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Your
maltese puppy is going to need a safe
place to play and also to sleep.
I suggest people to give the puppy a
small place to play such as the
kitchen or laundry room if it is close
to the family activity so the puppy
can feel close to the family and yet
be watched and heard if it needs to go
outside to potty. If you choose
to use a play yard or Xpen there are
many kinds out there but a lightweight
one such as these would work terrific.
(This
shows a large dog but this would work
great for Maltese well).
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Your puppy
is going to need a room or at least a place
he can call his own, and a cage or crate
will fill this bill. You are better off
getting one that is big enough for him to
use as an adult. The pup will need food and
water bowls, toys to chew on and play with,
a collar and leash, a bag of a good quality
dry puppy food, and plenty of newspapers or
training pads. The bills are starting to add
up!
The car ride home
The big day
arrives, and it is off to pick up the puppy.
Many people worry that this is a traumatic
event for the puppy, but it probably is not
as bad as you might think. Coming home will
start out with a car ride from the shelter
or breeder’s home. Try to keep this from
being a terrifying experience for the pup.
The main problem dogs have with car rides
usually is not what we humans refer to as
motion sickness, but simple anxiety about
the vibrations, sounds, and to a lesser
degree, the movement. Many dogs that have
developed problems with car rides get
nervous or even nauseous before the engine
is even started. It is important that this
first trip not be a bad experience that
regresses into a repetitious behavioral
pattern.
Before you
leave the kennel, try to get the pup to go
to the bathroom so there are no floods or
surprises stimulated by all the excitement
or the ride. On this first trip home, we
break a cardinal rule about traveling with
pets. We do not put them in a crate for
traveling. Remember, they are small and easy
to hold. Rather, we have someone other than
the driver hold the puppy in a blanket or
towel and talk or in some way try to
distract him from the ride. If you have a
long way to go and need to stop for the
puppy to relieve himself, do not use a
highway rest stop. At his young age, the
puppy has very little, if any, protection
from common dog diseases, and these areas
can easily be contaminated with the
organisms causing these conditions. We never
recommend these facilities for pets of any
age, but if you must use them, wait until
your puppy has completed his vaccination
series.
Being with people the
first day home
Leaving her
mother and littermates will probably bring
about some form of
separation anxiety. However, this
can be greatly diminished if you plan your
schedules so that you are with the puppy
constantly for the first 3 to 4 days. Some
authors suggest leaving the puppy alone and
give her time to herself to adjust to the
new surroundings. We disagree. In our homes,
we plan for this introductory period by
keeping the puppy involved with plenty of
attention from children and other family
members through every one of her waking
moments. When we are not with the puppy, she
is eating, sleeping, or going to the
bathroom. You will be amazed how time spent
in this manner will speed up the
housebreaking process. If the children are
young or are not familiar with how to handle
puppies, you should spend some time with
them during these first few days explaining
common sense rules on how to play with the
pup.
Getting a health check
One of the
first things you need to do is get the puppy
into a veterinarian for an initial
puppy examination. You will want to make
sure the pup is in perfect health, free of
any
congenital traits or other
medical conditions. Also, find out exactly
what the breeder (or humane society) has
done for the puppy. In all probability, the
puppy has had some
puppy vaccinations given by the breeder
or shelter. She probably has also been
placed on a
deworming schedule and may even be on a
heartworm preventive. Depending on the
breed, the tail may have been docked and the
dewclaws removed. It is common for all or
some of these to have been done. This helps
to explain some of the initial cost of your
puppy regardless of where she was obtained.
Your veterinarian will need all of this
information along with the puppy's
approximate birth date.
Feeding the puppy
What,
when, and how to feed puppies becomes a
major issue on the first day. Many new
owners worry that without his mother’s milk,
their pup is going to have a hard time
adjusting to his new home. Hopefully, where
you acquired the puppy will give
instructions on what he has been eating. It
is a good idea to continue feeding the same
type and brand of food for at least a few
days. Most people are soon surprised how
well puppies make it through this transition
because they do not understand how far along
dogs are in their development at 7 weeks of
age.
Through our
clinics and catalog business, we work with
hundreds of breeders and animal shelters. It
is common practice for most of these
individuals to start feeding their puppies a
commercial food at 21 days of age. Some of
the toy breeds will start 3 to 4 days later.
Even though their eyes did not open until 11
to 13 days old, just ten days later, puppies
are ready to start on something in addition
to Mom’s milk. Most breeders take dry puppy
food, soak it in warm water for thirty
minutes, and then give it to the litter when
they are 21 days old. The first day, they
may only stick their noses in it and try to
lick some of the liquid. But after that,
they eat and they eat very well.
After a
week or so, the puppies are getting these
feedings twice a day. This takes a huge
burden off the mother, especially when she
has a large litter. Puppies fed on this sort
of a schedule grow rapidly and with fewer
problems.
As soon as
possible, the amount of water mixed in the
food is decreased, and then finally
eliminated. This depends on how fast the
teeth are coming in and is done on the
judgment and experience of the breeder. We
always tell all new puppy owners to use a
dry food formulated for puppies. Most 7 week
old dogs can eat this, as it comes from the
bag without any problem. A few, especially
members of the toy breeds, may need it
moistened for one to two additional weeks,
but that is all.
© 2005 Drs. Foster and Smith, Inc.
Reprinted as a courtesy and with
permission from
PetEducation.com (
http://www.PetEducation.com)
On-line store at
http://www.DrsFosterSmith.com
Free pet supply catalog: 1-800-323-4208
