Labrador PuppysWe call Abbie “A-is-for-Apple-Abbie,” because she just loves Apples! We made the decision to let Abbie breed because of her enthusiasm and general all-around silliness we loved in her, plus my sisters wanted a Labrador pup! Because we had never bred Abbie or any of our dogs for that matter before, we had a few things to learn once her pups were born!
In order to best care for Abbie’s newborns we had to make sure our home and garden where they would play were safe. Small items they could choke on were picked up and electrical cords where hidden. We looked at fences in both our front and back yards to any holes the puppies might get stuck in and one important thing so many new puppy owners forget about—we checked underneath our sofa and chairs to make sure no springs were sticking out that could hurt inquisitive Labrador puppys. Caring for Labrador Puppys Abbie’s puppies had a great place in our yard just for them to play since we have three other grown dogs. We also crated them at night. People who feel this is harmful to the pups are wrong. It is the best way to housebreak a puppy. The theory is that puppies won’t pee or poop where they sleep and it really does work and actually, even when we leave the crate open, we often found some of them cuddling and sleeping there. New puppy owners that still think this is cruel should ask a breeder or their vet about the crating method and how it actually can make a puppy feel safe. We also made sure we had ample toys to keep them occupied, especially chewing toys. We avoid rubber toys where pieces can fall off and the puppy may choke and stuck with plush squeaky toys, tennis balls, and nylon bones. Never give a puppy a rawhide! A Trip to the Vet At around three weeks, we took Abbie and her pups to our vet to have them checked for any problems including cataracts, hernias, heart murmurs, parasites and Parvo. Parvo is a dangerous and contagious disease and is almost always fatal in puppies. Avoid Parvo by keeping your pregnant dog isolated from other dogs for three weeks before and after the birth of her newborns. Silly Puppy Faces At six weeks, it was time to begin the Labrador puppys vaccinations. It was cute to watch their silly and cute faces when they got wormed and wondered what that awful liquid must taste like! A good vaccination schedule should begin at seeks weeks and continue every three to four weeks all the way until they are ready for their rabies shot at four months. We left Abbie’s Labrador puppys play in their own yard until their vaccinations, including rabies were done. It is important to keep them away from other animals where they could get parasites or other things during the vaccination process. We also learned that almost 97% of all puppies, including Labrador puppys are born with intestinal parasites so worming was a must—even if they didn’t like the taste! Worming should be done two times, two weeks apart or as your vet recommends. At six months, because we only wanted to have one round of puppies, we scheduled them to get spayed and neutered. This is the best way to ensure your pups won’t cause any neighborhood accidents with the females or males around later or vice versa.
We made sure they ate high-quality, vet recommended puppy food and that each puppy would eat as much as four times a day for the first few months and should decrease to twice a day by six or eight months—puppies are hungry little critters. Abbie’s pups were allowed to eat as much as they could handle for up to fifteen minutes at a time and then we took up the food until their next feeding session to keep them on a regular schedule. Too much food can cause your new Labrador puppys to get sick. Sleep and Play All Labrador puppys love to sleep and play. If you are a responsible puppy owner, you need to take the time to play with your pups and give them plenty of exercise and interaction—especially when you want to keep them. They need to feel they are a part of the brood of dogs, if you have more than one, and just looking at them is not good enough. Take the time to slowly introduce your pups to your other dogs a little at a time and with luck, your vet will be like ours and give you a “brood discount” each year at vaccination time! Related Articles
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