Congratulations on your new puppy from Strauss-Solace Shiloh Shepherds.
Check list Summary:
Fill out/sign the Sales Contract, scan and email it back to us
Make Vet appointment for puppy check-up for 24 to 72 hours of receiving him/her
Make Vet appointment for booster vaccinations - for 12 weeks of age and 16 weeks of age
Make Vet appointment for puppy Rabies vaccination - at 4 to 6 months of age.
Be patient, as your puppy registration forms will come to you via email, it may take up to 3 months
Register your puppy’s microchip
Contracts Please make sure you have returned your filled out and signed contracts to us. We will return a copy to you once we fill in our sections and sign it. We need this form back from you to register the litter.
What you will receive, with your puppy
A Canine Health Record containing your puppy’s Vet health check, which occurs just prior to your puppy coming home to you.
The Microchip number for your puppy and registration information.
When your puppy was dewormed and the type of dewormers used, and when and what your puppy was vaccinated for.
A baggie with 3 cups of the kibble your pup was raised on -- Purina ProPlan Large Breed Puppy kibble.
Dewormings/Vaccinations and Scheduling with Your Vet Your puppy was dewormed on 4 occasions while in our care with Pyrantel Pamoate or Fenbendazole (Safeguard, also known as Panacur) and was given a preventative for Coccidia. The last deworming was done just prior to the Litter Evaluation.
Make an appointment to take your puppy to your Vet between 24 and 72 hours after receiving him or her for a Vet check and to run a full fecal, including Giardia, to establish a healthy baseline. Keep in mind that sometimes stress in young pups can bring on Giardia or Coccidia, which can lie in low levels of the gut, and evidence itself during times of stress. The result is diarrhea, which can dehydrate young dogs and should never be ignored. If your pup has diarrhea, call your Veterinarian immediately.
Your puppy was given the first round of vaccinations at 8 weeks of age. The vaccination was a 5-way, protecting against Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus.
Make your appointment now for your puppy’s second and third booster vaccinations at 12 weeks and 16 weeks of age. Do not go longer than 5 weeks between boosters! Check with your Veterinarian for what vaccinations are necessary for your geographical area. Your puppy will also need to receive his or her Rabies vaccine which should occur between 4 and 6 months of age. Note: If you will be taking your pup where there is wildlife present (camping, hiking), or if rabies breakouts have been observed in your area, then talk with your Vet about giving the rabies vaccine earlier, never earlier than 3 months of age.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR PUP AROUND DOGS WITH UNKNOWN VACCINATION HISTORY TILL HE OR SHE IS FULLY VACCINATED AFTER 16 WEEKS OF AGE.
One year after the date of your third puppy vaccines and the date of Rabies vaccination, your puppy will need a booster vaccine of both distemper and Rabies, which should now last for 3 years. Only give the viral vaccines every three years. The leptospirosis vaccine and Bordetella vaccine can be given annually. Rely on your Vet for what is necessary for your area.
Housebreaking For housebreaking, we recommend you take your puppy outside after every meal, after he or she has been sleeping for any length of time, after playing or after any activity or being in the crate. When he or she goes potty outside, say “Good go-make” or “Good potty”. Make the act of having the poop outside a great celebration and reward with joy and praise. When your puppy has an accident inside the home, never say bad puppy, but scold the poop, say “Bad potty”, talking to the potty. We know this sounds ridiculous, but it works and the puppy realizes that poop inside is bad and poop outside is good. Sometimes you can use a bell on the door that your puppy exits to go outside to potty and you can ring it each time the puppy is on his or her way outside and eventually the pup will realize that he or she can communicate to you, by ringing the bell, that he or she needs to go outside to go potty. When young, never let the pup out of your sight in the house as the pup will find a location to relieve itself.
Crate Training We recommend crate training your pup as you never know when you will need to have your pup in a crate. Be it when you are traveling to someone’s home, if your Shiloh ever has to recuperate after a procedure, or needs to be on bed rest and limit activity for whatever reason. Make the crate a pleasant place to be in, never use it for time outs, it should be a safe haven for the pup to relax in and decompress in. We have our pups sleep in their crates when they are not consistently housebroken. A pup will never (or rarely) soil their crates and they will let you know when they need to go out in the middle of the night to go-make. Pups tend to like crates, although some not as well as others. Put your puppy's favorite toy in there, feed him or her in there or give treats in the crate. Keep the crate where the family is so that the pup doesn’t feel all alone. Call with any questions. We have our favorite crates on the list Laura created called “List of Favorite Shiloh Things''. We also like to move the pup’s crate into our bedroom at night, so that we can hear them complaining that they need to go potty. It also helps the pup feel like they are part of your family. They were used to being with all their other litter mates and need to establish a new security within your family.
Socialization and Training/Teaching Get your pup out and about as soon as possible. Socialization is critical from 8 weeks to about 20 weeks of age, to ensure a well adjusted adult Shilohs. We recommend carrying your puppy, or placing in a shopping cart in stores, until their final booster vaccine at 16 weeks of age, so they are not exposed to any transmittable disease from other dogs. Whatever you want your pup to be comfortable with as an adult, get him familiar as a pup. And, NEVER, ever coddle a pup when it is scared, be his coach when he is unsure and protect him if he is in danger, but never soothe a scared pup. When you soothe a scared pup, you are reinforcing that which he thought was scary is truly something to worry about. We always laugh at what their insecurity is about and then go and sit on it or pat it or act like it is our friend. If another dog comes charging your pup, scoop him up and tell the oncoming dog to stand down in a firm and strong voice. Your pup will see you as her protector and will feel safe growing up as a pup should grow up, carefree and without worry. You will prove yourself a strong leader and your pup will respect you. You can carry breath spray with you when you take your pup for walks, that way if a dog charges and doesn’t stop; he gets sprayed in the face with breath spray. That will stop him from encroaching and it doesn’t harm the dog.
Reward with exuberance when your pup does something you ask him or her to do. Shilohs very much want you to be pleased with them. So, the more they can please you, the more they will work for you. And, when you correct, be firm in voice and don’t allow any negative emotion or frustration to come out. Once the pup is corrected, move on and give him or her something positive to do and then reward that. Your pup will learn the difference between that which pleases you and that which displeases you.
If your pup is mouthing you, e.g. putting his/her teeth on you or any part of your body, push the lip over his or her tooth and in a high pitched voice, say “Owww!”, that sound is what their littermates did when they were being mouthed by him and this is what will teach your pup bite inhibition. If you don’t feel like saying owww in a high pitched voice, then just say “No mouth” while you are rolling or pushing the lip over his or her teeth. The effect of doing the rolling or pushing of the lip over the teeth causes him discomfort. Right after, give the pup an appropriate chew toy or ignore him.
Teach your pup to walk on a loose leash as a puppy, they are easier to teach as pups than they are teenagers or adults. Make it exciting to walk next to you. If your pup charges ahead, then turn around and call her to you. Make coming to you and walking with you a lot of fun. A dog that pulls on her leash is one that doesn’t allow you to be the leader and you want to make sure that you are the leader in your relationship with your dog. Teaching a pup to walk on a loose lead should only be in short increments and end on a positive note. A puppy’s attention span is short.
Registration of Your Puppy We will register your puppy’s litter in the next 60 days. Once that process is complete, we will send you instructions on how to complete the registration process.
Transitioning to New Food While in our care, your puppy was on Purina ProPlan Large Breed Puppy kibble. If your pup was shipped, we have included approximately 3 cups on top of the shipping crate. We always recommend that you feed Large Breed Puppy kibble for the growing pups as it has the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio, which allows the bones to grow slower and the joints to develop better. When your puppy is between 1 and 2 years old, we recommend switching to an adult food, such as ProPlan Sport Performance or the Royal Canin GSD formula. If your Shiloh has a sensitive tummy, then ProPlan Skin and Sensitive Stomach Formula is a good food for them. If you want to transition him or her to a different food, here is how we recommend you do so:
¾ cups Purina ProPlan Large Breed Puppy kibble to ¼ cup your food for 3 feedings for 2 days
½ cup Purina ProPlan Large Breed Puppy kibble to ½ cup your food for 3 feedings for 2 days
¼ cup Purina ProPlan Large Breed Puppy kibble to ¾ cup your food for 3 feedings for 2 days
In less than a week, your pup will be transitioned to your new food.
Another good puppy kibble is Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy kibble.
Amount of Kibble to Feed When your puppy was in our care, he/she was receiving approximately 3 cups of food; one cup per meal, three times a day. This amount will increase as the puppy grows. Too much food can cause loose stools, so back off if the stools seem loose because of overfeeding. The goal is to have your pup grow slowly and evenly. Adjust the amount based on what is healthiest for your pup, a leaner pup is better than a fatter pup. The amount your puppy will eat will increase each month, pay attention to the feeding instructions on the back of the bag of kibble.
Photos If you would like to share photos or anything about your puppy, please let us know as we have a page on our website devoted to Strauss and Solace puppies!
We also have a Facebook group for Shiloh Puppies that you should join: Shiloh Shepherd Pups | Facebook
Naming Your Puppy Your puppy’s registered name needs to have Strauss-Solace as the prefix. Or SHS-Solace Do not go over 36.
Take care and enjoy your puppy! Jessica and Laura
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