For New Puppy Owners:
You’re welcoming a new puppy to your home! Congratulations! This is such an exciting time and we want to help make it as joyous and stress-free as possible. Below you will find some helpful tips and info for preparing for your puppy, bringing your puppy home, and crate and potty training once you have your pup with you.
Final payment of your pup is due at pickup. PayPal or personal checks are not accepted at pickup. Please bring cash or cashier’s check to pickup. If you wish to pay by personal check, it must be mailed to me no later than 14 days prior to pickup. Please make check or cashier's check payable to "Granite Mountain GS".
Your pup will come to you with:
Crate and Potty Training:
We highly recommend that you crate train your pup upon bringing him/her home. It works best to combine crate and potty training. When done properly, the crate can be your pup’s safe haven. It is not a punishment but a reward to be in the crate. We recommend a large or extra large crate with a divider. This allows you to put your pup in part of the crate when he or she is little and expand the size as your pup grows. Putting a little pup in a big crate can result in the pup thinking it is ok to potty in one corner and sleep in the other corner.
Some things to remember:
Some extra info:
Your pup will be pretty used to riding in a car, but car sickness still happens so plan accordingly with towels, wipes, pee pads, etc.
Your pup is used to a crate but is not crate trained yet. At 8 weeks, your pup has only been in the crate with his/her littermates - never alone - so expect a noisy first experience.
Toys:
We recommend Kong toys, tug ropes, and Chuck it balls. Tennis balls collect dirt and wear down your dog’s teeth. Plush toys are fun for about 2 minutes until your dog shreds them to bits. Bullysticks, antlers and marrow bones are also great. *Note: we recommend thick beef marrow bones for your pup. These are safe for pups but if your pup grows into a dog that likes to crush the bones into bits, its time to take the marrow bones away to prevent choking and digestive issues.
Your pup will be fully-weened and eating dry kibble twice per day by 8 weeks of age. We feed at approximately 8 am and 8 pm. We supplement with raw meats, organs, eggs, and a small amount of dairy (unsweetened plain yogurt or cottage cheese). We recommend including raw in your pup’s diet but in small quantities to avoid stomach upset. This means adding a few chicken hearts or a 1/4 pound of burger or a raw egg to a meal (just make sure to decrease dry kibble accordingly). Follow the recommended feeding amounts on the back of the NutriSource bag of kibble, keeping in mind your pup should be on the thinner side. We feed NutriSource Trout and Rice Recipe in the dark blue bag until 6 months old. From 6 months onward, we recommend Large Breed Trout and Rice Recipe in the light blue bag.
For training treats, we recommend your pup’s regular dry kibble or Northwest Naturals Raw Rewards Treats 100% Beef Liver or Wild Caught Salmon. If your pup does not find these rewarding enough, try diced up hot dog.
Now go enjoy those puppy snuggles!
You’re welcoming a new puppy to your home! Congratulations! This is such an exciting time and we want to help make it as joyous and stress-free as possible. Below you will find some helpful tips and info for preparing for your puppy, bringing your puppy home, and crate and potty training once you have your pup with you.
Final payment of your pup is due at pickup. PayPal or personal checks are not accepted at pickup. Please bring cash or cashier’s check to pickup. If you wish to pay by personal check, it must be mailed to me no later than 14 days prior to pickup. Please make check or cashier's check payable to "Granite Mountain GS".
Your pup will come to you with:
- AKC paperwork
- Up to date vet records
- A microchip
- His/her first round of puppy vaccinations
- Puppy dewormings
- A ziplock bag of kibble
- A toy that smells like his/her momma and littermates to ease adjustment to a new home
- A bully stick to help distract your pup on the ride home
Crate and Potty Training:
We highly recommend that you crate train your pup upon bringing him/her home. It works best to combine crate and potty training. When done properly, the crate can be your pup’s safe haven. It is not a punishment but a reward to be in the crate. We recommend a large or extra large crate with a divider. This allows you to put your pup in part of the crate when he or she is little and expand the size as your pup grows. Putting a little pup in a big crate can result in the pup thinking it is ok to potty in one corner and sleep in the other corner.
Some things to remember:
- Never use the crate as punishment.
- Feed food and treats in the crate to help establish it as a happy place.
- Never leave your pup locked in the crate for extensive periods (4 hours max until your pup is 12 weeks old).
- Using the crate with potty training can help prevent accidents. Take the pup directly from the crate to the outside potty spot. After he/she goes potty, bring him/her back inside to cuddle and play, then into the crate to rest, then repeat. (See recommended readings for more on this topic)
Some extra info:
Your pup will be pretty used to riding in a car, but car sickness still happens so plan accordingly with towels, wipes, pee pads, etc.
Your pup is used to a crate but is not crate trained yet. At 8 weeks, your pup has only been in the crate with his/her littermates - never alone - so expect a noisy first experience.
Toys:
We recommend Kong toys, tug ropes, and Chuck it balls. Tennis balls collect dirt and wear down your dog’s teeth. Plush toys are fun for about 2 minutes until your dog shreds them to bits. Bullysticks, antlers and marrow bones are also great. *Note: we recommend thick beef marrow bones for your pup. These are safe for pups but if your pup grows into a dog that likes to crush the bones into bits, its time to take the marrow bones away to prevent choking and digestive issues.
Your pup will be fully-weened and eating dry kibble twice per day by 8 weeks of age. We feed at approximately 8 am and 8 pm. We supplement with raw meats, organs, eggs, and a small amount of dairy (unsweetened plain yogurt or cottage cheese). We recommend including raw in your pup’s diet but in small quantities to avoid stomach upset. This means adding a few chicken hearts or a 1/4 pound of burger or a raw egg to a meal (just make sure to decrease dry kibble accordingly). Follow the recommended feeding amounts on the back of the NutriSource bag of kibble, keeping in mind your pup should be on the thinner side. We feed NutriSource Trout and Rice Recipe in the dark blue bag until 6 months old. From 6 months onward, we recommend Large Breed Trout and Rice Recipe in the light blue bag.
For training treats, we recommend your pup’s regular dry kibble or Northwest Naturals Raw Rewards Treats 100% Beef Liver or Wild Caught Salmon. If your pup does not find these rewarding enough, try diced up hot dog.
Now go enjoy those puppy snuggles!
Recommended reading:
