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                                                                                        FOOD FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                              

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Our puppies are fed Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Rice Puppy food. I order mine from Chewy.com, but you can also find it in the smaller bags at Petco and Petsmart, and probably a few other places. There is a chicken version as well, but the pups seem to prefer the taste of the lamb, and digest it well.

 

I do on occasion cook for the dogs too....hamburger and rice, with pasta...green beans, carrots, pumpkin, blueberries, apples, plain yogurt, boiled chicken, scrambled eggs.....they can have any of those things....but NO legumes! That means NO peas, lentils, soybeans, potatoes, etc....those are very bad for dogs.

 

 

                                                                                    TREATS FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                               

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We offer our puppies various treats in the Three Dog Bakery brand. We also sometimes offer Greenies and Blue Buffalo Health Bars…in moderation of course.

 

If you want to buy a dog chew bone, I would recommend bully sticks, because they can keep the pups occupied, they keep teeth shiny, and they are digestable. Fresh carrots also are good for chewing. We do NOT give rawhide bones though! We also do not give meat bones at all, raw or cooked. If you are going to give bones, do NOT ever give them cooked! Cooked bones become dry and brittle and can splinter when eaten.

 

Kong toys are also useful. You can put food or treats inside them and the pups have to work for their reward.

 

 

                                                                         FEEDING PROCESS FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                     

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The pups are pretty much meal feeding themselves 2-3 times a day...first thing in the mornings (6-7 a.m.)  is when they're the hungriest, as they've been crated overnight and I do not put food in the crate....but I don't feed a measured amount....I let them eat however much they want at a time (we worry more that they don't eat enough versus too much; have never had a fat Whippet!)....then usually early or mid-afternoon they're hungry again....if I think a pup needs to gain more weight or still seems hungry, then bump up the feedings to 3 times a day or increase the amounts with the other 2 feedings....

 

Food is more motivating for the puppies than adults....as an adult, food is usually low on their priority list, lol.....but I have no issue with cooking or adding the occasional things to their dry food to keep the pups and/or adults motivated to eat......we do sometimes have to remind them to finish eating, THEN can goof off and play,....they tend to be more of a nibbler/grazer like a cat, versus just sitting there and eating all their food in one sitting (unless something extra yummy is mixed in with it, lol)

 

Our puppies will come with a small blanket, a sweater, treats, a small bag of her food (about a pound), some toys, and all of their paperwork and records. We do not provide a crate and bed or collar/leash.

 

                                                                           CRATE TRAINING FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                        

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We crate train our dogs. Each puppy is in their own individual crate. We do that with each of our pups, so they learn confidence and independences, away from their littermates and the other dogs. We start the crating process at 6 weeks, and then continue with crate training until the puppies are adopted. The main time for crate training is overnight, but there may be a few times that a puppy is crated during the day for an hour or two as well.

 

                                                                                        Proper Size of Crate                                                                          

 

I use either the large (36x24x22) or the extra large which are 48 inches. I typically tell my owners to go with the large size, as long as it comes WITH a divider panel. That size will fit an adult Whippet quite comfortably, so the pups can transition right into the full sized crate....the reason crate training works is that it plays into a dog's natural instinct to "den," and most dogs do not want to eliminate where they sleep...if a puppy has too much space, they might feel they can sleep in one end and potty in the other, so it's a bit of a balance between having enough space for them to be comfortable, but not too much space that they feel it's okay to potty in the other. It works well, and is a valuable resource tool while they're learning about housebreaking, etc. It also hopefully helps lessen the chances of separation anxiety. It is NEVER meant as a punishment! And if it is done properly, it is a wonderful resource. My dogs have always loved having their crates and having their own safe place that is just for them whenever they want to go in them (of course most of the time they're sacked out on the furniture of snuggled into their cave beds, lol).

 

                                                                                            Cover for Crate                                                                              

 

When our puppies are in a crate, we tend to cover the crate to make it more denlike and secure. Yet, we do have the pups in total darkness at night, as there is always a nightlight on. During the day, if they nap in a crate, we have a television on nearby for background noise.

 

                                                                            COLLAR SIZE OF OUR PUPPIES                                                                

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The neck size of the whippet pups at 10 weeks old is typically 7-8 inches. At the adult stage, my girls are always 10-11 inches fully grown and the males 11-13 inches. I order the small size of martingale collars, adjustable 10-14 inches, and that normally fits males and females perfectly (2houndsdesign). FOR THE ABSOLUTE MOST WONDERFUL COLLARS, THIS IS THE PLACE TO FIND THEM! ALL OUR DOGS HAVE THEIR OWN SPECIAL CUSTOM COLLAR AND MANY OF OUR DOGS WE'VE SOLD WE'VE REFERRED TO "ALISHA" AT 2HOUNDSDESIGN FOR THEIRS' AS WELL. YOU WON'T BE SORRY. CHECK THEM OUT AND TELL 'EM WE SENT YA! JUST go to www.2houndsdesign.com to find the perfect martingale collars and matching leashes, etc. Hardest part will be choosing just one!

 

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                                                                         DAILY ROUTINE FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                            

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Our puppies are individually crated overnight, from about 11 p.m. to about 5 a.m. They are then let out at about 5 a.m. to do their business, get a bit of exercise and then back in for breakfast. Then they run around outside, have some snuggle time, and then usually a nap for a few hours.. We have a big x-pen area in our kitchen, which is a larger version of a crate, but with lots of toys and bed, etc. We allow them access to food all day, and they tend to meal feed themsleves 2-3 times a day, with occasional treats or snacks in between. We don't let the pups have free reign over the house, so that it is easier to monitor them. It also makes it easier with training and it's safer for them as well. Too much freedom is not a good thing, and they definitely need boundaries! But rest assured, your baby comes pre-spoiled and super well socialized, and will be a happy go lucky healthy little Whippet!

 

                                                               CAR TRIP EXPERIENCE FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                        

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Our puppies experience multiple car trips while under our care. We always keep tummies light anytime we are traveling with them, as it helps lessen the chances of carsickness if they don't have a full belly. So on their big "gotcha" day, we do the same, no matter how they will be traveling with their owners. So they'll be a bit hungry when they leave here, but it will be less stressful on them if they are not getting carsick, and easier for you the new owner as well!

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                                                                          VACCINES FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                                     

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We give our initial vaccinations individually...(we use Neopar and Neovac DA2 for the initial vaccines)...parvo one week, distemper the next, bordatella the next, etc....that way it gives their immune system ONE thing to concentrate on at a time and not overwhelming a still developing immune system. By the time we get to weaning time and onwards, at the 8, 10, and 12 week timeframes, they can have the combination boosters and handle those fine with no reactions or issues, and then once a year after that.

 

 

                                                                      NAIL TRIMMING FOR OUR PUPPIES                                                               

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 Our puppies have their nails trimmed WEEKLY....so they are very used to having them done (with clippers) and very used to having their feet and legs handled...I just tuck the puppy under my arm and do each paw which takes about a minute or two from start to finish, and I would encourage an owner to keep up with it. Once a puppy is fully grown, nail trimming may be needed about every 6-8 weeks or so.

 

                                                   SUPERVISION OF PUPPIES DURING THEIR GROWTH PHASE                                      

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When our puppies are going through the massive growth spurt phase (typically starting around 12 weeks and continues through about 16 weeks), we closely supervise their activities, because everything is a little softer in regards to the joints/bones/ligaments as it's all growing very rapidly and stretching out, so can be a bit weaker if the exercise is too much at a time. Hard exercise has to be done gradually with slow increases each week until through the growth spurt, which is typically over around 16 weeks or so, but sometimes can go an extra week or two depending on how fast that particular pup grows. So keep in mind that exercise periods should be FREQUENT, but SHORT, so that way puppies get conditioned gradually as they are growing so rapidly. We start out with around 15 minutes at a time, and add 5 minutes to each play period every week as the pups turn the next week older. That then conditions them gradually to all the rapid growth and development, over a period of time, and much easier on developing bones and joints until they are through that particular growth spurt, and much less risk of injuries!