When to Spay or Neuter

This question will come up quickly with your veterinarian. Please be aware, if your vet advocates for pediatric spay or neuter.....look for a new vet!!! I have seen time and time again. Folks being talked(scared) into "fixing" their pup as early as 9 or 10 weeks old!!!! Not only is this HORRIBLE for the prime  house training and socialization time (not to mention a cone on their head during their fear period), those drawbacks are nothing compared to the possible long term negative health affects. I can spot every pup of mine who's owner was talked into pediatric "fixing" by how HUGE they become and how disproportionate their bodies are. Their growth plates just don't close when they need to!!! For large breed dogs this can cause serious bone and joint issues. We sell all our pups with a spay and neuter contract. My advise is to wait until 6 months, 1 year or so if you can. If you feel like you can let you female have her first heat cycle before spaying...GREAT!!! If you can wait until after the first year to neuter your male... Wonderful!!! Any behavior problems people will try to convince you will befall your in tact male are easily avoided by daily exercise and basic training. And a heat cycle is no big deal. They sell dog diapers to keep you house in order ;) Yes, there may be a bit more responsibility on your part for the first year of life, but it is an investment worth making!

Happy Reading.....

http://cpt-training.com/recent-research-raises-concerns-regarding-early-spayingneutering/

Socializing

When you get your pup home I cannot stress how important it will be to continue their socialization! Take them with you everywhere you go whenever possible. You will need to get creative to minimize their exposure to disease, most notably, the PARVO virus. Keep them off the dirt and grass where other puppies frequent. Your main goal is to keep them from contaminated canine feces. DO NOT GO TO DOG PARKS!!!!!Keep them in your arms or in the cart at pet stores. Keep taking these precautions  until they are finished with all their vaccinations, usually about 12 weeks old. When we are out on socializing outings we take a towel to put the pups down on, use a stroller or bike trailer, keep them up on chairs, etc.  Concrete and asphalt are generally fairly safe as long as it has a good deal of sun exposure, the UV rays will kill the Parvo virus on these surfaces. But you do need to be careful of surfaces that are too hot for tiny paws in the summer. Take water. Get creative. Have fun!

Service Dogs

It looks like we have quite a few families needing service/assistance dogs. For those of you that will be training your Newfypoo for service work I highly recommend starting a log or blog as soon as the puppy arrives in your home! More on this......

http://www.anythingpawsable.com/challenge-2014-service-dog-training-log/#.WTORVRSzWlI