Week #7 - Winter 2022 Litter - Final Edition!
Weekly Litter Update - January 14, 2023
We're one week away from go home day! Final preparations are in full swing and all of us here at O&M are excited for our puppies to meet their forever families! The puppies had their first vet visit this week- they are all healthy and happy! They did a great job in the car ride over to the vet for their first vaccines. We are so proud of each of our pups!
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Puppy Weight Tracker
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Making First Introductions
Step 1 - Introducing your puppy to the potty area
When you bring your puppy home for the first time, we recommend that you first and foremost introduce her to the designated potty area. This should be a specific area in your yard, not the whole backyard. Keep your puppy on her leash and be prepared to instantly praise and reward her if/when she goes potty. This should be done before she meets anyone else, or is brought into the house.
Step 2 - Introduction to the house
When we say introduction to the house, that doesn't necessarily mean your whole house. We recommend that you have a controlled, puppy-proofed, section of your house that is big enough for her to play and explore, but doesn't encompass a large space. As your puppy grows and develops, you can increase her access to more space in your home. But for now, keep it small and keep it safe.
If you have a large open floor plan, we recommend setting up gates/barriers that prevent your puppy from roaming a large space.
By slowly (over the course of a few weeks) expanding your puppy's area you are not only helping keep her safe. You are also helping reduce her anxiety making the training easier.
Step 3 - Introduction to kids
Now for the fun part, introducing your puppy to your family and loved ones. It is important that this process is not rushed or forced. Take your time here. When it comes to kids, we know that they are excited. They may have been waiting for this moment for a while and are eager to play with the puppy. This is okay, but should be done carefully and with a plan. Below are three key tips we recommend when introducing a puppy to kids:
Don't overwhelm - take it slow and introduce one kid at a time.
Let the puppy come to the child, not the other way around.
Keep the introductions brief and positive. Have the child give the puppy treats to communicate "I am friendly".
Step 4 - Introduction to other dogs
If you are a family that already has another dog, making this introduction can be stressful for both you and the dogs. Just like above, being slow and cautious here is critical to both a successful introduction and the safety of your puppy. Below are four key tips we recommend when introducing a puppy to other dogs:
Don't force the introduction. If your dog ignores the puppy that's fine - in fact it's normal.
Ensure both dogs are tired. Have a session of playing and exercise with both of your dog(s) and the new puppy to help reduce energy levels.
Start by introducing your new puppy at a distance and observe how your dogs interact with one another. Make the introduction on neutral territory. Allowing the two dogs to meet on neutral territory may help keep your dog from becoming too protective. If the introduction on neutral territory is positive, move to introducing them in your house in a controlled situation.
Never leave the dog(s) and puppy unattended. Keep in mind that your new puppy is still learning how to interact with other dogs. She may jump and nip at your dog, and your dog may respond with a little growling. Your older dog, may even soft bite the puppy to show who's in charge. This is normal and to be expected. However, if you feel like the playing is too rough or getting out of hand, separate the dogs and help them relax.
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Important Dates
November 26, 2022 - Litter Birth Date
December 30, 2022 - Selection Day
January 9, 2023 - First Vet Visit
January 21, 2023 - Pickup/Delivery (Saturday!!!!)
Below are the planned pick-up times for each family. If these times don't work for you please let us know and we will accommodate.
Saturday, January 21, 2023
10:00-10:45 - Pick-up slot #1 (Reams)
11:00-11:45 - Pick-up slot #2 (Giacobone)
12:00-12:45 - Pick-up slot #3 (Bogard)
Sunday, January 22, 2023
10:00-10:45 - Pick-up slot #4 (Porter)
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Nailing Bedtime
For new puppy owners, bedtime can be a stressful endeavor. The anxiety of whether or not your new puppy is going to sleep quietly or howl all night can be troublesome. This section is designed to give a few tips on how to help make bedtime less about the howling and more about sleeping. Puppies between 8 and 12 weeks will likely need you to let them out at least once during the night. Physiologically, their bodies just aren't capable of "holding it" for more than a couple of hours.
Starting around weeks 12 -15 (of age) your puppy should start being able to sleep through the night. To help your puppy with potty training at night you can remove the water source an hour or two before bedtime. From here you can cut out the mid-night (i.e. 2:00 AM) waking. If however, your puppy does have an accident be sure to clean it up thoroughly and, if she does this multiple nights in a row, you may need to re-introduce the mid-night potty run for a week or two more, to help fight against any potty-training regression.
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What to Expect this Week
This week we're in preparation mode, we are going to try and do everything we can to make pick-up smooth and stress free. This is why we prefer to have the Purchase Agreements and final payments made before pick-up.
In a couple of days you'll be sent a link to sign the purchase agreement from Docusign. You'll also be sent the final invoice which you can pay via credit card like before or if you are planning to bring cash just let us know.
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Featured Puppy - Silver
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