Puppy Care

Weaning

• Puppies are fully weaned and on solid food by 6 weeks.

Toilet training

• Start as soon as you bring your puppy home.
• Take outside 15 minutes after eating, waking, playing, and before/after bedtime.
• If an accident happens, calmly carry them outside - never punish.
• Praise successful toileting to reinforce good habits.

Diet

Feed a balanced, specially formulated puppy diet—no extra supplements or milk needed.
Meal schedule:
- 0–8 weeks: 4 meals/day
- 8–12 weeks: 3 meals/day
- 12 weeks–6 months: 2 meals/day
- After 6 months: 1 meal/day optional.
Always provide fresh water.
Avoid raw meats; offer safe chew toys like rawhide or rubber chews.

Worming

• Treat roundworms every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 3 months old.
• From 3 months onward, worm every 3–4 months against roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, and tapeworm.
• Wash your hands after handling puppies and promptly dispose of faeces.

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Flea control

• Year-round prevention is vital to avoid anaemia and skin disease.
• Consult our team for the safest, most effective flea treatment for your puppy.

Desexing

• Spey or neuter at 4–6 months to prevent unwanted litters, roaming, aggression, and certain diseases.

Vaccination

• Core vaccines (parvo, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis): start at 6 weeks, then every 3–4 weeks to 16 weeks.
• Booster at 6 months, then every 1–3 years as advised.
• Limit park and dog interactions until 10 days after the final puppy injection.
• Kennel cough vaccine recommended for boarding or daycare.

Socialisation

• Critical window: 4–16 weeks.
• Exposure to people, environments, sounds, and other dogs in positive, controlled settings.
• Puppy preschool is a great option—ask us for details.

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Registration & Microchipping

• Register your dog with your local council at 3 months old.
• It is a legal requirement to Microchip within 2 months of registration for permanent ID. We can process the paperwork.

Pet Insurance

• Consider a policy to help cover unexpected health costs.
• Brochures are available in our clinic waiting area.

Download our puppy handout

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