Special Instructions for Your New Puppy

The first two weeks are when things go wrong, if they are going to, and nearly all of what goes wrong is preventable. A puppy that has just left its mother, its litter and the only house it knows is under more strain than it shows, and a Maltese puppy weighs two or three pounds and has no margin. These instructions are the ones we go through with every owner on collection day, and they apply doubly to a puppy at the small end of the breed, which matures more slowly and needs more watching.

Keep everything the same

Same food, from the bag we send, at the same times. Same bed if you can, which is why we send a blanket that smells of the litter. One quiet room rather than the whole house. Visitors kept to a minimum for the first week; the neighbours can meet the puppy later. The more that stays the same, the easier the one big change is.

Sugar

For the first few days, a little high calorie puppy paste from the pet shop, a quarter inch squeezed onto a finger, morning and evening, keeps the blood sugar up while the puppy is eating less than it should. If the puppy skips a meal, tempt it with a bite of plain cooked chicken, scrambled egg or cottage cheese; the point is to get something into the stomach. The signs of a sugar crash are sleepiness beyond the normal, a dazed look, a wobbly walk, drooling, and then collapse. Honey or corn syrup on the gums at the first sign, warmth, and then food. A puppy that has got as far as staggering goes to the vet afterwards even if it recovers, because the next crash comes more easily. Be vigilant until about six months, longer for a very small puppy.

Food, often

Dry small-breed puppy kibble available all day and night, and a softened meal twice a day, as described on the feeding page. A very small puppy may need the softened meal three times a day and a higher calorie food from the vet. The kibble must be small enough for a tiny mouth; a puppy that cannot manage the pieces will not eat them.

Rest

A twelve week old puppy sleeps most of the day and must be allowed to. Children want to play with it continuously; the puppy will play until it drops, and dropping, in this breed, can mean a sugar crash. Twenty minutes of play, then back to the pen to sleep, and no handing it round the room. Treat it like a newborn, because that is what it is.

Warmth

A chilled puppy burns calories shivering and stops eating. Keep it out of draughts, dry it completely after any bath, and give it a bed it can burrow into. If it is shivering, it is cold, whatever the thermostat says.

The house

Electrical cords out of reach, small objects off the floor, stairs blocked, the pool fenced, poisonous plants gone. No jumping off furniture, which means not putting the puppy on furniture it can jump off. Only adults carry it, and they carry it with two hands, held against the body. Shoes off in the house for a while; a puppy this size is always at your feet and a shoe does more damage than a sock. The puppy proofing page goes room by room.

Outside

Never alone, not for a minute, not in a fenced yard. Hawks and owls take puppies this size, and so do bigger dogs and, occasionally, cats. Until the vaccinations are complete, the puppy does not touch the ground in public at all. Afterwards, on a harness and lead, away from crowds and other dogs.

The vet

Book a check-up for the first few days so your vet meets the puppy while it is well, has the records, and can plan the rest of the vaccinations. Then ring at the first sign of anything: not eating, vomiting, loose stools, lethargy, a sugar crash. Ring us too, at any hour. We would always rather be told.