Quick Facts for New Puppy Owners

What kind of Puppy Food does my Havanese Puppy eat now?
• The food your puppy is on now is Science Diet Puppy. Please start your puppy out on this food, and then if you would like to switch to a different food later, you can mix this food with the puppy’s new food to migrate the puppy to the new food. One of the foods that I recommend to consider is Royal Canin. This can be found a Pet Smart, as well as many other pet stores. If your puppy is between 8 and 10 weeks old, then it is most likely still getting warm water with its food to soften it before eating. As the puppy is able you will want to migrate away from putting warm water in the food and switch over to hard and dry food only. This is important because they have new teeth that will be coming in and need to work on the hard food with their gums and later with their baby teeth which will later fall out to make way for the permanent teeth. If you keep the puppy on softened food too long, their teeth will not come in properly.

How often do I feed Havanese Puppy?

• Your puppy can be feed in various different ways, but I recommend putting the food out and taking it back away 2 to 3 times a day. When doing this, you will control the puppy’s potty habits and it will help you in your potty training efforts… ie the puppy will have to go potty 5 to 15 minutes after they eat or drink. Food should be taken away around 3 hours before bed time and water 1 hour before, to make sure that puppy will clean its system out prior to going to bed.

What kind of a cage or crate to I need to get for my Havanese Puppy?

• The cage you will need to get looks like the one shown below. You can get larger cages if they have a divider that makes the inside of the cage smaller so that potty training can take place. Otherwise it is not wise to start your pup off with a large cage. This smaller cage works great around the house and in the bedroom at night. It is easy to carry and the pets can travel in it as well. The dimensions of this cage are Dimensions: 24.1"L x 16.7"W x 14.5"H.

How will I know what shots my Havanese Puppy has received?

• The record of the shots given to your puppy will be right on the front of the contract that you will receive with your puppy. This will show you veterinarian what shots have been given, and what shots they will need, and when they will need them. As a rule of thumb, if you are receiving your puppy at around 8 to 10 weeks of age they will have had their first round of puppy shots.

Has my Havanese Puppy been de-wormed?

• All of our puppies are de-wormed every two weeks, and again as they go out the door.

Is my Havanese Puppy potty trained yet?

• Puppies coming from us here at Noah’s Little Ark come paper trained. This is the first step in potty training your Havanese Puppy whether you are going to train them to go potty outside, or inside, or both. Will my Havanese Puppy sleep through the night, or will it cry?

• Most of our puppies are ready to sleep through the night without accidents in the cage, but of course each puppy is different. Many will cry the first night or two. To minimize this and make it a good experience for everyone we recommend placing the crate next to your bed so that if the puppy does cry at night, you can stick your finger in the crate and let the puppy lick your finger. It will comfort him to know you are there and it will go back to sleep.

Why does my Havanese Puppy cry at night?

• Usually it is one of a few reasons. It misses its mom and siblings. It is thirsty. It has to go potty. Or, my favorite, it wants to play.

What problems should I watch for with my Havanese Puppy?

• Puppies are pretty simple little creatures. They eat, potty, play, and sleep. You will want to watch for lethargic behavior where the puppy just does not want to play or do anything. You will also want to keep the hair trimmed around their behinds, as when they are young if they get an upset tummy and get the runs and the hair is still long around that area, it can combine with the pooh and harden, and this can be dangerous to the puppies health.

Should I purchase toys for my Havanese Puppy?

• A small stuffed animal (no small parts puppy can swallow and choke on), or a squeaky toy, or chew toys are great. The Havanese Puppies prize their toys and do not usually chew they up. They will take them in their cages with them and sleep with them. It is also a good idea to have the toys as a gift when you pick up or I deliver your new puppy. It gets things started right!