There is no one who can resist a puppy. Small and furry, these little dogs easily win a place in anyone's heart. But, before making the decision to acquire a puppy, it is very important to know how best to adapt the pet in your new home. That is, in addition to knowing how to feed puppy, you also need to know everything about the first vaccinations,bathing, medication, training, sleeping and much more.

If you're thinking of opening the doors of your home to a puppy just a few months old, it's time to understand how to care for a puppy. The Paws of the House helps you in this mission: we have separated a guide with the most important care before taking a puppy home.

After all, when does the dog stop being a puppy?

This is a very important question to understand how long, on average, the puppy will require special care. After all, as everyone knows, puppies are still very fragile in the first months of life and therefore need to pay extra attention to their hygiene, feeding, first vaccinations and social aspects. So, when does the puppy stop being a puppy?

The answer will depend mainly on the breed and size of the animal. Generally, the period for a dog to stop being a puppy varies between 10 and 24 months, which is when they reach sexual maturity. In the case of small or medium-sized dogs, they become adults between 10 and 12 months of age. Large or giant dogs have a less accelerated development, so they stop being puppies.be puppies only between 18 and 24 months.

How to feed puppy?

There is a whole process that puppies go through before they start eating food, and it is important to understand each of these stages. To begin with, in the first 30 days of life, the feeding of puppies should be based exclusively on breast milk. It is with this milk that the animal receives essential nutrients for its growth and immunity (such as colostrum).

If the puppy is without its mother during this period, another option is artificial milk, which has a formula very similar to canine breast milk and is produced especially for dogs in this age group. Oh, and don't try to offer cow's milk or derivatives to your little friend, huh? They are heavier and can harm the animal's health.

Between 30 and 45 days of age, you can start the weaning process with baby food: just mix a little artificial pet milk with a few grains of puppy food. The indicated proportion is 30% milk + 70% food, and you can beat everything in a blender or knead the ingredients until it forms a pasty consistency.

After weaning, it is time to introduce solid food into your pet's diet. As they are still growing, puppies require a higher caloric expenditure than older animals. Therefore, the food must be specific for this age, maintaining a nutritional balance in the canine organism. The amount of times the pet should be fed is as follows:

• 2 months: 4 to 6 times a day
• 3 months: 4 times a day
• 4 to 6 months: 2 to 3 times a day
• 6 months onwards: 2 times a day or as recommended by the veterinarian

Another common question is how much food to give to a puppy. In this case, the guidelines are usually indicated on the product packaging itself, but in order not to make mistakes, it is advisable to talk to a trusted veterinarian.

The feeding of a puppy goes through different stages such as breastfeeding, weaning and introduction of solid food

How to teach a puppy to potty in the right place

The first months of life are ideal for teaching the dog to pee and poop in the right place, because the learning process is faster at this stage. But how to do that? Well, the first thing to do is to choose where the dog's bathroom will be. Oh, and remember: the ideal is that the place is not close to where the animal takes its meals for hygiene reasons. After that,just buy a suitable material - such as hygienic mats - to serve as the pet's bath.

In order to teach puppies, the attention of the guardian is crucial: you must observe the signs of when the puppy is about to evacuate in order to direct him to the right place. One tactic that works is to have a certain time to feed the dog, as this way you can "predict" when he will do his business. In addition, positive reinforcement is another tactic that helps for those who want to feed their puppies.learn how to train a puppy: rewards, such as treats and praise, encourage the animal to repeat that action more often.

How old can you bathe a puppy?

Contrary to what many people think, bathing a puppy is not recommended in the first months of life. Because it still has a fragile immunity and very sensitive skin, it is best to wait until the puppy is 2 or 3 months old as a precaution. Before that, the pet's hygiene should be done with the use of wet wipes, always in a very subtle way so as not to aggravate or damage the skin.injure the animal's skin.

After the puppy completes the vaccination scheme and is in better health, baths can start to be part of his routine. To know how to bathe a puppy, a valuable tip is to choose times when the puppy is more relaxed. Then, in addition to separating all the necessary material - towel, shampoo, soap, among others - it is good to put cotton in the bath.pet's ear to protect from water.

When it comes to the bath itself, don't forget to check the water temperature, which should be cold or, at most, lukewarm (but never hot). Start by wetting the puppy's body very gently, leaving the head last. Then just apply the dog shampoo and massage the entire length of the hair very well (oh, and don't forget to buy specific products for pets, ok?). Finally,dry your furry friend very well with a hairdryer on a cool wind and a dry towel.

How to make a puppy sleep through the night?

This may seem like a difficult task at first, but it is not impossible. In the first few days, it is common to find a puppy crying at night, and there are several reasons that explain this. The lack of a mother's lap, fear of the unknown, separation anxiety and situations such as hunger or cold are just some of the reasons behind this behavior. To know how to make puppysleep through the night, just keep an eye on the tips below:

1) Place a piece of your clothing next to the dog's bed. This smell will make the animal feel less lonely until it becomes familiar with the new environment.

2) Some dog songs help to reassure the pet. Leave the sound on very low at night for the desired effect.

3) Exhaust your dog's energy well before bedtime. This way he will be so tired that he will fall asleep right away, and will hardly wake up in the middle of the night.

Bonus: don't forget to choose a suitable dog bed for your little friend. It's also good to make it as comfortable as possible with sheets, pillows and plush toys.

The puppy may have difficulty sleeping through the night, but some tricks help with this

What is the puppy's first vaccine?

One of the most important points of how to take care of a puppy is in relation to its health. Vaccination is super necessary throughout the animal's life, helping to protect it from several dangerous diseases. The first vaccine for a puppy should be applied from 45 days of life and can be the Octuplet (V8) or Canine Dectuplet (V10). V8 protects against 8 diseases, which are:

• distemper;
• parvovirosis;
• coronavirus;
• infectious hepatitis;
• adenovirosis;
• parainfluenza;
• peptospirosis.

The big difference between it and V10 is that V8 protects against 2 subtypes of leptospirosis, while V10 protects against 4 subtypes of the disease. The vaccination schedule should be done as follows:

1st dose: from 45 days of age

2nd dose: between 21 and 30 days after the first dose

3rd dose: between 21 and 30 days after the second dose

If there is a delay between one dose and another, it is necessary to start the vaccination cycle again from scratch. In addition, apart from the V8 and V10 vaccine, the rabies vaccine is also very important and mandatory. It can be applied after 4 months and must be reinforced annually, just like the others.

Oh, and there's more: in addition to vaccines, deworming is another equally important point. If you want to know how long you can give puppy worm medicine, the answer is from the first 15 days of life, divided into three doses. In this case, it is important to have professional guidance so there are no mistakes.

How to remove fleas from puppies?

If you have adopted a puppy from the street, it is always good to check whether or not there is an infestation of parasites in the animal. If this is confirmed, one way to get fleas off a puppy is to bathe the pet and pass a flea comb to remove the parasites. In addition, it is important that the animal is evaluated by a veterinarian to find out how its health is. He will also be able to indicatemedications and other ways to control the situation without harming your puppy, being the safest way to take care of it.