Puppy Care

While your puppy was here it was de-wormed every 2 weeks.  It is important that you talk with your vet about an appropriate de-worming schedule, and that the puppy is kept on it.  Your puppy will also go home up-to-date on all vaccinations and will be started on Frontline at 6 weeks of age.  It is also important that the puppy is kept up-to-date on all vaccinations, flea, tick and heartworm control.  Your vet can help you set up an appropriate timeline for all of this.

Your puppy should be fed 3 times a day until it is at least 4 months of age.  Good times for this are 7am, noon, and 6pm.  It is harder to housetrain a puppy that has access to food at all times.  Make sure that you take food up when the puppy is done, so that it understands it must eat when offered food.   Guidelines for how much a puppy needs to eat are found on the back of the puppy food bag.  Measurements can vary depending on the type of food you are feeding.  Be sure that you are feeding a good quality food.  There are many articles available online to assist you with the process of selection.

Things that your puppy will need:

• Water and Feeding Bowls
• Puppy Food
• Crate w/ a Bed
• Soft Leash and Collar (no choke collar)
• Toys (nothing small enough to swallow)
• Puppy Shampoo and Conditioner
• Appropriate vaccinations, de-wormings, flea, tick and heartworm preventative

Grooming

Cavaliers are wash and go dogs. Their silky coat is not prone to matting, and is very easy care. You may want to bathe your Cavalier every 7 – 10 days.  A puppy shampoo and conditioner may be used.  It is best to brush your Cavalier before bathing and again after drying.  We recommend a soft slicker and a steel comb for grooming tools.  Toenails may be clipped.  It is a severe fault in the show ring if your Cavalier has had any clipping or trimming of its hair, other than around the pads of the feet.  With this in mind, it is perfectly fine to just wash-and –go!

Housetraining

Patience, Consistency, and Routine are very important for success!!  Puppies need their own secure sleeping area.  A crate works best.  Usually, a puppy will not soil their sleeping area unless there is no way for them to hold it any longer.  Puppies should not receive any water after 7 p.m. and no food after 6 p.m.  This time can be adjusted if the puppy is hot or has been playing and needs water.  The goal is for the bladder to be empty at bedtime.  About 20 minutes after the puppy has eaten, take it outside and give the command to “go potty”.  Take the puppy to the spot you’d like for it to go.  Make sure to praise the puppy when he/she goes outside.  Give the puppy at least several minutes to go.  Never let a puppy out of your sight when in the house.  You want to know if it is in need of going out (i.e. it is sniffing around, circling, etc.)  ALWAYS take a puppy outside as soon as it wakes up and shortly after eating and drinking.  If you cannot watch your puppy, put it in its crate. Always tell the puppy “outside” so it learns the command.  If you catch a puppy in the act of going in the house, pick him/ her up mid-accident and say “no” immediately take the puppy outside and give the command.   Showing a puppy where they went and telling them “no” firmly is fine.  Do not hit the puppy or rub its nose in it.  This can teach the puppy to fear or cower.  Remember that consistency, routine, and patience are essential for effective potty training.