Dog Health Care and Tips

The speed at which a puppy puts on weight varies depending upon the breed of dog and whether or not it receives enough exercise or food. There are general puppy weight estimates you can use as a guideline for raising your puppy, however if you suspect that your puppy is either over or underweight, talk to your vet for a confirmation.

You can use the Internet as a resource for finding out roughly how much your puppy should weigh at particular age plateaus. Many veterinary office and websites have a dog weight chart you can look at, which determines a dog’s healthy weight based on an age to size ratio for each dog breed.

Many sites will publish a separate chart for each dog breed, or you can ask your vet for a puppy growth rate guide. If you are at all unsure whether your puppy is a safe weight, simply pop into the vet’s office for a check-up. If anything is wrong, your vet will be able to advise you of the proper foods your puppy should be receiving, and in some cases recommend a diet food brand or issue a nutrition supplement for under-nourished puppies.

It’s a good idea to understand the breed of a dog before taking on the care of one. Larger breed dogs will usually put weight on more quickly than a smaller dog, and breeds which are particularly athletic may weigh more due to their muscularity. For instance, a hunting dog, such as an English Springer Spaniel won’t put on as much weight as an English mastiff, because Springer Spaniels are wiry/athletic where mastiffs are extremely large and less active. Each dog growth rate depends upon the ultimate size of the breed.

If you can’t seem to find any information on your dog’s growth rate, ask your vet if they would be willing to give you a guide for your pup’s first two years of growth, make a record of it, and keep it somewhere visible where you can check up often. A good place would be near your dog food storage area or on the refrigerator.

When considering a bulldog for a pet, you must bear in mind that the responsibilities of caring for a bulldog will consume a great deal of your daily life. Bulldogs are active and need a lot of exercise, grooming, and cleaning on a regular basis. In order to ensure that you and your bulldog are both happy, you must commit yourself to a constant care routine.

As for the different bulldog types, you could do well with researching the different personalities of each. For instance, English bulldog puppies may have a different temperament than American bulldog puppies. It is best to understand the temperament of the type of dog you want before you get it.

Many people are under the false impression that bulldogs do not need a lot of daily exercise, this is not true. Bulldogs need exercise just like any other dog needs exercise, obviously not as much exercise as you would give an Alsatian for example, but enough exercise to keep your bulldog healthy. Find the rhythm that is good for your dog and never walk him just after a meal and you will find that your bulldog will be healthy and happy.

Grooming bulldogs is also very necessary to help your pet maintain a healthy lifestyle. Grooming your bulldog once or twice each week will ensure that his coat stays nice and healthy. It is normally very hard to groom a bulldog if the dog has not been trained as a puppy. When your bulldog is still a puppy teach him how to act when grooming so that it will be a lot easier in the future.

When your bulldog is still a puppy he will have to be fed approximately four times a day to help him grow strong and healthy. As your bulldog gets older you should gradually reduce the amount of food you give him on a daily basis to approximately two times a day when your dog is a full grown adult.

Bulldog puppy training can be difficult if you aren’t consistent. The key is to keep correcting him until he understands what he is supposed to do. Make frequent trips outside and try not to use much physical correction with the pup, as they can be provoked easily. When lead training, it is recommended to use a lightweight chain collar. Many have found the choke chain collars are very effective with such strong-built pups.

There are few things quite as cute and lovable as a newborn puppy. They make you want to grab them up and just squeeze them but care should be taken with the newborn puppy. They need special care in these early days of their life. Most of the attention they need will be provided by their mother until they are about six weeks old. Your job at this point of newborn dog training is to make sure mom and babies have a healthy environment. You need to make sure they have clean and comfortable bedding everyday since they will be spending all of their time there at first. They need to be placed away from cold drafts and sheltered from the outside elements.

Giving Mom A Hand With Newborn Puppy Training

Most moms know exactly how to take care their young and will devote every hour of every day to that task. In the early days moms will lick their babies to help them with elimination. You can give mom a break some of the time by gently massaging these little ones right after they eat. This helps their little systems develop to the point they no longer have the need for manual stimulation. This is also an important point to remember in the unfortunate case that mom is not around.

Mom will also bathe her pups every day by licking them. This serves to stimulate healthy blood flow as well as keeping the young pups clean. Here again you can give mom a hand by gently rubbing the puppies with a soft, warm, and moist cloth. You should always rub them dry with a soft towel after bathing. Also keep in mind that at this age you should not use soap since this could be dangerous to their delicate systems.

Newborn Puppy Care For The Growing Puppy

As these new babies grow they will soon need less of mom’s attention. They will open their eyes and start moving around. Mom may choose to start weaning them so you will need to step in and provide additional nourishment. Because their teeth are so delicate at this age they will need something they can easily chew. Starting them out on moist food is probably the best option. As they mature and develop you can start mixing dry food in with the moist food to help them develop strong and healthy teeth.

When these little fur balls begin to eat more food they will also have increased elimination. They usually do not like to eliminate in the same place where they sleep and eat. Providing them an area where they can go will not only help teach them potty training, it will also help to keep their environment healthy.

Newborn puppy care can be time-consuming and in the early days might disrupt your normal schedule. You need to keep in mind that this only lasts a few weeks and the rewards are numerous. When you are happily watching these new babies romp and play you will feel a sense of satisfaction that you helped them reach this point.

Puppyhood is the “formative” period for your dog. What you teach him during this time will most likely stick with him the rest of his life. One of the most imperative things to get started is to train dogs to potty outside.

Developing a routine early on in your puppy’s life is a sure way to ease the strain that the potty training process can entail. Try starting out by getting your pup used to a particular life routine. This includes working up a schedule of sleeping, eating, and potty time. Make sure that you keep the schedule constant, such as feeding him at a certain time every day and taking him outside 15 minutes after.

A good way to save your sanity is to admit right off the bat that your puppy will have accidents, and the sooner you understand this, the easier your dog potty training will be. You can help lessen accidents by storing some newspaper in a constant spot so that your pup can at least familiarize himself with an acceptable alternative when he is unable to go outside. This works particularly well if you don’t have a “doggy door” and your dog has to depend upon you to take him outside.

The sooner you get to know your puppy’s “eat/potty” schedule, the easier potty-training will become. A good rule to go by is to estimate that your pup will be ready for a trip outside around 15 – 20 minutes after he has been fed/watered. This rule works very well if you can manage to have your puppy outside the proper potty surroundings at the time you expect he needs relief.

Be sure that you separate “potty time” from “play time.” As it is natural for puppies to want to explore, you should only encourage them at the appropriate times. Nothing is more frustrating than to be up at 2 am with your puppy running around the yard for twenty minutes, only to potty as soon as you get back inside.

Puppyhood is a great time to begin using the praise and discipline techniques you intend to use throughout your dog’s life. Many people prefer the terms “good boy/girl” and “no,” which can be still be used when your dog is older. Although puppies need a lot of firmness, repetition, and routine remember that your puppy will soon grow up, so enjoy his young, eager activity while you can!

Learn more tips like this at HelpYourPets.com - Puppy Steps and while you are training your puppy learn how to protect him from injury also.