Congratulations on the purchase of your new Pom puppy!!! Pomeranians make loving companion great family pets. They are beautiful, intelligent, and easy to love and to please. Please read this care sheet completely before or when your puppy arrives. We offer ongoing support for puppies purchased from us. If you have questions about puppy feel free to call, text, or message us anytime day or night.
Becky (906)630-1463. Scott (906)450-3249
Some cautions and suggestions are as follows:
1) Be sure that your puppy has clean, fresh water and a food supply at all times during the day (you may remove food and water at night as long as you are sure your puppy ate his/her dinner). As he/she gets older, you may switch to scheduled feedings to aid in housebreaking. (See the important information on hypoglycemia below as well!)
2) Be sure to feed your puppy a premium dog food without artificial preservatives or colors. Note: Please do not choose grain-free kibble. Research has shown that grain-free kibble may lead to heart disease. We start our puppies on Nutri Source Puppy Chicken and Rice flavor in the purple bag. We recommend that you feed a premium toy breed dog food for the lifetime of your dog. Poms eat very little, so it’s not expensive to feed the best food. We recommend you have food and water available at all times. To avoid hypoglycemia, it’s very important that your puppy be allowed to nibble throughout the day we call this free feeding and recommend it with poms. If he/she stops eating at any time contact your vet. We recommend Bully Sticks Made in America for your new puppy to chew on they help clean their teeth and keep the tarter at bay.
3) Diarrhea is a common stress reaction that can be caused by vaccinations, changes in food and water, relocating to a new home, etc. You can treat the diarrhea with over the counter Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate, 1 cc per pound every 6 hours. Also sprinkle a probiotic supplement on food. If the diarrhea persists more than 24 hours contact your vet.If it ever contains blood, see your veterinarian immediately.
4) DO NOT feed your puppy table scraps. Small dogs like poms are especially sensitive. If fed table scraps, your puppy will be doomed to tooth problems, health problems and will likely become overweight. Spicy foods like can make a Pom puppy very ill. If you’d like to give a reward, a bit of liver, chicken, turkey, cheese, blueberries, carrots, seedless watermelon is O.K., but don’t overdo. A very good way to make good doggie treats is to put vanilla yogurt, (no artificial sweeteners)blueberries, banana, and peanut butter mix and freeze in ice trays give them on hot days..our Poms love them. Your dog’s teeth will be healthier with dry food. Again, give chew sticks often or round raw bones from the butcher cut at least 1inch thick they are great for teething puppies. Do not give milk. If you decide to switch food, introduce the new food gradually mixing it with the old food. Quick diet changes can cause diarrhea. Persistent diarrhea, a pot belly, or thinness can be a sign of worms. Take your puppy to the vet.
5) Your puppy may whine or cry at night at first. He has been separated from his mother & litter mates, and will be lonely. Unless the cries are sharp indicating pain or illness, do not pick up the puppy. If you do, he will continue to cry every night. Place the puppy in his playpen or crate, and then go out of the room. Yes it is hard to hear them cry but they have to learn that is their sleeping space. He will soon learn that nighttime is for sleeping, not crying. I also suggest giving your puppy a small stuffed toy and a soft blanket that we send home with you. We put it with the parents so it smells like home please dont wash it the first week if they have an accident on it just use a baby wipe to clean it off. It’s a comfort to smell home to them . These will comfort your puppy when you are away. Try and use the same words when putting them in the crate “like time to kennel” if you are leaving them or “ lets go night night” so they know its time to go in their space. At first put it in the living room with the door open and you can put a blanket and a bully stick in there for him to chew on. You can put a blanket over it at night so they relate dark to sleep. Just make sure there’s air flow through it. Be sure that the toy has no pieces that could be chewed off and choked on. Avoid yelling at your puppy. A sharp “no” is all that is needed when he does something wrong. Yelling at or hitting your puppy will give him a low self esteem, and he will not obtain his full potential.
6) Be sure to give your puppy plenty of attention and love. Poms adore their human family and need to receive petting and attention as reassurance every day. Avoid leaving him/her alone for extended periods of time. Make sure to allow him plenty of exercise. Check that there are no small objects around your home that can be choked on or electrical cords that can be chewed. Also make sure that any puppy pens or fencing have small enough bar spacing so that your puppy cannot get his head through and strangle himself. CAUTION: Poms are easily hit by cars. Walk your dog only on a lead. Do not allow him to play where there is traffic or where he can dart into the street. Poms tend to panic when they see an oncoming car, and usually do not move out of the way. Use good sense to avoid the tragedy of your pet being killed. Also, watch large dogs. Poms can be killed by large dogs. Be careful not to drop your puppy or allow small children to carry him around. Be sure to have small children supervised and sitting while holding the new puppy. . Poms sustain internal injuries easily. Teach your children from the moment you get home how to hold them properly ad what not to do with them. They are just like the puppy in training…I tell kids always two hands and always close to you.
7) Practice good grooming. A Pom is easy to groom and only needs brushing every few days. Before brushing, lightly mist the coat with a good quality grooming spray (my favorite Chris Christensen’s ce on Ice. It contains skin and coat conditioners as well as natural essential oils which smell wonderful while discouraging fleas and other pests. Use a soft slicker brush and grooming comb to work through the hair in sections, carefully removing all mats. Brush in sections, against the grain (from tail to head) so that the coat will not lay flat. To avoid mats, brush all the way to the skin carefully removing all loose undercoat. If you are using a slicker brush, be gentle so as not to scratch the skin with the bristles. Clip nails once a month. Clip carefully to avoid cutting the quick. Once a month or so, bathe with a good quality shampoo such as Chris Christensen’s White on White Shampoo to help with skin irritation, flaky skin,Brush your Pom thoroughly BEFORE bathing. If your dog is blowing undercoat, and you do not brush it out before bathing, the water and shampoo will cause your dog to mat severely. In cool weather, dry your dog completely so he will not chill. After bathing, carefully clip the hair between the toe pads for sanitary reasons and tidiness. Clip up to the first joint of the leg and around the edges of the feet so that they look like tidy “cat’s feet.” Clip the unruly hair from the top of the ears by protecting the ear leather with two fingers and cutting straight across the top of the ear with the other hand. Use caution until you are experienced with this or you may cut the ear leather. Also for sanitary reasons, clip a small circle around the anus regularly. Check the anus regularly for fecal matter that may have become hardened. A blocked bowel will cause infection and death within a couple of days. At approximately 12 weeks of age, most Poms begin a stage affectionately called “puppy uglies.” As the baby coat begins to transition over to adult coat, your puppy will look rather scruffy and gangly. Depending on the puppy, he will begin to coat up and his features soften again at 6-9 months. During this stage it is important to keep your puppy well groomed, particularly exercising care to brush out all loose undercoat to avoid matting.
8) Be sure to keep your puppy’s vaccinations current. Common dog illnesses are generally easy to prevent, but very hard to cure. Your puppy will have been wormed and given his first puppy shots. While serious reactions to vaccines are rare, toy dogs are more prone to a reaction than larger breed dogs. As We choose a 5 way combo instead of a 7 way combo. WE DO NOT USE OR RECOMMEND LEPTO it is known to kill more poms than helps. You should also have a stool sample checked periodically for worms. If your puppy is listless or refuses food for more than 24 hours, take him/her to a veterinarian immediately. If your puppy has a sharp, persistent whine indicating pain, experiences a drastic weight loss, exhibits signs of dehydration, has diarrhea for more than 48 hours, or is injured, please consult your veterinarian. (Please see special page on hypoglycemia and intestinal infections). we use Simpatico Trio for fleas, ticks, and heart worm. We give it every 45 days.
9) House training: Poms are smart and easy to house train if you are strict and persistent in your method. Do not allow your puppy to wander the house unless someone is watching him every second. When he cannot be watched, place him in his playpen or crate (you can also use a laundry room, bathroom, etc with hard plastic puppy pad cover with puppy pads in it) this is what they were trained with. No, this is not cruel. Dogs do not resent being confined for the night and for limited times during the day. In time, your puppy will actually enjoy his playpen or crate as his den. If you are training to outdoor potty, take him outside first thing in the morning, after meals, and after naps. Praise him when he eliminates correctly. If you see him squatting or hunching his back to eliminate in the house, tell him loudly and sharply, “NO!” Take him outside (or to his puppy pad) and praise him when he eliminates correctly. If he does manage to eliminate in the house, clean the spot with an enzyme cleaner or he will be attracted to it again. Note that we DO NOT recommend a litter pan for puppies because they can swallow it resulting in intestinal impaction.
An especially effective and inexpensive way to house train is to use 2 x 24″ Iris puppy pens joined together with one of the door panels in the middle (see photos below). The actual door itself is left out of the door panel and secured in the middle with zip ties or twist ties. One side of the pen should have the hard puppy pad cover with puppy pads in it.(they can’t chew up the puppy pads in the cover). The other side of the pen should have your food & water dishes, bed, blanket, toys, chew sticks, etc. Dogs have a natural instinct to keep their eating, play and sleeping area clean, so most will quickly learn to step through the door onto the pads when they have to go. The “Iris puppy pen method” can be used for indoor training, nighttime, when you have to be away from the house, when the puppy cannot be watched, when he goes to a puppy sitter, etc. Once your puppy reliably uses the pads, you can gradually add additional panels to make the play side larger. Note that some puppies love to shred puppy pads. In this case, use washable cloth puppy pads or towels. Most toy dogs are able to use 24″ panels for life, however if you end up with an escape artist, you can upgrade to 34″ panels adding a door to the outside. Scroll down for additional house training information.
(10) Above all, ENJOY YOUR PUPPY! He wants to please you and will learn quickly how to do so if you give him the chance. If you plan to show your puppy, start his training early. Give him plenty of attention so that he will have a good self esteem. Good luck!
(11) Rewarding good behavior…We recommend Bill Jack Training treats we cut them up and mix them with puppy food. We recommend to use them together and sometimes just praise and a good puppy!! Don’t over reward with food remember Poms shouldn’t be over fed or overweight…just over loved!!
Hypoglycemia (MUST READ)
Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is a potential problem with all toy breed puppies. Because the symptoms of hypoglycemia mimic other diseases and conditions, veterinarians who don’t have a lot of experience with toy breeds may misdiagnose it as a neurological problem, encephalitis, hepatitis, etc. As a toy breeder or pet owner, it is important to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and know how to treat it. Hypoglycemia is easily treatable in the early stages, but fatal if allowed to progress. Far too many toy puppies are lost needlessly to hypoglycemia because of ignorance on the part of their owner or veterinarian.
The first sign of hypoglycemia is the puppy slowing down, and then acting listless or wobbly. The puppy will then begin to tremble or shiver. This is a reaction caused as the brain is starved for glucose. The trembling is followed by a blank stare and the puppy lying on his side. He may also experience convulsions. If untreated, the puppy will become comatose. His body will be limp, lifeless, and the tongue and gums will be a grayish/blue color. The body temperature will be subnormal. The puppy may even appear to be dead.
If caught in the early stages, treatment is simple. Rub Nutri-Cal, Nutri-Stat, Dyne or Karo Syrup on the puppy’s gums, under the tongue, and on the roof of the mouth. Use a heating pad or heating blanket and slowly warm the puppy to proper body temperature. If the puppy responds, all is well. Feed a premium canned food right away and then monitor the puppy to be sure that the condition does not recur. Be sure to eliminate the stress that caused the episode if at all possible.
If caught in the advanced stages, treatment is more complicated. Always assume that the puppy is alive. Rub Nutri-Cal, Nutri-Stat, Dyne or Karo Syrup in the mouth, and very carefully insert a small amount into the rectum with a dropper or blunt syringe. Slowly warm the puppy to normal body temperature (101-102 degrees F) and keep him warm continuously with light heat or wrap him in blankets. If the puppy still does not respond, carefully eye dropper dextrose solution, Karo water, diluted Nutri-Cal or Dyne into the mouth, a little at a time. Call your veterinarian and inform him that you have a hypoglycemic puppy. He will prepare a warmed dextrose solution to inject subcutaneously and may put your puppy on an IV drip. Request a fecal exam. Your puppy may have intestinal parasites such as worms, coccidia, or giardia that need to be eliminated immediately. A bacterial infection may also be present and antibiotic treatment necessary. If your puppy has been given glucose injections, it is a good idea to treat him with antibiotics so that infection does not occur. Your vet will likely recommend a prescription canned food such as a/d to give as your puppy recovers. You can finger feed the a/d ‘as is’ from the can and add Pedialyte to the drinking water. You must also keep the puppy warm at all times. Of course use prudence, and do not overheat or dehydration will occur. In severe cases you may need to force feed a/d for a time and give Pedialyte with a dropper. As your puppy improves, he will begin to eat in his own and then you can gradually phase back in his regular food.
Hypoglycemic incidents are almost always preceded by a stress of some kind. Some examples of common stresses include: weaning, teething, vaccinations, a change in environment, shipping, over-handling, cold temperatures, intestinal parasites, infections, anorexia, finding and eating inappropriate or rotten food from the ground or garbage, playing too hard and then forgetting to eat, etc. Tiny dogs do not have the fat reserves to supply adequate glucose in times of stress or when they do not eat regularly. Hypoglycemia most often occurs when the puppy has not eaten for several hours. This is not always the case, however. A puppy can have eaten recently and still show signs of hypoglycemia if his system is stressed and the food has not been digested and assimilated. It is important to “free feed” toy puppies a high quality food. Toy puppies simply have too high of an energy level to be restricted to scheduled feedings. Most do fine if switched to scheduled feedings when they reach adulthood, but they must have access to food and water at all times when they are puppies. If you like to give your puppy canned food, you can schedule the feeding of the canned, but allow access to kibble at all times.
A summary of important reminders is as follows:
1) Always keep a tube of a high energy supplement such as Nutri-Cal, Nutri-Stat, Dyne or Karo Syrup on hand. This is the quickest way to revive a hypoglycemic puppy. We include a bottle of Nutri-Cal, Nutri-Stat, Dyne or Karo with all young puppies we ship (if using puppy nanny service, you will need to buy your own tube in advance as Nutri-Cal cannot be carried onto the airplane). As a preventive measure, please give a dab or dropperful to your puppy upon arrival and then keep it on hand for emergencies!
2) If you ever see your puppy becoming listless, wobbly, or laying on his side acting unresponsive IMMEDIATELY rub Nutri-Cal, Nutri-Stat, Dyne or Karo Syrup on his gums, under his tongue, and on the roof of the mouth. Slowly warm him to normal body temperature with a heating pad. Feed him as soon as he responds. Call your veterinarian if the puppy does not quickly respond.
3) Keep your puppy from chilling, free of parasites, and minimize stress.
4) See that your puppy eats often and maintains a proper body weight. For young puppies, it’s a good idea to give a serving of premium canned food with dinner (you can mix some yogurt(no artificial sweeteners) in if you would like). If your puppy is not yet eating his kibble well, or has experienced a hypoglycemic incident, you’ll need to give additional servings of canned food throughout the day.
5) Do not over-handle your puppy. Be sure to allow him rest time and alone time. Like all babies, puppies need to have a regular schedule of rest, meals, play and potty.
Potty Training
1) If you are having trouble house training, have a physical exam, fecal, and urine sample checked by your veterinarian. Parasites, urinary tract infections, and other health problems are a leading cause of house training problems.
2) Feed only premium food. Avoid sudden changes in your Pom’s diet.
3) Until he is reliably house trained, never allow your Pom to wander the house unattended. Use a crate or play pen when you cannot personally supervise your dog. Immediately take him for potty when you let him out of his crate or playpen. No, this is not cruel unless overused. Your Pom will come to think of his playpen or crate as his den and will appreciate having a place of his own.
4) Schedule feedings to 2 or 3 times per day. Remove any leftovers after 30 minutes. (Because toy puppies are prone to hypoglycemia, scheduled feeding are not advisable until your puppy is at least 8-10 months old.)
5) Take your puppy outside for potty often – especially first thing in the morning, after meals, and after naps. (For apartments and cold weather, puppy pads can also be used. Note that we DO NOT recommend a litter pan for puppies because they can swallow it resulting in intestinal impaction.)
6) Decide on a verbal cue such as “potty” to use each time you take your dog outside. Say his name first and then “POTTY.” Reward him with lavish praise, a small treat, petting, etc. as soon as he “goes.”
7) If your dog has an accident inside, tell him firmly “NO” and then take him outside or to his puppy pad. Yelling at or hitting your dog is counter productive and not advised! Clean the accident area with an enzyme cleanser so he will not be attracted to it again.
8) If your dog is a pet, have him neutered (or her spayed). A neutered pet is much easier to house train. Male puppies neutered by 6 months of age generally do not lift their legs at all. (Older males often continue to leg lift even after they are neutered.)
9) If you cannot take your dog outside, you can train to puppy pads or newspaper. Litter box training is not recommended as the litter can be dangerous if ingested. For those who prefer to train to pads, joining 2 x 24″ Iris puppy pens together creates and inexpensive and effective system. Put food, water, toys and bed in one side and puppy pads in the other side. Even if you plan to train your puppy to go outside for potty, this system is still handy to use at night or when you need to be away from the house.