Vaccines

 

Puppies have recieved their 1st round of vaccines at 6 weeks. When they go home they are then due for their 2nd round between 9-10 weeks. It takes approximately 2 weeks for the vaccine to be effective so please refrain from taking your puppy to any public places or allow them to play with any dogs outside the home until 2 weeks after their last round of vaccinations. Once your puppy receives their rabies vaccine and they are no longer needed to be seen until their one year check up, then they have been fully vaccinated.

 

We  had a puppy from a previous litter get parvo virus at around 13 weeks because he was not fully vaccinated. He was incredibly sick, at the ER vet for almost a week, with a several thousand dollar vet bill. Please do not risk it. 

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Flea/Tick Preventative

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We would encourage you to use topical flea and tick preventatives vs oral due to all of the research on side effects of oral flea and tick meds.

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Potty Breaks

 

At 8 weeks of age, puppies really shouldn’t be expected to hold it longer than 3hrs. They also need to go potty right after they eat and as soon as they wake up from naps/bed time.

 

Feeding

 

At 8 weeks, the puppies are eating roughly a little over 3 cups of Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy food a day. We'd recommend feeding a little over 1 Cup for breakfast and dinner and 1 Cup at lunch. Our eating schedule for the puppies is typically: breakfast around 6:30/7am, lunch around 1pm, and dinner around 6:30/7pm. As they grow, if you have any questions regarding the amount he/she should be eating, please don't hesitate to reach out and ask. Always float their food in water as this is a huge help with digestion, even as adults!

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A good rule of thumb is they should gain approximately 2lbs per week up to 6 months old.

 

FortiFlora Probiotic

 

You’ll find two packs of FortiFlora Probioitc in your bag. Sometimes with a large adjustment such as new enviornment and new people or new food, their tummy may get a little upset and/or their stools a little loose. If you happen to see that their stools arent completely solid, you can sprinkle some (not a whole pack) of the FortiFlora on their food. They LOVE it.

 

Spay/Neuter

 

Lots of research as shown that spaying/neutering too early can lead to joint issues later in life. Because of this, we highly recommend waiting until males are atleast 18 months, but prefereably 24months, before having them neutered. We have alot of information regarding this on our website. Our hip/elbow guarantee also becomes void if altered too early. More information on this can be found here.

 

Activity

 

While puppies do have a lot of energy, because their bones and joints have not completely solidified and their growth plates have not closed, it is super important to not over exercise the puppy with running, not letting them go up and down stairs, jumping off of furniture or out of cars/trucks. These activities  put them at risk of damaging their joints/elbows/hips. Even as adults, our dogs use a ramp to get out of our cars (SUVs).

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Crate Training

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Crate training is such a beneficial tool! Puppies tend to like to chew on things and get into mischief so it’s important for them to have a safe place to go when you can’t have your eyes fully on them. Even as adults, in the case of an emergency or the need to board them or if they have to stay at the vet overnight, it’s much less stressful on them when they are comfortable being in a crate. We highly encourage crate training your puppy! A little tip for this is by feeding them their meals in their crate. This helps them associate a ‘happy experience’ with being in the crate. While puppies are in the crate, we also recommend leaving at least ½ of it just the bare crate tray. Labs tend to get hot so they enjoy laying on cooler surfaces some of the time.

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Please know we are always happy to answer any questions you may have at anytime,

whether they are a puppy or an adult.