New Puppy in Your Home

By Debra Amszi

Things you will need for your new collie puppy:

1)      An airy wire crate of a large size that you can also use when your puppy has grown.-Collies love to have their own cozy place to chew a bone or so you can give him a time out while the house is full of guests.

2)      Gentle natural shampoo

3)      Bathtub drain hair catcher

4)      Bathtub faucet extension hose for a puppy shower

5)      Slicker brush

6)      Pin brush

7)      Undercoat rake for when pup is older

8)      Dog bowls for water and food

9)      Fenced yard

10)  Leash with a slip collar or slip chain because collies have narrow heads and regular collars can slip off too easy

11)  Rawhide bone

12)  Real dog bones

13)  Squeeze toy

14)  Stuffed toy

15)  Knotted up old socks

16)  Rope toy ( you will need several textures of toys always available for puppy to chew. Be ready to give puppy a toy in his mouth if he begins to chew your stuff, tv controls or shoes. Puppy will be glad to take his toy and give you back your stuff. He learns quick that is what you want from him and he will wag his tail the whole lesson. )

17)  Puppy’s own blanket or pad

18)  Baby gate or gates to block doorways

19)  A holistic dry dog food from a company that devotes its whole line to natural.

20)  Puppyproof your home similar to guarding against a human baby. Puppies will get into everything.

The day you pick up your new collie puppy:

Take a leash, paper towels, and a car or crate blanket to also cover your car seats in case of a puppy accident.  

Puppy will not be used to the leash so make sure he goes potty before leaving the breeder and keep in mind he most likely will not have to use potty the whole day trip. Collies can hold it a long time and will hold it if in unfamiliar places.

 Also remember to stay away from germs from public places like rest stops where other dogs go potty. Some vaccines do not work like they are supposed to but most of all the  eight week old pup has had only one dose of vaccine and most likely did not cover all the dog diseases but the vaccine would have even lowered the immune system in some cases. So your pup is venerable to diseases, especially before he has completed his series of vaccinations.

Keep pup as stress free as you can because this trip can be stressful and stress can bring on some problems or open to germs and diseases.

The first day at Puppy’s new home:

Keep puppy stress free by staying with puppy all the time the first few days. This will pay off well with a better adjusted puppy and fast potty training.

Make your puppy’s veterinary appointment:

You will want to make sure right away if you puppy is in perfect health. Even if the breeder had a vet check out the pup something could have been missed or changed and this first few days are when you want to know.

Take along the puppy’s information like birth date and health record paper from the breeder. Worming schedule, vaccines, and any other health subjects listed by the breeder or breeders vet.

If you and your vet agree that this puppy is good for keeping then this is the time to buy a microchip implant in your name in case pup is lost or stolen.

Feeding the puppy at least twice a day and use a holistic dry dog food with water added:

The breeder will give you a small amount of the dog food the pup is used to and you will use a small amount of that food and mix with your own dog food the first few feedings so pup can adjust to the change.

Collies of all ages tend to eat fast which can be good but also the habit along with the larger size can cause bloat. Bloat is a tummy ache like colic including too much gas, and can be serious, so it is just a precaution to add water to a good healthy dog food so they do not eat too much too fast and have it swell, clog up after gulping too much water after wards.

Puppy proof your home by cxrawling around at puppy level and remove all dangerous temtations. Block ways to get behind furniture, put cords out of reach, Remove anything small enough to swallow. Put designer boxes around the house to throw things in if you are ever in a hurry to put something down. Things like TV controls, keys, flashlights, jewelry, wallets, bottle caps and corks, hairbrush, combs, coins, buttons,….

Inspect your own yard where puppy will be going out to play and potty- check for hazards or ways puppy might can get out of fence.

Socialize your puppy:

Take advantage of all new people you are around to let the puppy greet them or if the puppy shows signs of shyness let the person give one of your treats to your puppy. Take the puppy on outings after all sets of vaccines are done and if the pup is not showing any signs of sickness . Remember too much stress can also cause the immune system to lower and the health of the pup is in danger of germs or parasites taking over. So be easy socializing but start it early enough so your puppy will never be stressed while out as an adult also. This is a great time to attend a puppy class or some traingin class. This is the best way to bond with your puppy and control your puppy. Training works and is great if done in a group around other dogs.,

Your puppy will sleep a lot. This is normal and he needs it. Your puppy will also twitch in his sleep and this means he is well and healthy so know that this is normal also.

Your puppy will hiccup while growing also so do not worry about it.

It is normal for puppies to play bite and mouth you with their sharp teeth. Puppies are smart and you do have to tell them that it hurts and the pup will get the idea pretty fast. Be gentle but firm when you say ouch and push the puppy away. Say no and say it hurts and ouch. Push pup away and it will suddenly realize the fun is over everytime he or she bites a human for fun.

Training should start right away.  The first day home the training is just to focus on reinforcement of good things and happy trips out to potty very often.

Also the crate will be your biggest help and friend while raising your puppy. Try not to force pup to stay in it the first day very long but very soon it will be your rest and pups time out.

The first day never use negative words or punishment when the pup does something undesirable but for sure ignore the puppy’s bad behaviors.  Always give praise and rewards for every good thing the pup does. If the pup does something good and if you ignore it then you wasted a great training moment.

 Do not feed pup too late so he will not have to potty so much in the night.

Try to keep the pup with you in your room at bedtime. Try to keep your pup from crying especially the first night. Use words, toys, bones, or even a ticking clock or worn T-shirt of yours. You will need to take the pup out to potty at least right before bed and extra early in the morning, but maybe in the night also.

Teething-Around four or five months old the puppy will be teething. The front teeth come out first and sometimes there will be blood. The puppy will need to chew almost all the time so keep things around for the puppy to chew all the time.  You probably will not find the puppy’s lost teeth because most are swallowed.

Potty training/ house training ideas  Number one is to watch pup at all times and you learn when to take pup outside. Once you let the mistake happen it takes long each time for the pup to get the idea.

Tether the pup to you so you do not forget to watch.

Use a smaller crate or division in the crate so pup can not go to one side to potty and sleep on the other side.

Take out soft bedding while pup is in training because pup knows the bedding soaks it up and remains comfortable.

Do not feed before keeping in the crate.

Do not leave pup in crate too long where he can’t hold it any longer.

Always remember as soon as you let pup out of crate it is time to potty so you might even should carry pup to the yard to assure no mistakes on the way.

Always praise your puppy for doing it in the right place

Puppies always have to go potty as soon as they wake up.

Sometimes if in a crate the pup will cry if he has to go potty but puppy will not cry if he has the whole house available.

Puppy will spin around or go on a hunt for a good place to potty so if you are watching you can jump up to get pup outside.

Another great thing to do to help you all the pups life is to use this time to say a word or command while pup is doing potty, so the pup will learn to get it done by command which will help to get it overwith when you need it done in a hurry.

Do not expect pup to tell you anything about when to potty till they are 4 or 5 months old, so keep watch and you learn when they have to go.