Woohoo! Puppies are ready to go home and meet their fur-ever families! This is a big time of transition for the both of you! Puppies often get a bit stressed from all the change and can begin to feel lonely and confused. Sometimes this can take a toll on the nervous system and cause digestive issues, especially diarrhea. Your puppy should be parasite free as I take them to the vet the day before they leave. The issue should resolve within three days. Keep an eye on food and water intake. Please reach out to me immediately if your puppy’s little nose is warm and they are not eating/drinking and seem lethargic. If for whatever reason your puppy’s fecal test is positive for a parasite. I can provide medication at no cost to you to get things straightened out. Your AKC registration comes with 30 days of pet insurance but unfortunately, parasites are not covered. I realize bringing puppy home is a lot of change all at once but I strongly encourage you to set up an appointment immediately and get puppy in as I cannot guarantee their health if they are not taken in for a well-check. Once you have the well-check done, please make a copy and you can either snap a photo and send as a picture message or send it to kitkatbars@gmail.com.
Feeding
How often should the puppy be fed? According to an article from Hill’s Science Diet, “four feedings a day are recommended for ages six to twelve weeks. It’s also a good idea to start puppies with moistened food to help them chew.” Once they hit 12 weeks, you can drop it down to 3 and then eventually two times around 6 months of age.
Here at Graceful Goldens, I moisten the food two times a day and offer dry kibble the other 2. In the morning, I add hot water to the puppy food at a 3 to 1 ratio. (3 parts water to 1 part food) I let that sit for about 10-15 minutes then serve. The puppies lap the water and then eat the food at their leisure. At lunch time, I provide dry kibble. For dinner, I do the exact same thing and then leave dry kibble out again around 8-9 pm. I do not let the puppies have water in their puppy area. I provide fresh water outside when I take them to potty. I do this because of the Golden Retriever’s tendency to play in the water and knocking it over / splashing things can really make a huge mess. I know it sounds like a lot of fun, but I am so over that! 🙂 I recommend starting off feeding them 1/2 cup food to 1 1/2 cups hot water and increase as. needed. I feed the pups Science Diet Large Breed Puppy in the Lamb and Rice flavor. You can have your pet food delivered directly to your door on an autoship to make things easier on yourself. I try to keep up with the different big box stores and stock up when there is a sale. For your convenience, I have linked them here. Chewy, Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, Petsmart.
Crate-Training
Your puppy has already been in the crate. Crate-training is a valuable tool to use during the potty training period. I personally like to put a big cardboard box (The one I get from Chewy when I order the 30 lb bag of dogfood is perfect) that overhangs at least two inches on all sides on top of the crate and then drape a sheet or blanket while they are in it. Draping away from the crate is important because a puppy can pull the sheet inside and literally eat the fabric. This will help them to feel like they are in a den as well as block their view of all the distractions which helps them rest better. (When out of the crate be sure to fold the sheet up or they may pull the blanket off to play or use it to create a little nest to sleep on.) The crate area (24 x 18 x 19) that they are resting in should just be big enough for them to stand, turn around and lay down in. You can put in a couple of toys but I do NOT recommend putting any kind of fabric in there for them to sleep on. Your pup can sleep just fine on the black mat provided. Your pup should never be in the crate for more than 2 hours at a time at this age or you will be cleaning up a urine-soaked puppy or even worse the dreaded #2 and having to clean the cage which is not a fun endeavor especially in the middle of the night! As your pup continues to grow, you will need to get bigger crates. I very often use the Offer Up App to find things that are being offered by others in my local community rather than making a brand new purchase. You can find used crates that are usually for about 1/2 the cost of brand new.
Registration, Pet Insurance, Microchip and Additional Perks
If I have done things right, I have already registered your puppy by the time you get your puppy home. Your AKC puppy’s registration comes with 30 days of of Pet Insurance. You should receive an email from AKC inviting you to activate the Pet Insurance. Simply activate through the email, print out the voucher and use the portal to find a participating vet in your local area. The puppy folder you received from me should have the invoice from TCAP showing their weight, heart-worm prevention, dewormer and vaccination information. The vet you choose will want you to bring that with you to your first appointment so that they can update your puppy’s file. Pups should receive their second round of vaccinations / heart-worm / dewormer 3-4 weeks after that date and a Rabies Vaccination at no less than 12 weeks of age. Your pup will be done with the vaccines until they reach their first birthday which is when you will neet to get those boosters and any additonal vaccinations that would be relevant to your needs.
In addition to Pet Insurance, your puppy has already been microchipped and enrolled in the AKC Reunite Microchip Program. Their temporary puppy tag that they come home with will not be able to stand the test of time. As such, I strongly recommend purchasing a couple of stainless steel tags to last over their lifetime them at the website link for Reunite provided above. The tags will have their name, Reunite telephone number as well as their unique ID number which is the same as their microchip that has been implanted between their shoulder blades. I can personally testify to the speed and accuracy of the Reunite program. I have lost a pet and have been reunited in a matter of minutes!
As an additional perk, I have activated the AKC Pupdate as a digital subscription resource of weekly updates for the first year of your puppy’s life. I strongly encourage you to accept the subscription for this relevant and useful information that is delivered directly to your inbox every single week! Super cool right? Try to plan on setting a little bit of time each week to read the pupdate and apply your new knowledge. By the time your puppy celebrates their first birthday, you will be an expert in all things puppy!
Vaccinations / Dewormer / Heartworm Prevention
Your puppy has already received the first round of vaccinations, dewormer and has been started on TriHeartPlus heart-worm prevention. I usually get their vaccinations done in the 6th-7th week so they will need to go back for their second round 3-4 weeks within the date on their TCAP invoice which is in your puppy folder. Their final first year vaccination is the Rabies vaccine and should not be given to puppies under 12 weeks of age. Once administered, your puppy will be good to go until they reach their 1st birthday.
I recommend using TCAP if you’re on a budget. In your puppy folder, I have included a flyer to TCAP’s Vaccination and Wellness packages. TCAP does not offer veterinarian services so it would be prudent to use your Pet Insurance Voucher to find a Vet in your area for them to get a wellness check up. I cannot guarantee the health of my puppies if you do not have them checked out by a veterinarian. Once activated, the Pet Insurance will cover the cost of a new patient wellness exam and you only have 30 days to get this done so don’t delay because time will fly by before you know it! Heartworm prevention is a monthly pill and you will need to pay special attention to the size of your puppy to be sure you are getting the right dosage. TCAP only charges $5 per pill and can weigh your puppy right then and there in order to provide the right size tablet. They also will sell you an entire year’s supply and as long as you keep your puppy on the preventative, TCAP will. not need a heartworm test. I have seen firsthand how hard heart-worm is on a dog and the treatment of heartworms is not a good experience for you or your dog so keep them on the preventative for their entire life as we live in a state that has hot and humid weather for a great deal of the year.
Spay / Neuter
If you are planning to spay (female) or neuter (male) your dog, please make research regarding the right time to do that because Golden Retrievers are a large breed dog and research has provided quite a bit of insight on the appropriate timing for that to happen. According to the AKC website, “Dr. Benjamin Hart of the University of California, Davis, has been researching the effects of spay-neuter for a decade, with support from the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. His first paper on the subject, published in 2013, revealed that Golden Retrievers that had been spayed or neutered had a correlation of being three or four times more likely to develop certain cancers, including lymphosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma, and also more likely to develop joint problems such as hip dysplasia and damage to the cranial cruciate ligament. “
Socialization – Get outside and introduce to the world!
Now it’s time for your puppy to meet the world. So many sights and sounds and people and places! Everyone loves meeting a supercute puppy so now It’s time to get out there and mingle! They now make puppy stroller‘s for you to take your pup out in public without them being exposed to the ground. (Check Offer Up App for a used stroller as well as these can be pricy.) Until they have been fully vaccinated, pups should not be allowed to walk on a foreign floor or any grassy areas in public. Lowes, Home Depot, Petsmart, Pet Supplies Plus, are all places that welcome pets so this could be a great opportunity to introduce your puppy to other people. Please keep in mind that If you choose to keep your puppy isolated, you run the risk of having a puppy who is fearful of strangers and that is not a good scenario if you want to take your pup with you when they get older. P.S. This is also a GREAT time to share my information as I offer a $100 referral reward for any puppy that is purchased from me in the future. I have put a few of my business cards in your puppy folder to give to prospective puppy parents. 😉
A STRONG WORD OF CAUTION: Pups at this age should never be taken to a dog park where other animals are. They are not fully vaccinated (until 12 weeks) and traumatic experiences are likely to happen with other animals who enjoy being bullies without the supervision of their owners (who don’t realize that it’s their responsibility to control their animal’s aggression.) Trust me, I learned this one the hard way. 🙁 I strongly recommend play dates as they are a wonderful way for your pet to be socialized and give you control over who they are playing with.