Preparing for your new puppy

Getting ready for a new puppy is an exciting time. to help make this all a little less stressful, we have put together a list of tried and true favorites of ours that will be good to have when your new puppy comes home.

Click here to go to the list of items for your new puppy.

Puppy Food

There are many excellent foods on the market. At Hope Springs, we feed Pro Plan Chicken and Rice puppy food from the time that the pups are weaned from Mom to the time that they go home to their new homes. Your puppy will come home with a sample of this food in their puppy kit. We recommend that you continue feeding your puppy this food for at least 2 weeks after they arrive home. After that time, you can discuss with your Vet what food would be best for your new puppy. When looking for a quality food, remember that the first ingredient should be a meat or protein, not a protein meal product. Generally, the fewer ingredients in the food, the better. Our pups are transitioned to Pro Plan Chicken and rice puppy food because the puppies love the taste and this is a good food that is easily found for their little growing bodies.

Training Classes

Hope Springs recommends that you send your puppy to our "Spring Training" program for at least 2 weeks to our 2nd Base Program for an excellent foundation for your new puppy. The benefit of getting Spring Training for your pup is that the pup can start training at an earlier age than most training programs. Most trainers require that a pup be at least 16 weeks and have had the 16 week vaccinations and Rabies vaccination before they can socialize with other pups in the training class. Hope Springs puppies are only exposed to puppies that were raised at Hope Springs and therefore are not exposed to any other dogs from other facilities which eliminates the possibility of the puppy picking up an illness.
If you plan to train your puppy at home, you should start early looking for obedience classes in your area. Positive reinforcement training methods are recommended for all Hope Springs Puppies. Training is a very important part of puppy ownership and making your puppy an integral part of their new family. A very high percentage of dogs that end up in a shelter did not receive proper obedience training in the early stages of his or her life.

Vitamins-
Hope Springs pups are started on Nu-Vet Plus vitamins at 6 weeks of age.Here are some of the benefits of Nu-Vet Plus vitamins

Nu-Vet Vitamins

• Independently tested and recommended by leading veterinarians
• Natural ingredients / Human Grade
  
• Formulated over a period of 8 years by physicians, veterinarians, pharmacists, and animal nutritionists

Significantly reduces the risk or eliminate many problems that strike your pet:

• Scratching
• Itching
• Hot Spots
• Allergies
• Arthritis
• Premature Aging
• Low Energy Levels
• Cataracts
• Digestive Problems
• Heart Disease
• Tumors

  We highly recommend this vitamin for your new puppy. Your puppy kit will come with a 3-day supply. You will need to click on the NuVet Vitamin link below to order online before your puppy comes home.  It takes about a week for your first order to arrive. Call 1-800-474-7044 and put in order code 60617.
Nu-Vet Vitamins - Click Here to Order




Puppy Proofing

Puppy proofing is similar to child proofing your home for your little ones at home. When puppy proofing your home, you will want to get down at puppy level and remove things that are harmful to the puppy as well as things that the puppy can damage if they are left in an easily accessible spot for the puppy to get to them.  Items below 4 feet are your primary focus. Remember that small things as well as large things that can come apart are hazards to a small puppy. Certain chew toys that appear to be good choices can be deceiving. Rawhide chews and Bully sticks can be harmful if small pieces come apart from the large piece and become lodged in the throat of the puppy. They can choke very quickly on a small piece of rawhide or even a hoof piece. Also, remember that there are many things that can be toxic to your dog or puppy.
 Here is a starter list of things that can be toxic if ingested:

• Grapes, Raisins
• Candy, gum containing xylitol
• Mushrooms
• Castor Bean
• Cocoa powder, cooking chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate in order of most toxic
• Avocado (Fruit, pit and plant)
• Cooked Bones (become brittle and may splinter)

• Onions and garlic
• Macadamia nuts
• Pear pits, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pits (contain cyanogenic glycosides in cyanide poisoning)
• Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
• Rhubarb leaves
• Spoiled / Moldy foods
• Alcohol
• Yeast dough
• Coffee grounds, beans and tea (caffeine)
• Hops (used in home brewing)
• Tomato leaves and stems (green parts)
• Broccoli
• Raw salmon
• Apple (stem and leaves)
• Yew (American, English, Western)
• Wild Cherry
• Japanese Plum
• Ficus(Cuban Laurel)
• Cherry
• Balsam Pear
• Ficus Lyrata (Fiddle-Leaf)
• Oak
• Philodendron (Devil's Ivy)
• English Ivy
• Jasmine

• Matrimony Vine
• Virginia Creeper
• Asparagus Fern
• Caladium
• Colocasia (Elephant's Ear)
• Deiffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
• Philodendron (Saddle Leaf, Split Leaf)
• Poinsettia
• Mum (Pot and Spider)
• Umbrella Plant
• Aloe Vera
• Mistletoe
• Sago Palm (Center Seed)
• Salt (excessive amounts)

Vaccinations and De-wormings

All Hope Springs pups will have all age appropriate vaccinations and de-wormings before going home to their new families however, deworming cycles and shot requirements for pups are not complete until well after most pups go home. Therefore, you will need to make sure that your Vet finishes all necessary shots and de-wormings once your pup gets home. Also, since there are still shots that need to be given, your puppy does not have full immunity to illnesses such as Parvo and other life threatening illnesses until the full series of shots has been administered. For this reason, as a new puppy owner, you need to take the necessary precautions to keep your puppy from being exposed to any other dogs or pups that may have not had their vaccines. This means, no trips to the dog park or a Pet-friendly superstore until your pup has had all of his or her vaccines.Canine Parvo Virus is a very serious and Deadly issue for young pups. 


      Grooming

Doodles can keep a longer coat or can be trimmed 3-4 times a year if you prefer a shorter, easier to maintain coat. 

• Brushing is recommended 2-3 times a week regardless of the length of the coat.
• If your puppy or dog gets mats, a mat splitter is a great tool to handle these. Leave in conditioners may help as well.
  
• A sanitary trim is recommended around the potty areas.
• Bathe with a good quality shampoo weekly and for a soft flowy coat, spray with a leave in conditioner prior to drying the pup. ( I can recommend a particular one that is used for a different type of animal that works great) Email me for details...
• After the bath, either allow to air dry, or use a dryer to fluff the coat dry.
• Feel Free to print the picture below to take to your Groomer or as reference to do it yourself at home.