Amber's Nursery

Supervision & Crate Use:

• Make sure you supervise your puppy at all times! This will prevent unwanted destruction (furniture, shoes, etc), possible illnesses if you puppy were to ingest something toxic and accidents. If the pup poops in another room or chews the remote, is it really his/her fault?When you cannot supervise your puppy use a crate or baby gates to restrict your pup's access to only puppy safe areas.  
• To prevent nighttime accidents, do not allow the puppy to drink water or eat right before he/she goes to sleep for the night.  
• If you chose to use a create, keep the crate out of direct sunlight and away from drafts! Place it in a cool area near a lot of people activity. Make sure you can hear the puppy while he/she is in their crate. If the room is warm, it is even warmer in the crate. Dogs do not sweat - their main way to regulate body temperature is through panting. If you see your dog panting in his crate, he is hot and can "over heat" if you are not careful.  
• At night, the crate or bed should be in a bedroom so there is still some social contact between you and your puppy. You want to be able to hear your puppy when he/she asks to be let out. How would you know when your puppy needs to go pee if the crate is in the basement? Also, sharing your sleep area with your pup helps strengthen the bond between you and your puppy.
• When the pup is in his crate, remove all collars. Some dogs have choked to death when their collars snagged on the wire door/windows.
• The pup should not be left in the crate for long periods of time. A simple formula is used to determine a ballpark time limit for the length of crate time: 1 hour for every month of age + 1 hour. For example, an 8 week old pup should not stay in the crate for over 3 hours. The only exception is when the pup goes to sleep for the night. Most pups will be OK for about 4-6 hours in the beginning.
• Take your puppy out to his/her potty spot immediately after he exits the crate. Use a keyword like "pee", "go potty" or "hurry up" and praise the puppy when the deed is done. When the puppy asks to be let out to pee or poop, take him out NOW, not when it is convenient for you. Your puppy is small and so is his bladder! 
• Vacuum regularly. Don’t forget to vacuum the crate and keep it clean.
• The crate is not to be used for punishment.
•  When out of the crate, your pup should have some sort of identification. Use personalized collars, tags and/or microchips.

 Feeding/Treats:

• Look for a premium puppy food. The quality is generally higher, with less filler.
•  Most people will agree that some human food is not only OK, but good for dogs. Do not feed table scraps. If you do chose to give your puppy safe human foods, put the food in his/her bowl and give it to him in his regular eating area.
  • There is a long list of BAD foods, some of which are: chocolate, especially baking chocolate, pasta noodles (or anything that will expand in water), green potatoes, alcohol, certain types of nuts (macademia nuts can cause paralysis), onions, grapes are just a few. Any extra snack foods should be given in small amounts. If in doubt, don’t give it to your pup.
  • If you would like a list of the bad foods for your dog please feel free to e-mail us. We send our puppies home with this list in their puppy pack.

 Grooming, Socialization/Training & Health:

•  Do not give frequent baths. This may dry the skin out and excessive flaking is VERY visible on black dogs. Instead, brush your dog regularly and give him/her a bath as needed (moisturizing shampoo is sold for dogs to help with this problem).
• Training your pup is very important. Ask your breeder or vet for contacts. Make sure your training methods and signals are consistent. Commands such as come, heel, sit, stay and down are very important for your puppy to learn.
•  Make sure your puppy has social contact with people and other dogs. A well socialized dog makes for a better pet! A puppy is much easier to socialize than a grown dog.
• Do not confuse aggression with loyalty and protectiveness. Avoid games like "Tug of War" since it will reinforce natural aggressiveness.
•  Make sure your dog is getting his puppy shots. Do not expose him to areas where stray dogs may frequent. Remember that your puppy can still become sick even after he completes his puppy shots.
• It is beneficial to spay/neuter your puppy as early as your vet suggests (usually around 6 months of age). An altered male doesn’t get fat because of the procedure (which is a widely spread rumor). However, by doing so you will eliminate his chance of testicular cancer. You will also prevent roaming and, if done early, you may also reduce marking (and eliminate inappropriate marking - indoors, on people, etc.). Aggressiveness may also be reduced. The chance of unwanted or inappropriate breeding is eliminated. There are many other benefits, ask your vet. 
• Puppy-proof your entire house. A few dangerous parts of your home include the garage, kitchen and bathrooms. Innocent items like socks, dental floss and plastic bags can be deadly to a puppy if eaten. Anti-freeze is also deadly, even in small amounts. Conceal electrical cords and identify all of the poisonous plants in your house and yard.
•  Do not let any child walk the puppy. A small child cannot control an active puppy. One parent can control the dog while a child holds a second leash.
•  Make sure to pick up after your dog when out in public and remember that many inconsiderate people do not. Look out for these areas and steer your puppy clear of these spots since many diseases can be transferred in this way.
•  Don’t buy expensive dog beds until you are sure that your pup will not chew it.
•  Make sure your puppy has appropriate chew toys. Supervise your pup with new toys. Nylabones and Kongs are great for aggressive chewers. Avoid rope toys, raw-hyde chews and chew hooves with your puppy as they are unable to digest raw-hyde or hoof pieces if they were to break off.
•  Your pup will begin to lose his teeth at about 5-6 months of age. 
•  Supervise all play activities with children and other dogs. Make sure all play is age-appropriate. Avoid open play with older and/or larger dogs. Dogs display very obvious body language that you can read. This will alert you to an aggressive, fearful, playful, etc. dog.  If your pup displays submissive body language to another dog, don’t get angry because you may think he is a wimp. Rather be thankful that he knows "doggie language". If you suspect behavioral problems (i.e. too submissive), consult your vet or trainer. You do not want your dog to become a bully or a doormat.