Necessary Things For Your Puppy

 

Here is the list of things we recommend you get before your puppy comes home:

• Dog  bed and/or blanket

• Puppy pads for potty training if you so choose to use them

• Food and Water bowls. 

• Kibble, We use Petbarn's Dealers Choice Bully Dog Food

• Treats. In general stay away from grain based treats as well as dental chews that look like a  powder/paste that was formed into a bone shape- these can cause severe stomach upset. 

• Gate, crate/kennel, or panel to keep your puppy in a safe area when not directly supervised and away from falls, drowning, chocking hazards etc. 

• Dog Shampoo.  Your puppy does not need to be bathed unless visibly dirty. Over-bathing can dry out the skin, and dogs do not produce oil the way humans do, so keep it to a minimum and/or focus the soap on the feet and bum areas. DO NOT allow water to enter the ears!  ​​​

 

Feeding Your Bully Puppy

 

We feed the puppies 4 times a day at 8 weeks old, and usually the times are 7am,  12p, 4pm, and 8pm. Having them on a feeding schedules makes it easier to potty train as they typically will have a bowel movement 20 minutes after eating. You can start to take away food earlier each evening to have less bowel movements over night. There is no need to measure or count calories at this point. Growing puppies need a lot of energy, just like growing children.  You puppy should be kept on this diet, as changes from what they are used to can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.

 

We recommend one of the following foods.

1. Dealers Choice Bully Breed - Pet Barn

2. Diamond Naturals All Life Stages Chicken and Rice

3. Victor Hi-Pro Plus

​


 

Puppy Hygiene

Your puppy does not need to be bathed unless visibly dirty. Over-bathing can dry out the skin, and dogs do not produce oil the way humans do, so keep it to a minimum and/or focus the soap on the feet and bum areas. DO NOT allow water to enter the ears!
It's so easy to get water in your puppy's ears. In addition to this, ears are dark and warm (perfect for bacteria and fungus). Dry the ears thoroughly after each bath (and walks in the rain) and avoid allowing water near the head in general. For cleaning the ears on a regular basis (weekly or more frequently)we use a mixture of 50% alcohol and 50% vinegar.  I clip nails every two weeks,  as the more frequently nails are clipped, the shorter they will become. Puppy nails are especially soft, and even human clippers can be use, buy once your puppy grows more his/her nails become harder your will need specific clippers to cut them safely. 

 

Vaccines

Your puppy will come home with his/her first set of vaccinations including parvovirus, parainfluenza, adenovirus, and distemper.  This initial dose is given once your puppy turns at least 6 weeks old. Please wait a minimum of 2 weeks to give the next booster vaccines. Your veterinarian should recommend additional vaccines to be given . Rabies can be given once your puppy is a minimum of 3 months old. We also give our adult dogs a booster of Bordetella (kennel cough) as well as canine influenza vaccine once each flu season.

 

Deworming

Simply due to the nature of puppies, we recommend you submit a fecal sample during your initial vet visit. We deworm the entire litter multiple times before coming home to you. But please understand that puppies are messy creatures. And incredible efforts on our end including baths, washing beddings/toys/food bowls/entire whelping pen. It can literally takes one stray poop to be stepped on and then walked around the pen and spread around. Puppies also put absolutely everything in their mouths including each others paws. So please understand its very likely that you will need to continue atleast one last treatment of dewormer when your puppy comes home, even if they are having solid poops. All of our mamma dogs are dewormed before and after having their litters as well to reduce exposure to internal parasites. Additionally we deworm all of my adult dogs twice yearly. 

 

​Fleas & Ticks

We do not treat puppies younger than 8 weeks old for fleas and ticks. We personally have never had a flea or tick problem with any of my dogs because we give preventive treatment and spray our outside areas with a all natural spray to reduce infestation . Although we understand you might live in an area with a known problem with these external parasites or might be living on a farm where it will be necessary to keep them under control. There are many different kinds of medications that can be used but they treat different things, some are applied topically, some given orally, some work for one month and others up to 8 months, and some medications will also treat internal parasites in addition to external. So take careful attention to which medication you use and please consult with your veterinarian for what might be the best choice in prevention. We use oral medication Nitenpyram and Lufenuron can be given for fleas and ticks and spray our yard with Natural Chemistry Yard and Kennel Spray with Cinnamon, Clove, & Cedarwood Essential Oils. Personally we am not in favor of the topical medications such as Frontline because the label says to wear gloves and not to touch your dog afterwards and it doesn’t say after what period of time it is safe to touch your dog again.