Your new puppy
Safety First
Before you take your new puppy home, you must puppy proof your home and garden.
• Check around the house, get down on all fours and see the world through puppy eyes. Trailing flexes invite chewing; loose threads on carpets just ask to be pulled!! Ornaments at low level are a temptation to an inquisitive pup.
• If you have children, the arrival of a new puppy is a good incentive for them to pick up their toys, any left lying around will almost certainly be chewed.
• Many people are not aware that Pot Pourri, which some people use to make the house smell nice, contains ingredients which are poisonous to dogs, so check the house, put away valuables until he’s learned to behave.
• Decide, before he comes home, will he be allowed on the furniture, are any areas of the house out of bounds? Start as you mean to go on; it is tempting to allow a small puppy onto the sofa but do you want him on there for possibly the next fourteen or fifteen years?
• The garden is a wonderful place for a puppy to play but can be full of hazards. Many plants are poisonous to a dog so either remove them or teach the pup right from the start that nibbling your plants is not allowed.
• You will have to be persistent but a firm 'NO' every time he chews something will eventually work. Don't shout too much though, it is better to distract him by offering a toy or playing a game.
• Check your fencing, is it secure? Lakeland puppies are notorious for squeezing through small gaps. They seem to have a penchant for putting their heads down or into anything resembling a hole. As they get older and stronger they can jump remarkably high, so make sure your fences are high enough to keep him in. Remember that they are terriers!! terriers dig, so can he dig holes and escape UNDER the fence?
THE FOOD HE EATS
Your breeder will probably provide enough food for the first few days in your home but you will need to make sure you have a supply ready to continue the diet the puppy has been used to. Sudden changes in food will cause tummy upsets. Always feed a good quality food, generally speaking, if you can buy the food in a supermarket, it will be of low quality (even the expensive ones). Read the label and check out the list of ingredients, the largest quantity ingredient will be first on the list and the rest in descending order.
WHERE WILL HE SLEEP?
Decide where he is going to sleep. It is of course, a matter of personal choice but a new puppy will settle very quickly if you have him in your bedroom for the first few nights. To take a puppy away from his Mother, shut him in a room alone and expect him to sleep quietly through the night is both unkind and unrealistic.
An indoor kennel or crate will make this an easy experience for both of you. Because the puppy is confined, he will not be able to wander about and will probably alert you by whining, when he needs to go out to the toilet. Puppies do not soil their sleeping area through choice; their instinct is to choose a spot away from it.
The crate should be large enough to accommodate an adult size Lakeland, allowing plenty of room for lying down stretched out and also high enough for him to stand comfortably. An adult Lakeland needs a crate at least 30" x 19" x21" (one of the manufacturer's standard sizes).
During the day, the crate can easily be moved to your living area. It is not intended to be used as a cage, the door can be left open most of the time but it is useful to be able to close the pup in when you are busy with housework, when you are decorating and want the paint to dry without the addition of dog hair or when the front door needs to be open for deliveries etc. He will gradually learn to spend short intervals in there and you can give him a safe toy or treat to occupy him.
Never shut him in as a punishment, used properly a crate provides a safe, comfortable haven for your pup. It should be somewhere he feels happy and safe in and where he can retreat to when he needs to rest. If you have young children, he will be able to rest peacefully until the children have learned how to treat the puppy correctly.
You can buy attachable water bowls which will prevent him knocking the bowl over and he will have access to water on the occasions when the door needs to be shut.
TAKING YOUR PUPPY HOME
When you arrange to collect your puppy, it is a good idea to do so as early in the day as possible. It is not fair to a young puppy to introduce them to a new home and then expect them to settle down and sleep all night.
Leave plenty of time for the pup to explore its surroundings, to play a little and have a meal before bedtime. If you leave an old tee-shirt or towel with the breeder on one of your visits, the pup can sleep on it whilst still with his litter mates. When you bring him home, it can be put in his bed. This provides a comforting, familiar smell to help him settle.
A hot water bottle, carefully wrapped can also be a comfort for the first few nights, although you must make sure it cannot be chewed or he’ll end up giving himself a bed bath!!
You will also need to think about how the puppy will travel. There should be two people when you collect your pup, one to drive and one to look after the puppy. He needs to be secure but will also need reassurance during the journey. A cardboard box lined with newspaper with a blanket or towel on top is a good idea.
Because his innoculations will not be complete, you will not be able to stop and put him on the ground for a wee, so if your journey is a long one, he will probably wee or poo in the box and a supply of baby wipes and paper towels is very useful. Again, if he is going to be in the car for more than an hour, you should have a water bowl and offer him a small amount to drink. This box can be secured on the back seat of the car with someone sitting next to the pup to comfort him if he becomes distressed.
Before you take your new puppy home, you must puppy proof your home and garden.
• Check around the house, get down on all fours and see the world through puppy eyes. Trailing flexes invite chewing; loose threads on carpets just ask to be pulled!! Ornaments at low level are a temptation to an inquisitive pup.
• If you have children, the arrival of a new puppy is a good incentive for them to pick up their toys, any left lying around will almost certainly be chewed.
• Many people are not aware that Pot Pourri, which some people use to make the house smell nice, contains ingredients which are poisonous to dogs, so check the house, put away valuables until he’s learned to behave.
• Decide, before he comes home, will he be allowed on the furniture, are any areas of the house out of bounds? Start as you mean to go on; it is tempting to allow a small puppy onto the sofa but do you want him on there for possibly the next fourteen or fifteen years?
• The garden is a wonderful place for a puppy to play but can be full of hazards. Many plants are poisonous to a dog so either remove them or teach the pup right from the start that nibbling your plants is not allowed.
• You will have to be persistent but a firm 'NO' every time he chews something will eventually work. Don't shout too much though, it is better to distract him by offering a toy or playing a game.
• Check your fencing, is it secure? Lakeland puppies are notorious for squeezing through small gaps. They seem to have a penchant for putting their heads down or into anything resembling a hole. As they get older and stronger they can jump remarkably high, so make sure your fences are high enough to keep him in. Remember that they are terriers!! terriers dig, so can he dig holes and escape UNDER the fence?
THE FOOD HE EATS
Your breeder will probably provide enough food for the first few days in your home but you will need to make sure you have a supply ready to continue the diet the puppy has been used to. Sudden changes in food will cause tummy upsets. Always feed a good quality food, generally speaking, if you can buy the food in a supermarket, it will be of low quality (even the expensive ones). Read the label and check out the list of ingredients, the largest quantity ingredient will be first on the list and the rest in descending order.
WHERE WILL HE SLEEP?
Decide where he is going to sleep. It is of course, a matter of personal choice but a new puppy will settle very quickly if you have him in your bedroom for the first few nights. To take a puppy away from his Mother, shut him in a room alone and expect him to sleep quietly through the night is both unkind and unrealistic.
An indoor kennel or crate will make this an easy experience for both of you. Because the puppy is confined, he will not be able to wander about and will probably alert you by whining, when he needs to go out to the toilet. Puppies do not soil their sleeping area through choice; their instinct is to choose a spot away from it.
The crate should be large enough to accommodate an adult size Lakeland, allowing plenty of room for lying down stretched out and also high enough for him to stand comfortably. An adult Lakeland needs a crate at least 30" x 19" x21" (one of the manufacturer's standard sizes).
During the day, the crate can easily be moved to your living area. It is not intended to be used as a cage, the door can be left open most of the time but it is useful to be able to close the pup in when you are busy with housework, when you are decorating and want the paint to dry without the addition of dog hair or when the front door needs to be open for deliveries etc. He will gradually learn to spend short intervals in there and you can give him a safe toy or treat to occupy him.
Never shut him in as a punishment, used properly a crate provides a safe, comfortable haven for your pup. It should be somewhere he feels happy and safe in and where he can retreat to when he needs to rest. If you have young children, he will be able to rest peacefully until the children have learned how to treat the puppy correctly.
You can buy attachable water bowls which will prevent him knocking the bowl over and he will have access to water on the occasions when the door needs to be shut.
TAKING YOUR PUPPY HOME
When you arrange to collect your puppy, it is a good idea to do so as early in the day as possible. It is not fair to a young puppy to introduce them to a new home and then expect them to settle down and sleep all night.
Leave plenty of time for the pup to explore its surroundings, to play a little and have a meal before bedtime. If you leave an old tee-shirt or towel with the breeder on one of your visits, the pup can sleep on it whilst still with his litter mates. When you bring him home, it can be put in his bed. This provides a comforting, familiar smell to help him settle.
A hot water bottle, carefully wrapped can also be a comfort for the first few nights, although you must make sure it cannot be chewed or he’ll end up giving himself a bed bath!!
You will also need to think about how the puppy will travel. There should be two people when you collect your pup, one to drive and one to look after the puppy. He needs to be secure but will also need reassurance during the journey. A cardboard box lined with newspaper with a blanket or towel on top is a good idea.
Because his innoculations will not be complete, you will not be able to stop and put him on the ground for a wee, so if your journey is a long one, he will probably wee or poo in the box and a supply of baby wipes and paper towels is very useful. Again, if he is going to be in the car for more than an hour, you should have a water bowl and offer him a small amount to drink. This box can be secured on the back seat of the car with someone sitting next to the pup to comfort him if he becomes distressed.