Puppies
Is socialising my puppy important?
Socialisation involves exposing an animal to a range of experiences to help them prepare for and cope with different situations, interactions, and environments. Between 3 and 17 weeks of age (the critical socialisation period), a puppy’s experiences will shape their mental health, and how they behave into adulthood.
How should I introduce my new dog or puppy to my existing cat?
Introducing a new canine member to the family is a special and exciting time, but it can be a little overwhelming for all concerned – especially if you already have a cat! However, this can be managed with planning to help keep everyone safe and to minimise stress.
What should I feed my puppy?
Puppies are largely carnivores but will also eat some plant-based foods. Puppies naturally wean off their mother’s milk at around 8-12 weeks of age. Wild dogs feed their young with prey animal carcases.
How do I introduce a new dog or puppy to children?
It is important that when a new dog or puppy is being introduced, that this is done very carefully and ensuring that children are directly supervised at all times.
What should I do when I bring home a new puppy?
Before bringing home a new puppy, make sure that you can fully commit to the lifelong responsibilities of caring for a dog. Welcoming an animal into your household is an important decision.
How should I exercise my puppy?
Providing puppies with the opportunity to exercise is a very important aspect of their care. Apart from providing various health benefits, exercising also provides a good opportunity for your puppy to socialise with other friendly puppies, dogs and people too, which is vital for their behavioural development.
How can I socialise my puppy?
There are many ways that you can make sure that your puppy has lots of different and positive experiences that will help them grow into a happy and confident adult dog. Socialisation There is a ‘critical socialisation period’ for puppies between approximately 2. 5 to 14 weeks of age.
What vaccinations should my dog receive?
Vaccinations are an important part of caring for your dog as they can prevent or reduce the severity of infectious diseases such as canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus, and canine parvovirus, which can cause serious health consequences and even death.