🐶Puppy Care Essentials: Training, Health, and Lifelong Wellness

Jun 10

Written By Andrew Marshall, DVM

1. Bringing Home Your Puppy: A Safe Start

Welcoming a puppy is joyful — and it also comes with responsibility. Exactly what kind of foundation do you want to build in those first weeks? A calm and patient routine helps puppies feel safe. Begin with:

Puppy-proofing: remove hazards like cords and toxic plants.
Supplies: collar, leash, food/water bowls, chew-safe toys, and a comfy bed.
Routine: consistent schedules promote security and help with potty training later.

IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOUR PUPPY IS NOT WALKED OUTSIDE UNTIL FULLY VACCINATED.

This is one of the hardest parts of owning a puppy, but the risk of Parvovirus and other potentially fatal diseases in our area is just too great. It is okay for them to be in your own backyard/patio, or a small area of grass where very few if any healthy dogs go. Always carry your pet when they’re in public spaces.

2. Basic Training: Setting Up for Success

👩‍🏫 Wonderful Trainers in Our Area:

DogSavvy Los Angeles – Positive-based training classes
Proud Paws Dog Training – House-call and small-group sessions
Bark Busters – In-home obedience and behavior solutions

🚽 Potty Training

Crate use (ideally only large enough for their bed, water and food bowl) makes potty routines predictable: take your puppy out first thing, after sleeping, and before bed.
Praise immediately and excitedly (the whole neighborhood should hear your praises!) when they go outside, and gently redirect/ignore indoor accidents.
Slow and steady wins: most puppies are reliably potty-trained in 4–6 months.

🐶 Bite Inhibition

Puppies naturally explore using their mouths — that's normal play. To teach gentle:

Say “ouch” or make a high-pitched “yip” if they nip, and withdraw attention briefly.
Provide chew toys alternatives and reward calm play. Kong toys are great if stuffed with peanut butter and then frozen to entice puppies for longer.
Supervise play with children.

🏠 Kennel Training

Can be very useful for preparing them to be left alone and for potty training. Ideally, it should only large enough for their bed, water and food bowl). Adjustable creates are wonderful as puppies grow.

3. Preventive Health: Vet Care Timeline

Puppies should have their first veterinary visit sometime between 6-8 weeks.
Puppy vaccine schedules are confusing to many, many people. Your puppy will need to be vaccinated with a total of 4, possibly 5 types of vaccines based upon their future lifestyle.
- DAPP: This vaccine covers Parvovirus, Distemper, Adenovirus (hepatitis), and Parainfluenza. This vaccine needs to be given every 2-4 weeks until your puppy is 16 weeks of age or older (meaning they may need 3 or even 4 of these depending upon when we start).
- Bordetella: This is an oral or sometimes intranasal vaccine that covers one of the pathogens involved in “Kennel Cough” or “Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex” that is given once every year.
- Rabies: This vaccine is legally required once your puppy is 16 weeks old, and lasts 1 year the first time it is given (or if it has been a long time), and then 3 years after that.
- Leptospirosis: This is a potentially-fatal kidney infection that your dog can get from infected urine from dogs, coyotes, rats, etc. This vaccine needs to be given once the first time, and then again 2-4 weeks later, at which point it will last 1 year.
- Influenza: This vaccine covers the upper repsiratory virus, and if you pet will be boarded, groomed, or at dog parks/living areas fairly social lifestyle, we strongly recommend this vaccine. This vaccine needs to be given once the first time, and then again 2-4 weeks later, at which point it will last 1 year.

In addition, it is strongly recommended that your puppy have:
- At least 2 fecal tests (puppies can have lots of parasites from their mothers)
- Be dewormed each visit
- Be placed on an effective flea/tick/heartworm and parasite preventative

4. Spay/Neuter Timing & Benefits

Spaying/neutering helps:

Prevent unwanted litters
Reduce risks of mammary, uterine, testicular cancers, and pyometra
Decrease unwanted behaviors like marking, possible aggression with other dogs, and roaming.

When to spay/neuter?

For most dogs, especially mixes, we recommend spaying/neutering at around 6 months of age. For certain pure-bred dogs there is research to suggest specific age recommendations: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full

5. Why In-Home Vet Care Makes a Difference

With Roam Vet, your puppy gets:

Relaxed exams in familiar surroundings
Personalized scheduling around your lifestyle
Integrated advice during training visits
Reduced stress for nervous or shy puppies, to make veterinary visits a fun and exciting experience going forward!

Sources

https://www.thesprucepets.com/how-to-care-for-puppies-1117475
https://vet.purdue.edu/hospital/small-animal/primary-care/tips/allergy-tips.php
https://www.petmd.com/dog/care/dog-vaccinations-for-every-lifestage
https://www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/when-should-you-neuter-or-spay-your-dog
https://www.aaha.org/resources/2022-aaha-canine-vaccination-guidelines/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full

Andrew Marshall, DVM

🐶Puppy Care Essentials: Training, Health, and Lifelong Wellness

1. Bringing Home Your Puppy: A Safe Start

Welcoming a puppy is joyful — and it also comes with responsibility. Exactly what kind of foundation do you want to build in those first weeks? A calm and patient routine helps puppies feel safe. Begin with:

Puppy-proofing: remove hazards like cords and toxic plants.

Supplies: collar, leash, food/water bowls, chew-safe toys, and a comfy bed.

Routine: consistent schedules promote security and help with potty training later.

IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOUR PUPPY IS NOT WALKED OUTSIDE UNTIL FULLY VACCINATED.

2. Basic Training: Setting Up for Success

👩‍🏫 Wonderful Trainers in Our Area:

🚽 Potty Training

Crate use (ideally only large enough for their bed, water and food bowl) makes potty routines predictable: take your puppy out first thing, after sleeping, and before bed.

Praise immediately and excitedly (the whole neighborhood should hear your praises!) when they go outside, and gently redirect/ignore indoor accidents.

Slow and steady wins: most puppies are reliably potty-trained in 4–6 months.

🐶 Bite Inhibition

Puppies naturally explore using their mouths — that's normal play. To teach gentle:

Say “ouch” or make a high-pitched “yip” if they nip, and withdraw attention briefly.

Provide chew toys alternatives and reward calm play. Kong toys are great if stuffed with peanut butter and then frozen to entice puppies for longer.

Supervise play with children.

🏠 Kennel Training

Can be very useful for preparing them to be left alone and for potty training. Ideally, it should only large enough for their bed, water and food bowl). Adjustable creates are wonderful as puppies grow.

3. Preventive Health: Vet Care Timeline

Puppies should have their first veterinary visit sometime between 6-8 weeks.

Puppy vaccine schedules are confusing to many, many people. Your puppy will need to be vaccinated with a total of 4, possibly 5 types of vaccines based upon their future lifestyle.

DAPP: This vaccine covers Parvovirus, Distemper, Adenovirus (hepatitis), and Parainfluenza. This vaccine needs to be given every 2-4 weeks until your puppy is 16 weeks of age or older (meaning they may need 3 or even 4 of these depending upon when we start).

Bordetella: This is an oral or sometimes intranasal vaccine that covers one of the pathogens involved in “Kennel Cough” or “Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex” that is given once every year.

Rabies: This vaccine is legally required once your puppy is 16 weeks old, and lasts 1 year the first time it is given (or if it has been a long time), and then 3 years after that.

Leptospirosis: This is a potentially-fatal kidney infection that your dog can get from infected urine from dogs, coyotes, rats, etc. This vaccine needs to be given once the first time, and then again 2-4 weeks later, at which point it will last 1 year.

In addition, it is strongly recommended that your puppy have:

At least 2 fecal tests (puppies can have lots of parasites from their mothers)

Be dewormed each visit

Be placed on an effective flea/tick/heartworm and parasite preventative

4. Spay/Neuter Timing & Benefits

Spaying/neutering helps:

Prevent unwanted litters

Reduce risks of mammary, uterine, testicular cancers, and pyometra

Decrease unwanted behaviors like marking, possible aggression with other dogs, and roaming.

When to spay/neuter?

For most dogs, especially mixes, we recommend spaying/neutering at around 6 months of age. For certain pure-bred dogs there is research to suggest specific age recommendations: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full

5. Why In-Home Vet Care Makes a Difference

With Roam Vet, your puppy gets:

Relaxed exams in familiar surroundings

Personalized scheduling around your lifestyle

Integrated advice during training visits

Reduced stress for nervous or shy puppies, to make veterinary visits a fun and exciting experience going forward!

Sources

💧 How to Give Your Pet Subcutaneous Fluids at Home

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With Roam Vet, your puppy gets: