Puppy Schedule

I can’t believe that this time next week all of the puppies will be with each of you. Next weekend will definitely be an emotional weekend for me so please make sure you send lots of pictures and updates on how your new puppy is doing.

Now down to business…First we will start with food. Of course you know by now that all of the puppies are eating Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy Food. The puppies are still sharing a bowl as of right now and each one gets about ½ a cup each. You will need to soak their food in warm water- about ¼ cup of water- for about 10 minutes before feeding them. You will gradually reduce the amount of water over the next week or 2 until they are eating only the hard puppy food. The main goal is the keep them lean. You need to be able to feel your puppy’s ribs and when viewed from above you should be able to see a defined waist. This should be the case when they are adults too. Your puppies eat 3 times a day which is listed in the sample schedule below.

Crate Training- All of the puppies have started the crate training process. We place them in their own crate each night at bedtime. Let me just say it is not quiet at our house during this time. Your puppy is going to cry and at first you are going to think this may never stop but I promise that if you stick with the process it will pay off big time. Just remember no matter how much your puppy cries do not take them out of the crate. When you take your puppy out to potty at night it should be all business and no play. We are currently taking them out around 11:30pm and 3:30am…yes you will be sleep deprived for a little while but it will fly by. At night when you take your puppy out make sure they are on a leash- take them to the same place that you wish your puppy to always go…remember if you train them to go potty right by the door then this is where they are more than likely to go when they get older so make sure it is a place you want them to use. Take the puppy to the potty spot and use a command- we have been saying “Go Bathroom”. Continue to repeat this until your puppy uses the restroom. Once this happens praise your puppy then place them back in the crate. This is not a time to play but to use light praise so they know they have done the right thing. We set an alarm to take the puppies out at night- we do not wait for them to cry. You will continue to move the alarm back and you should be down to only one potty break within one month. Eventually your puppy will be able to hold it all night…this is when you will look back at your sleep deprived nights and feel proud- I promise it is worth it.

Here is a look at the schedule we have your puppy currently on. You do not have to stick to this exactly but your puppy will need a set schedule.

6:00am- Take all puppies out to their potty spot. Highly praise them for going to the bathroom.

6:15am- Feed all puppies and offer water. Play after then potty break followed by nap.

9:00am- Offer water, Potty break followed by lots of praise, play time, then nap

12:00pm- Feed all puppies and offer water, potty break followed by lots of praise and play time, nap

3:00pm- Offer water, Potty break followed by lots of praise, play time, then nap

6:00pm- Feed all puppies and offer water, potty break followed by lots of praise and play time

Before bed- Potty break at potty spot- light praise then place in crate

Middle of the night- Take puppy to potty spot- light praise then place back in crate.

And remember the most important thing is HAVE FUN with your puppy.

Week 8 Video

Hey Everyboy- Here is a quick look at all the puppies. They are busy little guys and girls now. I will be posting to the blog our daily schedule which includes feeding, potty breaks and playtime. I know everybody has different schedules but this will give you an idea of what the puppies are use to. All the puppies are doing really good with their crate training and our middle of the night potty breaks have been successful. They are all looking forward to meeting their new families this coming week :-)

Week 7 Video

Hey Everybody. This week we did a slide show of the puppies instead of a video. Everybody is doing great and getting big. Do you have a countdown on the days until your pup joins you?!

Puppy Supplies

OK so it is getting close….and that means time to go shopping. Here is a list of some of the must haves for your new puppy.

Leash and Collar. Your puppy will need a collar that can be adjusted easily. The collar should fit snuggly so it won’t slip off but not too tight; you should be able to fit two fingers between the collar and the pup’s neck. Make sure to check this frequently because your puppy will be growing quickly. A leash is needed for walks, potty break and training. I would recommend a short leash in the beginning so you are in control during the training process….you do not want a dog that is going to pull you around the neighborhood- you want one that will walk by your side.

Crate and playpen. We are big on crate training and playpens not only because it keeps your puppy safe when you are unable to watch them but it also helps with the potty training process. For those of you whose puppy is flying you can use the crate they arrive in for a while. It is the perfect size for when they are little. I would recommend a 36” crate for the females and 42” crate for the males. Here is an example: http://www.petsmart.com/supplies-training/crates/midwest-icrate-dog-crate-zid36-7142/cat-36-catid-100086?var_id=36-7142&_t=pfm%3Dsearch. These crates will be too big for your puppy at first so make sure you use a divider to section the place off where your new puppy will sleep. You do not want them to have the whole crate because dogs do not like to go potty where they sleep….if they have the option to go to the other end of the crate to potty then come back to sleep that makes the potty training process a lot harder. Make sure your puppy is able to stand up, lie down, turn around and stretch inside the crate.

Food and Water bowls. There are many different types of doggy dishes to choose from. I would recommend using a stainless steel bowl because they are easy to clean and sanitize (unlike plastic bowls which can easily get scratched and hold bacteria and residue in these areas). They also cannot be chewed up by a new teething puppy.

Food. We feed Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy. It is the light orange bag. Check our blog for a visual of the bag

Grooming. We use baby shampoo on all of our puppies and adult dogs. You will also need a brush, nail clippers (make sure to only cut the hook of the nail off. If you are uncertain have your vet show you the proper way) and tooth brush. Start a regular grooming routine as soon as your puppy joins you- this will make the process a lot easier when they are adults.

Toys. Puppies love toys. We recommend strong durable, well-made toys (like kong toys) that are sized appropriately for your dog. Cheaper is not always better- you do not want a toy that your dog can easily take apart and swallow small pieces. Rope toys are also good as they help floss teeth while the puppy plays. Also make sure to get fetching toys such as tennis balls.

These are just the basics that you will need for when your new puppy joins you. Happy Shopping :)

Vet Visit

Hey Everybody....All of the puppies received their 6 weeks shots today and did great. We are all healthy and ready to meet our new families soon. Mark your calendar for 3 weeks from today...September 10th...that is when everybody is due for their next round of shots.

Week 6 Video

Here is your week 6 video...hope you enjoy :-)

AKC Information

Hi Everybody- We have the AKC papers for each puppy so I need everybody's information so we can fill the forms out. If you are picking up your puppy then we will give you the form then...if your puppy is flying then we will mail all the information to you. Once you receive the AKC form you will need to sign it and mail it back into the AKC.

The AKC requires each dog to have a unique name (this is not what you will actually call your dog). Each dogs name will start off with Southland's...(the name you decide). We would like all of the puppies to have a summer theme since they were born in July. You can choose anything from a summer time song, a place you visit in the summer or anything that makes you think of summer...it is up to you.

Please email me the name you choose.

I also need the following information for the AKC (you can email it to me):

New Owner's first and last name (if you want more that one person listed please send both names)
Mailing Address, City, State, Postal Code
Telephone number
Email Address
**If the information above is different for the co-owner (if there is one) then I need that to. If not just tell me the information is the same for both owners.

Can you believe your puppy will be 6 weeks old next Tuesday :-)

Playful Puppies

Everyone was VERY ACTIVE this afternoon so we decided to get a video for everyone to see the puppies playful side. We had to put up our small play pen so we could video them....trying to video 6 puppies scattered in a large area is almost impossible. Anyways...here are some playful pups

Puppy Food

Here is the puppy food that we feed all of our puppies. It is Blue Buffalo - Life Protection Formula- Large Breed Puppy. It is great and I would highly recommend it. We feed our adult dogs the same but just the adult large breed (the bag is also orange so make sure you get the puppy for now). Hope this visual helps when you go shopping :-)

Week 5 Video

Hey Everybody- Here is our week 5 video. I will be contacting everybody this week to start our picking process. We should know by our next video which puppy will be with each family :)

These puppies are AMAZING...they are doing so well with potty training...I am one proud (2 legged) mama. We still have plenty of messes- and you will too- but the fact that they are choosing to go outside and also away from where they sleep is GREAT. 

I will have a post this week with the information I need from each of you for the AKC papers so keep an eye out for that. These weeks are flying by (at least for me)...only a few more weeks til one of these adorable fur balls joins your family.

Messy Puppies

Ohh how they love to eat, play, and get messy in their puppy food :)

Fun Outside!!!

Hey Everybody- Here is a quick video of all the pups (and Cally) playing outside today. Hope you enjoy :)

Week 4 Video

Can you believe we are half way to when your puppy will join you...time is flying by. All of the puppies and Cally are doing GREAT. They are really starting to act like little puppies now. You will see in this video they just had their first bath (just water to rinse off the puppy food). This video isn't as long as the others because we were outside and a thunderstorm was starting to pop up so we had to hurry back in...we will post more videos this week. Hope you enjoy the video :)