Puppy Care Tips
Keep in mind that your new puppy will be stressed when going to its new home with you. Signs of this are things like it not eating well the first few days. This is fairly normal, though some puppies are more prone to stress than others. Regardless, keep an eye on your puppy to make sure it is eating, drinking and going to the bathroom. After the first day or two we’d expect to see the pup eating well.

Allow your puppy to have plenty of rest after it arrives. We really want to stress this: Don’t over do things with a lot of play for about a week or so, or until your pup is over the stress of relocation. Play with the pup, let it rest, play a little more, cuddle and hold and then let it rest some more. Your puppy is still a baby, and requires a lot of sleep at this time, though less and less as it gets older.

Your puppy will be eating only dry food when it comes to your home. If at all possible, keep the puppy on the same food for a week. If you choose to change its feed, do so gradually by mixing the two feeds and phasing out the previous feed a little at a time. Changing its feed abruptly can cause an upset stomach and maybe some diarrhea. Do not give your puppy table scraps, NO matter what its age. It can be upsetting to its digestive system while adjusting to its new environment. If your pup should develop a bit of diarrhea, give it a teaspoon of Peptol Bismol, and hopefully that will take care of it. Just remember that your pup has been taken from its mom, littermates, and the only environment it ever knew, and is now in a completely different place with new friends, smells, etc.

Be sure to do follow up deworming and booster vaccinations. It is important to keep these up to date. You will need to be careful where you take your puppy until it has been fully vaccinated. You will need to take extra caution on any trips where you stop for potty breaks. Don’t take your puppy several places when you first get it. It is stressful for it to just being taken to your home and a bit more overwhelming to be taken and shown off, plus it is not fully vaccinated until it gets its final boosters at 3 months of age.

Your Hull’s Ozark Beagles‘ puppy is used to being inside and is allowed to go out to run and play as well. Please be prepared to provide your puppy with the necessary shelter outside to keep it safe. If you aren’t planning on keeping it inside, then make sure it has adequate housing. This will mean bedding and warmth in the winter and shade in the summer. Young puppies cannot withstand the cold weather without some form of heat and cannot stand the hot summer rays without some form of shade as well as cool, fresh water and maybe even a small wading pool.

If you are planning on keeping your new beagle puppy inside, you will have to survive house training. We try to teach our pups to go outside and do their business. This teaches them not to mess on their sleep area. Some catch on quicker than others. A doggy door is great but if you don’t have one you will have to decide what method of house training you are going to use. We prefer crate training but you can also use the puppy pad. Whatever method you choose you have to be VERY DILIGENT AND CONSISTENT, UNTIL YOUR PUPPY CATCHES ON. And, you will need to start whatever method you choose right away.

Remember to take the puppy outside right after it wakes up, right after meal time and anytime you see it exhibiting signs of needing to go potty (sniffing and circling are the most common). Try to take the puppy to the same designated spot outside each time. Always remember to praise or reward it when it gets it right. Don’t punish it when it doesn’t get it right. Your puppy will most likely need to go out during the night as it cannot control its bladder for that long at this age. If you work, it might be best if you have an area where you can leave the puppy while you are gone that is not carpeted and that you can block off easily as opposed to being in the crate all day and then have to be in the crate all night as well. You will also need to keep some food and water out for your beagle puppy if you are gone during the day. Leave your puppy with some toys while you are gone. Take up the food and water at night a few hours before bedtime and then offer it again in the morning.

Again, we want to stress to our puppy’s new family, not to over do it with your new puppy for the first week or so. Just be sure to allow your puppy to get plenty of rest and sleep. We hope this information is somewhat helpful. Please remember to call us at Hull’s Ozark Beagles anytime you have questions or concerns about your new beagle puppy. We hope you will enjoy your new beagle puppy and that you will have a long relationship together.