BRINGING HOME YOUR WASSONG TIBBIE
Before bringing home your puppy, you should puppy proof the rooms he/she will be allowed in and you should have on hand the following supplies:
A hard sided carrier for the car - secured by your seatbelt it keeps your puppy and you safe while riding in the car. You can put a towel inside the travel crate for the dog’s comfort. The hard sided crate for the car about 24 x 16 x 14 is a good size - whatever the pet store would say could comfortably fit a 15 lb dog.
At home a wire crate so that the puppy can see what is going on around him and also get appropriate air and not feel closed in as he would in a plastic hard sided crate. The crate should be large enough so the dog can stand up and turn around in it comfortably but not so large that he can get away from any mess he makes. Some crates can be purchased with dividers, talk to your pet store salesperson. Purchase a comfortable, easily cleaned bed(s) for the crate and for outside the crate. Once your puppy is potty trained it is up to you if you want him to sleep in your bed or beside it. A 24 x 20 x 21 is a good size for the house but when he gets older I like the 30 x 23 x24 if there is room in the house for the larger crate.
Crates can be found at your local pet store, Pet Co or Pet Smart or go on line to Cherry Brook, Pet Edge or Care A Lot, these vendors have great prices but you will have to pay for shipping.
Leaving your puppy alone at home. When leaving your puppy at home be sure he is secure in his crate and leave the radio or TV on so that he does not feel alone and hears voices. Our newborn puppies listen to the radio all day long even before they can hear so they are comforted by voices and music. NEVER leave the puppy unattended in a room and NEVER let him have the run of the house no matter how old. Puppies can chew wires and other things that can harm or kill them and certainly chewing up your favorite pair of shows is a no-no. Crate him when you are not home or cannot see and correct him if necessary. Crating is more a protection for the tibbie than for you!
Puppy Food. This puppy eats Eukanuba puppy small bite till he is about 10-12 months and then will eat Eukanuba small/breed bite or (all small bite), whatever works for him and you. At this stage in the puppy’s life he needs to eat at least two times a day, if not three. If you feed him twice a day, give him ½ cup in the morning and ½ cup in the evening, if three times a day give him a 1/3 at each feeding. At 8 months you can start to feed once a day and at 10 months you can wean your puppy from puppy food to adult food.
Purchase bottled water so that you can make the transition from my house water to yours. Give the puppy bottled water and then introduce your water. Puppy stomachs get upset quite easily! Water should always be available to the puppy.
Vitamins – I would not begin giving vitamins until the dog is 12 months old. IN tabs or PetTabs – half to one a day (depending upon weight) at night - that is how we trained the older dogs to go into their crates at night - "lets go to bed" and off they run into their crate and then we give them their vitamin. During the day, it is a small biscuit as the treat for going to bed.
Dog Treats – I give the puppies IAMS reduced calorie biscuits (blue box) – ½ biscuit when training. This keeps the calories down but still seems to taste good. Treats for training vary – cooked chicken, liver, steak – but very tiny pieces, this is not dinner it is only used for training.
Food and water bowls should be made out of stainless steel or ceramic. Please don’t use plastic, plastic can harbor bacteria. Bowls should be heavy enough so the puppy cant knock it over easily.
Grooming is more than just cosmetic, it is also a health issue. Grooming tools – a soft pin brush, flea comb, shampoo (clear), nail clippers and scissors. Tibbies are very easy to care for and do not require much grooming except a brush, especially behind the ears, and a wipe of the eyes and face with a warm damp face cloth. You need only to keep the fur between the pads of their feed trimmed and their nails cut. PLEASE DO NOT trim the feathering! Tibetan Spaniels are NOT trimmed, they are kept in their natural state. Puppies can get really dirty. Bathe them as needed. Adult tibbies may require less bathing, but to stimulate coat growth we recommend bathing every week with a clear shampoo and regular brushing.
Collar and leash. I send your puppy home with his first collar and leash. Whenever you purchase additional equipment, you should be able to fit two fingers under the collar but it should be tight enough that it wont slip over his ears. I recommend a Martingale collar, the tibbie cannot slip his head through it. Use a 6 foot leash for walks.
Exercise. Tibbies love to go for walks on a lead and can walk (or even run) for miles! They must be exercised regularly, but if an occasion arises where you can’t walk them, they will exercise themselves by running up and down hallways and stairs, running under furniture or around the fenced yard. Tibbies love car rides, but remember to put him in his hard sided crate.
ID – the puppy should be micro chipped by 6 months of age. Remember these dogs love to run and should never be off a leash running free on the lawn or in the park. It is permissible in a fenced in yard where the puppy can’t run away! Micro chipped dogs can be easily recognized and recovery is much faster if your puppy gets away from you and ends up in the animal shelter.
First aid kit. A basic first aid kit helps you deal with minor emergencies. Have Peroxide available in case of poisoning. Puppies love to get into trouble, so do adult dogs. It is also good to have a veterinary care book or first aid book for dogs on hand at home.
ASPCA Poison Control Hotline for North America. If you think that your tibbie may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $55 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card. Unfortunately, I had two occurrences where tibbies eat the “wrong thing”. The Hotline saved their lives! Don’t ever hesitate to call!
Recommended Dog Books. The Tibetan Spaniel: A Gift From the Roof of the World by Susan W.Miccio. This is a wonderful book and covers almost everything you would like to know about tibbies! Puppy care, history and origin of the breed. Unfortunately, it is out of print, so go to Amazon.com and search for a copy. Tibetan Spaniel: A Complete and Reliable Handbook by Susan Miccio. Puppy Owner’s Veterinary Care Book by James DeBitetto, DVM, Dogs for Dummies by Gina Spadafori, The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey and if you have children, Raising Puppies & Kids Together by Pia Silvani and Lynn Eckhardt is a must. There are lots of good books out there, find the one that suits you best.
Baby gates and X-pens. These are great to keep your puppy restricted to one room or to block stairs or any area that is off-limits to the puppy. X-pens are doggie playpens. They come in a variety of heights, I recommend 24” for a small/young puppy and 30” for an older tibbie. You can put them up in the house to keep the puppy restricted to an area, or put in the yard to do the same.
Housebreaking. Currently, the puppy goes out at 7 am, then is fed breakfast and goes out again 15-20 minutes later until he does his potty. Then we play a little or walk more so that the dog does not feel after he goes he has to go right back into the house…they are very smart and might decided not to go because when he does, he is immediately put back in the house. In the evening he goes out around 5 pm, eats dinner and goes out again 15-20 minutes later to potty. Then we play again or walk more. If I am home all day, the puppy is out all day with supervision. He is kept in an x-pen so that he doesn’t have the run of the entire yard and is kept safe from squeezing through small spaces in the fence.
Puppy Kindergarten and Obedience Training. We strongly suggest that you take your puppy to puppy kindergarten for more socialization and to basic obedience training so they become well mannered tibbies. Both will make your life much easier.
Heartgard and Frontline. Your veterinarian can recommend preventive products that are highly effective and safe to use on your pup. Check with your vet as to when to start your puppy on heartworm preventive meds and tick and flea preventive meds. Both are very important to the health and welfare of your tibbie.
Immunizations. Again check with your vet about what inoculations to give after the initial ones we give to the puppy. Rabies is required throughout the US and if your puppy is around lots of other dogs I suggest Bordetella (kennel cough). Most boarding facilities require that your tibbie have Bordetella before boarding with them. Lymes appears to becoming a problem in most areas in the NE therefore check with your vet as to whether or not to give your puppy the Lymes inoculation. Both the AVMA and the American Animal Hospital Association now say vaccinations should be assessed yearly and tailored to an animal's age, health and lifestyle. Remember that some small dogs have a tendency to develop reactions to vaccinations; a hot spot or a lump may occur at the vaccination site – check with your vet if something like this occurs. NEVER give ‘shots’ in combination like Distemper and Rabies or Rabies and Lymes, only one at a time.
Above all else, love your tibbie and your tibbie will give you lots of love and kisses back!
If you have any questions please call me,
Pat Sarles
(973) 884-2184
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