First Six Months

The first night in your house may be frightening for your pup as he is used to sleeping huddled with his siblings. You may choose initially to put his crate or a bed in your room. If he stirs, you can comfort him with your hand. If he won't settle, you may need to take him out to the bathroom. Be patient with him, it will get better once he settles in.      

Your Vet will set up a vaccination program for your puppy. Your puppy does not yet have full immunity to many life-threatening infectious diseases. He needs to stay at home for now so please don’t take him places until fully vaccinated.  During your first week together, try to give your pup a daily routine. Get him used to his crate/ bed and move it to where he will be sleeping permanently. Encourage him to use his crate for rest periods during the day.  Your eight-week-old should be fed two or three times a day.  Put his food down, let him eat, and then take it away when he is finished.  Meal feeding allows you to closely monitor your pup's food intake and it gets his bowels regular which makes toilet training easier.  During the first week together, spend time with your puppy but also allow him some free time. Let him explore his new world by himself so he develops confidence. If you try to direct him constantly, or shelter him too much, he may become an insecure, clingy puppy who later develops separation anxiety when left alone.  You need to limit your puppy's exercise according to his endurance, which is about 15 - 30 minutes at this stage.  The first week is also the time when everyone in your family needs to learn what they can and can't do with a young puppy as they can be injured.  Young children should hold the puppy only while sitting on the floor. If they do accidently drop him, he won't get hurt. Pups should be introduced to other pets slowly, under direct supervision. 

By the time a month has gone by, your puppy has increased his weight. You need to fuel this growth by feeding him at least two meals a day. During this period, you should be able to complete his toilet training. Just remember, the four times he will want to go the bathroom are: after waking up; after exercising; after eating; and after playing. The more you socialise your puppy, the better adjusted he will be as an adult. It is also time to get him used to being handled, so touch him all over, rub his ears, look into his eyes, open his mouth, rub his teeth and gums, play with his toes, whatever you think of. You will be able to pull anything out of his mouth, treat his infected eye with drops, and trim his toenails without a word of objection from him if you get him used to been touched.  Your puppy's exercise tolerance will increase during this month, he can do more but let him rest when he needs to. This is the time to ask your veterinarian about heartworm prevention, deworming, and flea control. 

Your puppy is still growing and at 16 weeks old, most puppies can be converted from three to two meals per day during this period. Change the dry food to Large Breed – Puppy but introduce slowly to minimise digestion problems. Around 16 weeks of age, your pup will start losing his baby teeth.  His need to chew increases dramatically during this teething period, which ends when he is about six months old. Provide your pup with lots of durable chew toys. 

Time to switch your pup from a growth formula to an adult food. Some puppies reach adult weight and start putting on fat early so converting to an adult food is appropriate as soon as they start getting chunky. As your pup reaches six months of age, discuss desexing with your vet. Female dogs can come into heat as early as six months old and males can also start showing their behaviours about this time. Once a puppy reaches the six month mark, you have a young adult so enjoy your time together, you will have a devoted, loving, faithful friend.