Tips for the care of dogs.

House Training

Do be patient with your new puppy for the first few nights. Everything will seem very strange having left his familiar surroundings and family. Lots of love and reassurance will soon make him realise that he is safe with you. If your new dog is a puppy, there are sure to be accidents! Puppies are very quick to learn and they love to please you, so this toilet training period can be easy if approached correctly. Don’t put him outside and then leave him expecting him to know why he is there! Go outside with him and keep repeating a word that you intend to use when he needs to relieve himself. When he does perform, go over the top with praise and he will soon learn what is expected of him. If he has an accident in the house, a firm “No” followed by both of you going outside using your chosen word again. If you take him outside after playing, upon waking and after feeding, you should catch him before the accident occurs.

If you introduce him to as many new faces and situations as possible in the early days, he will form into a confident well-socialised dog. There is an extremely “sensitive” period in the puppy’s life. This is between the age of 8 and 12 weeks of age. Any experience, which causes acute fear during this time, can make a dog anxious, shy or very fearful of similar situations for the rest of his life. Try to ensure that your puppy is protected from frightening situations during this time.

Grooming

Most dogs will shed their coats several times a year. If brushed and combed daily, you won’t ever have the massive amounts of hair lying around noticed on an ungroomed dog. His skin will be healthier and his coat shiny. Brush the coat thoroughly first, not forgetting tummy, feathering and ears. Then go over with a moulting comb. This will remove all the loose hair and will gently ease out any tangles that may be there. Even if you have a breed that doesn’t moult you should still get him used to grooming from an early age. Follow the advice of the breeder from whom you bought your puppy as to how often clipping or stripping is needed.

A well-kept dog should not have tangles. If your dog has not been used to regular grooming, bribery and corruption works wonders! Praise him and keep giving him the odd tit-bit whilst grooming, and you’ll find he’ll soon be asking for his grooming sessions!

Claws

Do keep an eye on claws. If your dog has constant road walking, then his nails will wear down naturally, but if most exercise is taken on grass or soft ground, the nails will grow at an alarming rate and need clipping regularly. Overgrown claws can make walking painful, not to mention catching in the feathering if scratching. With pale coated dogs, the nail is pale and transparent and you can easily see the quick. With dark colours, the claw is darker and so to avoid cutting into the quick ask your vet to perform this task first time.

Eyes

Some breeds of dogs tend to have weepy eyes, and tear staining on the surrounding hair and skin become sore and unsightly. Wipe the corners daily with moistened cotton wool, and dry with a fresh piece of cotton wool.

Ears

Check the inside of the ear weekly for excess wax or signs of infection. If waxy, clean gently with a drop of surgical spirit on cotton wool without poking down into the canal. In the summer, keep a check for burrs and grass seeds, (especially in breeds with long ears that lie close to the side of the head) which can work their way down into the ear canal and cause pain and infection. Keep the ears well groomed, never allowing knotting to develop behind or inside the ear leathers. This can be very painful if the dog tries to scratch his ear and invariably gets his claws caught up in the knots.