PUPPY CARE SHEET

Congratulations on the purchase of your Pomeranian puppy! Pomeranians make loving, enduring companions. They are beautiful, intelligent, and love to please. With the proper care, they can live for up to eighteen years. Please read this sheet completely. 

Some cautions and suggestions are as follows:

1) Be sure that your puppy has clean, fresh water and a food supply at all times during the day. As he/she gets older, you may switch to scheduled feedings to aid in housebreaking.

2) Be sure to feed your puppy a high quality food without artificial preservatives and colorings. Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy is good as a staple food. Poms eat very little, so it's not expensive to feed the best food. Eukanuba is especially good for firm stools that are easy to clean up. Several times per week it's also good to offer foods such as freshly cooked chicken (remove the skin), turkey, or scrambled eggs in addition to a small serving of vegetables like carrots and peas for added nutrition. Never spice or salt food that you prepare for your dogs. If you would like to give some canned food for treats, choose a high quality premium food without sugar or artificial preservatives. Chew sticks are recommended to help clean your puppy's teeth, and will help save your furniture.

3) DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT feed your puppy table scraps. Small dogs like poms are especially sensitive. If fed table scraps, your puppy will be doomed to tooth problems, health problems and will likely become overweight. Spicy foods like sausage can make a Pom puppy very ill and can even kill him. If you'd like to give a reward, a bit of liver, cheese or occasional healthy dog biscuit is O.K., but don't overdo. A very good way to make good doggie treats is to boil liver, cut it into small bite size pieces and then keep it frozen in a zip lock freezer baggie. This makes a wonderful healthy treat or training reward. Canned food is fine for puppies, but not recommended for adult dogs. Your dog's teeth will be healthier with dry food. Again, give chew sticks often. Do not give milk. If you decide to switch food, introduce the new food gradually mixing it with the old food. Quick diet changes can cause diarrhea. Persistent diarrhea, a pot belly, or thinness can be a sign of worms. Take your puppy to the vet or worm with Nemex II. (Take your puppy to the vet for a fecal if symptoms do not improve after worming with Nemex).

4) Your puppy may whine or cry at night at first. He/she has been separated from his mother & litter mates, and will be lonely. Unless the cries are sharp indicating pain or illness, do not pick up the puppy. If you do, he/she will continue to cry every night. Place the puppy in his crate, and then go and reassure him periodically. He/she will soon learn that nighttime is for sleeping, not crying. I also suggest giving your puppy a small stuffed toy right away. It will comfort your puppy when you are away. Be sure that the toy has no pieces that could be chewed off and choked on. Avoid yelling at your puppy. A sharp "no" is all that is needed when he/she does something wrong. Yelling at or hitting your puppy will give him a low self esteem, and he/she will not obtain his full potential.

5) Be sure to give your puppy plenty of attention and love. Poms adore their masters and need to receive petting and attention as reassurance every day. Avoid leaving him/her alone for extended periods of time. Make sure to allow him plenty of exercise. Check that there are no small objects around your home that can be choked on or electrical cords that can be chewed. Also make sure that any puppy pens or fencing have small enough bar spacing so that your puppy cannot get his head through and strangle himself. CAUTION: Poms are easily hit by cars. Walk your dog only on a lead. Do not allow him to play where there is traffic or where he/she can dart into the street. Poms tend to panic when they see an oncoming car, and usually do not move out of the way. Use good sense to avoid the tragedy of your pet being killed. Also, watch large dogs. Poms can be killed by large dogs. Be careful not to drop your puppy or allow small children to carry him around. Poms sustain internal injuries easily.

6) Practice good grooming. A Pom is easy to groom and only needs brushing every few days. Use a pin brush or rolling comb for long hair and a small slicker for behind the ears. Brush in sections, against the grain (from tail to head) so that the coat will not lay flat. To avoid mats, brush all the way to the skin carefully removing all loose undercoat. Clip nails once a month. Clip carefully to avoid cutting the quick. Bathe with a good quality shampoo once a month or as needed. CAUTION: Brush your Pom thoroughly BEFORE bathing. If your dog is blowing undercoat, and you do not brush it out before bathing, the water and shampoo will cause your dog to mat severely. In cool weather, dry your dog completely so he/she will not chill. After bathing, carefully clip the hair between the toe pads for sanitary reasons and tidiness. Clip up to the first joint of the leg and around the edges of the feet so that they look like tidy "cat's feet." Clip the unruly hair from the top of the ears by protecting the ear leather with two fingers and cutting straight across the top of the ear with the other hand. Use caution until you are experienced with this or you may cut the ear leather. Also for sanitary reasons, clip a small circle around the anus regularly. Check the anus regularly for fecal matter that may have become hardened. A blocked bowel will cause infection and death within a couple of days.  Around 10-12 weeks old, most Poms begin a stage called "puppy uglies." As the baby coat begins to transition over to adult coat, your puppy will look rather scruffy and gangly. Depending on the puppy, he/she will begin to coat up and his features soften again at 6-9 months. During this stage it is important to keep your puppy well groomed, particularly exercising care to brush out all loose undercoat to avoid matting.

7) Be sure to keep your puppy's vaccinations current. Common dog illnesses are easy to prevent, but very hard to cure. Your puppy will have been wormed and had its first combo shot without lepto. In two-three weeks he/she should be taken for his second shot, and the stools checked for worms. A final combo should be given after 16 weeks of age and an annual booster given thereafter. If your puppy is listless or refuses food for more than 24 hours, take him/her to a veterinarian immediately. If your puppy has a sharp, persistent whine indicating pain, experiences a drastic weight loss, exhibits signs of dehydration, has diarrhea for more than 48 hours, or is injured, please consult your veterinarian. (Please see special page on hypoglycemia and intestinal infections).

8) House training. Poms are very smart and easy to house train if you are strict and persistent in your method. Do not allow the puppy to wander the house unless someone is watching him every second. When he/she cannot be watched, place him in his crate. No, this is not cruel. Dogs do not resent being in a crate for the night and for limited times during the day. In time, your puppy will actually enjoy his crate as his den. Take him outside in the morning, after meals, and after naps. Praise him when he/she eliminates correctly. If you see him squatting or hunching his back to eliminate in the house, tell him loudly and sharply, "NO!" Take him outside and praise him when he/she eliminates correctly. If he/she does manage to eliminate in the house, clean the spot with an enzyme cleaner or he/she will be attracted to it again. See potty training information for further details.

9) Breeding. It is not recommended that you breed your dog unless you intend to devote a lot of time and research to this endeavor. A litter is time consuming, and can be very costly if something goes wrong. Pomeranians often have trouble in whelping. Inexperience on the part of the "breeder" can result in loss of the litter, mother, or both. Once a litter is whelped, it should not be left for more than a few hours at a time. A healthy puppy can suddenly experience hypoglycemia, have a blocked bowel, or be injured. Constant attention is required. The mother will also shed her nice coat after a litter and will not look as attractive. Your male dog will make a much better pet if he/she is not allowed to breed. Male dogs that are used for breeding are very difficult to house train because they have the natural instinct to mark their territory with urine. They will also wander more often. Having a healthy litter can be very rewarding, but can also be tragic if the proper precautions are not taken. It is recommended that pet dogs be spayed or neutered.

10) Companionship. Although it is not necessary, Poms do enjoy having another Pomeranian around for company. It is  better to obtain the companion while your dog is still young. (Although a Pom of any age will usually accept a new puppy, as long as the original pet still gets attention). Yes, dogs can be quite jealous. Introduce the new dog while you are petting your original dog. While still petting the original dog, let him/her smell and get to know the new dog. Usually this works quite well and your pet will accept the newcomer without a problem. Adult females that have not been spayed will not always accept another adult female for company. Likewise adult males that are not neutered will sometimes fight a new male. Buy your new Pom from a reputable breeder who gives the puppies plenty of attention and socialization. Be cautious of "good deals." They may leave you with an unhealthy, neglected, or genetically defective dog. Avoid pet stores for a new puppy. Pet store puppies often come from puppy mills, and have problems with temperament and health.

11) Above all, ENJOY YOUR PUPPY! He/she wants to please you and will learn quickly how to do so if you give him the chance. If you plan to show your puppy, start his training early. Give him plenty of attention so that he/she will have a good self esteem. Good luck!