Every new owner will find this 2 page info in their puppy kit upon pick up of their new family member.



Puppy Care Info
Congratulations on your new puppy from Miniature Angels Farm. Our puppies are very affectionate and will enjoy every minute of cuddling and attention from their humans. I would like to write down a few thoughts on how to care for your new family member in order to keep him or her happy and healthy. Like human toddlers puppies will want to put everything in their mouths whatever they can get their paws on. Therefore it is a good idea to puppy proof your home, maybe close up certain areas with a puppy gate and be mindful of what you have laying around on the floor as well as under your couch.
Puppies will spend most of their time sleeping, please make sure that he or she will have uninterrupted naps since it is crucial for a healthy development. We always keep their food dish full, if you rather like to feed portions I would recommend to feed your puppy at least 3 times per day. You will have a bag of transition food in your puppy kit and if you wish to feed your new puppy a different brand of puppy food we recommend to just keep feeding her our food for a couple of days and then start mixing in some of your puppy kibbles, every day a bit more for up to a week and by then your puppy will be able to just have your new brand of kibbles without  risking any stomach upset.
Ater each nap your puppy will have to go potty, every single time. They will pee first and then within 15 to 20 minutes (sometimes longer) they will need to do No 2. The older your puppy gets the longer it will take for them to do their business after nap time. Knowing this will help you get your puppy housebroke faster. At night time depending on when they went to sleep they often can sleep trough the night (up to 6 hours) and will wake upon sunrise.
In your puppy kit there will also be a puppy training book and also some info in regards to crating up your puppy. Please be aware that puppies and especially Australian Shepherd puppies are a very active breed and need a good amount of excercise. I wouldn't crate my puppy no more than 6 hours at night, always a good idea to make sure they will have plenty of excercise and a last walk outside right before they are placed in their crate at night. Another great idea if you don't have plenty of time or another dog with whom your puppy can play all day is to place them in a puppy daycare center where they will have plenty of excercise and be able to socialize all day long. Australian Shepherd dogs will start shedding in May or June, a good idea is to get  your dog a haircut with your local Groomer before summer which will help considerably with the shedding process and keep your floors mostly mess free. Good idea to get your puppy used to the Groomer when it is still young though and not to wait until it is a year old or it may have anxities and refuse to have his or her coat trimmed down.
In regards to flea and tick control I personally wouldn’t advise to use Frontline every month on your pet since it is a liquid pesticide and a neurotoxin. You can learn more if you
type in your browser:
“ bioligical diversity flea products found to be infested with forever chemicals”
You can also get your dog vaccinated against Lyme disease every year for that extra protection.
We use Heartguard (tablet once a month) on all of our dogs since it not also protects against Heartworms but also Roundworms and Hookworms which dogs will pick up very easily just by going outside. A dog may become infected when it inadvertently swallows hookworm larvae, often by grooming its feet or from sniffing feces or contaminated soil. Most ingested larvae will move to the dog's intestinal tract to complete their lifecycle. Panacur or Safguard won’t protect from Hookworms I was just recently told by my Vet.
There are other chemical free alternatives to keep your dog free of fleas and ticks for example products from getfurlife.com (12 months flea and tick free collar)

We are looking forward to any updates and please don't hesitate with any questions
you may have.


Best Wishes
Fabienne Maxfield
www.miniatureangelsfarm.com