These tips are for the first few weeks to help you and your tiny new puppy to adjust!
1. The first and most important rule, is to have a baby or puppy playpen or some other type of small enclosed area to keep your puppy confined in, when you are not playing with them. This must be a small area with enough room for their bed and easy access to food and water where they can rest and eat in peace.This area should be no larger than 4ft x 6ft if at all possible. (We use a 2ft x 3ft baby playpen.)
2. The next most important rule, is to always have food & water available for your puppy at all times! Due to their small size, tiny pups must replenish their energy more frequently than larger puppies. The only way to do this, is by supplying plenty of nourishment in the form of food. Tiny puppies only eat a little bit of food at one time, but they use up a lot of energy. So they need to eat every couple of hours to keep up that energy and not go into hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which can be deadly to a small pup. For more info on hypoglycemia and caring for teacups go to: Sharminspoodles.TeacupCare
* Next, do not change the puppies food for at least the first 2 weeks until the puppy has adjusted to it's new home. Then, if you are going to make a change, do it gradually! Add a little bit of the new food to the puppies original food the first day, then a little more the next day and the next until they are totally switched over to the new food. *We usually use Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy food pictured.
* PUPPY PROOF YOUR HOME: Never ever leave your tiny puppy unattended unless it is in it's playpen or a safe enclosure! Think of your puppy as you would a small child. Look for hazards like any good parent would. It is amazing how many places that a tiny dog can manage to fit in, and disappear from, not to mention get stuck under! Also such innocent things as a book or bowl falling on them can be deadly and chewing on a plant can be toxic! Also keep electical cords safely out of chewing reach.
*Always supervise small children when around or handling a small dog. Puppies are wiggly and hard to hold on to even for adults, so the only safe way for a child to hold a small dog is sitting on the floor with the puppy between their legs, or on their lap.  They can be hard for an adult to hold on to let alone a child. Also, never leave a small puppy on a chair, bed, couch, or stairs unattended. Remember, a fall from as low as one or two feet high can break a bone or be fatal!
* IMPORTANT: As much as you want to show off your new adorable addition, try and keep traveling with your new puppy to a minimum for the first 2 weeks. Also limit visits from strangers during this adjustment period to a minimum. Remember this is a whole new world for your little one. Your new baby has just left the only home they have known and been taken away from their Mom and siblings. This is a time for your puppy to get to know their new surroundings and bond with their new family. Bringing more new faces and loud noises to deal with will just add to their confusion. Also many puppies will stop eating or get loose stools when they are stressed. So give them some quiet time!
* We have done our best to get you off to a good start with housebreaking your new puppy. We start training our puppies to use piddle/training pads as soon as they can walk around and explore. By the time you recieve your new baby they are using these pads regularly. So the best way to continue training is to have these pads out so your puppy can use them. However, please allow your puppy some adjustment time to get used to their new surroundings. Remember that their environment is now totally different so sometimes they can forget.
* Puppies play hard, then need losts of rest. Even cuddling them can wear them out. So remember to keep playtime and holding to about a 2 hour minimum and then put them back in their pen and leave them there to eat and sleep for a few hours before playing with them again.
* VERY IMPORTANT: Puppies like babies are very susceptible to diseases until they have had all their shots. Remember to NEVER take your puppy to any public place, park, Pet supply store or anywhere else that other dogs frequent until they have completed ALL of their recommended immunizations! Also when visiting your VET'S OFFICE, keep your puppy off the floor and away from other pets that are there. And because your puppy is so cute, everyone there (especially children) will want to hold or pet your puppy. DO NOT let them (even if it seems mean! Stand your ground!) Most people are there because their dog is SICK! Even if their dog isn't sick, you don't know how many other cute puppies or dogs that they have touched there that might be. The risk of getting PARVO or DISTEMPER is too great to risk losing your beloved pet!
I hope this helps answer any questions that you may have about caring for your new puppy. We are always here to help. Feel free to contact us at  423-215-5785 anytime between 1:00pm and 11:00pm PST
or you may text or email us anytime 24/7 and we will answer ASAP.
All content copywright Olynn's Orchards and Sharmin's Pets for our sole use and may not be copied or used without our express permission.

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