VALLEYGEM DOBERMANN PUPPIES

BATHING
When bathing use natural,
gentle shampoos, such as ’Alooveen Oatmeal Shampoo and Conditioner’.
Harsh shampoos are not good for a Dobermann’s naturally-dry coat. There are lots of great natural products on the market.

• Do not wash your dog more than once every two weeks

• Always dry a dog well after a bath especially your puppy.

COAT

• Dobermanns have a short coat.

• Care is minimal. Grooming is bliss.

NAILS

• Trim your puppy’s nails regularly.
  This way you only need to take a fraction off each time.
  It’s great training for the dog as well.

EARS

• Check your dog’s ears to make sure they are free of dirt, grime and wax. The ear should look clean, and be free of mites.

• Use cotton wool and ear cleaners such as Epioptic or Leo ear cleaner.

EYES

• Use Reclens (normal saline for contact lenses from the chemist) to clear the sleep or dust from the eyes.

• Don’t double dip; use a separate cotton bud and tea water per eye.

• If there is excessive or irregular discharge from the eyes seek veterinary advice.
  

CHILDREN AND PUPPIES

• Do not let children play with puppies unless supervised by an adult

• Do not let children pick the puppies up, except when seated.

• Do not let puppies play rough with bigger dogs.

• Dogs are not aware of their size. You are.
  

• 95% OF BONE FRACTURES IN PUPPIES ARE CAUSED BY CHILDREN DROPPING THEM

PUPPY MEAL SAMPLES

Books about 'APPROPRIATE RAW FEEDING' can be purchased through the Royal N. S.W. Canine Council PH: 02 98343022 or download the Valley Gem Puppy Care PDF, ready for print on your home printer.

GOOD FOOD

Raw chicken necks and thighs chicken carcasses, raw large bones, brisket bones, lamb or mutton flap to chew on, Minces, beef, chicken, roo, lamb, sardines, offal, kidney, liver, heart, sardines with no added salt. Vegetables and fruit. Cooked rice, barley, oatmeal etc

BAD FOOD

Cow’s milk, raw egg white, cooked bones, canned food, processed and frozen foods, chocolate, onions .

MEAL SAMPLES FOR
PUPPIES FROM TWO MONTHS

BREAKFAST
Beef mince (cooked or raw) with cooked cereal
(rice or cooked oats, cooked barley etc.) and egg yolks.
Note: egg whites are difficult to digest unless cooked)
Bowl of lactose free milk. This can be mixed with
Farex baby cereal.

LUNCH
Blended together:
Puppy milk or Lactose-free milk 1-2 tablespoons
of natural yogurt cooked oatmeal, boiled rice, etc.
One small raw chicken thigh or a meaty bone of beef.

DINNER
Chicken mince mixed with blended raw apple, celery and carrot,
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil, small amount of offal
(liver, kidney, heart) mixed together.
Blend: 80% meat with 20% fruit and vegetables.
(In the day Quality dried food can be made available as a snack.
Advance, Bonnie Puppy biscuits)

GUIDELINES FOR
PUPPIES FROM 4-5 MONTHS

• When your puppy is 4-5 months of age you can decrease the meals from three to two per day.
  

• Have plenty of fresh, clean water for your dog and make it accessible at all times.
  

• Do not leave uneaten food lying around attracting flies and breeding bacteria.

• It is good practice to dispose of old bones; they breed bacteria which could have an adverse effect on the health of your puppy.

• If you wish to make any changes to your puppy’s diet, do so gradually to avoid stomach upset
  

HYGIENE
Keep it clean. Keep it healthy.

• Always keep your puppy’s yard clean of droppings
  to prevent disease and internal parasites
  

FLEAS AND TICKS
There are a lot of products on the market with different ways of application. Some applications might not be suited for your dog.

• Consult your vet for appropriate flea and tick prevention to suit your environmental requirements...
  

DE-SEXING
WHEN DESEX:
The best time of de-sexing depends on the breed. Different breeds have different maturity rates. Consult your vet for the appropriate time for your breeds. If you decide to breed be a responsible breeder, register as a breeder and apply to the rules of the Canine Council of your State. 

• I recommend de-sexing for any dog you are not going to breed with.

• It is in your own interest to be an responsible dog owner. There are enough crossbreed and unwanted dogs in animal shelters already.

WORMING
WORMING SCHEDULE

• Puppies younger than 3 months need regular worming every 2 weeks.

• Puppies older than 3 months need regular worming every 3 months and treatment for heart worm once a month.

• Use quality brand wormers from your vet like Drontol All Wormer

VACCINATIONS
Valley Gem provides a Vaccination Certificate for every puppy.

• The puppy booster is due at 12-14 weeks. After that once a year.

• Do not allow puppy to be exposed to places where lots of dogs have been until 10 days after the vaccination.

• Keep your puppy off the floor when visiting a vet

TOILET TRAINING
Puppies need, and become house trained quickly from regular toileting. Take the puppy to a grassy area:

• Every time your puppy wakes up

• After meals

• Approximately every hour
  
  It is best to have your puppy in a safe, fenced, grassed area during the day. Toilet regularly. Especially at night when puppy is indoors, and you will soon have a house trained puppy.  Be diligent in the early stages with your puppy, and the message will be well imprinted. Valley Gem puppies have been toileted regularly from 5 weeks of age. It is very important to continue this training.

CRATE TRAINING
Crate training is not punishment but a personal space, safe for a puppy to have ’quiet time’ and a rest.

I highly recommend crate training. It enables a puppy or dog to have a safe quiet space of their own. Crate training can be any contained area; normally a large cage within the home that is near a living area or a room partitioned by a gate. Place water, their bedding, toys, bones and food inside the cage. It is great for toilet training throughout the night.

OBEDIENCE
Valley Gem Dobermanns are highly intelligent dogs, willing to please their master.

• Be a firm and fair leader.

• Do not promote dysfunctional behaviour in your dog.

• Promote desired behaviour with praise.

• Remember Dobermanns are naturally dominant Dogs.

• Be a good leader: use structure and boundaries.

• If you don’t know how to solve a problem do not hesitate to call me for advice.  Training is important with all dogs, especially large breeds such as Dobermanns.

ABOUT NEGATIVES AND POSITIVES
It pays of to get it right from the start.

• Give clear consistent messages

• Don’t ignore bad behaviour

• Be firm and fair

• Give clear, consistent messages to your puppy
  

• If the puppy is doing something negative don’t reward or ignore this behaviour otherwise the puppy will never realise it is doing something wrong.

HITTING A DOG IS NOT DISCIPLINE
To deliver a physical negative:

• make a quick grab-and-release around the top of puppy’s neck and at the same time give a verbal negative.

• Always remember to give praise for the right decision Give payment where it’s due.

• A book I can recommend is ’The Art of Raising a Puppy’ by The Monks of Newskete. They also have other publications and training videos. Visit their web site on www.dogsbestfriend.com

• Teach your puppy what a negative is.

• Use your ’negative cues’ cautiously;
  don’t progress through the levels too rapidly as puppies are easy to offend Use a harsh dominant tone of voice saying ’ahh’ or ’no’.

• When puppy ceases the undesired behaviour verbally praise him in a bright and happy tone of voice.

• Let your puppy know he’s made the right decision. If your verbally negative doesn't’t work then go to the next level which is a physical negative. Always try a verbal first

• Remember if puppy continues negative behaviour your level isn't high enough proceed to a higher level until the puppy makes the right decision. Then reward accordingly

• Be firm and fair and you’ll have a calm easy-to- live- with compliant companion that knows where he or she stands.