Archive for the ‘Puppy Chow 1’ Category

Food Care

Nursing:

Healthy puppies should nurse about every two hours, according to PetEducation.com. A puppy that is nursing successfully will have a round stomach and will sleep for two hours. A puppy that is not nursing successfully will cry and move around a lot. The stomach may appear round and full, but it could just be air. You will know that the puppy is not getting enough to eat if it lies still when awake, but is not crying anymore.

History:

The name Chow Chow has two different theories behind it: one theory being that it came from the Chinese word “chou”, meaning “edible”. The other, more common, theory of the name was the pidgin-English word that sailors used for various miscellaneous knick-knacks on ships, “chow-chow”. Chows were commonly used as food and were probably imported elsewhere in the world through ships, thus earning them their name. Developed by either the Siberians or Mongolians, they probably began when primitive spitz-type dogs were crossed with eastern Mastiff-type dogs. Regardless, Chows have been known throughout Asia for as long as 2000 years. During the Han dynasty 150 B.C., bas relief and pottery art showed images of dogs that much resembled Chows. The dog was also referred to as the Tartar dog, or Dog of the Barbarians, because of the 11th century Tartar hordes that invaded China, although information on this theory was not easily attainable, considering how art and literature was often destroyed during emperor successions. But in 700 AD the T’ang emperor advertised a kennel of 5000 Chow Chows. Chows were originally used as temple guard dogs. They later became favored as a hunting dog of the Chinese emperors, and then as the delicacy all across Mongolia and Manchuria. The blue-black tongue Chows appeared in Great Britain by the late 18th century in 1760, and the first was exhibited in the London Zoo as the “Wild Dog of China”. In the late 19th century the first of its kind was imported into the U.S., with good timing too. Due to political powers, China soon declared dogs a “useless commodity” and had most of the Chows and other dogs destroyed. Today the Chow thrives in America as well as other countries.

Puppy Food:

Because puppies are growing, they need twice the energy an adult dog needs. Feed your puppy food with 25 to 30 percent protein from the time it is 7 weeks to the time it reaches maturity, which is 9 to 12 months depending on the breed, according to the ASPCA. Don’t overfeed your puppy in the hopes of accelerating its growth. This can lead to bone growth problems, especially in large and giant breed puppies. Feed the recommended amount on the dog food bag or go by what your vet tells you, based on the size of your dog.

Colors:

Black, red, blue, fawn, cream, tan, silver grey or white (rare). Any solid color.

Vaccines:

Puppies can get their parvo vaccine at 6 to 7 weeks old. Your veterinarian should check the puppies at this time for heart murmurs, hernias, mange and eye disorders. Ask the vet about other vaccinations, such as distemper, parainfuenza and rabies at this time.

Older Puppies:

When you get the puppies back home, don’t try to keep the house quiet for their benefit. Let them get used to the way you live. Go ahead and pick up and play with the puppies during this time. Not only will it be fun for you and the puppies, it will help get them socialized. Because your puppy will chew, make sure you don’t leave it in areas where it can do damage to your furniture or to itself. Puppies can hurt themselves if they chew an electrical wire, for example. Around 14 weeks of age, you can teach your puppy what it can and cannot chew using a simple, “no,” followed by a treat when it stops. Punishing a dog well after the fact never works. The puppy simply won’t understand. You may want to try crate training or fencing off part of the house.