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| Sarah & her newly named puppy, Joe. |
Hi Everyone,
Sorry to make you wait just over a week for a new update. I'm just busy trying to make sure puppies are cared for and are ready to go home with all of you in less than a week! Within the past week, puppies have gone to the vet, received their health stamps of approval, got their first shots, and were microchipped.
Dave & I have officially selected Purple girl & Turquoise girl, now named Dallas & Eve, respectively.
After communicating with everyone, things have fallen into place for puppy selection as follows:
- Melissa's family will get Pink girl, whose name will be Rosemary.
- Kate & Bryan will be taking Blue boy, whose new name is Jackson.
- Sarah & Chris will be taking Green boy, whose new name is Joe
.... these previous two names together make me think of Shoeless Joe Jackson!
- Pam's family will be taking Red boy, whose new name is Buzz, short for Sir Buzzington ;)
I'm now in the process of setting up times for puppy pick-ups with everyone. If I haven't set a definite pick-up time with you yet, don't worry, as I'll be getting in contact with you in the next couple of days to do so. I am also getting together all paperwork and supplies to send home. The following information is altered from a previous post, but should be helpful in helping you prepare for bringing your puppy home this week.
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As you prepare to bring your new
puppy home, you will need to start assembling supplies. The most
important item you will need to purchase will be a wire crate. I
recommend a Medium-sized crate with dimensions approximately 30” x 19” x 21” with
a wire divider that allows you to make a small space in the crate for while
puppy is little and widen the amount of space in the crate as puppy gets
bigger. The MidWest iCrate can be found at most local pet stores and is
perfect for crate training a beagle from puppyhood to adulthood.
I will get you started by
sending each puppy home with a nylon collar and leash, 2 toys, and a blanket
that has the scent of mom and littermates. All puppies will receive
enough 4 Health Puppy Chow (a premium brand sold at Tractor Supply) to last for
a week and I will send instructions for feeding and for transitioning to a new
diet, should you decide you would like to switch to another puppy food.
Puppies will also have paperwork accompanying them, including a print-out of
their pedigree, their AKC registration form, and their health record, which
will document any exams, treatments, and vaccinations the puppies received
while they were with us.
The
Big Day: Bringing Puppy Home
The day you finally get to bring your
puppy home is an exciting one – you’ve probably been eagerly making plans for
the big day and running those plans over and over again in your mind.
Just keep in mind that your new puppy is totally unaware of all the great
things you have in store for him or her and will be easily overwhelmed by all
of the new sights, sounds, and sensations he or she is about to
experience. Hopefully the following information will help make the transition
from our kennel to your home as easy as possible.
The
Car Ride
When you come to pick up your puppy,
you should make sure at least two people come along for the ride – one person
to drive and another person to hold the puppy. This will make sure to keep
the driver from being distracted and allow the passenger to concentrate on the
needs of the puppy during the ride home. If you are going to be
traveling a relatively short distance, this will be the one time when you will
hold the puppy for the entire car ride to help keep him or her feel safe and
secure. If you are going to be driving a distance of over an hour, you
may want to consider bringing a carrier along and having the puppy stay in the
carrier during the drive. Either way, make sure to bring at least
two towels – one for wrapping the puppy up in or lining the carrier, and
another as a spare, in case the puppy has an accident. You might want to
also bring a plastic bag to put soiled towels in and baby wipes to aid in
clean-up.
For a short drive, the
puppy is unlikely to have an accident if he or she is allowed to use the
bathroom before getting into the car. For a longer drive, the puppy
obviously is more likely to have an accident. This time only, in the
event of puppy’s first trip, resist the urge to stop off at a rest stop to
allow the puppy to relieve him or herself. You don’t want to potentially
expose the puppy to infectious diseases at a time when he or she is both under
stress and does not have full immunity. If puppy has an accident, merely
change out the soiled towel and provide him or her with a fresh one.
Potty training can start once you get him or her home.
Bathroom accidents aren’t
the only mess your puppy is likely to make in the car. It is not uncommon
for puppies to get sick to their stomachs when they travel in the car due to
the unfamiliarity of everything, not to mention the overwhelming sounds,
vibrations and other sensations. To help make the trip a little easier on
puppy stomachs, we will withhold a puppy’s food in the hours prior to the car
ride home and you can feed puppy once he or she gets home.
Finally
Home!
To start things off on the right foot
with your new puppy, you should plan to set aside plenty of devoted time to
spend with him or her, Once you get home with your puppy, take him or her
directly to the area you have selected as the designated potty area. Once
he or she uses the bathroom (probably just urine), praise puppy and bring him
or her inside your home. Initially, you will want puppy to get limited
access to the house. (Allow him or her to get acclimated to an area
before expanding access little by little over a period of days.)
Introduce puppy to the crate. The crate should be placed in a location
where the family spends most of their time and should be covered with a blanket
(except for the opening) to make it cave-like. Place the blanket with his
or her mom’s and littermates’ scents inside, along with a toy or two. Let
puppy explore the crate, but don’t lock the door behind him or her. You
can also offer a few kibbles of food or some treats in the crate to begin to
form a positive association. Now you are off to the right start!
Please refer to other resources to get more details on proper crate
training. (I will be providing copies of some of my favorite articles to
each of you to help out.)
