Bowls for food and water

For the puppy, you will need three bowls: for the dry and moist diet, as well as for water. In order not to spoil the taste of food and water, it is advisable to use ceramic dishes.

Leash and collar

Puppy can be immediately accustomed to walking, if it has all the vaccinations. To do this you will need a collar and a leash. First, use a short leash, because it will help to teach the puppy of such commands as "come".

Toys

If your pet will stay at home alone, take care that it has enough toys – so it does not spoil things. You can buy toys, bones, which will be needed not only for the game, but also for cleaning the teeth of the puppy from the plaque. To spend time on the street is active and fun, you will also need toys for it – it can be frisbee, balls and the like.

Carrying

To ensure that your pet feels as comfortable as possible when traveling, moving or visiting a vet, he needs a convenient box for transportation. If you are planning a long trip, it can be a plastic carrier, and for walks or moving home you can buy a box of cloth or leather.

Place to sleep

Depending on which place you plan to equip for the puppy to sleep on, you can purchase a special sunbed, blanket or sofa.

Means for care

To care for the puppy, you will need a special dog shampoo, a nail clipper, an ear cleaning lotion and a combing brush.

Preparing your home for the puppy

To ensure that the puppy moves comfortably around the apartment / house, check if there is enough room for it. Perhaps you need to do a rearrangement of furniture, hide cables, securities, and make a closed

The period of intensive growth

The puppy grows intensively from birth up to six months – it forms musculature and a skeleton, its teeth change, the digestive system develops. During this period, the diet of the pet requires special attention.

What kind of diet does the puppy need at the age of one to six months?

From 3 to 6 months puppies need a high–calorie diet, containing calcium and phosphorus in sufficient quantities, as well as proteins of animal origin.

The period of skeletal and muscular development

Although at the age of 6–7 months the puppy's growth stops, the skeleton and muscles begin to develop actively. During this period, one should heed the recommendations of the vets and reduce the caloric content of the diet in order to avoid stress on the joints.

The growth completion period

Medium–sized dogs should switch to adult food at the age of 12 months, and large – after 24 months. At this age, the basic growth is completed, and the need for a high–calorie diet is significantly reduced.

It is at this time it will be necessary to reduce feeding to two times a day and henceforth always adhere to such a regime. For large dogs, it is important not to overload the joints, therefor it is necessary to monitor the optimal weight of the pet.

0–2 Months

Beginning of the dog’s life

It is very important that the puppy receives colostrum from his mother, because colostrum contains a huge amount of proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and antibodies.

Development of the puppy

Puppies are born blind and deaf: their ear canals are closed. The eyes open only 8 days after birth, and the ear canals fully open until the 14th – 15th day of life. After the birth, the puppies are almost helpless and completely dependent on the mother, who is the source of heat, feeds them, licks and massages the children, activating the digestion process.

How to toilet train the puppy?

 The puppy can be trained to go to the toilet on a training pad. This skill is taught to puppies at the age of 1,5–2 months.

What is needed for that?

• First, limit the space where the puppy is allowed to go. There, place the pad. 
• This territory should not contain other soft objects – carpets, litter, etc., which the puppy can confuse with the pad. 
• Dogs love consistency – so stick to where the puppy's toilet will be. 
• You need to be prepared for "unforeseen situations" but do not yell at the pet. 
• On the contrary, praise the puppy if it has successfully done its job.

2–4 months

How to choose a diet for the puppy when it switches to self–feeding?

At the age of two months the puppy should completely switch to self–feeding. For a proper start in life, you must choose a diet that meets the needs of the puppy's body. What do you need to consider when choosing a diet?

• Firstly, it is the age of the puppy – puppies require a special diet, three times more calories than for an adult dog and much more proteins, vitamins and minerals per kilogram of weight.
• Secondly, it is the size of the breed. Bear in mind that dogs of small breeds grow faster than dogs of large breeds, so they need special diets. 
• Third, are the individual needs of your puppy. If your puppies have sensitive digestion, allergic reactions, weakened immunity system, use the special diet of hypoallergenic Optimeal, which takes into account the peculiarities of digestion of puppies. 

4–7 months

Puppy’s teeth change

The change of teeth, from milk to permanent, occurs in puppies from 3–4 months up to 6–7 months.

During this period, it is necessary to closely monitor the formation of molars. It is extremely important to notice the wrong development in time and contact the veterinarian.

How to care for the puppy's teeth: 

Regularly brush the teeth of the puppy and remove dental plaque.

Contact the veterinarian for an oral examination – by the way, this procedure can be combined with vaccination.

Enter dry food into the diet of the puppy, it promotes the mechanical removal of plaque from the teeth.

How to feed the puppy?

The feeding regimen and diet during this period should correspond to the needs of the puppy. Growing up, the puppy becomes more demanding, but it is necessary to strictly observe the norms so as not to overfeed the animal – it can provoke deformation of the joints and bones due to the accelerated growth of the muscles. 

Remember that dogs of small breeds grow faster than dogs of large breeds, so they need a suitable diet – with a higher energy value.

7–9 months

Do you sterilize, or castrate, the puppy?

If you do not plan to breed, and have decided to sterilize, or castrate, the dog, contact the veterinarian and ask him a few questions: 

• Is your dog's age being suitable for the surgery?
• What are the characteristics of the breed to pay attention to?
• How should the puppy's diet change after the castration/sterilization?
• How to prepare the puppy for the operation?
• How to help the puppy to recover from the anesthesia? 
• How to care for the puppy after the intervention?

Deworming and vaccination should be done before the operation. Within a week after castration, you should monitor the overall condition of the dog, condition of the seam and follow all the recommendations of the vet.

9–12 months

Third vaccination

To ensure that your dog has permanent immunity from the main infections – plague, enteritis, parainfluenza, infectious hepatitis, and rabies, at the end of the 12 months, the final third vaccination is carried out. It is necessary to conduct deworming of the pet 10 – 12 days before the vaccination.

After the third vaccination of the dog, vaccinations should be carried out once a year.

How to choose the right diet for the puppy?
 

If you chose the diet of industrial production, you can be sure that the pet will receive all the necessary elements, minerals and vitamins.

Dogs of different breeds, depending on the size, differ in their nutritional needs. The diet for small breeds should be more high–calorie, in fact, small puppies spend almost twice more energy, than puppies of large breeds.

Dogs of large breeds are prone to disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, diet should contain sulfates of glucosamine and chondroitin – to strengthen the arthrodial cartilage and ligament apparatus. 

State of health

• In addition, each breed has its own health characteristics. Despite this, choose a diet that will provide disease prevention and help to maintain a good health of your dog.
• For the health of the digestive system, diets containing a large number of prebiotics and digestible carbohydrates should be preferred. 

How to care for the puppy

Oral Care 

The oral cavity of the dog needs regular care. To brush its teeth, get a veterinary toothpaste and a veterinary toothbrush. For the puppy to get used to the process and feel minimal stress, first let him taste the paste.

If the puppy regularly gnaws hard bones, this is a sign of good dental health.