty”. Eventually, you’ll hear the bell and find your puppy waiting to go potty. If this happens, praise it and you’ll have a door trained puppy.
Teething & Chewing: Your pup is and will remain teething for up to a year as its teeth grow, fall out and are replaced with permanent teeth.
Here are three simple rules:
· When they attempt to chew something you do not want them to chew, DO NOT SCOLD THEM. Simply tell them NO, take it from them and replace it with something they can chew and praise them for chewing the proper item. This is positive reinforcement which encourages a dog without breaking his/her spirit. Over time, this simple habit will save countless items from your dog’s chompers for one reason. It doesn’t want see those items as toys. When you praise it for chewing something you permit, it only sees that item as a toy.
· Have a variety of toys for them to choose from. As with kids, dogs get attached to certain things. One toy they may sleep with, another they will shake around like a rag doll, another they may only play with outside. Who cares! Let them discover their personality and you learn as much as you can about your new family member. A little observation goes a long way to enjoying your lab pup.
· Choose your dogs chew toys as carefully as you would toys for your child. Nothing with eyes, buttons, or weak stitching. Labs are powerful chewers and need a good stout material to keep them busy. Our dog toy bin has Frisbees, canvas stuffed animals, tons of tennis balls, thick rubber toys and so on. Watch your dog’s habits and you’ll learn their likes and dislikes. ***Important*** Avoid rawhide until their at least six months old. Stomachs cannot process it. Only give Nyla Bones or chewable items specialized for puppy digestion.
Obedience Training:
Three essential rules to the well trained dog:
1. Patience
2. Consistency
3. Tone of voice
There are no bad dogs, just bad owners that don’t realize dogs can’t read minds and they don’t understand English. They only know consistency, tone of voice and repetition. Your habits will be reflected in your dog so be patient and think through what your goals are before you begin teaching.
These fundamentals will help get you started:
· Labradors love to train and be under command, especially if it can sense you’re pleased with its actions. You are its teacher so it will learn everything from you including bad habits if you’re not careful. Praise at the proper time is far more effective than scolding and be careful when you reprimand your dog not to break its spirit. A broken dog is not the same as an obedient dog.
· Avoid tug of war: Tug of war may seem fun but as powerful as Labradors are, they can hurt a child or adult without meaning to. Plus it teaches them destructive behavior.
· Avoid Chase games: If you chase your dog, you’ll engrain a fleeing habit it sees as fun and appropriate. This can only lead to frustration and potential disaster. It will love the running and excitement, but it teaches a pursuit and pounce instinct you do not want in a family pet.
· The “come” call. This is the most crucial skill to teach your dog and should be done within its first few weeks at home. It can keep them from dangerous situations in public or near busy roads or in new surroundings. If your pup does not come when called, DON’T chase him. This will seem like a game that enforces stubbornness. Call them once and go and get them if they do not come. Over praise them when they come and soon they’ll associate coming to your call in a good thing.
· Paying rough: You are the pack leader and your dog will take on your habits. Playing rough with a puppy will only lead to disaster when its full grown.
· Striking a dog: We strongly discourage the use of force in dog training. Though it sometimes takes lots of patience and consistency, praise will always get you more than force. Teach your dog to please you and you’ll have a buddy for life. If you must strike a dog to stop or avoid a problem, only strike it under the chin with and open palm. NEVER strike it with an overhead motion in the head or hips. This will cause the dog to cower and possibly cause serious injury.
Puppies First week at home
Your puppy has just been taken from its family and introduced to a brand new home with completely new smells, sights and sounds. Give it a chance to overcome the stress and uncertainty it’s probably feeling. Do not expose it to too much activity for the first few days until its confidence increases. The idea is to gradually transition your puppy from our schedule and environment to its new schedule at your home. The best scenario for any change is to be gradual and well thought out. Drastic changes can be stressful to a puppy and stress can show itself in many ways, some harmful if not recognized (diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, emotional reactions and so on). Puppies may show signs of obvious intelligence, love and affection but keep in mind; they are babies and they only understand love, repetition, tone of voice and consistency.
Families with small children keep these things in mind:
Children must be prepared and instructed how to act, interact and treat a new puppy. Loud noises, screaming, chasing, tugging, even too much affection can cause your new puppy to react negatively or in fear. As with children, the first few weeks are major building blocks in a puppy’s life so the training and treatments your puppy is exposed to during this crucial time is worth your time, consideration and planning.
Families who already have a dog(s):
Your new puppy will come to you’re with its first vaccination and 3 dewormings. But its immune system is still very susceptible to many things. It is a great idea to have your current dog checked for parasites, worms and current vaccinations. Keep in mind, your adult dog might be or seem healthy, but its adult immune system can fight off many things that are problematic, even lethal to a puppy.
Veterinarian Care & Vaccinations:
Hearts Desire Labradors puppies are dewormed and vaccinated before they go home. Your vet will likely check stool samples during its first visit and inform you of the vaccination schedule they like to follow.
Pack Philosophy:
Canines are pack animals and the pack has a clear hierarchy from the top dog (alpha) to the second, third and so on. The idea is to introduce the puppy while maintaining your current dog’s hierarchy in the home and family. Regardless of how loving or well trained your current dog(s) is, surprising an adult dog with a puppy might send it an instinctual pack mode to dominate or submit. It can also cause a puppy to submit or react in fear. Your goal is for a calm, happy introduction where the curiosity of both animals is peaked without fear. For best results, the puppy should be introduced while still in its crate, sometimes for hours or days until the reaction from both animals is what you are comfortable with. In cases with in-tact or dominant dogs, introductions should be separated by closed doors at first and then to the crate introductions mentioned above. By no means should introductions or the first few times together be unsupervised. If you don’t see the initial response in introductions that you want, don’t panic and DO NOT reprimand the current dog(s) or the new puppy. Reprimands at this stage will make the dog(s) associate its new family member with a negative response from its owners. Stay calm and think it through. Remember, YOU are the pack leader of all the dogs. Take the time to sort out the best way for all the animals to fit into YOUR PACK.
Diet: Your puppy is now eating Blue Buffalo puppy food
Be sure you’re feeding a high quality puppy food diet. NuVet Plus vitamins are the only supplement your dog needs. Calcium speeds and assists the growth and solidification of bone structure. Common sense might merit adding calcium to a puppies diet to ensure healthy bone growth but in truth, moderate or less calcium allows natural growth and bone hardening to occur. Too much calcium can lead to arthritis, Osteoporosis, and even Dysplasia. Allow as much cold water as the pup wants to drink. Don’t worry if your puppy’s appetite is minimal for the first few days. It’s just left its family and may take a little time to feel comfortable with its new home. Labs are notorious eaters. Please don’t over feed your pup either. Fit-not-Fat is a good rule to keep your pup from excessive growth and obesity which can cause hip Dysplasia as it grows. Do not feel human food! Their stomachs cannot handle it and it can cause problems.