The Flatcoated Retriever Club of Scotland
Useful Guide to a new Puppy in the house
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This
information sheet has been compiled to give prospective and new owners of
Flatcoated Retriever puppies a guide to what to expect when they purchase a
puppy from a breeder and to give some advice and guidance on what to do when
they take the puppy home. |
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It must be
stressed that this information sheet is a guide and should not be treated as
the only way to handle new puppies. Every one will develop his or her own
methods, however, if owning a puppy is new to you then this sheet may help
you through the first few weeks of having a lovable bundle of mischief
running around the house. Most reputable breeders will give new owners plenty
of advice and guidance willingly and some will provide written information
for you on how to manage your puppy when you take it home. |
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Before
buying a puppy you should be totally committed to having a Flatcoat. They are
wonderful dogs but not everyone appreciates the qualities that make them so
unique. They are highly sociable so do not appreciate being left alone in the
house for the day while you are at work so take time to be sure you can give
a Flatcoat the time and attention they need. There are several excellent
books on the breed which contain sensible and honest appraisals of what it is
like to live with a Flatcoat. Alternatively, most breeders will be only too
happy for you to contact them and ask questions before you decide to have a
Flatcoat. Visiting any of the club events is another excellent opportunity to
meet Flatcoats en masse and speak to breed devotees. See the website for
details of forthcoming events www.flatcoat-scotland.com If you have
decided that a Flatcoat is the right breed for you, the next step is to locate
a reputable breeder who has puppies available or a litter due. Remember that
breeders put a lot of time and effort into rearing their puppies and will
want to ensure the puppy will be going to suitable homes so be prepared to
answer a lot of questions. Similarly, you should be prepared to ask the
breeder questions about the litter, the parents and what support you can
expect. Flatcoats are not normally kennel dogs so puppies are usually reared
in the home environment so they should be well socialised before leaving the
breeder. The
Flatcoated Retriever Club of Scotland has a litter secretary who collates details
of litters, bred by members, which are due or available
and is the main point of contact for any prospective owner. The litter secretary give you
contact details for breeders looking to place puppies. The secretary will
check that the litter has been bred according to the Club's code of ethics
but you are advised to confirm details yourself when you contact the
breeder. |
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A useful
checklist of questions to ask when you are enquiring about a litter is: ·
How old is the
mother of the puppies? Bitches
should be at least 2 and a half years old before they are bred
from and should be no older than their 8th birthday when the litter is born. ·
Is this the
bitch's first litter? If she has
had previous litters, ask how many litters and when. There should be at least
12 months between litters and bitches would not normally have more than
3litters. ·
Can the mother be
seen with the litter? If the
answer is no then there needs to be a very good explanation as to why the
puppies are not with their mother. ·
Have both parents
had the appropriate health screening checks? Both parents
should have been hip scored under the Kennel Club/ BVA scheme for hip
dysplasia. The score reflects the degree of abnormality in the hip joints,
the lower the score, the less the degree of displacement. Flatcoats are one
of the lowest scoring breeds which are tested. The current breed average
score is 8. If either parent has a high score or has not been tested, ask
further questions. Both parents should also have been tested under the Kennel
Club/ BVA scheme for hereditary eye diseases. There are 2 different tests so
make sure you ask about both. The general eye test looks for conditions such
as hereditary cataracts and other eye diseases. The incidence of these
problems in Flatcoats is low. The other test is called a gonioscopy and
specifically looks for a condition called goniodysgenesis. This is an abnormality
which may predispose the dog to developing primary glaucoma when it is older.
It is not a test to diagnose glaucoma. Flatcoats are known to be a breed
affected by this congenital abnormality so please ask about the status of the
parents for this condition specifically. ·
Are/will the
puppies be Kennel Club registered? This should
be standard practice but you should also ask if the breeder has requested any
Kennel Club endorsements to be placed on the registration. If so, this should
be explained and the breeder is obliged to have written confirmation that the
buyer of the puppy is aware of the endorsement. ·
When will the
puppies be ready to go to their new homes? This will
allow you to plan ahead and be prepared for the new arrival. Puppies would
not normally leave the breeder until at least 7 weeks old although 8 weeks is
also common practice. ·
What is the
selling price of the puppies? The litter
secretary should be able to advise you about the current guide price for
Flatcoat puppies. There should not be any significant variation in price
between litters or between the price of dogs as
opposed to bitches, or between liver and black coloured puppies. ·
What can I expect
to get with the puppy? The minimum
you should expect is a signed copy of the puppy's pedigree and its Kennel
Club registration certificate. Most breeders will also give information about
diet, worming and offer a supply of food; some will also offer health
insurance The above
is purely a guide and you will probably have questions of your own that you
will want to ask. The breeder
will probably have their own set of questions they will want to ask you to
ensure that you can manage a Flatcoat and that your circumstances are suited
to having one. If you have
managed to get to the point of purchasing a puppy, the following basic
information about early rearing of your puppy may be of use. If you have
received specific advice from the breeder about diet, worming or generally
rearing your puppy, please follow it. |
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Worming
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It is
normal practise to worm puppies at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks and 8 weeks.
Check with the breeder when you collect your puppy when worming took place,
when the next dose is due and what product was used. Worming tablets can be
bought at most veterinary practises.
Thereafter it is normal to have them wormed every 6 months throughout
the rest of their lives. |
Vaccination
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It is
essential that all puppies be given a course of vaccinations to protect them
against diseases such as Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis and |
Exercise
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Do not over exercise your puppy!
Remember
that the puppy’s bones and muscles are at a very delicate stage during the
first 6 to 12 months as they grow and form. Over exercise can lead to complications
in later life. Regular exercise is good for them but not long walks or
climbing up steep hills until they have fully formed into adult dogs. Do not
exercise immediately before or after meals even when they are fully grown. |
House
Training
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In all forms
of dog training consistent repetition is the key. Your puppy
will need to relieve itself as soon as it wakes up and after it has been fed,
so if you put the puppy outside at these times house training will progress
more quickly. It will
help if you use a word or phrase to help him/her along e.g. ‘be busy’ or ‘be
clever’ or something similar. This way you should eventually be able to have
the puppy do its business on command. Remember to
use the puppy’s name before every command whenever training him to do
anything so that he or she will always know you are
talking specifically to them. Lastly but
by no means least always praise them when they oblige, even if it has taken
ages to happen, so that they know it is a pleasurable experience when they do
something you want. Praise is not just a pat on the head with the words ‘good
boy’ but should consist of making a big fuss of the puppy with lots of ‘good dog’
and much ruffling of their coat. |
Training
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In all
forms of dog training consistent repetition is the key. Training a
puppy takes a lot of time and patience, but you will be rewarded when they
are older by having a well-behaved, sociable dog. Traits that seem appealing
in a puppy and are allowed to go unchecked can be difficult to eliminate in
an adult dog. For example if you do not want your adult dog jumping up at
someone, especially when they have muddy paws, then do not allow it to happen
at the puppy stage when you think it is cute. A few
golden rules in training: ·
Never give a
command that you cannot enforce. For example if you know your dog will not
always sit on command then do not give it the sit command when it is 40 feet
away and you cannot reach it to make it sit. ·
Once a command is
given it should always be followed through with praise when the puppy obeys.
If a dog learns that it is ignored or does not get praise when it ignores a
command then it will stop doing what ever it is doing to get your
attention. The golden rule is praise
and award [in the form of a treat] and not punishment. ·
Dogs learn by
repetition. Pick the words you want to use to command your dog e.g. sit,
stay, here etc and stick to them. ·
Always say your
dogs name in the front of each command to get its attention. ·
Do not encourage
your puppy to jump or to go up and down stairs as this can damage soft bones. ·
Involve the
children when training the puppy so they also get trained on how to handle
the puppy and to give the right commands. ·
Do not leave young
children alone with a puppy or an adult dog. ·
You can never give
a dog enough praise when it has done what you wanted it to do. Always make a
big fuss of the dog when it is good until it will do it consistently. Even
then, at various times, make a big fuss over it to show that your still happy
with what it is doing. Dogs need to be socialised with other dogs to ensure a
well-balanced adult dog. A good way of doing this is to join a local
dog-training club. This will not only help it to get used to other dogs but
will also help the dog and the owner in the basic training needs. The local
Vet usually has notice boards giving details of training clubs. If not, then
contact gundog.training@flatcoat-scotland.com and we should be able to
point you in the right direction. |
Breeding
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It is the
aim of all good dog breeders to ensure the breed is of the highest quality
with the least possible incidence of inbred defects. In order to maintain
this high standard it is necessary to only breed from dogs and bitches that
meet the correct standard. To ensure your dog or bitch meets this standard
you need to have their hips x-rayed and their eyes tested. From these tests
your vet or the Flatcoated Retriever Club of Scotland will be able to help
you decide whether breeding from your Flatcoat is advisable when taken into
account with all the other factors which need to be considered in making this
decision. If breeding
is something you are considering then why not contact the Club at convenor@flatcoat-scotland.com
and we will be happy to provide further information. Remember that demand for
puppies is often much less than the available supply and it may be difficult
to place all of the puppies. Are you prepared to keep any surplus puppies
that cannot be found homes? Bitches
should not be used for breeding until they are at least two and a half years
old. Rearing puppies involves a great deal of time, expense and hard work so
you need to be committed to the task. |