Westarbor Animal Hospital-Dog Care Page 2

Page 1
Do I really want to own a dog?
How do I pick the perfect puppy for me?

Page 2
How do I housebreak my puppy?
What are Westarbor's recommendations to promote health and prevent disease in dogs?

Page 3
What are some tips for training my dog?
What is Heartworm Disease and can my dog get it?

Page 4
What extra care does my dog require in the Spring and Summer months?
What extra care does my dog require in the Winter months?

Page 5
How do I crate-train my puppy?
How do I treat ear mites?

Page 6
How can I protect my dog from fleas?
How can I stop my new puppy from chewing on everything in my house?

How do I housebreak my puppy?
Housebreaking begins as soon as the puppy enters his/her home. How long the training period must continue depends on both the puppy and the owner. Some pups learn sooner than others and some are able to control themselves sooner. Every dog wants to please his master, but a puppy's memory is short, and patience and unrelenting supervision must be the watchwords.

The following suggestions are offered to the owner of the new puppy as a guide in this early training period:

Provide the puppy with a bed (or crate). The crate should be large enough for your puppy to comfortably stand up, lie down and turn around in. If the crate is too large, the puppy may use a corner to eliminate in rather than go outside. If the crate is small enough, the puppy will go out rather than soil his bed.

In order not to establish the paper habit, the puppy should-become accustomed to going outdoors to relieve himself. Look for elimination after eating, exercise, sleeping, and first thing in the morning. An outdoor spot should be chosen where the dog can go indefinitely without being disturbed or without disturbing others.

An area at the back of the yard or behind the garage may be satisfactory. To teach the puppy to associate this spot with his toilet habits, several stools and some rags soaked with the puppy's urine can be placed there.

First thing every morning, the puppy should be taken out to the selected area. Let him sniff about and do not let him play. The toilet period and the play period should be separate in the puppy's routine.

The puppy should be taken to the selected spot immediately after each meal or nap, at one or two hour intervals between and last thing at night. As soon as he relieves himself, he should again be complimented and taken into the house. Regularity of time is of the utmost importance.

Watch for signals of sniffing and running about in circles. When these events occur, take the pup outdoors. There will, of course, be some "accidents" in the house. Never spank or hit the puppy for one of these slips. Scrub the area of the mishap thoroughly until all odor is gone. Dry it and use commercial dog spray repellant.

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What are Westarbor's recommendations to promote health and prevent disease in dogs?

Puppies: 6-8 weeks
Physical exam
Temporary vaccine
Fecal analysis for intestinal parasites and worming program

9-11 weeks
Physical exam
Temporary vaccine and Corona
Fecal analysis for intestinal parasites and worming program

12-14 weeks
Physical exam
Temporary vaccine and Corona
Fecal analysis

4-5 months
Physical exam
Adult vaccine
Rabies vaccination
Fecal analysis
Start parasite-preventative program

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ADULT DOGS - Annually

Rabies vaccine is required by law and is necessary to obtain a dog license.

Combination Vaccine to protect against:
Hepatitis: A highly fatal viral disease that attacks the liver. (This is a different disease than human hepatitis)

Leptospirosis 2: A potentially fatal kidney disease caused by certain bacteria spread through canine urine.

Parainfluenza: A common, highly contagious airborne viral bronchitis. One of the germs involved in the "kennel cough" complex.

Parvo Virus: A viral disease that causes a potentially fatal gastroenteritis. An epidemic of Parvo was fatal to thousands of dogs in 1980.
Bordetella Vaccination prevents potentially severe respiratory tract infections in dogs entering high-risk environments (kennels, training classes, etc.). This prevents one of the germs involved in the "kennel cough" complex.

Canine Coronavirus - A highly contagious virus causing diarrhea and vomiting. Most commonly seen in kenneled dogs.

Fecal Analysis - Internal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, giardia, and coccidia cause digestive upsets and poor health and growth. Parasitic infection is diagnosed by finding the ova (eggs) on microscopic examination of the stool. Some of these parasites are transmissible to humans, posing a potential public health risk.

Blood Screen: suggested yearly for older animals.

NEUTER: Males (Orchiectomy) at 6-9 months of age SPAY: Females (Ovariohysterectomy ) at 6-7 months of age

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