Veterinarian

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It is very important to choose a veterinarian before or after purchasing a puppy/dog. We are very familiar with the Greater Washington D.C. area and would be more than happy to give out referrals. You may also want to asked neighbors, friends or family if they know about a reliable doctor.

Try to choose a veterinarian close to where you live. In case of an emergency, you do not want to drive too far. Go and meet the veterinarian and check out the staff and their facilities.

Also it is very important to know where the nearest emergency pet clinic is. Most of the Veterinarian have open until 6 pm from Monday to Fridays, Saturdays from 9am to 12 am and often appointments only for Saturday. Your local emergency pet clinic normally picks up the after hour services or they may even a 24 hour emergency clinic. Get familiar with both, your veterinarian as well as your nearest emergency clinic and have the phone numbers handy.

 

Vaccine

Newborn puppies receive disease fighting antibodies through their mother's milk. With 6 weeks the manufacture of vaccine, as well as most veterinarian recommend the first puppy vaccination to build the puppy's immune system. After that vaccinations should be given every 3 weeks until the puppy is 20 weeks of age. After that your veterinarian will put your puppy on a annual schedule. It is of upmost importance to give your puppy at least 3 rounds of puppy-vaccinations.

 

Grooming

They are many nice grooming stores around the city's. If you do decide to take your dog to a professional grooming store your groomer will not only give him a bath and dry your dog, but also will make sure that the nails a clipped down, ears are checked for infections and cleaned out and that excessive hair is bushed out. We do not recommend to bath your puppy to often. Frequent bathing can dry out the skin and haircoat. But you can always go into the groomers for a nail trim. 

We also do not recommend any type of flea dips on a frequent level. In todays days we have Frontline and other treatments for flea's and ticks and it is not really necessary to dip your puppy/dogs.

Asked your groomer how many dogs she is grooming that day. Remember, so fewer dogs are in the grooming store, so calmer it is, so faster your puppy/dog can come home. If your groomer has more than 10 dogs that day, you may want to take your puppy someplace else. Saturdays are normally very busy day's in grooming salon. Or ask you groomer to make an appointment in and out in 2 hours.

 

Identification

We recommend to microchip the puppy for identification. All of our puppies go home with a microchip . During one of your puppies vet visit asked your veterinarian to microchip your puppy for you. We normally recommend to this at the same time as his/her rabies vaccination visit. All of the Schutzhund organization require an identification on dogs. 

 

Eyes and Ears  

The eyes of your puppy should be clear and bright and free of any red spots, heavy discharge, or other abnormal conditions.

The ears should be clean, without a foul odor. It should not be red, inflamed or hot. You should check your dogs ears about once a month.

 

Mouth

Your Puppy's/dog's mouth should be pink, with healthy gums and no redness or swelling at the tooth margins. The lips should be free of sores or growth. Teeth should be kept free of tartar buildup and there should not be bad breath. Also, if your puppy has a hard time loosing his teeth and the new once are coming up and getting bigger, consult your veterinarian. 

 

Teeth

Teach your puppy early on to brush his teeth. Make it a daily routine if you like. Special toothpastes and dental cleaning products made for pets are available at pet stores or your veterinarian. Start out by gently massaging your puppy's gum and teeth with a fingertip. Once your puppy is used to have his mouth handled you than start slowly to graduate to a very soft doggy tooth brush. 

Plaque, a sticky, colorless film, forms continuously on the teeth. If plaque is not removed, a cement-like substance called tartar builds up at the gum-line and may lead to diseases and infections.

 

Body and Coat

Your dog's/puppy's body should be free of lumps, tumors, fleas and ticks. A normal coat is thick, shiny and silky.