Central California Breeders

7  Gideon Wheatens

Care of Your Puppy


     Here is a list of things you will need:

  • A Crate or Kennel

     This is a wire enclosure made for dogs.  It should be large enough to accommodate your dog when he/she is full grown.  We use an intermediate sized, Vari-Kennel®  32"L x 22"W x 23" H.  You need to purchase the crate prior to purchasing your puppy and you will bring your puppy home in this.

  • Collar and Lead (Leash)

     A smooth round rolled-leather collar and a snap lead.  Show dogs will need a Resco® show lead, which has the collar and lead all in one.  You can use an obedience or "choke", but it will need to made of nylon to protect your dogs precious coat.

  • Food and Water Dishes

     These should be easily cleaned and very stable so they don't easily tip over. We use a heavier metal food bowl and a "watering hole" type water dish which has a ring in the center that helps control splatter.

  • Food

     We use Nutro® Puppy chow (dry) mixed with Little Champions® canned meat for our nursing mother and puppies and provide you with a sample for the first couple feedings.  You should feed your new puppy this diet for at least 2 weeks.  If you make any dietary changes it should be done very gradually, mixing the new food with the old for a while before going to the new food exclusively.  The food we serve our adult Wheatens is Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice ® (dry) mixed with Little Champions®  (adult) canned meat.

  • Vitamins

     We use IN®  vitamins and follow the recommended dosage per the weight of the dog.  We provide samples for the first week or so.

     We use Nutro® Puppy biscuits, smaller raw hide chews and pigs ears (not too many or your puppy may get sick or not eat his/her dinner).  Also, make sure any raw hide chews or pigs ears are made in the USA, other countries allow the use of preservatives such as formaldehyde.  Make sure all stuffed toys don't have plastic parts like "eyes and noses" that can be swallowed.  Some rubber bones and toys are designed to allow you to put foods like peanut butter inside them.  The puppy will try to get to the food, keeping him/her busy for hours. 

Naming Your Puppy:

     Use a simple call name, preferably of two syllables.  A name that will not be confused with another family members name or with basic commands like "stay", "come", "heel", "stand", or "down" is best.

Pasting Puppy Ears:

     While your puppy is cutting teeth, you may notice his ears "flying" about.  They may seem to have lost the crisp fold.  To insure a good ear-set at maturity, it is best to paste the ears to the skull for a short time.  This procedure is very simple and is not harmful or painful to the puppy.  Surgical glue is used and is cut away from the hair when the ears are ready to come down, usually in about 6 weeks.  Your breeder will help you with this.

Health & Shots:

     Your puppy will come with a health certificate, which will indicate any course of medical treatment the pup may have undergone while in the breeders care, such as the first examination, tail and dew claw removal and first shots.  You will take this document with you to your own vet within 1 week of bringing your puppy home.  The first series of shots is given to the pup at 6 weeks of age (the breeder will take care of this).  Your puppy will need 4 additional series of shots every 3 weeks until he/she is 18-22 weeks of age (depending on your vet's advice).  Our vet recommends shots at 6, 9, 12, 15, & 18 weeks of age.   Until your pup has completed all the series of shots keep him/her away from unknown or non-immunized animals, as they can be a source of infection.


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