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The optimum time to
dock puppy tails is between 3-5 days but it is best not to wait longer
than 7 days of age. This time frame appears to be the least traumatic
for both mom and pups. Dew claws usually are removed at the same time as
tail docking and some rottweiler puppies have dew claws .The docking is
limited to certain breeds as customary. when born ,so you may want to
check on this as well. Though this practice is banned in India so check with Indain Rules
Most puppies should be
dewormed at the beginning of 3-4 weeks of age and repeated at 3 week
intervals for several dewormings. Vaccinations (distemper,parvo,
hepatitis, adenovirus) should be started at 6 weeks and repeated every 3
weeks - the usual schedule is 6,9,12,16, but can vary slightly depending
upon the age of the puppies when vaccinations are started. Rottweiler
puppies should have the parvo portion of the vaccination boostered again
at 20 weeks and even 24 weeks since they appear to be a breed more
susceptible to the disease. Your regular veterinarian should be able to
set up a vaccination schedule for your puppies as well as help with the
tail docking and dew claw removal.
Heart worm
preventatives are prescription medications and it would be illegal for
your veterinarian to dispense a heart worm preventative without a
"doctor - patient" relationship. It is safer to use the prescription
heart worm preventatives than any other formulations of ivermectins.
Your vet will also examine your dog, providing you with some assurance
that there are no congenital defects or paediatric illnesses. Sometimes,
skipping the entire paediatric series of veterinary visits would be a
costly mistake.
Vaccination schedule
Most veterinarians suggest beginning the vaccination series at 6 weeks
of age. With the new vaccines available now, it should take three
vaccinations spaced about 3 weeks apart to ensure vaccine success in
most puppies. A convenient schedule is then 6, 9 and 12 weeks of age.
While it may not be as necessary with the new vaccines, a cautious
approach would be, to vaccinate one more time at 16 weeks of age, too.
Most puppies have a pretty good idea about what is expected of them
after a week or two of
training to urinate and defecate outside. It is necessary to catch them
"in the act" several times and scold them just harshly enough to
startle them, then take them outside and wait around until the have a
bowel movement or urinate outside and praise them immediately. Puppies
will usually make a few mistakes after this time but most have caught
on.
A few puppies are very hard to housebreak and any owners do not realize
the importance of following the puppy around persistently enough to
catch him or her urinating or defecating. Without doing this, it is very
hard to housebreak a puppy. The pen is too large to work to prevent him
from urinating or defecating in it. If this is happening it would be a
very good idea to consider buying a crate that is just big enough for
him to stand up and turn around comfortably. This is usually small
enough to discourage elimination behaviours in it. You are not leaving
him alone too long for crate training to work so it is probably another
good option for you.
It probably does not harm a dog to eat its own faeces. It may harm a dog
to eat other dog's faeces,cat faeces, etc., since these may contain
organisms for the dog has not already been exposed to. It can be harmful
for dogs to eat rocks, but I have not seen a problem relating to eating
leaves mostly it is due to acidity .
Soil and Rocks may cause the intestinal obstructions in dogs . It can be
very hard to discourage this habit but firmly and consistently telling
the dog "NO" and doing something to distract it from rock hunting may
be helpful. Teaching a dog to "give" (to drop something it is carrying
in its mouth) can be very helpful as well. Most dogs will learn to
associate the "give" command with a treat really quickly -- say "give"
and then offer the treat. When the dog drops whatever it has, reinforce
the behaviour by giving the treat and saying "good dog" or whatever you
like to say.
There are a couple of products in the
market made to discourage dogs from eating their own faeces. It can be
recommended to add meat tenderizer to the dog's food in an effort to
change the taste of the faeces and some have felt that this worked for
them.
Keeping the dog on a leash and picking up stools as soon as they are
deposited , helps a lot, too. Some dogs are really fast about "cleaning
up" after themselves, though. |
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