Preparing for a Puppy

It has to be one of the best feelings in the world! Its finally time, you’re bring home your new puppy!

 

But what have you done to prepare?

 

I imagine you’ve done the usual:

-        New bed

-        Matching bowls

-        Cute collar and lead

-        Toys

-        Treats

-        Food

-        Poo bags (So, so many poo bags!)

But have you thought of these in depth?

 

The size, thickness, and material of bed?

 

The height and depth of the bowls?

 

The thickness & material of the collar? The length of the lead?

 

The type and variety of toys?

 

The type of treats & the calorie count?

 

The brand of food?

 

… The poo bags are probably fine!

I know these things seem trivial, but little adjustments and changes can help your puppy grow and develop in the best way.

 

For example, if you are getting a small breed puppy, you don’t want a huge, high bed for them.

 

Leaping in and out of it, or the thick & soft padding, that doesn’t give much support whilst they sleep may have negative effects of the musculoskeletal system.

 

Probably nothing that’ll affect them right now, but these small changes during growth, can have a massive impact in later life.

 

Now, I don’t want to go into each little aspect of ‘should’ & ‘shouldn’t’ of owning a puppy.

 

There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ method & every dog breed, and owner combination will have differences.  

 

But I do have a few key points that I really think should be considered for a young puppy:

-        Using a fitted harness over a collar for walks

-        Having a variety of toy textures

-        Calorie intake

-        Exercise amount

-        Home environment

 

Using a harness over a collar

 

When a puppy is learning to walk on a lead, they are going to make mistakes.

 

Most commonly, they are going to forget they are on a lead & go to chase after the bird that just flew off, or see the cat over there, or run for that dropped piece of cheese!

 

When this happens, their quick burst of speed will come to an abrupt halt when they reach the end of the lead.

 

[Just as a side note – do not use retractable leads on a collar! You’re asking for a broken neck!]

 

You can imagine the effects this abrupt halt would have on the delicate tissues and developing neck vertebrae.

 

It is much better to use a fitted harness at this stage.

It will spread the forces by the abrupt half across the breastbone of the chest, a much larger surface area, reducing the chance of injury.

 

Its is very important to get a harness fitted correctly, or you run the risk of damaging the front legs, base of neck and pectoral muscles.

 

Once the puppy can walk on the lead correctly, you can return to just a collar.

 

Having a variety of toy textures

 

This is something I discovered when I got my dog, Poppy. She was 8 weeks old when I got her and was my first puppy. (Hence why her pictures are all the way through this blog!)

 

I would take her to weekly puppy classes at our local vet, this was so beneficial to get her socialising with other puppies, asking the host questions and sharing stories with other puppy owners.

 

Teething was one of main concerns, as I was in a rented property & couldn’t risk her chewing up doors and skirting boards. I also wanted to avoid as much of the puppy nipping as possible!

 

This is where I was told to have a variety of toys, as these will help with teething both from a physical and behavioural standpoint for the puppy. 

You want 3 main types of toy:

-        Big, soft, and squashy.

-        Firm, but with some give – i.e., rubber teething toys.

-        Hard – i.e., deer antlers.

As puppies go through teething, they’ll experience different levels of discomfort, sometimes it’ll be a sharper, stabbing pain, sometimes it’ll be a dull ache.

 

Having a variety of toy textures to mouth on, can alleviate some of this discomfort, it can also be good for redirection of behaviour.

 

For example - If the puppy is desperately trying to chew on the sofa – try to redirect with the soft, squashy toy.

 

It was something that Poppy really appreciated & I’m proud to say that she didn’t destroy anything in the house … although she did shred the bobble off my favourite bobble hat!

 

Calorie intake

 

This is one to check with your vet when taking the puppy for their check-ups and vaccinations.

 

Of course, growing puppies need plenty of nutrition to give then the energy they need to play and grow.

 

But, it is possible to over feed them.

An overweight puppy will be putting additional strain on bones and joints that are not fully formed yet.

 

They may also be less inclined to exercise enough, further preventing optimum development for joints, bones and muscles.

 

On the opposite end of the scale, underweight puppies will also have trouble developing.

 

This can lead to stunted growth and bone deformities due to the lack of nutrition, they will also have less energy and may not develop their soft tissues correctly.

 

Most brands of puppy food will have feeding guidelines on the packet.

 

These will allow you to work out how much to feed based on the puppy’s breed, size, sex, and exercise level.

 

Again, but sure to consult with the vet if you believe your puppy may be under or overweight.

 

Exercise amount

 

Now, this is a tricky one.

 

A lot of vets will give you a guideline of ‘5 minutes of exercise per month of age, once or twice a day’

 

This is excluding free play with toys and other dogs – however excessive running and rough play with older or bigger dogs should be monitored and limited where necessary.

 

This isn’t a bad outline and gives owners a base line to work with.

 

The idea is to prevent over-exertion which can place too much strain on a growing musculoskeletal system.

 

However, this really needs to be dependent on the dog’s breed, temperament, and their home environment. i.e., a puppy who has access to a large garden, may require less focused exercise than a puppy who is living in a small flat with a balcony.

 

For some, this will be too little exercise in the day, possibly leading to destructive behaviours due to boredom and excessive energy.

 

For others, this could be too much, resulting in excess strain on a delicate, growing musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system.

 

The best thing is to observe your puppy and see how they behave during exercise and what they seem to prefer. Of course, if you are unsure, it is best to consult with your vet, or a certified dog trainer.

 

Home environment

 

I imagine that many of you with a puppy incoming would have ‘puppy-proofed’ the house as much as possible.

 

Ensured that breakable, valuable and electrical wires were out of the way, and given the puppy a designated space to sleep and play when unsupervised.

 

However, there are a few extra little bits to consider that are very important when considering puppy growth and health.

 

The first one is slippy floors – wood, lino, tiles etc.

Now, I understand this is a bit of a conundrum, as puppies are going to accidently toilet in the house, and a hard floor is considerably easier to clean than a carpet or rug!

 

But these slippy floors mean that the puppy is much more likely to slip, and injure themselves. Especially when they are running and playing.

 

The best thing to do, is buy cheap runners from home bargains, or a similar store.

 

These are often machine washable and provide additional grip, allowing a safer area for your puppy (and older dogs too!)

 

Slippy floors are also a real danger on stairs.

 

Of course, if your puppy is going to live downstairs, this is a moot point.

 

But those of you (us) that have our dogs in bed with us, the stairs are an important consideration.

 

Having a carpet runner going up the stairs will significantly help with traction, reducing the risk of slips and falls.

 

Similarly, the staircase pictured below, is every animal professional’s worst nightmare!

 

When a dog is travelling down these stairs, its very easy for a front leg to slip backwards and end up between the steps.

 

The momentum of the dog falling forwards will then likely result in a clean facture of the radius or ulna, and possible dislocation of the shoulder or elbow joint.

 

It may sound extreme but sadly is fairly common with these staircases.

 

Stairs themselves should always be ascended and descended slowly by puppies; very young puppies should be carried.

 

This is due to the strain that running up or downstairs can put on the lower back, hip joints, and forelimbs.

 

 These are my main considerations for young puppies.

 

Again, I thoroughly recommend consulting with an animal professional whilst your puppy is growing and training, as it will allow you to ask questions and get advice.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments about topics you’d like me to write about, or any suggestions to improve my blogs.

 

For any other information, or to book a veterinary physiotherapy appointment, please contact me directly.

 

All the best,

Emma, The Biomechanic.

BSc(Hons), FdSc, MIRVAP, RAMP

07861195709

emma@the-biomechanic.co.uk

www.the-biomechanic.co.uk