Picture taken from www.dogbreedinfo.com
Good day and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with another Cocker Spaniel puppy newsletter.
Here we go!
Prepping for Cocker Spaniel Puppies
Make no bones about it (pun intended), the first week or so will be tough, especially if you’ve never parented a dog before.
It’s a good idea to bring your Cocker Spaniel puppy home when you can spend the most time with him; not running to work early in the morning and coming in late.
Long weekends, holidays and vacation days are great times to start your life together.
- Pre-select the potty spot. If you have easy access to a yard then this will be a patch away from foot traffic. If you’re in an apartment, you will want to use papers, or “wee-wee pads” made especially for this purpose.
- When you arrive at the breeder (or wherever) to pick up your new pooch, find out what type of food the litter is accustomed to eating and at what time. Ask for a few days’ supply.
Cocker Spaniel Puppy-Proofing
This little Spaniel puppy is your new baby. And as with all babies that begin to explore as they grow, you want to take some precautionary measures and puppy-proof areas of the house for safety.
Depending on the size of your home you may proof all of it or just rooms where you expect your Cocker Spaniel puppy to spend the most time.
The kitchen is a logical choice for its general use as the heart of the home and because it’s usually easy to clean.
The den may also be a good choice but ultimately the decision depends on your personal lifestyle. The garage or basement is never a good choice as they only serve to isolate the dog from his family.
Putting a Spaniel dog in one of these unfriendly places is for human convenience; where’s the pleasure of having a Spaniel puppy in your home only to banish him to a cold, impersonal garage?
If this is the only place you can provide a dog, please consider another pet.
Puppy-proofing simply entails removing items from reach that you don’t want to be played with or chewed.
Tie up or tuck away curtain and blind cords, electric cords, and anything else that a puppy could chew or become tangled in.
If you cannot sufficiently hide wires, treat them with Bitter Apple to make them unpalatable. The cream is best on wires because it’s not as messy, the spray can be used on solid surfaces. Bitter Apple leaves an unpleasant but harmless taste. (It can also be used on your Cocker Spaniel’s coat to discourage licking wounds and hot-spots, so they have a chance to properly heal.)
You should also remove all shoes and clothing from the floor, as well as tuck away handheld phones and remote controls in drawers.
Take a critical birds-eye view (or puppy view) of your home and simply pick up items that a puppy or nervous adult might find enticing.
Ground Rules
If you live with other people, you should lay some ground rules that everyone agrees to uphold, otherwise you’ll raise a confused and troublesome Cocker Spaniel puppy.
If the puppy is to receive no food scraps, or be allowed on furniture, or on beds, then all household members should enforce the rules.
That’s not to say that your clever pup won’t stretch out on the sofa in your absence, but he will at least learn not to do it when you’re around.
Other guidelines include:
- Don’t allow rough play with Cocker Spaniel puppies—or adults for that matter.
Puppies are fragile and need to be handled with care. Adults may react unpredictably; wait until he is well settled and you’ve learned about his personality before you invite rough play.
- Do not give meat bones to Cocker Spaniel puppies under six months of age as it may pose a choking hazard or damage milk teeth.
- This may seem like a no-brainer, but people do it. Don’t place your Cocker Spaniel puppy in unnatural heights like on tabletops or shelves. If you must place him on an elevated surface for grooming, don’t leave him unattended; a fall could bring horrible consequences.
- Make sure everyone in, or visiting your home knows how to pick the puppy up. There’s no reason an adult should be picked up.
- Avoid picking the puppy up too much.
This can be troublesome with children who find the little fluff ball too adorable to resist, but constantly picking him up will keep the Cocker Spanielpuppy from developing proper motor skills and getting exercise.
I hope that you learned a lot from today’s Cocker Spaniel puppy newsletter
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker