Puppy Handbook | Birdwood | Calanclan Scottish Terriers

Your Puppy Handbook

WITH EACH AND EVERY CALANCLAN PUPPY

YOU WILL RECEIVE:

Information and support caring for your new puppy
Pedigree papers
A toy or blanket that your puppy is familiar with to help them settle into their new and strange surroundings
A Puppy Pack full of goodies
Your Puppy's Vaccination record
Their Microchip details
Information about legal obligations for responsible dog ownership in your community

SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED:

Food and water dishes (Stainless Steel or Ceramic types best as can’t be chewed up and swallowed)
Food(advice will be given to get you started)
Comfortable sleeping quarters, dog bed, blanket or crate.
Playpen or a designated area in the home.
Travel crate or open box (for the trip home) if travelling alone
Collar, Leash and Grooming supplies (brush, comb, nail clippers, shampoo)
Toys (When choosing toys for your Scottie don’t be fooled by their size. Your Scottie’s jaws and teeth are very powerful and before long they are able to destroy small toys and could swallow pieces which could cause problems. Always be watchful and choose toys appropriately).

Your puppy is trained to toilet on Puppy Training Pads and they will usually look for them. (If you continue using Puppy Training Pads, you may find the next stage of toilet training easier). However old newspapers is also an option.

THERE MUST ALWAYS BE FRESH WATER AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES!

I will outline what your puppy is used to eating so that you can continue feeding the same diet until your puppy has settled into their new home and family. Any changes that you choose to make to their diet must be made gradually to avoid upsetting puppy's tummy and any unwanted diarrhoea.

Taking Puppy Home

At last, your Scottie puppy is ready to go home with you! It is always better to bring someone along to hold your new puppy on the way home. Puppies often get carsick because they are nervous. Being held and stroked helps them to feel secure in a vehicle and car sickness can often be avoided. But it is always a good idea to bring a towel for your lap, and perhaps some baby wipes in case of accidents. If you are picking up your puppy on your own you will need to plan for the trip home. A travel crate is perfect but cardboard box can also provide a safe way to take your puppy home, so that he or she is not free to roam about the car while you are trying to drive.

You should have a lead and small size collar with you to pick up your puppy.

This is also necessary if you are collecting your new puppy from the airport. (I recommend that you do not get your puppy out of their crate until you have driven away from the airport. Airports are potentially a hotspot for infection. People often toilet their dogs just before leaving for flights and they are often released immediately to relieve themselves. If you have a long drive ahead it would be far better to find a nice grassy area less frequented by other dogs. If it is not to far to home wait till they are safely home to be released).

Once at home be mindful that your puppy is suddenly separated from their Mother and siblings and also the people they are used to. They will be finding themselves in a strange place with strange new people. They can often feel like they are on their own for the first time. This can be stressful and may cause some anxiety. Your new puppy may seem very quiet at first. Don't be concerned about this as your new puppy could simply be a little unsure of their new surroundings! Once they start to feel safe and secure they will become more adventurous.

Try to discourage eager children from overwhelming your puppy during their first days at home with you. Give your puppy a chance to explore their new surroundings and develop a sense of security and confidence before too much spirited play. If a young puppy (of any breed), suddenly thrust into a new environment, becomes overwhelmed by boisterous excited children, they can become fearful and nervous which can negatively impact their social development.

Children must learn the difference between your cute new puppy and their toys. Puppies are living beings and children must learn not only to love them but to respect them as with any living thing.

Children should learn not to disturb your puppy when they are resting or eating. You may need to supervise children teaching them how to stroke and gently play with your new puppy.

It is important to supervise any interaction between children and your puppy closely, until you are confident that they are playing and interacting safely. That is why I recommend having their own quiet space e.g. playpen, or perhaps your laundry, for those times that your puppy needs to rest and you are unable to supervise.

In time children can learn how to pick up and handle puppy. A dog should always be supported with both hands, not lifted by the scruff of the neck. One hand placed under the chest between the front legs, and the other hand supporting the dog’s rear end will be comfortable and will restrain the dog whilst you hold and carry them. Always demonstrate to children the proper way to lift and hold a dog. Young children have been known to “love a pet to death” squeezing and hugging a puppy in ways which are irritating and even painful. Welcoming a new puppy to your home is an exciting and challenging time for the whole family. It is Important to take time to supervise and teach children the serious responsibility of pet ownership. This will ensure that puppy has every opportunity to grow and develop in a safe and friendly environment.

Be aware that the first few weeks that your puppy spends with you, is the most important time in your puppy’s development.

Socialising your new Scottie is very important. It involves meeting and having pleasant encounters with different adults, children, dogs (puppies and adults), and other animals.

Your puppy will benefit by experiencing a wide range of events, environments and situations.

Any puppy’s first year is very important. Those that are well socialised grow up to be friendly and happy with people and other animals, and make very successful pets.

Dogs that were taken out regularly as puppies can take different situations in their stride and enjoy going anywhere with their owners. Dogs that like people can be taken anywhere and live life to the full.

Under socialised puppies grow into adult dogs that bite because they are afraid. Dogs that bite don’t have a bright future. Dogs that haven’t got used to lots of places and events, don’t enjoy being taken out.

The sooner the better, during the early weeks, a puppy will approach anything or anybody willingly and without fear. Therefore, as soon as their quarantine period is over it is safe to take puppy out into the world.

From 12 to 14 weeks of age, puppy will become a little more cautious, approaching new encounters with trepidation, they will look to you for reassurance. It is valuable exercise to have puppy meet a wide variety of people, situations and other animals as soon as possible.

If you continue to make an effort until the puppy is at least one year old, you will end up with a friendly adult dog that can be taken anywhere.

It’s easy! Take your Scottie puppy out and about, as much as possible and as soon as they have settled in, taking care not to overwhelm them.

Since it is particularly necessary for pet dogs to enjoy the company of humans, it is important that they meet a lot of them, including children of all ages if possible. Take your puppy to them, and invite them round to your house. Take puppy to the pet store, this is a great place to let people come up and interact with your puppy under your supervision. It’s easy really, and important that you do make the effort to get on with it while your puppy is still young.

All encounters should be enjoyable. Keep your puppy happy by giving strangers small tasty tit-bits to feed, or by passing them a favourite toy so they can play together.

Watch your puppy constantly for signs that they are becoming anxious or overwhelmed, if you notice your puppy backing away, remove them from the situation, or give them more space and freedom to approach in their own time.

Think ahead and try to prevent unpleasant events. Arrange for all encounters to be successful and rewarding.

Remember that young puppies tire easily, so keep encounters short, with enough time in between for resting.

A good puppy socialisation class or 'Puppy School', helps with socialising and training, the class should be just a supplement as most of the work should be done by you away from the class.

Care and Training

Don’t forget to “puppy-proof” your home, both inside and out, preferably before you bring puppy home. Be sure to remove any potential hazards before you let your new puppy explore. Until they have learnt the rules, they will need to be supervised at all times. (This is a good reason for your puppy to have their own space. A playpen or perhaps your laundry can serve as your puppy's private space. When you are unable to supervise your puppy's playtime or exploring time they can remain safely in their own area).

Make sure household cleaning products and chemicals are stored safely out of reach.

Vehicle antifreeze (ethylene glycol) or radiator coolant is extremely poisonous to dogs. It is attractive as it is sweet tasting. A very small amount can cause severe kidney damage and in many cases, death.

Rodent baits should be picked up immediately as they will kill dogs too. Puppies often find electrical cords fun to chew on with devastating results!

Make sure that your home is adequately fenced so that your puppy cannot escape outdoors and become lost or worse, a victim of a car accident.

NEVER leave your puppy or any dog in an unattended vehicle – especially in summer.

ALWAYS carry water and a towel or blanket for your puppy or dog when travelling.

Remember how vulnerable your puppy is to disease before they have finished the entire course of their vaccinations. They will be safe to go out in the world 12 days after their C3 vaccination, which is due at 14 to 16 weeks of age.

Your puppy has a microchip that works to help them to be reunited with you should they become lost. However it is your responsibility to ensure that you register your details and update them when necessary, with the Australasian Animal Register.

Just because your puppy is microchipped, it does not guarantee that you will always get your puppy back if lost. A microchip does not mean you can disregard the importance of securing your puppy’s domain and ensuring that they cannot escape and wander in front of a vehicle or any number of other dangers that can end your puppy’s life.

Toilet Training

Your new puppy has been trained to toilet on 'Puppy Training Pads'. So near your puppy’s new sleeping area you should put some puppy training pads around. It is also a good idea to wait for puppy to wee, this is usually near a door. As a puppy will usually return to this place again you can put some puppy training pads in this area as well. Of course accidents will happen!

Do not punish your puppy if they have an accident, this may cause confusion and stress and may cause the puppy to become reluctant to evacuate, which in turn could complicate toilet training.

If you see your puppy sniffing around, take them to the puppy training pads. If you catch puppy in the act take them to the pads and praise them when they go on the pads. If you are getting too many accidents perhaps you could try having several lots of pads around the place so it is not far to go to find one. Or it is a better idea to begin with, to confine your puppy to a smaller area in the home so that pads can be found easily. Keeping your puppy in one area of your home until they are toilet trained will make training easier.

Once puppy has the idea of always toileting on the pads, you can move to shifting the pads closer and closer to the back door. Whilst you have pads inside for urgencies you can be showing puppy to toilet outside right from the day you get home. Your puppy will almost always toilet within 5 minutes of waking, having a drink or something to eat, so use these times show your puppy where you want them to toilet.

The easiest way to do this is to get into a routine. First thing in the morning take puppy out on the grass and use a word like ‘toilet’ or similar and if puppy does go praise or even have a little treat ready to reward positive behaviour. Once you choose a word stick to it! Make sure everyone in the family uses the same word to avoid confusion. If you see your puppy doing their business immediately say your word, very soon your puppy will understand and will go on command. When you come home after being out, repeat the same procedure. Also last thing before bed repeat again. Before long puppy will understand that when you take them to the grass and say ‘toilet’ (or whatever) they will know just what you are talking about. They will soon know just where they are supposed to be going to the toilet. And you can remove those 'puppy Training pads' from inside forever.

Teething

Your puppy will start to lose their baby teeth at about 14 weeks. Make sure you have lots of suitable soft toys and DO NOT leave any ‘special’ items or shoes or thongs lying about! Sometimes chewing things is not about teething at all, this is especially true if your puppy is feeling lonely they will destroy something of yours and you will find them surrounded by the pieces – this is not teething, this is because the puppy wants to be

surrounded by you! Do not punish your puppy for this – scold yourself, pick up the bits, get over it and DON’T do it again!

Remember that anything you leave on the floor belongs to them.

Destructive Tendencies

All puppies display destructive behaviour. This is usually a result of your puppy’s teething and wanting to chew on anything. Puppies are full of it, mischief and energy that is. Keyword is energy! The best way to cope with destructive behaviour is to make sure you include at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise and play each day to use up some of those reserves.

Luckily Scottish Terriers mature quite quickly and are very intelligent. I have found that they tend to work out acceptable behaviour and usually stop destructive tendencies by about 6 months of age. Of course to keep the damage bill, in the meantime, to a minimum it is a good idea to supply your puppy with toys that they can chew on and be rough with.

The trick is to help them learn the difference between toys and furniture! Never let your puppy chew on an old shoe, that is of course unless you are quite prepared to have them chew up your new ones, after all they don’t know the difference! Puppies are just like crawling toddlers, anything within reach is fair game. The difference is a baby will put things in their mouth and dribble on it, a Scottie will put things in their mouth and destroy it! If you leave something on the floor expect it to be chewed. Of course everyone will mistakenly forget from time to time. I for one have lost several fabulous shoes, thongs, caps, wallets etc. over the years. If you catch your puppy chewing happily on something they are not supposed to, you must let them know right from wrong. Rescue the item and use a stern tone ‘NO’, show them the item ‘NO’, give them one of their toys instead and praise for playing with toys.

When you first arrive home to discover that ruined brand new shoe, that you didn’t even get to wear, don’t be tempted to go ballistic. It is your fault! Chances are that the damage occurred sometime ago and your puppy will not know what you are going on about. Your puppy may become confused and may associate your coming home with being reprimanded. This will result in your puppy hiding every time you come home instead of greeting you eagerly. Instead! Leave the item untouched and keep a watchful eye! When your puppy returns to the scene of the crime then you should seize the item and reprimand for the behaviour ‘NO’, your puppy will then know what you are talking about.

Lead Training

Because Scotties are so intelligent, training can be an interesting clash of wills sometimes. All I can say is that one secret is to find the treat that will get them to do anything. I find nice juicy pieces of roast chicken works well. The key to training your puppy is to first train yourself.

Training your puppy to walk on a lead takes some time and patience. My advice is sooner rather than later. Get them on a lead just as soon as you can. It is then down to a matter of wills. This is when you say ‘I want you to walk on this tether’……, then they usually look at you as if to say ‘you’ve got to be kidding’! But a little encouragement and the right reward at the ready and you will soon have them strutting around on their leads with their heads and tails held high.

This is a topic I could write a book about, and there are lots of good ones of those so I will let you do a bit of research! As I have already stated, you are welcome and even expected to contact me with any questions or queries.

Health and Wellbeing

Worms

Your puppy has been wormed at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks. It is now up to you to monitor your puppy and keep an eye out for any signs that they may have worms. By continuing to feed your puppy as I have suggested, they should not encounter any problems with worms. It is a far better option to keep your puppy healthy and support their natural immune systems through good nutrition and healthy environment, rather than using de-worming pesticides that all contain toxic chemicals that have potentially serious side effects.

Vaccinations

Your puppy has been vaccinated at 6 weeks of age. You will need to keep them quarantined until 12 days after their final vaccination at 14 to 16 weeks of age. After this quarantine period your puppy is safe to socialise with other dogs and go for walks in the outside world without risk of infection. That's it! Now that your Scottie is immunised for life, your next task is to feed them a nutritious diet to help them recover from the adverse effects of their vaccinations. The truth is that studies have proven that once your puppy has had their vaccination at 14 to 16 weeks of age, they retain adequate levels of immunity for LIFE. I have Titer tested (blood analysis for antibodies) my Scotties at 12 and 18 months of age after a single core vaccination at 14 weeks of age. The results confirmed that they were producing a strong level of antibodies on their own, after the single vaccination. They will do this for their lifetime.

Stop routinely vaccinating. Annual and tri-annual re-vaccinating is unnecessary and compromises our dog’s natural immunities.

Fleas

It is best not to expose your puppy to unnecessary chemicals. A healthy diet will support your puppy's immune system which can naturally repel parasites without exposing them to dangerous pesticides unnecessarily.

Stop all systematic flea and parasite treatments, as they are damaging to your dog’s immune system. You can use natural alternatives instead, how hard is it to add a little garlic and a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar to your dog’s meals. Put a little apple cider vinegar in your dog’s rinse water after their bath. (Of course, if you do experience an infestation you may have to use a topical treatment. It is far better to operate this way than to just keep exposing them to unnecessary treatments, after all they may never get fleas)!

Bones

Scotties love to eat bones but you must NEVER give your puppy/dog, cooked bones.

Cooked bones are hard and brittle and can splinter inside your dogs intestines or bowel

which can cause internal ruptures that can be painful and need expensive medical

treatment. Crunching on RAW bones is very healthy, it provides much needed calcium in

the diet and very beneficial for dental hygiene. A dog’s digestive system is built to

process meat and raw bone material. You still need to be watchful to ensure that your

puppy is managing bones OK. Small bones can wedge inside the roof of their mouth.

Treats

Scotties LOVE treats! Although it is tempting to give in to them we must be strong, we must resist giving our Scotties too many treats. Your Scottie must not be allowed to become too over-weight as this will seriously increase the risk of potentially fatal health issues. Many commercial treats are often high in salts and sugars, which are just as unhealthy for your pets as they are for you. Dried liver treats are an excellent choice. If you are really keen you can do as I do and dry your own chicken livers in the oven, they love em! Cheap to!

Home and Exercise

Scottish Terriers are very versatile. They can adapt to almost any living environment, from farm life to the inner city apartment. At first, choose a safe place for puppy to call home, like a play pen, laundry room, or area off the kitchen where your Scottie can feel secure and have some privacy, yet be observed. Take Scottie to their new den to explore and relax for a few minutes. Feed a little treat and praise your Scottie, this will help them to associate their new space with enjoyment. It should be a pleasant place to be. Ideally your puppy’s space should be one which allows puppy to observe household activities so they don’t feel isolated.

I have had a playpen in my lounge room for the puppies so they are used to household activities, TV and other household noises. Your new Scottie will be very curious and interested in exploring their new home.

Young puppies need short bursts of play/exercise for proper growth and bone development. Do not take your young puppy for long walks as this can overwork their rapidly developing bodies. If you enjoy the exercise and want to walk your puppy, increase the distance very slowly, over the next 6 to 9 months.

Scotties love to run and jump about with little you can do to stop them, just try to be guided by your puppy – if they seem tired, let them sleep. Puppies grow when they sleep! You will find that your puppy will go to their own space on their own when they want to rest!

Exercise is an important part of any dog’s physical and mental health. Scotties love interesting outings. Walking or jogging is great exercise for both you and your Scottie. You will need to build up your Scotties endurance gradually though. Short walks to begin with and gradually increase the distance or speed.

Warning! Always keep you Scottie on a lead when outside your property as they are terriers! They are naturally inquisitive and love exploring. They can become so focussed on such activities that they pay little if any attention to you and may prove almost impossible to retrieve.

Grooming

The Scottish Terrier is a medium level maintenance breed. Although they do not require large amounts of exercise they do require you to brush their coat regularly. As long

as you are brushing your Scottie regularly you should not have to bath them between visits to the groomer. Your Calanclan Scottie has been

brushed for a few minutes every day to get them

accustomed to the process. It is a good practice

to continue popping puppy up on a bench or

table and give them a little brush.

Scotties can become very sensitive to having their feet and nails touched. You should continue to handle their paws and nails for a few minutes each day when puppy first comes home to stay with you. The aim is to help your Scottie realise that grooming can be a relaxed and enjoyable time.

You must however establish that grooming time is NOT playtime. Short frequent grooming

sessions will help your puppy look forward to one-on-one time with your undivided attention.

You might encourage good behaviour, as well as your puppy’s positive anticipation of

grooming sessions by rewarding them with small tasty treats. Only reward puppy if they display calm and patient behaviour during grooming sessions. Keeping up with regular grooming sessions during your puppy’s development will ensure that grooming does not become an unpleasant chore once your Scottie has matured. By establishing that grooming is a “good thing” you can avoid grooming sessions which become a war of wills or tug-o-war later on. Once your Scottie is comfortable and calm during grooming sessions you can drop back to brushing between one and three or more sessions a week or as required.

Neutering

Desexing, spaying or neutering

There are many valid reasons to neuter your puppy, however early neutering will cause poor bone development, patella luxation and possible urinary problems. Scottish Terrier puppies need normal hormonal development for normal growth, therefore puppies SHOULD NOT be neutered before 10 months of age. Once puppy has been through puberty they have received the necessary hormones to activate their proper bone development and it is THEN safe to have your Scottie neutered.

Desexing is a Government requirement of responsible dog ownership in your community.

IF IN DOUBT GIVE MANDA A CALL ON 0438915650