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BRINGING HOME YOUR NORWICH

So you've found the right breeder and the puppy of your dreams, and you're ready to bring him home. But, before you can start the fun you're going to need to take care of some serious business. If you're a new pet owner you'll need to find a good vet, puppy proof your house, and get the necessary supplies for your new family member to ease the transition for everyone.

Establishing A Health Care Plan

If you are new to having a pet, ask trusted friends who their vet is. Also, consider seeking out 2 vets - one holistic and the other conventional. In recent years, some conventional vets have welcomed a holistic vet to their staff, or some have branched out into holistic medicine themselves so they have a wider perspective. This is good news! A holistic vet will be a great source of wisdom for diet and alternative therapies. Also, you never know when your pet will require an X-ray or surgery and having a top-notch surgeon in your corner is always beneficial. Before you schedule a vet appointment, visit several veterinary offices in your area and have a look around. See if you feel comfortable with it. Does it appear clean and professional? Do the vet and staff have a love and concern for their patients? Are the people knowledgeable and willing to answer your questions and / or show you around? Is your conventional vet willing to work together with your holistic vet and visa versa? Do they have after hours care for regular patients or will you be referred to an emergency clinic? This is a good time to note the location of the closest emergency clinic. After our recent move, I had to find a new vet and asked people in the neighborhood (we were new here so I had no trusted friends yet). I took their suggestions and visited several offices, asked questions, and asked for a quick facility tour (if they had ample time and staff). One said absolutely not and another was willing to schedule one. I want to know what kind of place and people I'm entrusting with Nigel and Divot! If you have found a place where you feel comfortable taking your pet, make an appointment ahead of time and set it for the day you bring your dog home or the day immediately following so you can have him checked out. Conventional vets are easier to find than holistic vets. To find a holistic vet in your area visit the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association's website. To locate a Board Certified Veterinary Specialist, click here. (Links open in a new browser tab or window).

Puppy Proofing Your House

Before you bring a puppy home you'll need to go through your house to puppy proof it. Remove or move things that you don't want examined by his little teeth. Lie on the floor and you'll be able to see your home from his unique perspective. Remove all small objects from places such as under furniture or beds. A puppy with a small object is as vulnerable as a toddler with one. If you have children, begin preparing them ahead of time by reminding them how dangerous these things can be for a puppy. Also, consider using a product such as Bitter Apple cream to apply to electrical cords, finished wood, and anything else you don't want chewed. This will prevent curious, teething puppies from chewing on them. Of course, it's always the best course of action to keep him under a watchful eye or use a crate to place him in when you can't watch him. The crate can be a wonderful training tool and works as a substitute den. If used properly it will become his quiet place to retreat. Another thing to caution children about is sharing food with the puppy. Some humans eat lots of junk food and it is especially not good for dogs. Please remember that chocolate, while being a human favorite, can be toxic to dogs. Even small amounts of chocolate ingested by a small dog like a Norwich can result in a trip to the emergency room and possibly even death if not dealt with in time. Some other foods or substances to keep away from your dog are grapes, raisins, caffeine, cooked bones, tobacco and alcohol. If you are new to having a dog in your family, before you bring him home, it would be wise to get a poisonous plants list (for both outdoor and in-house plants), especially created for your geographical area. Some plants, if eaten will make your dog sick and some can cause death.

If you are bringing home an adult Norwich, be sure to show him what is acceptable or not acceptable right away. If for example, he immediately makes himself at home on your sofa and you allow it for the first few days, it will be confusing for him if you change your mind later. Boundaries shown in a clear an gentle manner will make for a smooth transition for an adult dog.

At 4-1/2 months Nigel learns
how to negotiate the stairs
under our watchful eye

It's Time!

When you go to pick up your puppy from the breeder, take his crate with you. (See New Puppy Checklist PDF below). Also, take a collar and leash in the event you have to stop and let the puppy do his business on the way home. Put a soft blanket and some toys in the crate to make him comfortable. Your breeder will probably give you his favorite toy and a blanket or towel for scent comfort. Make sure your breeder gives you a water supply. A medium to large bottle should do. Mix it with your water at home, gradually decreasing it until it's gone. This will prevent possible stomach upset for the pup going from his familiar water source to another one. Ask your breeder prior to picking up your puppy, for any additional information that will aid in helping your new puppy get acclimated to his new home. If your pup is flying to you, your breeder will be sending him in his hard crate with some supplies attached. If you are flying with your pup, a reading of the "Traveling Norwich" article on this site will be of help to you in your preparation for a flight.

Allow Me To Introduce Myself...

If you are bringing home an adult Norwich (as was my case the second time around) and you already have another dog but have not had the opportunity to introduce them, it's a good idea for you to introduce them on neutral territory. Be calm and allow them to sniff each other thoroughly. They will learn much about one another by this very natural act. You however, are in charge and responsible for helping it go smoothly. After showing the new dog where to relieve himself, allow him to explore his new surroundings in a relaxed manner. Make sure to supervise the new pack mates, and be sure each has a place to retreat to if they should appear to need some space. The two of them will need to work out their place in the pack and you should allow them to do that. If things get rough, you as the pack leader need to intervene and bring the stress level down. I think that any violence is pretty rare - these dogs are pretty amiable but posturing is a normal course of action for them. Fortunately we were able to take Nigel with us to pick up Divot and they seemed to be only mildly interested in one another. When we got them home, we took them out in the backyard and let them explore together for a while. They did not play and roughhouse together until they got to know each other better (about a month) and now they are best friends.

Some Thoughts About Packs...

If you are an experienced dog owner bringing home a puppy or an adult dog and integrating it into your life it's quite natural to you, but if you are bringing home your first dog, you may have some misconceptions about living with a dog. Many of us naively think that simply loving, feeding, and playing with a dog will make it the perfect family member and that the only hurdle to overcome is maybe housebreaking. Some think that all dogs are like Lassie, able to read their human's thoughts and act accordingly. Wrong! (Lassie was trained by a professional dog trainer to act as if she could read Timmy's thoughts!) Dogs are pack animals and a pack is a structured social group in which there is a leader of the pack, called the Alpha and there is the rest of the pack - all followers having their own pecking order who look to the alpha as their stable and trustworthy leader. This leader is confident so the rest of the pack is confident in his or her leadership. If you do not establish yourself as a confident, competent, and consistent leader even your young puppy will vie for the position. Somebody has to lead and if you won't, he will. His instincts tell him that someone needs to lead the pack to insure its stability. Establishing yourself as the pack leader does not mean that you rule with an iron fist and dominate your pack by brute force or by physical or verbal abuse. The world of canine communication is subtle. There is much communication via eye contact and body language - from ears to tail. Not much (if any) dog-to-dog communication is done by barking. Being the pack leader means that you assume the role of the leader by providing for him but with structure and purpose. When you walk your dog, he should not be out in front pulling you along, he should be walking with you, at your side. Some dogs will even walk behind their person. Being the pack leader means that all good things come from your hand. He should earn his food not demand it. Earning his food can be as simple as a polite sit while you prepare his dish. Your dog needs grooming such as nail trims and you will perform them despite his protests. His protests are met with a confident "shh..relax" as you continue on calmly, then reward him for his cooperation when you're done. If he is misbehaving when company is over, you don't ignore it and let him escalate into being a brat, you calmly make it clear that the behavior is unacceptable to you then praise him calmly when he corrects the behavior. Being the pack leader means that you are consistent in your handling of him. If you are the type to allow him to do whatever he pleases and make it clear that he does not have to obey you, he will be the pack leader and you will be his follower and you could have a dog that is hard to handle. If you have a dog with an aggressive personality and you allow him to be pack leader, you could wind up with a very aggressive and dominant animal. This is the type of dog who could bite you or worse, an innocent person. If you have a dog that is nervous by nature and you allow him to be a pack leader you will wind up with a high strung, nervous, and anxious dog. Being the pack leader is a position of responsibility and stress. If you give this position to a dog that is already nervous or aggressive, you are setting yourself up for trouble.

New Puppy Checklist

Here is a short list in PDF format that you can print and take to the store to get you started. You can also ask your breeder to help you with a list ahead of time.