Puppy Care 101 – A Vet Explains How to Care for Your New Pup

Puppies are the cutest little creatures that walk among us. They make us care for them, love them, and hug them. But looking after them and their health is not an easy task. That’s why we asked Dr. Saba to write about puppy care 101. The more you know about your puppy’s health, the more likely you are to raise it into a happy, healthy dog.

As you know, a growing puppy needs a lot of food which supplies nutrients and energy to the puppy’s body. For a good and healthy life for your puppy, you may find many different things that help your puppy and you. Some habits include teaching a puppy a bathroom routine, providing good quality food, and preparing your puppy with good manners.

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Establish consistent rules and routines – reward your puppy for good behavior and ignore their bad behavior. Feed them good food on the same performance with small and regular meals.

Puppy Care 101 – Two to Eight Weeks Old

Puppies need good food that help their growth and provide them with nutrients and energy. Their bodies are growing critically, so you need to select a good food to help their bodies grow fast. According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement, you should choose the food according to your puppy’s body requirements.

By 8 weeks, the puppy is ready to leave its mother. It will help if you focus on your puppy’s basic needs, like drinking, eating, sleeping, and playing. Some of the methods of your puppy care are:

Basic care:

• Your home is the puppy home
• Get the bed for your puppy
• Select the right toys for your puppy
• Follow a suitable vaccination schedule

Feeding:

• Purchase dog food that is specially formulated for puppies
• Feed your puppy on a schedule
• Provide puppy with fresh, clean water at all times

Training and socializing:

• Take your puppy outside regularly to eliminate in the same place
• Teach the puppy your basic commands
• Introduce your puppy to your different sounds and sights
• Provide lots of opportunities for your puppy to interact with people

Newborn Puppy Care 101

A newborn puppy should be supplied with a clean, sterile environment. They spend the first few weeks in the box where they open their eyes, so it is important to choose a good and hygienic environment for the newborn puppy.

Puppies will become more active by the second week’s end or the start of the third week. Now, they can be shifted to a big room to play in, but bathroom cleanup should be given more attention.

Newborn puppies also produce more heat and give out more warmth based on their rapidly growing bodies. Therefore, they get close and affectionate with their mom and give warmth to each other. You can use a heat lamp as a source to perfect their environment.

Mothers support their young ones for their needs; therefore, they are to be fed several servings of quality puppy food throughout the day to ensure that they are fed enough to serve their pups. Puppies should be inspected regularly for any signs of infection that can be remedied easily.

2-Week-Old Puppy Care 101

When the puppies are of 1 week, their eyes still are closed. They open their eyes by 2 weeks, usually 10 and 16 days of age; at this time, they are not able to see. They will open their eyes slowly, and you will see different shades of their eyes.

Puppies’ ears begin to spread around the time the eyes do. They will continue developing hearing till the puppies are about five weeks old. It is all about physical appearance.

Puppies take the first two weeks of their life to their sleep and eat as there have been some major changes going on in their body, and several organs are being developed. After that, they start to see, hear, and walk.

And by 21 days of age, they start to explore their world. This is the time when the socializing process starts as well. 

4-Week-Old Puppy Care 101

In the first month, mothers will care for their little ones, and the owners or caretakers need little to no effort. Caretakers should supply a good environment for the puppies and the mother to nurture the young and check up on them from time to time.

The mother should be monitored to ensure that she produces adequate and normal-appearing milk for the pups to feed them. Puppies need extreme care, and as caretakers, you are to provide them with as much care as possible to help them grow into adorable and loving puppies.

The good news is, as puppies become more active, you’ll start to see their unique personalities emerge.

6-Week-Old Puppy Care 101

Puppies of 6 weeks’ age are a nice package of fun and are very adorable. They appear more independent and fun at this age, so bring them home if you consider doing so. Puppies’ weight depends on many factors when they are of 6 weeks.

If his parents were bigger than average, he would be too. Your six-week-old puppy has a full set of baby teeth – if not, he will have a full collection within the next week or two.

8-Week-Old Puppy Care 101

The 6-8 weeks is the age when the puppies are weaned off their mothers and are shifted from the liquid or semi-solid diet to a solid diet. It is recommended that a puppy of 2 months should take four meals per day, formulated for pups depending on their size and weight.

Since puppies are growing and thus require energy for several metabolic processes, they need twice the energy as adults. The more energy, the better their growth and better body development into a healthy young dog.

Puppy Care 101 – Keeping Your Pup Healthy into Old Age

For dogs, you need to be careful just as you are around humans as they start to grow. As their caregiver, you need to look for all the necessary steps to ensure their health, brought up, and nourishment to help them enjoy their life and the life of their owner for a healthy and active relationship between them both.

Have a dog foster or rescue success story? We’d love to hear that too! Tell us your pup’s heartwarming tale of how you met, the challenges you faced, and of course what your furry friend is up to now! Success stories are a great way to encourage others to choose to rescue!