Your Puppy: 9 Weeks Old
Mental and Physical Development: Wet or Dry Food?
As long as your puppy's food is nutritionally complete and free of preservatives, most veterinarians agree that there is essentially no nutritional difference between wet and dry food -- it's a lifestyle choice for you and your dog.
Dog owners tend to choose what's most convenient for them. Wet food is easier to store and has a higher water and oil content, which is needed for healthy coats, but it requires refrigeration after being opened and regular bowl cleaning. Dry food stays fresh in a resealable plastic bag and generally has less fat than wet food, but it often contains artificial flavoring.
The best way to choose a puppy food is to consult your vet, and then consider which type works best for your lifestyle.
Health and Veterinary Care
Microchips
A microchip is a tiny computer chip that stores an identification number for your dog. It is about the size of a grain of rice, and is inserted under the puppy's skin between the shoulder blades using a large hypodermic needle. Most puppies will hardly notice it.
If your puppy gets lost and is turned in to a shelter while not wearing identification tags, the shelter can use a scanner to detect the chip and read the identification number. The shelter could then contact the microchip database, which would have your contact information.
There's no evidence that microchips cause any health problems, except in the extremely rare case of rejection or infection. By the time your puppy is nine weeks of age, you should ask your veterinarian about microchipping.
Grooming
Your puppy may not need a lot of grooming yet, but they should get used to the process so they're calm and happy about it later. Start the grooming regimen with the following steps, and be ready to give your puppy treats throughout.
- Handle their feet, touching each toe and nail. Use the nail clipper to cut a small bit off of each nail. Don't go too deep!
- Rub your finger along the puppy's teeth, and then use a soft toothbrush with dog toothpaste. There's not much to brush at this age, but you want them to learn that it's no big deal.
- Use a cotton ball to gently swab away easily reached debris in your puppy's ears.
- Gently stroke your puppy with a soft brush. You can start with them in your lap or lying beside you, but you may want to practice grooming them on a table if they will need extensive grooming later.
- Use rinse-free shampoo to wash your puppy, or practice bath time by washing only a leg or two at a time.
- If your puppy is a breed that will need blow-drying or clipping, get them used to the sound and feel of these tools.
Training: Crate Training
Many people feel that crating a dog is a cruel and restrictive practice. However, "denning" (seeking out a safe, den-like space) is a natural instinct for canines. If your puppy doesn't have a crate, they will often seek a spot under a desk or dining-room table as the next best thing.
A crate should always represent a positive experience for your puppy. Begin by crating them for short periods of time, and don't make a big deal about putting them in the crate or letting them out. You may choose to feed your puppy their meals in the kennel to create an additional positive association.
Crating your dog at bedtime and when you leave the house will also prevent destructive behavior while you are unable to supervise. Once your puppy is used to the crate, you may leave the gate open to allow them to come and go as they please.
Petside: Get Started
-
- 2010 NCAA Mascot Tournament
Vote for your favorite pet mascots to determine the ultimate NCAA mascot champion!
-
- Find a Breed
Browse dog and cat breeds to find your perfect pal.
-
- Diagnose a Condition
Use PetVet to research what's ailing your pet.
-
- Locate a Hospital
- Find the nearest accredited animal hospital.
Specials
Check out these deals picked by petside.com just for you!
Comments (8)
makenzie May 21, 2009 1:18 PM
hey this web site is awsome
gabbie June 10, 2009 11:33 AM
this site is great! the tips will come in good handy when i am ready to use them for my little girl :) i think that you should make some things like the training tips a little more specific as far as the size of the dog or even the breed as far as its trainability... just a friendly suggestion
JIMMY June 21, 2009 2:24 AM
I just found a poor wittow dawgy on the stweet idk how old it is (guessing 9-10 months) and idk how to use this site but if i did im pretty sure i would love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hayhog and brooke June 23, 2009 12:04 PM
this website is also i am going to tell all my friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kaley June 24, 2009 10:41 PM
thank you without these we would have never knew
Jeremy June 27, 2009 9:14 PM
This is exactly what I need!!! Straight to the point information while still answering all your much need questions!!! Love IT!!!!
Charlie July 1, 2009 9:32 AM
This website is the best I have been to
julia November 14, 2009 3:41 PM
this a cool site like seriously my fav. dog is akita
brandy January 6, 2010 12:27 PM
FlagMy puppy was doing great with crate training, but she gets up a lot at night and so we blocked off an area of the house for her to sleep in and put her carate in there and left the door open so she could go potty and now she potties in her crate. Any advice?
ReplyAna February 25, 2010 10:55 AM
FlagWe have a 9 week old Border Collie. Tia is our second, we are crate training. We put her to bed around 11p and she doesn't come out till 7a and we don't hear a peep from her once she's in. We also crate when we are not home. Big things, her food and water are picked up at 8p every evening. Lots of play and potty time until 11p. Even if she's snuggled on the couch at 10:45p, we still send both dogs out for one last potty, then its straight to bed. Puppy kennel has a pillow wrapped in a beach towel with 2 or 3 large stuffed animals to feel like she is with her litter mates. We also cover her crate with a thin blanket to make it more like a den and then drop some of it over the front so its dark yet she doesn't get stuffy. Lastly, the crate is in a room where she doesn't play or eat, she knows this is her quiet room. We close the door just half way, so she's not totally isolated, but so she can't see us or the other animals walking down the hallway. She has been home with us since she was 8 weeks and this has worked since the first night and she was literally raised in a barn, so she had no kennel training prior. Good luck to you and I hope some of this is helpful to you.
Ana February 25, 2010 10:57 AM
FlagNot sure how I found this site, but so far so good.
ReplyAna February 25, 2010 10:59 AM
FlagOh yeah! it was because I was looking up info about why our pup has the hiccups. This site gave a great article and I am satisfied she's doing it cause she hasn't figured out to breath and eat at the same time. Silly girl!
Dana March 2, 2010 3:18 AM
FlagThis site answers alot of my questions. I just adopted a new puppy and he is a handfull!! Great advice!!!
Replyadd your comment