Picture taken from www.dailypuppy.com
Hi and Welcome Everyone!
This is Sharda with another Border Collie newsletter!
It is very exciting to get a new puppy and to be able to bring him or her home. But bringing Border Collie Puppy home is quite a challenge! Let us help you in overcoming this!
Often people are not aware of how challenging this process can be. It is important to plan for the arrival of your new Collie puppies to avoid frustration, damaged items and to provide the safest possible environment for your Collie pups and family.
Spending a few hours to puppy-proof your house and to insure the proper introduction of the puppy to the home will set the tone for your relationship with the puppy.
While there are several things that you need to consider, one of the first aspects of bringing Collie puppies home is to have the correct supplies.
Let’s start shall we?
BASIC SUPPLIES
Before bringing your Border Collie puppies home it is important to have all the basic supplies to make the puppy feel at home.
Talk to the Collie breeder or the previous owner if it all possible, to determine what type of food the puppy was eating and any special dietary requirements that the breed may have.
THE BASIC SUPPLIES ARE:
- A good book on Border Collie puppies’ health, care and training methods.
Check with your breeder to see if they have a particular book or author that they recommend. If the puppy has begun a training method, make sure that it continues as much as possible with the already established commands.
- A wire or plastic Border Collie dog crate that is the correct size for the Collie puppies that you have purchased. A small dog will require a smaller crate than a larger dog, naturally.
- Good quality bedding material for inside the crate that cannot be easily chewed or destroyed. It is important that this material be washable, as there will be times when it will meet to be cleaned.
- A special Collie pups collar that is of a soft fabric or woven material.
The collar should have a buckle fastener and should not be too tight for the puppy’s neck. You should be able to easily insert two fingers between the puppy’s neck and the collar.
If you cannot, the collar is too small and a larger size will meet to be purchased. A good lead will also be needed when walking the puppy. Many people use a retractable lead to make walking the Border Collie dog much easier.
- Purchase an identification tag that can be put on the caller.
Collie puppies purchased from a breeder may already be microchipped or tattooed with identification. While this is an excellent way to identify the dog, it is also important to have an easy to read tag in the event that the puppy wanders away or becomes lost.
Make sure your phone number and name is on the tag.
- You will also require any grooming supplies that the Border Collie dog may need. A shorthaired dog will require a simple brush, comb, or soft cloth, but a longhaired dog will require more grooming, and you may wish to purchase clippers to be able to trim the coat.
- To keep your Border Collie puppy busy and entertained when you’re not able to play with them, it is important to get some puppy toys. They should be hard plastic and without any parts that can be chewed and swallowed by the Collie dog.
- You will need to have good quality dry puppy food ready when the puppy arrives.
Ask the seller what type of food they have started your puppy on, and begin feeding that at your home.
You can then gradually change over to a different kind of food, by combining the new food with the old food until the puppy adjusts.
This will prevent sudden shocks to the puppy’s digestive system that could result in diarrhea or other stomach concerns.
- One stainless steel or heavy plastic bowl for water and one for food. Make sure that you buy a bowl style that cannot be easily tipped over. Collie puppies will need clean water at least twice a day.
- If you have stairs in your house or you would like to keep the puppy confined to one area, you may wish to consider purchasing baby gates.
These can be used to prevent the Collie pups from being able to enter or exit different rooms of the house.
I hope that this helps you and your family in getting ready for your new Collie puppies.
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker