Your Puppy: 14 Weeks Old
Mental and Physical Development
Pet Food Allergies
Although food allergies tend to develop in adulthood, some dogs are born with them. Allergies can show up at any time and frequently come in the form of dermatitis or gastrointestinal problems. To determine if the allergy is food-related, you should first have your veterinarian rule out other causes.
Once other causes have been ruled out, veterinarians suggest an elimination diet to pinpoint the specific food to which your puppy is allergic. Serve your puppy a food that they've never had before, and then gradually introduce one ingredient at a time to try to pinpoint the food sensitivity.
Appropriate Exercise
Puppies are at a critical stage of muscular and skeletal development at 14 weeks old, so it is important that they get the right type and amount of exercise to grow properly. Puppies also lack judgment and coordination, so injuries can occur if they are not exercised in the right way.
Appropriate exercises include playing ball, playing with chew toys and any type of fetch game. Puppies need to get a lot of exercise during playtime, but they should also be walked for at least 10 minutes three times a day.
Exercises not suited for puppies include endurance training and jumping. At 14 weeks of age, the bones and muscular structure of a puppy are not developed enough to withstand advanced exercises.
Health and Veterinary Care: Lyme Disease
Your puppy should get a Lyme disease vaccination at 14 or 15 weeks of age if you live in a high-risk area for the disease, such as a wooded area.
Tick control helps prevent exposure to the disease, which is transmitted through the saliva of infected deer ticks, so try to keep your puppy away from areas that are heavily wooded or have high grass. Check with your veterinarian for their recommendation for a safe and effective tick-control product.
Experts believe that the tick must feed on a dog for at least 48 hours to cause an infection. Symptoms may not appear in the dog until months after infection.
Diagnosing Lyme disease can be very challenging. Vaccines create antibodies that are indistinguishable from a real infection, so any dog that has had a Lyme disease vaccination will have the antibodies -- but they may not have the actual disease. Your veterinarian will be able to diagnose Lyme disease only if your puppy has both the antibodies and symptoms of the disease, which include fever, joint pain and lameness. Lyme disease is treatable through antibiotic therapy.
Training: Jumping on Guests
When dogs jump on guests, they are not exhibiting unbridled joy and love toward them. They are actually committing a disrespectful act that would never be tolerated in the natural canine world.
One of the ways we can establish ourselves as a pack leader or authority figure is to control the use of space with our puppies. Your dog must learn to yield space to all people, beginning with you.
To break your puppy's jumping habit, try leaning forward slightly and moving into them when they jump, literally taking space away from them. It will be impossible for them to jump again if they are being forced to move backward. Practice this technique especially near the front door.
Also instruct your guests to ignore your puppy when they enter your home -- no eye contact, petting or speaking until the dog has calmed down.
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Comments (3)
kelley mcdonald August 23, 2009 5:09 PM
I find that my boxer puppy has ALOT OF ENERGY .how long should Ibe walking him ? I don't want to injure him by walking to long but Idon't think he knows when to stop. He is 14 weeks old.
Chicago Jen October 6, 2009 9:54 PM
We have a boxer too. She is 16 weeks & a bundle of energy. I have to put her in her crate now to force her to sleep after a long walk. I think if they get overtired, they get even more hyper. (Kind of like a baby!) She'll sleep an hour or two at a time after a big burst of exercise. Aren't boxers the best?!
L Dell October 30, 2009 8:17 PM
I have a boxer as well. He is the most calm dog I have ever come into contact with. Only 13 weeks right now but i couldn't ask for a better companion.
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