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Kuurnsestraat 124, 8531 Bavikhove

 info@dierenhofdebrabandere.be

 +32 (0)497 38 02 11

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FAQ
Frequently
asked
questions
Yes, you can. We have play areas where owners can introduce their new puppy to their own dog. However, please do not bring your own dog unnecessarily, especially if you only intend to visit our kennel. This can cause unnecessary stress for your dog and for our puppies.
  • Your puppy has been raised in a social environment from birth, in the company of its mother, up to the age of 8 weeks.
  • Your puppy has been vaccinated multiple times against various diseases and viruses, such as: Canine Distemper (CDV), Canine Parvovirus (CPV), Canine Hepatitis (HCC), Leptospirosis, Kennel Cough, and for puppies aged 12 weeks and older, it has been vaccinated against Rabies.
  • Your puppy has been dewormed multiple times.
  • Your puppy is equipped with a microchip and is registered with DOG-ID in your name.
  • Your puppy comes with an official European passport.
  • Your puppy comes with a written 2-year guarantee.
  • Your puppy has been introduced to potty training.
  • Your puppy receives free care and treatment from our company veterinarian or recommended veterinarians in case of medical problems covered by the guarantee.
You can take the train to Harelbeke station. From the station, it's a 30-minute walk to the kennel. If needed, we can arrange to pick you up at the station and provide transportation back.

Dierenhof Debrabandere exclusively offers dog food from ROYAL CANIN and frozen food from JOLIPET. We recommend new owners to continue feeding their puppy with this food at home. The puppy should always have access to fresh drinking water.

Yves Temmerman

Dierenhof Debrabandere has its own company veterinarian.

Dr. Yves Temmerman
Pottelberg 142,
8510 Marke
Tel. 056/25.76.75

He ensures the medical care for our puppies and also oversees the vaccination and deworming schedules.

Website: www.dierenartsmarke.be

NUTRITION AND WATER

In the first few weeks of life, puppies drink mother's milk. From around the age of 4 weeks, a puppy gradually learns to drink water and eat solid food. When your puppy makes the big transition to its new home, it is already accustomed to different food. However, there are still some things to consider to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Preferably, for the first few days, give the food that your puppy received from the breeder. For the quantities and the number of meals per day, you can consult the breeder or read below: "What food for my puppy?".

Puppies like to eat in a quiet place. On the other hand, most puppies feel safer eating especially in your presence at the beginning. Therefore, place its food bowl in a location with less traffic.

  IF YOU OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING, PLEASE CONTACT US  

  • Lack of appetite or excessive appetite.
    Both can be signs that something is not right with your puppy.
  • Diarrhea (loose stools).
    Puppy stools are usually well-formed and solid enough to be "rolled". If your puppy produces slimy or sticky stools, it's best to report this.
  • Excessive drinking.
    This means drinking all the water in the bowl immediately, constantly seeking water. Excessive drinking can indicate illness or discomfort.

COMFORTABLE RESTING

Comfort is an individual experience, so finding something comfortable varies for each puppy.

What is a comfortable resting place for your puppy? Here are some tips:

  • Use soft materials and ensure your puppy has enough space to stretch out completely. Adjust the bed size according to your puppy's size.
  • Place the bed in a location with minimal traffic.
  • Choose a spot without drafts, warm in winter, and not too hot in summer.

  IF YOU OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING, PLEASE CONTACT US  

  • Staying in the bed and rarely getting out.
  • Growling when approached in the bed. Your puppy may be sick, in pain, or there might be a behavioral issue.

TEMPERATURE

Puppies spend their first few weeks in a warm place: close to their mother and/or under an infrared lamp.

As puppies grow older, they need an environment and temperature that takes into account their age, coat type, and health condition.

During walks, also consider that your puppy may not be able to protect itself from low or high temperatures very well.

Trembling or a reluctance to continue may be signs that your puppy is too cold. In the summer, there's a risk of heatstroke.

  CAUTION: Never leave your puppy alone in the car!  


WALKING

People typically walk with the goal of moving from point A to point B, but for your puppy, that's not the case. For puppies, walking means taking a few steps, sniffing around, looking at things... and when your puppy gets tired, taking a rest.

Teach your puppy to observe and try to estimate how far your puppy can walk. Gradually increase the length of the walks and consider your puppy's capabilities. Keep in mind that not only walking but also exploring new things can be tiring.

If your puppy sits or lies down during the walk, it might just be tired, but it could also mean that your puppy is scared of new things it hears, sees, or smells. Take a break from the walk until your puppy has recovered.
Puppies that don't recover need your help.

Getting your puppy used to the leash is best done at home or in the garden. When you go for a walk with your puppy, use a long leash (2.5 to 5 meters) and start in a quiet place.


PROTECTION AGAINST STRESS

Stress is a mechanism of the body to respond to a situation where you don't feel comfortable. Having a bit of stress for a moment is not a problem. It's important, however, to have solutions; for example, when you're thirsty, you can drink.

When you don't have a solution for a stressful situation, then you experience the situation as a problem. Contrary to what people think, stress doesn't have to be about something 'serious.' Stress is about how you experience something, and it can even be about small things.

Think about spiders. For some people, seeing a spider can be very stressful, while that same spider might not make any impression on someone else. Experiencing stress is different for each of us.
It's the same for your puppy!

Learn to recognize stressful situations and ensure that situations are adapted to your puppy's abilities.


BUILDING A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FAMILY

Dogs are social animals, so your puppy needs interaction with the family at a puppy's pace.

Interaction at a puppy's pace means that puppies need time to gradually learn how to interact with family members and visitors.

After all, people behave differently than dogs, so your puppy has a lot to learn...

When we examine the way dogs greet each other, we see significant differences compared to how humans do it.

Dogs greet each other by sniffing and moving around.

There are no dog-to-dog hugging moments or physical touches during greetings. On the contrary, when dogs physically push each other, jump on each other, or put a paw on the other, it signifies an unpleasant or even threatening greeting.

So, if you want to greet your puppy in a pleasant way when you come home, avoid misunderstandings and greet them verbally without taking any physical actions towards them.

It's important for a puppy to feel safe within the family.

VIEW IT THROUGH A PUPPY'S EYES

Youthful puppies explore the world by putting everything in their mouths and chewing on it. This is known as orally exploring the world, and it's an important phase in the behavioral development of a young puppy.

The purpose of this oral behavior is 'exploration,' not destruction.

Compare it to young children who also put everything in their mouths.

During this phase, your puppy cannot yet distinguish between a nice pair of shoes and a dog toy.

For a puppy, shoes or toys are just objects they investigate by briefly putting them in their mouths.


AVOID MISTAKES

It's important to guide your puppy's exploratory behavior in the right direction.

How do you proceed?

  • Anticipate: make sure there are no objects, clothing, or shoes on the ground or within your puppy's reach. Keep everything tidy so your puppy can't grab anything valuable.
  • Use tools like a crate, baby gates, or a puppy playpen in areas that are difficult to puppy-proof (e.g., children's playroom).
  • Provide a wide variety of puppy toys. Consider that puppies generally prefer soft materials when making your choice.

REWARD DESIRED BEHAVIOR

Once your puppy is chewing on the right 'things,' it's important to ensure that this behavior happens more often, so your puppy is rewarded for it.

You can do this by providing objects with hidden food in them; your puppy will love to chew on them more often.

You can also provide a social reward. For example, if your puppy is biting its soft toy and you join in to 'play together,' it's an added value for most puppies: playing together is twice as fun.

Be inventive: occasionally provide objects that your puppy can completely destroy. Examples include empty plastic bottles (remove the cap), a roll of toilet paper...

In the market, there are toys available on which puppies can chew for a very long time.


IGNORE UNWANTED BEHAVIOR

You are best off ignoring casual chewing behavior of your puppy on mundane objects. Keep in mind that this is simply exploratory behavior. It will stop on its own because it doesn't benefit your puppy.

You'll notice that chewing on a pen, a shoelace, a tissue, and similar actions are short-lived.

Ignoring casual chewing behavior is important because any reaction can encourage your puppy to chew more on that object, which is exactly what you want to avoid.

If your puppy chews on something that puts itself in danger, you should never ignore it.

Intervene calmly and ensure your puppy's safety.

  IF YOU OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING, CONTACT US  

  • Your puppy chews obsessively and is constantly looking for something to chew.
  • Your puppy growls when it has an object in its mouth.
  • Your puppy eats inedible objects.

INTERVENE TIMELY

You see your puppy heading towards your new pair of shoes or a beautiful book. How should you react in those circumstances?

Intervening timely means taking action before your puppy reaches the object and starts chewing on it.

Teach your puppy to observe, try to gauge its intentions. This way, you can anticipate what your puppy is planning. Is it fixated on an object, or is it just sniffing around?

Also, think about the behavior you want your puppy to exhibit. With these options in mind, you'll have a few strategies to help your puppy make the right choices.


TEACH DESIRED BEHAVIOR

You can guide your puppy's chewing behavior in several ways.

Choose chew items that smell and taste good. Your puppy will start chewing more quickly because it smells good, and chewing is encouraged by the good taste.

Help your puppy actively seek out its toys. Do this by playing with your puppy regularly, taking its toys, or playing hide-and-seek games with them. This way, you direct your puppy's focus towards the things you find desirable, namely chewing on its toys.

This way, your puppy learns to create a pleasant association between its toys and playing with you.


USE CORRECT DISCIPLINE

Correct discipline means that you don't take action towards your puppy, but instead, you take away something pleasant.

So, if your puppy is on its way to grab your beautiful book, you take it away before your puppy reaches it.

If your puppy is already chewing on something, it's too late.

Incorrect discipline is not advisable. Puppies only learn that a punishment or an unpleasant action follows every time they have "stolen" something, without understanding why.

Such an approach leads to miscommunication and can result in conflicts with your puppy, where your puppy no longer understands anything.

  Important  

Punishment can stop an action, but it will not help to unlearn the behavior or teach your puppy to exhibit desired behavior. Therefore, try to use the previous steps first and use punishment as a last resort.


Everyone in your circle of friends would love to welcome such a little puppy. Above all, prevent it from getting too busy. During the first few weeks, your puppy will encounter new stimuli that it needs to adapt to, which can be very tiring and stressful. Keep things calm during the first weeks. This way, your puppy can make its discoveries and build confidence in its new home. Don't take the puppy everywhere just yet. This would be too exhausting and burdensome. After its full vaccinations, your puppy will be immune to infections, eliminating any risk of contagion. By that time, your puppy will already know its owners well and will walk much more easily and feel safer in unfamiliar territory.

Cleanliness is already instilled in the litter. During the first few weeks, the mother dog keeps the nest area clean. From the age of 5 weeks, the puppies naturally start moving to the outside of the nest to do their business.

Your role in potty training is to prevent accidents. To do this, try to observe your puppy's behavior. Take him out every 2 hours.

On the first day the puppy arrives at your home, place some puppy pads in various places. The most important spot is near the front or back door.

You can tell when your puppy needs to go by prolonged sniffing or circling in the same spot, especially after he has just slept, eaten, or played.

It's precisely at those times or when you notice this behavior in your puppy that you should lure him outside or gently pick him up and go outside with him. Take him to a spot where you want him to do his business later and wait until he does something. If you want him to learn to do his business on command later, you can give a command now (such as "pee" or "poop"). Immediately after, reward him enthusiastically (with dry biscuits or puppy kibble).

At the beginning, even if the puppy shows no signs of needing to go, take him out every 2 hours to the spot where he should do his business. Wait for a moment for him to do something and then reward him warmly. Make sure that the outdoor spot is not too far away. Create a designated area in the garden for this purpose.

For example, delineate a one-square-meter area with a low barrier and put sand in it.

Going outside is for his needs and not for play. Sometimes, puppies find the outdoors so exciting that they play to their hearts' content and enjoy all the new impressions, which prevents them from doing their business. In that case, as soon as you return indoors, the puppy will do his business in the house. Therefore, immediately take the puppy back inside after he has done his business, and do not play with him outside. A few times a day, he can have extra outings to burn off energy, explore the world, and play with you.

In the first few weeks, shorten the nights. Before going to sleep, take your puppy outside. Then, optionally put him in the crate. After 6 hours, get up again and take your puppy outside. Gradually increase this routine by 5 minutes each day. This way, your puppy will learn to hold it.

Also, teach the dog that there are different places where he can do his business. Otherwise, you may run into problems if you take the dog visiting.

VIEW IT THROUGH A PUPPY'S EYES

In the first 8 weeks of life, puppies stay in a cozy environment where they are with their mother day and night.

Leaving the nest is a stressful event for them: away from everyone, away from the familiar surroundings.

Fortunately, puppies can form attachments to people and, in this way, learn to feel safe again. Attachment is a process that creates a lasting emotional relationship.

Attaching to people helps a puppy become accustomed to the new environment, the house, the furniture, the new bed, and all the new scents and sounds.

Gradually, the new environment will start to feel safe and familiar to your puppy, and your home can become its secure environment.

Attaching to you and your family, therefore, takes some time.


AVOID MISTAKES

Upon arrival in the family and in the first few days, puppies need a continuous sense of security.

Ensure that your puppy doesn't have to be alone during the first few days and can also sleep near you at night.

Remember, you are building a bond with your puppy so that it learns to feel safe with you, and this takes time.

Some people think that puppies need to learn to be alone from the beginning, "or else they will never learn."

Some people fear that puppies who sleep in your room for a few nights will never unlearn it. These are myths because the opposite is true. Puppies need time to feel at home in the new environment, and they do this best in your presence.


REWARD DESIRED BEHAVIOR

Feeling comfortable in your presence is a skill that a puppy can only demonstrate once it feels sufficiently secure in its home environment.

Puppies need time to get used to the new home environment. Only when your puppy feels completely 'at home' will it be able to be alone in that new environment.

Pups learn best to feel safe when you are around. Once your puppy understands that this is its safe home, it will no longer need your presence.

From that moment on, your puppy can learn that you are just occasionally not around, and that's okay.


INTERVENE TIMELY

Every puppy is unique, so one puppy may learn to be alone faster than another. Therefore, try to observe your puppy in the moments leading up to learning to be alone.

See if your puppy relaxes and what exactly it does.

Does your puppy calmly go to its bed and stay lying down when you head towards the door?

Or do you see signs of restlessness as soon as you move away from the bed?

Don't wait until the puppy starts whining; intervene in time and review your approach.


TEACH DESIRED BEHAVIOR

Start teaching "being alone" during the daytime when you have a full day at home. Below is an example of how to build the process of learning to be alone.

  1. Ensure that your puppy cannot follow you around the house for a few moments each day. For instance, place a gate between the kitchen and the living room, where you occasionally go to the living room and make sure the puppy stays behind the gate. In this phase, your puppy can still see or hear you, but won't be right next to you. If your puppy gets a little upset but quickly calms down, you can move on to step 2.
  2. Move a bit further away from your puppy within the house, so that it can still hear and smell you but can't see you anymore. Observe how your puppy reacts to this. If everything goes well, you can move on to step 3.
  3. Your puppy can now stay behind the gate for a while without seeing you. Stay away a bit longer, do something else where your puppy can't see or hear you. This step will work perfectly when your puppy feels safe and comfortable in the place where it is.

  If you are unable to build the ability to be alone, there might be something wrong with your puppy. It could be sick or experiencing stress. Contact us  


PUNISHMENT IS NOT APPLICABLE HERE

You may have some questions such as:

  • My puppy whines, and I'd like to stop it. How should I punish it?
  • My puppy destroys things when it's alone. How can I punish it for this?

  Whining or destructiveness are signs of soluble stress.  

When your puppy displays this behavior at times when it's left alone, consider it as a warning sign. Your puppy feels insecure.

Therefore, punishment is NOT applicable. On the contrary, take a step back and assess if you might have progressed too quickly.