If you’ve just picked up a new puppy after weeks of waiting, it can be daunting to find yourself without the resources and help you were expecting due to current restrictions in place.
We have a few tips to help get your puppy ready for ‘life after lockdown’ whist still maintaining social distancing rules.
Vaccinations
Get them vaccinated and set up with parasite treatment. We still deem primary vaccinations to be essential to provide protection against potentially fatal infectious diseases.
Contact us on 01435 864422 to arrange an appointment, our team will explain how we’re maintaining social distance.
Socialise
Acclimatise them to the sights, sounds and smells they’ll encounter as they grow up.
Take them outside (whilst keeping a 2 metre distance from others) so they can see a busy road, cyclists, joggers etc. from a distance.
Meeting people from a distance is probably a good thing for young pups anyway, so as not to overwhelm them.
Scary Sounds
Dogs Trust has some great playlists you can use to get your pup used to scary sounds slowly.
Check out their website for more info.
Training
Unfortunately we can’t run our puppy parties at the moment.
Do check out YouTube – it has some good training videos for puppies.
Remember, you aren’t alone in this, even if you can’t attend a proper puppy class.
Space and Separation Anxiety
Remember to give them some space. Pups will have to eventually learn that you aren’t at home 24/7 eating quarantine snacks!
If you’re planning to crate train, start early and gradually build up the time they are left alone.
Puppies that aren’t left alone early on may struggle with separation anxiety if you need to leave them alone later in life.
For more advice and to book vaccinations, please call us at the surgery on 01435 864422 to speak to a member of our team.
Heathfield Vets – Quality Care with a Friendly Face
