A note to kids
who are getting a Bluegrace Portuguese Water Dog
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A note to kids
who are getting a Bluegrace Portuguese Water Dogby
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... and there is some funky pwd stuff in here too!
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1. What is the most important thing to feed your puppy? 2. Should you have clean fresh water out for your pup at all times? 3. Can you feed your dog raw fresh eggs? 4. What should you do if your pup feels a little scared? 5. Should you let your pup chew your shoes? 6. Should you let your pup bite you? 7. What should you do if your pup jumps up on you? 8. Can you start training your pup now? 9. When should you take your pup outside to do a wee? 10. Who should you contact if you ever have questions about your pup?
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Now, keep in mind those questions when you read through this page.
Hi there. My name is Jane. I am the person who owns the dogs that your pup came from. I was really happy to place my pups with so many wonderful families. We've kept a pup ourselves. That's is pictured on the right. His name is Harry Potter and if you click on the picture it will make it bigger.
Given that we have little Harry Potter living with us, we also know that if you're having any trouble with your pup, we've probably seen the same thing here. This might be biting, house training, or eating your shoes! - We'll talk about how to deal with those all a little bit later.
So, sit down and read this, or get your mum or dad, or another older person to help you understand all that I'm talking about. My son William, who is 9 and who has grown up with water dogs, has also helped contribute to putting this page together.
Ok, I bet it is very exciting to have your little pup. We have pups all over Australia. Some are in Perth, Adelaide, Tasmania, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, and other places. We even sent one overseas! He travelled in a safe crate and slept the whole way to his new family.
It was sad for us to see them go, but we know that they should bring you and your family lots of pleasure in their new homes.
I've got some notes below that I want you to pay attention to, and I'll put a little test at the end and you can complete that to check if you're understanding how best to look after your pup.
Your pup may be a little scared, and it will definitely be lonely and worried if it will fit in ok.
It's really important during this period that you do what you can to make the pup feel safe. This means, don't play too much with them, and don't put them in situations where they may be scared. If they look a little worried, then I find that sitting on the floor, and letting them come to me to feel comfortable works well. If you take it slowly within a few short moments the pup will gain confidence. Remember, they are still a little baby.
I know your friends will want to see the pup, but don't take them out to too many places too early on. Sometimes this can make them a little sick because they get over-whelmed with all the new things you are showing them. So, take it easy with them, and don't push them too hard.
Don't ever feed your pup milk or bread or rice or oats. A dog's tummy does not do best eating those sorts of food. And of course, as your dad and mum will tell you, dog food that comes out of a can or a packet is definitely nowhere near good enough for your pup. For your pup to grow strong and healthy, they need to have plenty of raw meaty bones.
And always be sure that they have plenty of cool clean drinking water.
It's really important that you don't ever encourage them to bite you. I know it can seem like fun, but it can be very painful, and you don't want them play biting with you as you get older, as it will really hurt then! I've told your mum/dad the best books to buy. I've got a list of them at the bottom of this page, so maybe you can read some of them.
If your puppy does bite you, it's a good sign that they may be getting a little too excited. This means, it's time to let them play by themselves. Perhaps there is a puppy toy they can plan with to distract them from biting you. Always ask mum or dad for help if the pup is biting. They really don't mean to harm you, but they just need to know that they can't do it. And it may take a little bit of time for them to learn.
Also, you want to make sure that the pup does not jump up on you. I know they are little pups now, but soon they will be much bigger. It's important that you don't encourage them to jump up. It's cute now, but imagine what it would be like when they are adults and weigh about 24 kg. Now that's very heavy.
With my puppy, I always bend down to pet her, or sit on the floor so that she doesn't need to jump up. Ask for help from Mum and Dad when you need it.
Your pup will need to spend lots of time sleeping. So when your puppy is asleep, let them lie there and re-gain all their energy so that they can play with you again soon. Also, when the pup sleeps is when they grow, and they need to be able to get plenty of sleep so their little bodies can grow properly.
Your pup should be very intelligent. You can teach your pup all sorts of fun things now, like sitting, and shaking hands, and rolling over.
We suggest using small pieces of food for a reward to your pup when they do the right thing. Don't ever smack your pup. That's cruel. No one likes being smacked, including your pup, and we all do best when we're help to do the right thing, rather than punished for making mistakes.
Hopefully mum or dad can take your pup to puppy school. We suggest using a type of training called, "clicker training", as your pup will learn really quickly this way and become much more fun.
You will need to take your pup outside after they have a bit of a sleep, a play, and after eating. Usually they get the hang of doing a little wee quite quickly.
Puppies sometimes have accidents inside. They are pretty easy to clean up. Mum or dad might have a "doggy" towel to use. Always remember, when the pup has an accident, they didn't mean to do it. They just forgot, or didn't get outside quickly enough.
Make sure the toys are safe for your pup and that they can't chew off bits and swallow them.
They will try and play and be rough with your toys if you leave them out. My boy Will has had to learn to put all his toys away otherwise Harry Potter will play with them. It really makes him learn how to clean up his room. So remember - don't blame the pup for chewing up your toys or your shoes - you have to learn to put them away! Otherwise your pup will think that you've left them out for them to play with!
In addition, these books are the ones I recommend:
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Essential Reading! This will fundamentally change the way you look at dogs |
This is Jan's latest book. Be sure to get your hands on it! |
Get this book too! Humans need to learn how to treat dogs they way they need to be treated, and stop treating them like furry humans. |
Jan Fennell's books are excellent, and essential reading.
I'll be adding much more information to this page to help you raise your puppy well. Be sure to check back soon. And remember, get mum or dad to email me or call me if they ever have any problems, or just want to share a story with me.
And remember to do the quiz to make sure that you can be your puppy's best friend!
Kind regards,
Jane Anderson
Bluegrace Portuguese Water Dogs
Click here to email us. This site last updated Jan 2011
... visitors to this page since 29th June, 2004
