You have just entered into a lifetime commitment with your new family member and companion. Now it’s your responsibility to make sure all needs are met for he/she.. Avoid unnecessary exposure of your puppy to other dogs until it has had all set of shots @ 6 wks, 8 wks, 10 wks.,12wks., 14 wks. And recommended by vets for puppies of Bull breeds to have a Parvovirus booster vaccine at 5 to 6 months of age The first thing you need to remember is that is a baby not a grown animal and must be treated as such. In order for you to have a healthy puppy it must receive it’s series of shots, plenty of rest, clean water at all times, out of any extreme weather and feed small meals of dog food often ( at least 3 times a day as a puppy and allow for about 30 minutes for the puppy to eat what it wants each time before removing the food). Always make sure at least 1 time a week the dog collar is not getting to tight, after all he / she is growing. What you feed your puppy or dog is very important. If you are planning to switch dog foods, here is a helpful hint to make it easier on your pet. As true to anytime you switch a dog food, remember there is a good chance it will cause loose stools for about a week or until their bodies adjust to it. If possible, try using a 50 /50 ratio of the old and the new type of dog food gradually more and more of the new type until it’s all the same. This will help them adjust easier. If in the event when your puppy first gets to it’s new home and does not want to eat dry dog food it is use to right away, try letting the dry dog food soak up warm water (this is referred to as mush) and then offer it to the puppy. This might only be needed to be done for 1 -2 days, before resuming it normal dry dog food. It is not to uncommon for a puppy to be nervous about being in a new place and leaving the rest of the littermates. So I’ll give you a few tricks to make your new little one feel more at ease. If your puppy stands at the front of it’s crate yelping and you have already taken it out for a 30 min. restroom break, try taking a 2 litter bottle (make sure to remove all paper from bottle first) fill it with warm water and covering the bottle with a blanket or towel and putting it inside the crate where the puppy can snuggle against it as if it was a litter mate. Also try putting some dog toys for it to chew on. Puppies do teeth just like human babies. Also try calmly talking to the puppy and playing with it.
As far as house training a puppy you are going to have accidents and must remember to stay patient and calm ( this is the hardest ). You will need to have a crate just big enough for it to stretch out comfortably. Most dogs don’t like to be in their on waste, so they will go to a corner and relieve them selves. As soon as you see them sniffing all over the place on the floor, gently but quickly take the puppy to the same spot every time where you have designated as their restroom area, even in the middle of the night. Normally 20 - 30 minutes after feeding they will need to go to the restroom. If the puppy starts to chew on things it should not, tell it NO calmly, but strongly. Also at the pet stores, try buying “Bitter Apple” and spraying it on that item it keeps chewing. Also at the same time remove it from that area and giving it a chew toy.
DOG TREATS :
I would only give him / her BIL-JAC liver treats and only very small amounts after 16 weeks old. She/ he is still a little baby so she needs to be use to eating her normal dog food. Treats could confuse her right now. The dog treats can be additive to them at this age and could make it were she thinks that treats are her meal and not eat anything else. kind of like a kid wanting to only eat candy, chips, ice cream ...They prefer to eat them because they are sweet, but don't have any nutrition they need to grow properly. At this age I would use her dog food as a treat. They know that you giving one piece at a time as a reward is something special because of the one on one contact. Just an ice cube is something special and fun for them to play with.
If planning on switching food…..
If you switch their food beware they will properly get the runs (loose stool) for up to a week while their stomach gets use to the new food. This is true with any puppy and even most adult dogs.