You might want to take a blanket or towel to the toy puppy breeder’s home several days before bringing your puppy home. The goal here is to pick up the scent of the puppy, as well as his mother, littermates and breeder. When the toy puppy arrives in is new home he will have something soft to cuddle up with that smells just like his original home. This can be very comforting. It can be used in his bedding so the toy puppy has something he’s accustomed to smelling and sleeping on. One excellent choice in blankets for bedding is the soft hand made crochet blankets.

Changes in food and water can upset any dog’s digestive system. The toy puppy may be a little bit more susceptible illness with changes in food and water. If your breeder has found a complete and balanced diet that his/her dogs do well on, then by all means use the same food, at least until the toy puppy has adjusted to its new home, family and surroundings. If you must change the food, please make the change gradually.

A new owner should have a toy puppy layette ready well in advance of the day when puppy comes home. Read a couple of books about the toy breed you have selected. It helps to know a particular breed’s characteristics ahead of time. The adjustment process is easier if you know what to expect before you bring your new toy puppy home.

Toys should be purchased with safety in mind, with no loose parts that puppies can chew off. Check for eyes and other small parts that could be easily removed and swallowed. Teething toy puppies need plenty of chew toys and hard bones to help soothe the pain of teething.

When putting together your toy puppy’s layette, have several soft towels ready for bath time. Add a brush, comb, nail clipper and tearless shampoo to your shopping list along with a soft collar and leash. Consider buying the same type of food and water dishes the breeder has been using so the toy puppy will find them familiar.

Keep in mind that toy breed puppies lose body temperature very quickly in cold weather. You will need to have a coat, sweaters and cozy soft fleece t-shirts for your new toy puppy layette.

Bringing your toy puppy home should be a very happy occasion, but try to keep the excitement down so as not to frighten or upset the new puppy. Talk to the toy puppy in the car during the trip. Make sure you give him an opportunity to relieve himself before taking him inside your home, preferably in a special place for elimination you have chosen.

Take him to the room where he will be spending most of his time and let him explore the room. Be sure you have puppy-proofed the areas your toy puppy will be in before you bring him home. Electrical cords should not be exposed (he will chew on them). There should be nothing he can get into that might harm him. Keep your vet’s phone number near your telephone. Confining your new toy puppy to one room until he is housebroken is only being wise. You can allow the puppy to explore other areas once he is housebroken. Give him a toy, play with him gently, let him relieve himself and be sure he knows where his bed or crate is for nap times.

Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. Buy hand made crochet dog blankets, dog coats, sweaters and fleece t-shirts made especially for the toy breed dogs at: littleguysdogclothesshop.com littleguysdogclothesshop.com

Raising a puppie into a dog can be a very rewarding experience. It is like seeing a family member grow up, but in fast motion. Of course, I am talking about dogs not people. My wife, Barbara, and I raise Yorkies and Maltese and tend to think of them sometimes as family members. Except, these guys never need to borrow the car keys or stay out too late.

This morning, we had a litter of six Yorkies born. Both of us were on hand to help the mother. Most of the time, a mother dog doesn’t really need any help, but sometimes there are problems. I cut the umbilical cords and tie them with dental floss. The mother dog would ordinarily chew the umbilical cords into by herself. With some breeds, such as Yorkies, sometimes the mother has too much trouble turning around to reach the cord, so I am there to help.

After the puppies are born, we put them in a warm room in our house. They get a dry, clean, warm bed consisting of a wooden frame about 24 inches square made of 1 by 12 boards. There is no bottom. This square just sets upon a cloth pallet on the floor. For the first week, we insert a small heating pad beneath the pallet. If you buy the disposable bed pads made for human use, they are great for the mama and her babies to lay on.

We keep a close eye on the little family evey day. Make sure the puppies are warm and dry. You can tell when the puppies are warm…they will tend to spread out on their bedding. Cold puppies tend to bunch up tight to conserve body heat. Make sure the mother dog is clean and that all the puppies are nursing. The mother’s udder should be checked every day for milk production and infection. She will not go far from her puppies during the first few days, so bring her food and water very near to her.

For a mother dog to do well, she needs a quiet, secure place to be with her puppies. Stress can have a negative effect on the mother dog and her puppies. Keep other dogs away from her. Strange people can cause undue stress. Don’t bring in all your freinds and their children for the first several weeks.

A lactating mother dog uses a lot of calcium and should be given calcium pills each day. If she suddenly goes into shock, she may be too low on calcium and will need immediate attention from your vet.

For about a month, the mother will take care of most things. After a few weeks, the puppies will open their eyes and start trying to stand up and walk. Playing comes soon after. In about 4 to 5 weeks, the puppies will be ready to start eating solid food. A mixture of canned and dry food with a little water to soften it is a good first food. Then, slowly reduce the moisture content until the puppies and eating canned or dry food only.

Alton Hargrave offers advice and resources for those interested in a business online. His website, bigthicketonline.com bigthicketonline.com contains honest information regarding website software and low-cost solutions for your business.

Teaching a shih tzu puppy or a shih tzu dog proper socialization skills is vital to the safety of both your dog and other dogs and people with whom he comes into contact. A properly socialized shih tzu dog is a happy dog, and a joy to be around for both humans and animals. A poorly socialized shih tzu dog, or one with no socialization at all, is a danger to other animals, other people and even his own family.

Socialization is best done when the shih tzu puppy is as young as possible The socialization lessons a young shih tzu puppy learns are difficult to undo, and it is important to remember that the socialization skills the shih tzu puppy learns will affect his behavior for the rest of his life.

A shih tzu dog that is properly socialized will be neither frightened of nor aggressive towards either animals or humans. A properly socialized shih tzu dog will take each new experience and stimulus in stride, and not become fearful or aggressive. Shih tzu dogs that are not properly socialized often bite because of fear, and such a shih tzu dog can become a hazard and a liability to the family who owns it. Improperly socialized shih tzu dogs are also unable to adapt to new situations. A routine matter like a trip to the vets or to a friends house can quickly stress the shih tzu dog out and lead to all sorts of problems.

Socialization is best done when the shih tzu puppy is very young, perhaps around 12 weeks of age. Even after 12 weeks, however, it is important that the shih tzu puppy continues its socialization in order to refine the all important social skills. It is possible to socialize an older shih tzu puppy, but it is very difficult to achieve after the all important 12 week period has passed.

There are some definite do’s and don’t when it comes to properly socializing any shih tzu puppy. Let’s start with what to do. Later in this article we will explore what to avoid.

Socialization do’s

Make each of the socialization events as pleasant and non-threatening for the shih tzu puppy as possible. If a shih tzu puppy’s first experience with any new experience is an unpleasant one, it will be very difficult to undo that in the shih tzu puppy’s mind. In some cases, an early trauma can morph into a phobia that can last for a lifetime. It is better to take things slow and avoid having the shih tzu puppy become frightened or injured.

Try inviting your friends over to meet the new shih tzu puppy. It is important to include as many different people as possible in the shih tzu puppy’s circle of acquaintances, including men, women, children, adults, as well as people of many diverse ethnic backgrounds and ages.

Also invite friendly and healthy dogs and puppies over to meet your puppy. It is important for the shih tzu puppy to meet a wide variety of other animals, including cats, hamsters, rabbits and other animals he is likely to meet. It is of course important to make sure that all animals the shih tzu puppy comes into contact with have received all necessary vaccinations.

Take the shih tzu puppy to many different places, including shopping centers, pet stores, parks, school playgrounds and on walks around the neighborhood. Try to expose the shih tzu puppy to places where they will be crowds of people and lots of diverse activity going on.

Take the shih tzu puppy for frequent short rides in the car. During these rides, be sure to stop the car once in a while and let the puppy look out the window at the world outside.
Introduce your shih tzu puppy to a variety of items that may be unfamiliar. The shih tzu puppy should be exposed to common items like bags, boxes, vacuum cleaners, umbrellas, hats, etc. that may be frightening to him. Allow and encourage the shih tzu puppy to explore these items and see that he has nothing to fear from them.

Get the shih tzu puppy used to a variety of objects by rearranging familiar ones. Simply placing a chair upside down, or placing a table on its side, creates an object that your shih tzu puppy will perceive as totally new.

Get the shih tzu puppy used to common procedures like being brushed, bathed, having the nails clipped, teeth cleaned, ears cleaned, etc. Your groomer and your veterinarian with thank you for this.

Introduce the shih tzu puppy to common things around the house, such as stairs. Also introduce the shih tzu puppy to the collar and leash, so he will be comfortable with these items.
There are of course some things to avoid when socializing a shih tzu puppy. These socialization don’ts include:

Do not place the shih tzu puppy on the ground when strange animals are present. An attack, or even a surprise inspection, by an unknown animal could traumatize the shih tzu puppy and hurt his socialization.

Do not inadvertently reward fear based behavior. When the shih tzu puppy shows fear, it is normal to try to sooth it, but this could reinforce the fear based behavior and make it worse. Since biting is often a fear based behavior, reinforcing fear can create problems with biting.

Do not force or rush the socialization process. It is important to allow the shih tzu puppy to socialize at his own pace.

Do not try to do too much too soon. Young shih tzu puppies have short attention spans, and continuing lessons after that attention span has passed will be a waste of your time and your puppy’s.

Do not wait too long to begin. There is a short window in which to begin the socialization process. A young shih tzu puppy is a blank slate, and it is important to fill that slate with positive socialization skills as early as possible.

Connie Limon is a professional shih tzu breeder in Indiana. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: stainglassshihtzus.com stainglassshihtzus.com

Lymphoma, a deadly cancer of the lymphatic drainage system, is the most common cancer seen in cats and the common occurrence of lymphoma has been mainly linked to widespread infection with feline leukaemia virus (FeLV). However, many studies over the last few years have suggested that few cases of feline lymphoma are directly associated with FeLV infection (due to greater control of this virus through both testing and vaccination of cats).

Veterinary researchers have recently discovered the key factors linking the effects of second hand cigarette smoke to cats developing feline lymphoma.

Published in the American Journal of Epidemiology on August 1st 2006, the study included 180 cats who were treated at Tufts Veterinary School’s Foster Hospital from the years 1993 and 2000. The results of this university study indicated clearly that cats exposed to second hand smoke were at a significantly higher risk of developing lymphoma cancer.

It was shown that cats living in peoples homes where humans smoked at least a packet of cigarettes a day had more than three times the risk of developing lymphoma than cats in nonsmoking houses. It was also shown that an increased risk of developing lymphoma existed when higher numbers of smokers lived in the home. Cats living with one household smoker had almost twice the risk, whilst cats living with two or more smokers in a household had nearly four times the risk of developing lymphoma cancer.

Ingestion of cigarettes is dangerous too and can even be deadly. Signs of ingestion and nicotine poisoning generally occur within 15-45 minutes of ingestion and include salivation, excitation, panting, vomiting and diarrhea. Signs of more serious intoxication include increased heart rate, cardiac arrest, muscle weakness, twitching, depression, collapse and coma.

Recommendations are, therefore, to go outside the house to smoke especially if you have cats indoors. Keep cigarettes, cigars, nicotine patches and nicotine gum out of reach from your pet. Please ensure ashtrays are clean at all times as the cigarette butts contain about 25% of the total nicotine content of a cigarette.

Dr David Brooks is part of the online veterinary team at whydoesmypet.com” target=”_blank WhyDoesMyPet.com. Veterinarians, Vet Technicians, Nurses, Trainers, Behaviorists, Breeders and Pet Enthusiasts are here to answer your pet questions and concerns…
Our dedicated community of caring experts are waiting to offer you advice, second opinions and support.