General Tips: Your new puppy will miss its mom and litter mates and may whine the first few nights. Soft music playing is comforting, and also a ticking clock, television, or radio playing softly may also help, or a puppy heating disc (Snuggle Safe). He should be adjusting within his first week – a good 5-7 days.
Your puppy has been sleeping and nursing with mom up thru approx 6 weeks. We begin weaning at 6 wks and some puppies are slower or faster than others. We don’t force it. Puppies are with us and their moms for 9-12 weeks, or longer.
Puppies are born in our bedroom; later as they grow and become curious & mobile, they play in our family room, kitchen and on the deck outside. They’re raised with our other Cavaliers.
They sleep in a large crate and/or an exercise pen set up with soft beds (WallyBed is a good one). Cavaliers love luxury and love a clean bed just like we do. They will steal your own pillow before you can get to it. They love sleeping in bed with you, but don’t allow them to jump up or down from high places while they’re small puppies.
Food: Your puppy is being fed Diamond Naturals Small & Medium Breed Puppy food. They also do well on Purina Small Breed Puppy and Fromm puppy food in the pink bag with grains. Feed 3x day, aprox ¼ cup each time, or more if they want it. If they are not eating well, I add canned food to their dry food. I use Dave’s canned foods from Chewy.com. Or any real meat will perk up an appetite. High quality foods will yield better health & a better coat. They also enjoy Goat’s Milk & evaporated milk, diluted. If puppy is not eating or feeling well, you may try Nutri-Cal which is a high calorie dietary supplement. PetCo or Tractor Supply carries this in a tube.
Please Do Not use no-grain foods as they can have adverse effects on canine heart health.
You can always check the Dog Food Advisor online to get dog food reviews. Their 4-5 star rated foods are the best.
I use Ziwi Peak food as treats as that is air dried lamb or fish which they love. I also use Stella & Chewys freeze dried foods as treats, all available at Chewy.com. Oma’s Pride online is another great source for raw food blends, duck or chicken necks to chew on & freeze dried goodies. If you experience a dry coat, a bit of salmon or sardine oil added to food produces a nice soft supple coat.
If you make a change in diet, do it very gradually. Just add the new food gradually to the prior food you’re using. You can pretty well gauge your pups overall health by its stool. Over-feeding or stress can cause diarrhea. Your pup should have a firm stool. A soft or watery stool is a signal that you may want to cut back on food and talk to your vet – a stool with blood or mucous means a trip to the vet. It’s normal to see a small stool change when the puppy leaves home. I wouldn’t be alarmed over this.
If you experience diarrhea, feed some canned sweet potato or pumpkin. If you need to give a bland diet for several days, Chicken & Rice is a great go-to.
Steer clear of any food products, treats, or additives coming from China. All our recent recalls have been scary. Tainted pet food can fatally harm our dogs quickly.
Keep clean water available at all times. Offer a dish of water after feeding, and leave a bowl of fresh water out at all times. Stainless steel or ceramic containers are better than plastic ones.
Teeth: As the puppy grows the best way to maintain dental health is by brushing his teeth with an enzyme doggie toothpaste. You can also add a product called C.E.T AquaDent by Virbac Animal Health to his water bowl to help clean his teeth. Keeping teeth clean will help prevent bacteria getting in thru the gum line and possibly causing disease.
By age 2 they normally need a professional teeth cleaning at your veterinarian. Your puppy will be losing his baby teeth and the adult teeth will be coming in, so he will need something to chew on. We highly recommend the dried duck feet chews from k-9kraving.com in Virginia. They also like bully sticks, but don’t give the cow hooves for fear they’ll break a tooth on those.
Medical Records: You will be given the medical record of your pup’s vaccinations and worm prevention. Take this record to the vet at the first vet checkup. He will tell you when the next vaccination is due. These shots are very important so please do not neglect this. Until the full series is given (16-18 weeks) please keep your puppy away from public places and away from other dogs that may not be protected. Ask your vet about heartworm, flea and tick prevention. If you do all this, you are off to a good start!
I use Advantage Multi or Revolution for heartworm, fleas/ticks, intestinal worms, and earmites. It’s a spot on application once a month.
Potty Training: Consistency is the key to potty training your puppy. Simply take the puppy outside to a chosen spot, using the same spot every time, and they learn very quickly what to do. He may need to go outside as much as 5 times a day at first. Or you may choose to use litter boxes for puppies. This is one alternative until your puppy is ready to go outside.
You will want to purchase from PetCo or any good pet store a medium or large size litter pan with a bag of litter (for puppies, not cats). One system is called “Second Nature”. The litter is made of hard paper pellets, very absorbent and deodorized. If you want your puppy to be trained to “go” outside, this is merely a stepping stone to that area.
Another dog litter system preferred by some is “Puppy-Go-Potty”. Remove solid waste as soon as possible, change or replace litter as needed. This is an amazing product and you will be pleased to continue using it indefinitely if you choose. If you wish to train your pup to go outdoors, I recommend gradually moving the litter pan towards the door you want to use as an exit. Perhaps take some of the used litter with you to the desired area of the yard first. You get the idea!
If you are training your puppy to a crate, you can still use the litter box. When your puppy is old enough to have control for several hours, place his crate in a confined area with the door opened but near the litter box. The utility room or bathroom with spring gate at the door is a good idea. At this age, do not allow your puppy full access to your home unsupervised. Once he/she has made its “mark”, it’s hard to erase. When you notice your puppy sniffing or anxiously making circles (an indication he is about to go) you can quickly and gently guide him either to the litter box or outside.
Another potty alternative is using a doggie door or flap door. We have installed several of these that lead to an outside fenced area. Cavaliers love to go explore outdoors. Just be sure there is fencing in place to protect them.
NEVER punish your puppy by pushing or forcing him into his crate or confined area. And please, NEVER punish your dog by spanking, yelling, or rubbing his nose in his mistakes. Puppies do not think as we do and this only makes the problem worse, confuses the puppy, and hurts his feelings. Remember, it’s a baby!
Housetraining a puppy is a lot of work, but is worth the effort. Consistency is the key!
Pooch Pads: Here’s the link for the boy wrap/diapers to prevent pee accidents. Pooch Pad Diaper Wraps for Boys: http://store.poochpad.com/pomadiwr.html I like these that wrap w the velcro vs the ones that have tabs & look more like diapers.
Seems they can’t tear this style off so fast, like the ones with tabs. So this link takes you directly to the ones I use.
Pooch Pads brand really really works & holds lots of urine, overnite. Easy to wash too !
Fencing: Just a bit about fencing – we use 5 foot fencing to prevent any mishaps as Cavaliers are small sporting dogs, or a sporting dog in a toy dog body. They still love to hunt & chase everything they see or hear. They seem like they will never leave your side, but at around 4 months they get adventurous. As we don’t like to hear about accidents, and try to give information to help prevent them – please keep your Cavalier on leash or in a safe fenced area at all times.
I have had to chase mine down our street more than once ! And one time my first one got in the car with a total stranger. I happened to find him as I was walking around with lead in hand, looking for my precious boy. So they will indeed go after a butterfly, squirrel, bird, or other people and other dogs. If you live near neighbors who have dogs in the yard regularly, you may want to beware your Cavalier will want to go visit the neighbors and see what’s going on next door. Streets and roads are very dangerous for Cavaliers and they are just never afraid of them. Most large breed dogs seem to learn to stay away from the road, but Cavaliers never learn that.
Also for our own fencing, we use cement around the bottom approx 4 inches in the ground just to make sure they cannot dig out. They do dig ! And some do jump up and touch the 5 foot point on our fence. They are very athletic. So just a few things to be alerted to.
Basic Needs: Crate & bed for sleeping, food & treats, toy chews, harness or collar & leash. We use the wire crates and not the plastic airline type crates. Wire crates provide better ventilation, and if it’s chilly or cold, you can cover them with a towel or blanket for extra warmth.
Bathing: Once a week is plenty of bathing to keep a Cavalier in good condition. I like the Zymox enzyme shampoo & conditioner available on Amazon. As the coat grows and they mature, you may want to use a more professional product. We like Plush Puppy shampoo & conditioner. You may need a whitener shampoo from time to time. I blow dry our Cavaliers with a regular dryer, and sometimes just let them air dry if it’s hot weather. There are drying coats for dogs which are used by show people to get the hair to lay down smoothly. The dog is washed, then toweled off, then the coat is put on for them to dry in, thus leaving hair in place without curls and snarls. Also keep in mind, you cannot rinse enough during bath time.
Cavaliers are wash & wear dogs and don’t need professional grooming. But that is your choice. They never need trimming like a Poodle or other breed may. You may want to trim the bottom of foot pads to keep the area clean and prevent slipping on floors. It is totally proper for a Cavalier to look natural. They have a moderate coat and don’t mature until 2-4 yrs old. You may want to only wash every few wks, or as needed, as they mature.
Also a product called The Stuff is very good for their coats. It makes coats shiny & more manageable.
Another favorite is Isle of Dog grooming products. They have an extensive line of shampoos, conditioners, etc.
Ears: You do need to keep ears clean. Their ear flaps can trap moisture and cause yeast infections.
We use a gentian violet ear cleaner called K9 Ear Solutions from www.LiquidHealthPets.com
There is also a homemade version of this, but it’s much easier to just buy on line.
If they are scratching their ears, it’s a sign of yeast or ear mites normally. Ear mites would need a different type treatment than the gentian violet.
Eyes: It’s a good idea to keep eye ointment on hand, along with an eye wash. This can be the human type ointment & washes found OTC at the drug store. A good lubricant for dogs is Optixcare eye lube plus from Chewy.com. Cavalier eyes are large & during pollen season will sometimes get red & irritated. Terramycin ointment is inexpensive & good to keep on hand if you see anything developing. These may save you a vet visit, or keep an eye comfortable until you get to the vet.
Hair & Coat: I like using a slicker brush such as the Mark II here: http://www.chrissystems.com/slickers.htm. This type brush helps get out any small tangles or knots that form. I generally brush at night while watching TV with the Cavalier on my lap. Brushing daily is a good idea, and especially for the ears as they mature. Their nice silky ears are a trademark of the breed. To help them look their best, it does take some consistent work and care. You may want to try using a “snood” as the ears lengthen. That keeps ears out of sticky foods that can shorten ears. Also large drinking bowls are culprits to the ear length. I use a small stainless steel water bucket that only allows them to get their muzzle into, keeping the ear feathering out of water. Also you may want to use a soft brush, and they like the soft boar bristle brush (http://www.chrissystems.com/BOARBRASS.htm) or one of the 22 mm size brushes on this page: http://www.chrissystems.com/brushes.htm. If you get a bad tangle in the coat, just rub a little oil into it and massage – that will sometimes help getting it out.
If you have any problems with hot spots, this is a good product: http://www.chrissystems.com/peace.htm.
Nails: The dog’s nails will need clipped occasionally. Just clip so as not to cut into the pink cuticle. If he runs outside on cement or brick, that usually keeps them short and they need very little trimming that way. And the vet is always happy to perform this chore.
Exercise: Cavaliers love to walk and run. As mature dogs, they can walk up to 5 miles a day, but start gradually with puppies. And keeping excess weight off is good for the heart. Neutered & spayed Cavaliers may need a low calorie diet to keep excess weight off.
Spaying & Neutering: If spaying or neutering, wait AT LEAST 6 months. And it is preferable to wait 14 months for the growth plates to close. You sometimes get a taller and weedy dog if you spay/neuter before 14 months. However, with females, you will have to keep them protected from any males and maybe use the panties. They keep themselves licked clean but you should see some bloody discharge, esp over the nite time sleeping hours.
Books: One of the best books on the market for Cavalier enthusiasts is The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Fact and Fancy by Barbara Garnett-Wilson.
Dog Show Schedules: www.infodog.
