Steps to purchase one of Pond View's Puppies:

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Are you thinking about adding a new puppy to the family?  While being a 'puppy parent in the waiting' is super exciting,  please take a moment to consider the investment as well:

• Time and Lifestyle: Puppies need constant, immediate, and high-frequency care (potty breaks, training, socialization). If you plan to be gone from home for more than 4 hours, you will need to plan for a friend or dog-walker to check on your puppy while you're gone.
• Financial Commitment:  Beyond the purchase price, prepare a budget for food, gear, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, and a $3-5k puppy emergency fund.
• Landlord/HOA Rules: If renting, ensure pets are allowed and check for weight or breed restrictions. Also consider 
• Breed Research: Choose a breed matching your activity level and living space (e.g., high-energy dogs in apartments, grooming needs).
• Reputable Breeders: Only buy from breeders who allow on-site visits, show you the puppy's parents (temperament and health), and provide proof of vaccinations, deworming, and puppy Veterinary examinations.
• Long-Term Commitment: Puppies grow into adults with evolving needs; they are a 10–20 year commitment.

1. Plan ahead so you can be at home with your puppy as much as possible for the first couple weeks while you both adjust to living together. Your puppy will feel secure when he knows where you are, and feel abandoned when he does not. 
2. Schedule a vet exam for your new pup. We ask that your puppy be seen by your veterinarian within 10-14 days of purchase to ensure that you received a pup who was fit for sale as well as to establish care for your pup. 
3. Check out local or online puppy training support options! In person puppy classes are great because not only do you have inperson trainer support, but also you and your puppy get to collaborate with other new puppy parents and their puppies in your area!
4. Check into Pet Insurance, your puppy trainer or veterinarian might have a recommendation. 
5. Look at your house thru the eyes of your puppy! Sweep your floors to make sure there’s no staples, medications, etc on the floor that your pup could swallow. Make sure all electrical cords are out of your pup’s reach. 
6. Set up your pup’s crate or limited space area and make a plan with the others in the house for night and daytime schedules.  
7. Get basic supplies on hand. 

•  Adjustable 12”-14” collar and leash 
• Food and water bowls. 
• Crate and/or exercise pen for confinement when you can be watching your pup. 
• NutriSource Small/Medium Breed Puppy Food

Finally the big day has arrived! Taking a new puppy home is an exciting adventure for the entire family!  Here's a few tips to make the memories of the special day more pleasant: 

• Pack a couple of old bath towels or paper towels, just in case the puppy gets carsick on the way home. 
• Your puppy will ride most happily if cuddled the first part of the journey. However, it’s a good idea to have a crate along for if you get tired of holding him or if you do not have someone else along to drive. 
• Stop every 2 hours for a potty break. If the pup is sleeping at the 2-hour point, you can keep driving and stop when he does wake up. 
• The pup will not need to eat on the way home unless you need to drive more than 5 hours. Have a bottle of water and a water dish along to give your pup a drink.
• If you have another dog or cat at home, introducing your new puppy to your older dog requires a slow, supervised approach, starting with meetings on neutral ground. Use barriers like crates or gates to manage interactions, prevent the puppy from pestering the senior, and ensure both dogs have separate, quiet spaces for rest and feeding. Allow 3-7 days for the puppy and your other pets to accept eachother! 

1. Focus on getting acquainted with and bonding with your pup. Your presence gives the pup security. Your pup will most likely want to sleep near you the first night. 
2. Begin the housebreaking process immediately. But otherwise do not do too much training until your pup seems to have settled in and is past the stress of transition. 
3. Make sure your pup is eating and drinking to keep your pup from experiencing low blood sugar or dehydration. If your pup doesn’t want to eat, try some low salt, low fat cooked chicken and/or chicken broth soaked with your pup’s kibble. Peanut butter is also an irresistible treat. Another option is some high quality canned puppy food. 
4. Your pup should be fed around kibble 3 times a day. Analyze how much  your pup eats each time and adjust his portion accordingly as individual pups need different amounts of food. An additional bedtime or midnight snack may be a good idea the first week or two to keep its blood sugar stable overnight. 
5.  If your puppy cries a lot in the crate at night, consider alternatives. Turn on some calming music. Sleep on a couch nearby. Maybe your pup would appreciate having his crate inside an exercise pen so he does not feel so closed in. Give him some food, water, toys, and a blanket. He may enjoy having his own space but still hearing you go on with life in the next room. 
6. A tired puppy is a happy puppy, so play with your pup and then put it to bed! 
7. Make sure your pup is getting adequate rest. Pups need to sleep about 2 hours for every hour of playtime! 

• Scheduled Potty breaks. Your puppy has a small bladder and will need to go outside often! Puppies often need to have a potty break about every two hours, after naps, and after meals and/or drinking water. A consistent schedule is very important. 
• For nighttime, get your pup tired out and have him go potty before tucking him in for the night. Most pups need to go out once in the middle of the night and again as soon as you wake up in the morning. 
• Always take your puppy out to the same general location to go potty. The location should be clean and quiet. Some bushes or other foliage may give your pup a feeling of privacy. If your pup doesn’t go potty after being outside for a while, just stand still or walk in a small circle while holding your pup’s leash so your pup can hold still long enough to focus on what it needs to do! 
• Crate training is an excellent way to house-train a puppy. Your puppy's crate should be large enough for them to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. If you don’t use a crate, an exercise pen or doorway gate will be helpful to limit your pup’s access to the house by keeping the pup contained to a certain area of the house without carpet on the floor. Puppies want to keep their living area clean, limiting their space when they are not attended helps them to wait until they can get outside to go potty. 
• Pay close attention to your puppy's behaviour to identify signs they need to go to the bathroom, like whining, sniffing, or circling. 
• If your pup doesn’t pee when you take him outside and you think its time for him too pee, don’t let your pup run around in the house when you go back inside. Either hold your pup or have him in the crate for about 20 min. and then try again to see if your pup will pee outside. Letting them run around the house in this circumstance puts you at high risk for accidents. (this is more of a problem in the cold winter months) 
• Clean up accidents properly: Thoroughly clean any accidents inside with an enzymatic cleaner to remove the scent and discourage future accidents in the same spot. 
• Positive reinforcement: Immediately praise and reward your puppy with a treat when they go potty outside. 
• For pups who are difficult to housebreak, try the Umbilical Cord Housebreaking Method. It involves keeping your puppy on a leash attached to you at all times when inside the house. Choose a lightweight leash that's comfortable for your puppy to wear. Attach the leash to your puppy's collar or harness and always keep it on your wrist or belt loop when your puppy is inside the house. The ideal length of the leash for the umbilical cord housebreaking method is around 6 feet. This length is sufficient to allow your puppy some space to roam around but also keeps them within your reach and supervision. With an “umbilical cord”, your puppy is under constant supervision, and you’ll quickly recognize the signs that your puppy needs to go potty. This method works well when combined with other potty-training techniques to create a solid routine for your puppy. 
• If your puppy continues to have trouble with peeing in the house, consult your veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical conditions that could be impacting  your puppy's ability to potty train. 

Why do puppies bite? Puppies bite because that is how they discover and interact with the  world around them - it plays an important role in their socialization. They can’t pick things  up with their paws, so they try to do it with their mouths! It’s important to know that puppy  biting is extremely normal and expected.  

• Never encourage nipping by enticing a puppy to chase your hands or toes. If your puppy bites to start play or during play and will not be redirected to a toy, immediately get up and remove yourself from the puppy’s area. Go into another room or to the other side of a gate or barrier so the puppy can’t follow. Remain out of the area for about 30 seconds. When you return, get a toy and resume play. You may need to repeat this process. 
• Your puppy really wants to please you. A simple, firm "ouch" or “no” can let your puppy know their bite is not welcome. Most puppies are very intelligent about what the tone of your voice means. 
• Giving your puppy a "time out” in its crate gives your pup some time to “reset”.  Choose a calm, quiet area like a crate or a designated corner where your puppy can't see you and won't be actively engaged. Keep the timeout brief, usually only a few minutes, as puppies have short attention spans. 
• If your puppy continues to bite inspite of attempts to redirect them, they may be overly tired. Put them in their crate or designated area with a treat to encourage them to nap. Your puppy may cry or paw at the door when you do this. Ignore them until they settle down for at least 5 minutes. (Set a timer.) Often, you’ll find that when that 5 minutes is up, your puppy is resting quietly or has actually fallen asleep! This is because puppies frequently start nipping when they are overtired and not able to self-regulate. In the absence of the opportunity to get excited and bite you, they wind down and start to rest. Keep in mind that puppies sleep for 18-20 hours a day: that’s a lot of rest! If your pup has been awake longer than 60-90 minutes and is getting mouthy, it is almost assuredly time for a nap. 
• Try Puppy Socialization Classes. Attending puppy socialization classes is also a helpful (and crucial!) part of your puppy’s education. Here, puppies learn how to read other dogs’ body language, bite inhibition, and how to communicate with a wide variety of similarly aged pups.

Most dogs should be spayed between 6 and 9 months of age, though the ideal timing depends largely on the breed and size. Small breeds are often spayed around 6 months, while larger breeds should wait until 12 to 18 months to allow for proper bone growth and joint development. Spaying sooner