Wildwood White Swiss Shepherds
Bringing Your New Wildwood Puppy Home
Congratulations on the new addition to your family!
Before you have your puppy home please read through this carefully!
Food:
Your puppy has been eating Orijen Large breed Puppy food. You will find a sample of this in your puppy kit. We highly recommend you continue with the Orijen or Acana brands of food. It is a very healthy, quality food, and will ensure your puppy get the proper nutrition.
If you decide to change your puppy’s food, do so slowly. These pups have sensitive digestive systems and switching foods too quickly could give them belly aches and loose stools. Transition to the new food over the period of 4 weeks. Week one feed 1/4 new food 3/4 old food. Week 2 feed 1/2 new food 1/2 old food. Week three feed 3/4 new food and 1/4 old food. By week 4 you can transition fully to the new food.
This is a food that is fairly easy to find. You can purchase it through local natural or holistic pet stores. It is also available through many websites online. We use and recommend petflow.com or chewy.com if you choose to purchase online.
We recommend that you transition your puppy to ADULT food NO LATER than 6 months old. You can switch your puppy immediately to adult food when you bring them home if you choose or wait a bit longer. If you remain on Orijen or a similar high quality food, the “adult” food will have virtually the same amount of calories per cup as the “puppy” food so it is acceptable to use right away if you choose. To ensure that your puppy does not grow too quickly it is acceptable and recommended to switch to adult food sooner than most other breeds.
Remember that your puppy is growing and they will need to eat 3 times per day when you first bring them home. After a few weeks you can switch to feeding them only 2 times per day. Keeping your puppy on a regular meal schedule is highly recommended and will greatly assist you with potty training.
Crate:
We strongly suggest that you continue using your puppy’s crate once you bring them home. Your puppy’s crate will not only make potty training easier, but will become a place of comfort and security for your pup.
In your puppy kit you will see your puppy’s “security blanket”. This is a blanket that smells like mom and their other litter mates. When you get them home, put this blanket in with them in their crate. Do not wash it! The smell of mom and their siblings will be comforting to them in their transition to living with you.
If your puppy was shipped to you, we suggest getting a wire crate for your puppy. They will soon outgrow their airline crate and will need a bigger one! Full grown, your puppy will fit comfortably in a 42” crate. You can purchase that size right away and simply put a divider in the crate to make it smaller in the beginning.
If you picked up your pup from us your puppy will be used to sleeping in a wire crate and we recommend continuing this to aid in potty training. Make sure you use the divider as your puppy grows if you buy an adult size. If you allow your puppy too much space in their kennel at first they won’t have a problem going potty at one end of the crate and sleeping on the other end. You don’t want them to learn this! Make sure the space in their crate is large enough for them to comfortably stand, turn around, and lie down, but not any larger!
Veterinarian:
To ensure that the requirements for our “puppy guarantees” are met, we recommend that you schedule an appointment with your chosen veterinarian within the 3 day grace period for your puppy (see contract). If your puppy is being shipped to you, we recommend that you schedule this appointment as soon as you know the date that your puppy will be arriving to you. Seeing the vet will not only fulfill your contract but is also an opportunity to get acquainted with your vet and ask any questions you may have. It is also important to get set up with a vet just in case you may have an emergency.
In your puppy kit, you will find a health certificate and shot records for your puppy. Make sure you bring this with you to your first vet visit. We also recommend that you ask your vet to scan your puppy’s microchip to make sure it is properly working.
Another note: We do not recommend or advise early spay/neuter of our puppies. I strongly believe that it does more harm than good to spay/neuter too early. It is required in our contract to wait to spay/neuter your dog until they are between 1 and 2 years old. This means you must be a responsible dog owner and not allow your dog to breed during this time. Your vet may tell you otherwise but this is my recommendation and requirements in order to maintain our health guarantee. You are more than welcome to talk with me about why I require this and what is best for you and your new puppy.
Love & Training:
So far, your puppy has received the best start in life possible. Since we are a small, in home breeder we take great time and care with our puppies. These dogs are social creatures and thrive on attention and companionship. White Shepherds are truly family dogs and want to be a part of whatever you are doing. A White Shepherd left in the backyard and left of of the family life will be a very unhappy pet. A White Shepherd who is part of the family lit and trained properly will be a happy, healthy, wonderful pet for many years.
These puppies are very easily trained and will be the star of any puppy class you take them in. We highly recommend signing up for at least a basic obedience class with your puppy. This is not only an important way for your puppy to learn social skills, but allows the two of you to bond through learning together!
Additional notes:
Should you ever need assistance or advice we will always be available for you to contact for the life of your pup! We are more than willing to talk you through any problems you may have and love sharing the joys and accomplishments you have with your Wildwood White Swiss Shepherd!
Once you have one of our pups you are welcome to join our Facebook groups page for Wildwood family members. This is a private group designed for owners of our amazing Wildwood dogs to share stories, advice, pictures, and support! Let me know if you would like to be a part of this and I shall add you in!
Welcome to the Wildwood Family!
