A young Shorkie puppy needs special care, much as a new baby would. Treat the Shorkie puppy as you would your own infant: with patience, constant supervision and a gentle touch. Moving to a new home is a big change for a puppy. Expect the puppy to take a few days to acclimate to its new surroundings. The way you interact with your puppy at this age is crucial to his socialization. Acclimate your Shorkie puppy to your normal daily routine.
Be alert for signs (sniffing and circling) that he has to go to the bathroom, then take the puppy outside immediately.If he goes, praise him. Never punish an accident. He won’t understand and may learn to go to the bathroom when you are out of sight. We recommend house breaking your puppy by using a play pen. Dogs avoid going to the bathroom near their eating and sleeping areas, so their will by instinct try to keep their den (Play Pen) clean. Keep your puppy in the play pen when ever you are not directly supervising them. Take the puppy outside every 45 minutes to one hour (once during the night). Take him out the same door and to the same spot every time.
Be patient and consistent.
A new Shorkie puppy needs to have regular nap times throughout the day to rest. It is also important that he has a very warm place to sleep. Be careful that play times are kept short,whether the play is with people or other pets. Puppies can play them selves into exhaustion and not take the time to eat or drink.All contact between a new Shorkie puppy and resident pet should be 100 percent supervised for at least the first two weeks. Be especially careful if your other pets are much larger than your new puppy. One way to separate your pets is to use child safety gates or pet exercise pens.
A new puppy should also be kept away from areas where non-resident pets are (public parks, rest stops), until the puppy has finished all of his puppy immunization shots. A puppy is not fully immune to these devastating and deadly viruses until all booster shots have been given. The puppy shots are usually finished around 4-5 months of age.
Your new Shorkie puppy should be free fed at all times . Please feed your puppy Purina Puppy Chow ( Healthy Morsels ) Puppy Food. This dog food is a premium quality puppy food that is nutritionally dense. Follow the directions on the bag for the age and weight of your puppy.Do not put the food in a bowl and assume your puppy is eating. Pay careful attention to how much he is actually eating each day because this is critical to their health.
Give the puppy ½ teaspoon of EnerCal morning and evening until the tube is finished. Your puppy can be switched to an adult formula food between 9-12 mo. of age. If you choose to switch to a different brand of dog food, the change must be a gradual one. Change the food over a 4 day time period, giving 100% of the original food the first day, 75% original food and 25% new food the second day, 50% of each the third day, and 25% of the original and 75% new the fourth day. This gradual change will reduce the amount of stress to the puppy.
The small toy Shorkie breed puppies do not have a large fat reserve, so it is essential that these puppies eat small meals frequently. Missing a single meal can cause these puppies to have dangerously low glucose levels (hypoglycemia). Once a Shorkie puppy’s glucose levels are low,he might become too confused to eat and could refuse food even though it is the only thing that will help him. Of course, this compounds the problem and will cause even lower glucose levels. Such a brief period of fasting in a toy Shorkie breed puppy can trigger a hypoglycemic “attack”.
These symptoms are weakness, confusion, excessive drinking with
vomiting, listless, or wobbly gait. If the puppy doesn’t immediately receive some form of sugar, (EnerCal, Karo syrup, maple syrup, or honey all work quickly) and then solid food, The puppy will progress to having seizures and will eventually be comatose. Permanent brain damage or death can occur if a puppy’s glucose levels are allowed to drop too low.
This is why it is so critical that your new Shorkie puppy eat within hours of leaving the our Home. Although hypoglycemia does not occur frequently, it could happen and early detection is the key to preventing any serious problems.
The first few days are the most critical time to make sure your Shorkie puppy is eating, but any stress can cause the puppy to miss a meal. Visits to the vet, immunizations, strenuous exercise, low environmental ,temperatures,infections, or inadequate nutrition can all cause hypoglycemia in toy breed Shorkie puppies of any age.If your new puppy does not seem to be interested in eating then he must be coaxed to eat.First of all, let the Shorkie puppy have undisturbed time to eat with a small bowl of dog food and a small bowl of fresh water available at all times. If he doesn’t show interest in the dry food then there are several different foods we recommend to stimulate their appetite: chicken or beef baby food, 1 raw egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of Karo syrup, cottage cheese, cooked diced chicken breast, or a food that is high protein and high fat.
If the puppy is not interested in eating this from the bowl, try putting the food on your finger for the puppy to lick off, or place the food in the puppy’s mouth with a syringe or medicine dropper.
.Shorkie Puppy Care
