The puppies are moving to their new homes 🏡 Part 4 of 4

An intense period is slowly but surely coming to an end, and it is only natural that both you and the mother think it will be nice to soon enjoy a little calm and quiet again - at the same time as it can feel a little sad. Hopefully you have a whole litter of energy bundles longing to discover the world, and have also found new wonderful homes for the puppies' next adventure in life. The new owners may have many questions and need a lot of guidance, and it's nice if everyone feels safe and well prepared.

In this part we will go through a checklist for a good start in the new home, what to think about when feeding the growing puppy and the mother's recovery after her litter.

Checklist for a calm and safe start in the new home

• Puppy package
  For a good start in their new life, you get a puppy package from us that you can send with the puppy to the new home. The puppy packages include the food that the puppy is used to eating, and some other goodies that can be good to have the first time.

• Send with something that feels like home
  Sending with a blanket or a small stuffed animal that the puppy had and that smells like the mother can provide a little extra security when the puppy has just moved away from home.

• Security-giving pheromones
  To give the puppy extra security in everything new it encounters, collars or sprays with reassuring pheromones can also be a tip to send with the new owners. Pheromones are a form of calming hormone that the mother communicates to her puppies, and they can facilitate training new activities where the puppy might feel a bit unsafe, such as car rides or the first vet visit.

• Attach a letter with the puppy's routines and documents
  Don't forget to send the documents the new owners need with them, such as information about vaccination, veterinary check-up and insurance, as well as a letter with what the puppy's feeding and routines looked like. The experience you have as a breeder is usually very appriciated to share with a new dog owner!

When to switch from puppy to adult food

The growing puppy has unique nutritional needs that differ from the adult dog. Higher levels of calcium and other minerals are needed for the healthy growth of bones and joints, and the specific omega-3 fatty acid DHA is a requirement for brain development. Higher fat and protein levels also meet the growing puppy's increased needs, without exaggerating as a balanced diet is also important for a growing dog. petgood's puppy food, which is based on nutritional recommendations from FEDIAF, contains all this and is recommended until the puppy has finished growing, which for most dog breeds occur around one year.

Remember to give the new puppy owners guidance and tips on the puppy's feeding. All puppies and breeds are unique and different, and during certain periods, such as when the puppy changes teeth, the appetite may decrease. Providing the right food and nutrition is something that new dog owners can feel insecure about, so it is good to have support from someone who is experienced.

You can find our feeding recommendation for puppies and growing dogs here.

The mother recovers and returns to adult food

When all the little hooligans have moved away from home, it's time again for the mother to get all the focus. In connection with the weaning of the puppies, the mother's amount of puppy food can begin to be gradually reduced. When they are completely weaned and moved to new homes, you can gradually switch back to adult food. If the mother has become thinner than optimal during pregnancy and lactation, it can be prefered to continue with puppy food until she has regained her shape and recovered.

Kennel Simastaff - four-legged powerpacks full of joy!

It is totally impossible not to smile when you meet a staffy! The energetic dogs are full of love for life and a humor that spreads to everyone they meet - and they are the happiest when they get to join in anything that happens, no matter what it is. Mattias and Simona have been running their little kennel Simastaff for just over a year now, after seven years with the staffordshire bull terrier breed. It is a powerful but easy-to-handle breed...

Read the full story about kennel Simastaff here.

This was the last part of our article series in 4 parts that follows the journey from mating to moving. We would love to hear from you - is there something you would like to know more about? A subject you want us to cover? Do you want to share an experience, tip or inspiration with us? Feel free to get in touch with us or comment below!

You are always welcome to send us an e-mail at: help@petgood.com