If you’ve just acquired a puppy, it would be nice if they came with a manual. Since puppies do not, we have some general guidelines to share with you regarding the first few weeks and months of having a puppy in your life.
Did you know the USA has the most dogs per country on Earth, with over 78 million? And get this: 5 million puppies are born in the USA each year. That’s a lot of puppies!
When they’re born, puppies don’t yet see or hear, or have teeth. Those come in time. Like newborn babies, puppies sleep a lot—sometimes up to 14 hours per day.
At 6-weeks-old, puppies should be fully weaned from their mother. From 6-weeks-old to 6-months-old, the time when most people acquire their puppies from stores or breeders, is when it’s important to feed them three times a day. Eventually, after they get past 6 months of life, you can adjust their feeding schedule to twice daily.
Around 12 to 16 weeks of age is a good time to start housebreaking your puppy. It’s important to teach them to go outside of the house or apartment to use the bathroom, rather than on your floors and carpets. The best times to take your puppy outside to do their “business” include first thing in the morning, after meals, after naps, before you leave for work or other activities, when you come home from work, and before bedtime.By months 4, 5 or 6, your puppy should be completely housebroken.
At Pauley’s Pups, we think it’s a wise decision to get your puppy spayed or neutered when so many animals live in pet shelters due to overpopulation. The best time to have the procedure done is when your puppy is about 8-weeks-old. This is also a good time to have your puppy receive key vaccinations: distemper, rabies, hepatitis, and parvovirus.
For more tips for caring for your new puppy, check out the infographic below: