PUPPY ESSENTIALS

The ONLY foods we recommend are clean, natural ones that will truly nourish your pet.
We do not recommend feeding Puppy or Large Breed pet foods!
Our food recommendations.

A high protein/fat/calorie food does not mean a bigger animal.

Rather it may cause your puppy to develop nutritionally caused bone diseases (HOD, OCD or Pano).

DO NOT FREE FEED
Instead allow your puppy a safe, non-stressful environment to eat in. After 10 minutes remove the food until the next meal.
Chesapeakes are normally very good eaters.
Indeed, a Chessie going off his food is nothing to be ignored, Monitoring their food is an excellent way of telling when they are not feeling well
Do not let your puppy get too heavy while growing, they are better off being a little on the lean side. Watch the amount of “treats” you give your puppy, the calories add up. Break them into several small pieces or try using carrots, apple, grapes etc. as treats. This will not disrupt the balance of the diet nor add too many calories to the diet.
A high protein/fat/calorie food does not mean a bigger animal. It may cause your puppy to develop nutritionally caused bone diseases (HOD, OCD or Pano).

The addition of a small amount of fish (cooked) will benefit your Chesapeake greatly. It is particularly advantageous during growth (i.e. puppy hood). Puppies also do well with a dollop of whole yogurt added to their daily diet.

NOTE: Never feed cooked bones - when feeding bones always offer them raw.

Be aware that until your puppy has received all of its inoculations, it should be carried whenever in a public place--including your vets office. Also know that vaccinations are NOT a guarantee that your pup will not contract illness. In order for a vaccine to have the proper response in the body (that of offering immunity to disease vaccinated against), the immune system of the vaccinated animal must be operating at full efficiency. Therefore, if at any time your dog does not seem to be in perfect health, DO NOT vaccinate. To do so would put undo stress on an already stressed immune system, and may make your dog more sick. A vaccine is not the proper way to treat a disease--it must be done as a preventative measure.

Purdue University is currently doing research on Vaccine Responses which seems to support the theory we may be over vaccinating our pets and causing them health problems.
Ask your vet to discuss the potential risks to your pets immune system. As the pet owner you will have the final decision.

My suggestion is to vaccinate with DHPP at 10 weeks 13 weeks and 16 weeks. Do not give Rabies shot before 6 months. In addition the Rabies vaccine should only be given on a separate day from the other vaccines.

PUPPY KINDERGARTEN A vital foundation for future training

Puppies at 8 - 10 weeks have
the same brain waves as adults,
but very short attention spans.

"Ridge and Otter"
Photo by
Kathy Olding

A Chesapeake's usefulness and enjoyment depends on obedience, to a very large degree.

This is true whether the dog is a gun dog, field trial dog, breed dog, obedience trial dog or family pet.

Training is communication, and will be most effective if begun as a way of everyday life through puppy kindergarten. It teaches your pup not only what pleases you and what doesn't, but even more importantly, it teaches him how to learn. This lays a vital foundation for future training. In addition, this fun class assists in socializing puppies, building confidence and helps with information on common puppy behaviors like biting, chewing, jumping, digging and barking.
This pre-training can and should begin as soon as 8-10 weeks of age.

Puppies at this age have the same brain waves as adults, but very short attention spans. What this means is that puppies have the capacity for learning - - lessons simply must be kept short and fun.

The capacity for a pup to learn is an important point to remember; if you don't teach your pup how you want it to behave, Pups will make up their own rules. And odds are, these will not please you. Many of these self-taught habits may be "cute" the first time you see them, but just wait until your pup is a bit older and quite a bit bigger! Start him off on the right foot with early training.

As mentioned above, you will want to keep your puppy out of public places until fully inoculated. However, this is a valuable 'window of opportunity' in your puppy's life and you only get one shot at it.

I do not find Chesapeakes do well in puppy play classes where the pups are given a play session each class. You will want to find a class structured to teach you and the pup to get the utmost enjoyment from each other.: Enjoy your Chessie + love your Chessie = train your Chessie

TOYS & CAUTIONS

There are many dog toys on the market - - some are good some are not.

For toys to be left with puppy to chew on and play with, choose very durable, larger ones that cannot be chewed into pieces and swallowed.

Examples of these are; Kong toys, sterilized bones, dental toys, Booda bones, Nylabone (Gumabone for some puppies) etc. Steer clear of the vinyl squeakies for free-choice toys. They will be destroyed in no time, and have the potential for lodging in the gut and causing blockage. This is a life-threatening situation that requires surgery.

Tennis balls are another example of a toy that should be carefully monitored; even with adult, keep an eye on them and remove as soon as they are ‘peeled’, think in terms of anything that could be swallowed, but too large to be passed through the intestinal tract. Other items known for causing such problems are corn cobs; NEVER allow your dog to eat these. Rawhide, if clean (processed without harmful chemicals), while usually safe, can be a problem for a robust Chesapeake that might chew off large hunks rather than small pieces.

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