Strauss-Solace New Puppy Owner Information

Jul 9

10 min read

Updated: 3 hours ago

Congratulations on your new puppy from Strauss-Solace Shiloh Shepherds.

Checklist Summary

Fill out/sign the Sales Contract and return it to us through email as an attachment. Please do not use a PDF filler.
Make Vet appointment for puppy check-up within 24 to 72 hours of receiving him/her.
Make Vet appointment for booster vaccinations at 9, 12 AND 16 weeks of age. Until the full vaccine series is complete, be diligent about where your puppy goes and what they are exposed to, as Parvovirus can persist in the environment. (Your puppy received their first vaccination at 6 weeks of age.)
Make Vet appointment for puppy Rabies vaccination - at 4 to 6 months of age.
Be patient, as your puppy registration forms will come to you after the litter registration is processed; it may take up to 3 months.
Register your puppy's microchip.

Contracts

Please make sure you have returned your filled-out and signed contract to us through email. We will return a copy to you once we fill in our sections and sign it. We need this form back from you to register the litter.

What You Will Receive With Your Puppy

A Canine Health Record containing your puppy's Vet health check, which occurs just prior to your puppy coming home to you.

The microchip number for your puppy and registration information.

When your puppy was dewormed and the type of dewormers used, and when and what your puppy was vaccinated for.

A baggie with approximately 3 cups of the kibble your pup was raised on - Blue Buffalo Baby BLUE Large Breed Puppy Chicken and Brown Rice kibble - keep your pup on this for the first two months prior to any transition to different kibble.

Dewormings/Vaccinations and Scheduling With Your Vet

Your puppy was dewormed on 4 occasions while in our care with Pyrantel Pamoate or Fenbendazole (Safeguard, also known as Panacur) and was given Toltrazuril as a preventative for Coccidia. The last deworming was done just prior to the Litter Evaluation.

Make an appointment to take your puppy to your Vet between 24 and 72 hours after receiving him or her for a Vet check and to run a full fecal, including Giardia, to establish a healthy baseline. Keep in mind that sometimes stress in young pups can bring on Giardia or Coccidia, which can be present at low levels in the gut and become evident during times of stress. The result is diarrhea, which can dehydrate young dogs and should never be ignored. If your pup has diarrhea, call your Veterinarian immediately.

Your puppy received their first vaccination at 6 weeks of age. This was a 5-way combination vaccine, providing protection against Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Types 1 & 2, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus.

Please schedule your puppy’s booster vaccinations with your veterinarian for approximately 9, 12 AND 16 weeks of age. Your veterinarian may adjust this schedule based on your puppy’s individual needs and local disease risk. Your puppy will also need to receive his or her Rabies vaccine, which should occur between 4 and 6 months of age.

IMPORTANT: Protection Depends on Completing the Full Vaccine Series — 6 • 9 • 12 • 16 Weeks

Puppies receive temporary protection from their mother, but those maternal antibodies wear off at a different time for every puppy. As those antibodies decline, they may become too low to fully protect the puppy from Parvo while still being high enough to interfere with a vaccine.

Because we cannot know exactly when each puppy’s maternal antibodies will stop interfering with vaccination, puppies receive vaccines at several ages. Until the series is complete, assume your puppy may still be vulnerable to Parvovirus.

Until your puppy has completed the puppy vaccination series and your veterinarian considers them adequately protected:

DO NOT allow your puppy to walk in high-risk public areas or interact with dogs whose health and vaccination history are unknown.

Avoid dog parks, pet-store floors, veterinary clinic floors, public dog-relief areas, heavily traveled public grassy areas, hiking trails and other areas heavily used by dogs or wildlife.

When visiting your veterinarian, carry your puppy or keep them in a clean carrier rather than allowing them to walk on the clinic floor.

Parvovirus can survive in the environment for long periods and can be carried on contaminated shoes, hands, clothing, grass, soil and other surfaces. Please remain diligent until your puppy has completed the entire vaccination series.

Safe Socialization Is Still Important

DO BEGIN socializing your puppy in a controlled environment, or where other puppies have had at least their first vaccination, in a well-managed puppy class.

Also, keep in mind that puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming. They should be kept up-to-date on vaccines throughout the class.

Parvo prevention does not mean completely isolating your puppy. Your puppy may socialize in controlled environments with healthy, fully vaccinated dogs that you know. Safe socialization can also include different people, car rides, grooming and handling, and new sights, sounds and experiences while your puppy is being carried.

At your puppy's one-year wellness visit, ask your Veterinarian to review which boosters are due based on the exact vaccines your puppy received, the vaccine products being used, local law, and your dog's individual exposure risk. Rabies boosters may be required at one- or three-year intervals depending on the vaccine and local law. Distemper/adenovirus/parvovirus boosters are often given less frequently after the puppy series and one-year booster, while vaccines such as leptospirosis and Bordetella may be recommended more often depending on lifestyle and risk. Rely on your Veterinarian for the schedule that is appropriate for your dog and your area.

Housebreaking

For housebreaking, take your puppy outside after every meal, after sleeping, after playing, after any activity, and after being in the crate. When your puppy goes potty outside, celebrate it - say "Good go-make" or "Good potty," praise enthusiastically, and make outside elimination very rewarding.

If your puppy has an accident inside, do not scold the puppy or the accident. If you catch the puppy in the act, calmly interrupt and take him or her outside, then praise if the puppy finishes there. If you find the accident afterward, simply clean it thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner and increase supervision and potty trips. You can also use a bell on the exit door as a consistent signal; ring it each time you take the puppy out, and many puppies learn to ring it when they need to go outside.

When young, never let the pup out of your sight in the house as the pup will find a location to relieve itself.

Crate Training

We recommend crate training your pup as you never know when you will need to have your pup in a crate. Be it when you are traveling to someone's home, if your Shiloh ever has to recuperate after a procedure, or needs to be on bed rest and limit activity for whatever reason. Make the crate a pleasant place to be in, never use it for time outs, it should be a safe haven for the pup to relax in and decompress in. We have our pups sleep in their crates when they are not consistently housebroken.

Most puppies naturally try to avoid soiling the area where they sleep, but young puppies can still have crate accidents - especially if they are asked to hold it too long, have diarrhea or another stomach upset, are stressed, or have more crate space than they need. Listen for your puppy to tell you when he or she needs to go out during the night. Make the crate a pleasant place with a favorite toy, meals, or treats, and keep it near the family so the puppy does not feel isolated. Please contact us with any questions.

We also like to move the pup's crate into our bedroom at night, so that we can hear them complaining that they need to go potty. It also helps the pup feel like they are part of your family. They were used to being with all their other litter mates and need to establish a new security within your family.

Socialization and Training/Teaching

Get your pup out and about as soon as possible. Socialization is critical from 8 weeks to about 20 weeks of age, to ensure a well adjusted adult Shiloh. We recommend carrying your puppy, or placing in a shopping cart in stores, until their final booster vaccine at 16 weeks of age, so they are not exposed to any transmittable disease from other dogs. Whatever you want your pup to be comfortable with as an adult, get him familiar as a pup.

When your pup is frightened or unsure, be a calm, confident coach. You do not need to ignore fear or withhold comfort. Fear is an emotional response, and quietly reassuring your puppy does not simply "reward" fear the way you reward a trained behavior. What matters is that you do not add alarm or force the puppy toward something frightening. Create enough distance for the puppy to think, let him or her investigate at a comfortable pace, and pair the experience with food, play, praise, or another positive experience. If there is genuine danger, protect your puppy. For harmless new objects, we often stay relaxed, laugh, investigate the object ourselves, and show the puppy there is nothing to worry about.

Your pup should learn that you are a dependable source of safety and guidance. If another dog comes charging toward your puppy, protect your puppy and create distance. Place yourself between the dogs when it is safe to do so, use a firm verbal cue, move behind a car, gate, fence, or other barrier if one is available, and avoid unnecessary physical confrontation. The goal is for your puppy to learn that you will handle difficult situations so he or she does not have to.

Reward with exuberance when your pup does something you ask him or her to do. Shilohs very much want you to be pleased with them. So, the more they can please you, the more they will work for you. And, when you correct, be firm in voice and don't allow any negative emotion or frustration to come out. Once the pup is corrected, move on and give him or her something positive to do and then reward that. Your pup will learn the difference between that which pleases you and that which displeases you.

If your pup is mouthing you or putting teeth on your skin, calmly interrupt with a consistent cue such as "No mouth," then immediately redirect the puppy to an appropriate chew toy. If the puppy continues, briefly end the interaction or withdraw your attention, then resume when the puppy is calmer. This teaches bite inhibition and that gentle mouths keep play going while hard mouthing makes the fun stop. A brief yelp or "Oww" works for some puppies, but it can excite others, so use the response that helps your puppy settle rather than one that increases arousal. There is no need to intentionally cause pain or discomfort to teach this lesson.

Teach your pup to walk on a loose leash as a puppy; it is much easier to build the skill now than after your dog is a large teenager or adult. Make it exciting and rewarding to walk next to you. If your puppy charges ahead and tightens the leash, stop, change direction, or cheerfully call the puppy back to you, then reward the return to a loose leash. Pulling does not mean the dog is trying to take over or refuse your leadership - it usually means the puppy is excited, has learned that pulling gets him or her somewhere, or has not yet generalized loose-leash walking to that level of distraction. Teach the skill clearly and practice it in gradually more difficult environments.

Teaching a pup to walk on a loose lead should only be in short increments and end on a positive note. A puppy's attention span is short.

Registration of Your Puppy

We will register your puppy's litter in the next 60 days. Once that process is complete, we will send you instructions on how to complete the registration process.

Transitioning to New Food

While in our care, your puppy was on Blue Buffalo Baby BLUE Large Breed Puppy Chicken and Brown Rice kibble. If your pup was shipped, we have included approximately 3 cups with the puppy's travel supplies. We always recommend that you feed Large Breed Puppy kibble for the growing pups as it has the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio, which allows the bones to grow slower and the joints to develop better.

When your puppy is 2 years old, we recommend switching to an adult food, such as ProPlan Sport Performance or the Royal Canin GSD formula. If your Shiloh has a sensitive tummy, then ProPlan Skin and Sensitive Stomach Formula is a good food for them. There are many good brands of kibble out there, do your research, and we are always happy to give our opinion.

Keep your puppy on the kibble he/she was raised on for about a month or two, as there are so many changes in their life, that you want the food to stay consistent for a while. If you want to transition him or her to a different food, here is how we recommend you do so:

3/4 cup our Large Breed Puppy kibble to 1/4 cup your food for 3 feedings for 2 days
1/2 cup our Large Breed Puppy kibble to 1/2 cup your food for 3 feedings for 2 days
1/4 cup our Large Breed Puppy kibble to 3/4 cup your food for 3 feedings for 2 days
In less than a week, your pup will be transitioned to your new food.

Two other good Shiloh puppy kibbles are Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy kibble and Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy kibble.

Amount of Kibble to Feed

When your puppy was in our care, he/she was receiving approximately 3 cups of food; one cup per meal, three times a day. This amount will increase as the puppy grows.

Too much food can cause loose stools, so back off if the stools seem loose because of overfeeding. The goal is to have your pup grow slowly and evenly. Adjust the amount based on what is healthiest for your pup, a leaner pup is better than a fatter pup.

The amount your puppy will eat will increase each month, pay attention to the feeding instructions on the back of the bag of kibble.

Photos If you would like to share photos or anything about your puppy, please let us know as we have a page on our website devoted to Strauss and Solace puppies!

https://www.shilohshepherd.co/previous-litter-puppy-accolades

We also have a Facebook group for Shiloh Puppies that you should join: Shiloh Shepherd Pups | Facebook

Visit Strauss Haus Shepherds | Facebook