Nearly all of our puppies have gone to their new homes, with only two left from Gloria's litter, a boy and a girl. The girl is one of our favorite dogs, and if she had AKC papers and we had room, we would keep her. She's a good mix of independent and people-loving. She is calm, confident, and is receptive to training and redirection. We think she's a gem. The boy is big, beautiful, and kind of a baby. We are working with him on frustration/impulse control. With only two puppies left, and the girl being a climber, they were put in the crate last night (first time for him). He screamed like he was being tortured. That's how he greeted us on waking up too. So, we are breaking him in for whoever gets him! He has many good qualities, and he should be a great dog for someone too. If you know of anyone looking for a puppy, we still have two!
Many of you are right here in San Diego; some of you came from pretty far away. All seem to be settling in nicely. Several questions came up at pickup, so I'll try to hit most of them in this blog.
Feeding: Puppies were fed Nutro Ultra Puppy, dry kibble, around 6am, noon, and 6pm. I could hear a few puppies in the middle of the night coughing, and/or dry heaving. Vet said it's acid reflux. Most likely their bodies are making gastric acid at midnight, expecting an every 6 hour meal, and not getting it. If you have one of those puppies, just keep doing what you are doing. They will adjust as they continue to acclimate to a rhythm of eating. Months from now, when you likely drop the noon feeding and change to a twice a day feed, they will likely do the same thing during that "missed" meal.
Water: We used filtered water here, and though that is not necessary, the filter removes alot of the chemicals in municipal water. So, they were a little spoiled here. Puppies should be drinking often.
Potty training, pee, & poo: What goes in, must come out. Your puppy likely pees often and poops almost immediately after eating, and maybe some other times. Puppies should pee several times a day. Poop should be a brown color and somewhere between mushy and formed. Puppies get loose stools easily and for a lot of reasons: stress, shots, deworming, consuming something they shouldn't have, as well as illnesses. Diarrhea is not normal for puppies. If they are having frequent diarrhea, explosive diarrhea, poo that is a really wrong color (ie bright yellow or bloody looking), they need to be evaluated promptly by a vet.
Training treats: Several people asked me what I like to use for training treats. There are several things I use! Most all of our dogs & puppies are highly food motivated, which makes positive reinforcement and shaping much, much easier! I sometimes just use kibble, their normal Nutro Ultra. A step up is tiny bits of string cheese. It is so easy to pinch off tiny pieces while training. Hard cheese are highly desirable too. Caveat: I recently read that there is a high percentage of dogs that are lactose intolerant, so cheese could potentially cause them to have some indigestion/ loose stools. You can try and see how your dog responds. Their brain and mouth may be motivated for cheese, but if the rest of their body revolts, it's time to try something else! My secret weapon treat is either rotisserie chicken or freeze dried liver treats. All dogs I've had are highly motivated for it, so use it for things that are harder for the dog to do/learn. Liver treats are very rich, so break them into very tiny pieces. I find most freeze dried liver is in blocks and hard to break, but this brand is thin and easy to break into small pieces: https://www.amazon.com/PureSnacks-Liver-Freeze-Dried-Treats-14-4oz/dp/B07H7L5758/ref=sr_1_176?crid=3V9UMOHZ2BLSP&keywords=liver+treats+for+dogs&qid=1642608851&sprefix=liver+treats%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-176
Vets: People ask me for recommendations. We love 1) East County Large Animal Practice in Blossom Valley, and though all of the vets there are great, we use Dr. Bear, who specializes in small animals. We like them for several reasons including: it's a farm-like atmosphere and our dogs are relaxed there, unlike any other vet. You never know what you are going to see there; we've seen pigs, goats, horses, etc waiting to be seen when we've gone, which is fun for everyone. Also, we feel that they take a very grounded, common sense approach to vet care, and are not always trying to tack on heavy extra fees. The only negatives about ECLAP is that it's a drive if you don't live in East County, and they are very backed up for appointments, so I usually use them only for preventive care. You can call for a same day appointment, but are unlikely to get one. They will often give over the phone advice if you are an established client. For urgent matters, I use our local Banfield Hospital, or El Cajon Valley Pet Hospital. ECVPH takes walk-ins only, and you need to check in before noon and you'll likely wait in your car awhile to be seen. Banfield is a chain, and we personally have had good experiences with them when we have needed urgent care.
Immunizations: Legally speaking, the only required vaccine is Rabies. They must be at least 3-4 months old to get it, and it is required prior to obtaining a dog license, which is also required by law by 5 months old I believe. Though not required by law, I highly recommend a full round of DHPP vaccines. This usually means 3-4 of them spread out every 3-4 weeks (or about once a month) until they are over 16 weeks of age. To understand why they need several, read my blog on vaccines/ immunizations. I gave all of these puppies their first DHPP at 7 1/2 weeks old.
Vulnerable: Remember now is the time your puppy is most vulnerable to getting sick. Mama's antibodies that crossed the placenta and were in her breastmilk are waning or done, and your puppy has not had enough shots to fight off a bad infection yet. So be careful with your puppy and focus on bonding with them and taking them out places while protecting them by holding them, putting them in a puppy backpack or enclosed stroller, etc. IT's great for them to get out and explore the world with you! Just treat them with the same protective care as you would a newborn baby. Many germs are transferred on shoes, so it's a good practice also to take shoes off when you get home and put them somewhere safe (this keeps the germs from tracking through your house where puppy could step on them and then acquire the germs, and it also keeps your shoes safe from becoming a chew toy!). I started taking Maya to a puppy socialization class after her second round of shots, where the leaders of the class checked to make sure all puppies had also received a certain amount of immunizations.
Recommendations: For training, my favorite reference is still Baxter & Bella. I think they offer such a great variety of training skills, games, and practical advice, from bringing puppy home through prep for taking an AKC Canine Good Citizen test , and offer virtual and phone appointments with trainers if necessary. The cost for a lifetime membership to their online puppy school, and access to trainers and groups, etc, is about $240. They gave us a discount code: bennettgoldens that offers a 25% discount from that. There are many, many resources out there, and many opposing views on training which can be confusing. I always like to hear what other's like and feel is a good reference. For those who are new to raising a puppy, and are nervous about what's normal/abnormal, or just want to have reminders as to when to get your shots, etc, you may want to consider Banfield Hospital's Optimum Wellness Plan. For a monthly fee, it includes all of your puppy shots, and other preventive services such as deworming, fecal checks, etc. It covers a couple of wellness head to toe exams in the first year, and unlimited office visits to see the vet for evaluation. If the puppy needs X-rays, bloodwork, etc, that would be an additional charge; but to just get the vet's initial opinion, it's included. In using my local Banfield, I have received good and fair care there. If you get this plan, let me know how you like it!
To all of you in the Bennett Goldens family, Thank You again for choosing us. Enjoy your little buddies!!! Take lots of pictures because they grow sooooo fast!
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