PREPARING  FOR  PUPPY   ♥     PUPPY PROOF YOUR HOME Secure electrical cords to the baseboards, or tape them up high, or string them through PVC pipe. Have plenty of bitter apple or tobasco sauce on hand for those that can't be put out of the way. Crawl around on the floor, seeing everything from your puppy's point of view. Look for pins, tacks, paper clips, and other assorted small items that your puppy could swallow. In particular, check under furniture. Then, look for anything that is dangling, like phone and appliance cords, tablecloths, etc. Remember to check at least as high as the pup can stand on his hind legs. Buy a few child safety gates and block off any rooms you do not want your puppy to have access to, or the room you want him to stay in. Be sure to remove any cleansers and soap powder containers from the floor, along with disinfectants, bleach and fabric softeners, toilet bowel cleaners and the like. Make sure that all insecticides are safely stored away. Toxic plants need to be put up high or discarded entirely. Artificial plants can be sprayed with bitter apple, but are a favorite of young pups to tear up. Swallowing pieces of silk or plastic can cause serious damage, so I usually put them up as well and introduce them slowly, one at a time.  Also, remove any foil around the containers and any decorative rocks that may be in the pot. Find a high, secure place to keep any remote controls. Any item that contains batteries are extremely dangerous. If a pup chews up the remote control or a child’s toy and even so much as bites into the battery, it can cause severe burns, mercury poisoning and even death. Put all shoes, boots, umbrellas, etc., in a closet and pick up any clothing laying around. Remember, nothing is sacred and if it is on the floor your pup will consider it his. A pup will just as soon chew on your underwear as a toy. Childrens' toys can also be dangerous, as small pieces can be broken off and swallowed, stuffed animals shredded, Barbie dolls beheaded. Also, children should be taught not to share their food, especially chocolate, with the new pup. ♥        NUTRITION It is important to remember that you need to slowly introduce changes in your puppy’s diet, whether it is changing their food to another brand, giving new treats, different water, etc. This will often cause changes in their bowel movements. This is normal at first but should lesson as they adjust to the changes. If your puppy continues to have loose stools, try eliminating the changed food item and check with your Vet.         ♥          FOOD - Your puppy has been brought up on Iams® Smart Puppy™ Small Breed Formula (dry kibble)  Puppy Food and bottled water. Their food is moistened with water when they begin to eat puppy food and then they continue with the dry kibble. As they mature, dry kibble is preferred over canned or pouched food.  Dry aides in cleaning their teeth as well. Recommended For Small Breed Puppies (up to 20 lbs at maturity) - 1 to 12 months. Product Information:  Iams® Smart Puppy™ for Small & Toy Breeds provides concentrated nutrition for the unique needs of small breed puppies. Pound for pound, small breed puppies require more energy than larger breed puppies. Driven by their longer lifespan, small breeds tend to have unique health characteristics that make feeding high-quality premiun nutrition even more important.     ♥ Nutrient-dense kibble - ideal for small stomachs     ♥ Up to 60% smaller kibble than Iams SmartPuppy Original (based on kibble volume)     ♥ Unique kibble shape - ideal for small mouths        ♥ Contains fish oil, rich in DHA, for smarter, more trainable puppy (based on a study of  mothers and puppies fed diets with enhanced vs.         lower levels of DHA)     ♥ Iams Daily Dental Care - as your dog chews, Iams Daily Dental Care helps reduce tartar build-up If you don’t want to feed your puppy Iams, make sure you choose a quality puppy food.  Bichons are sensitive to additives and can suffer allergic reactions.             ♥          WATER - Puppies have been brought up on bottled water. If you have poor quality, high in mineral content or chemicals such as chlorine, I would highly recommend giving your puppy bottled water. Water often is a factor with red stained faces and hair on Bichons.             ♥          SNACKS - I never give my Bichon any snacks that have been basted. This will cause bad staining on the faces, paws, and any where else the snack has contact with on the fur. I have read that Rawhide Chews are not a good choice, but I confess that I give them to my pets without any incidents. They love them and I find they are good to help relieve the chewing urges. I do make sure to only give the plain white chews. I also give Milk Bone dog biscuits and Iams puppy biscuits.             ♥          TABLE SCRAPS - Stay away from feeding your puppy / dog table scraps. You may think you are being nice by giving them these treats but they are not good for their delicate digestive systems. ♥        FOOD / WATER CONTAINERS I have ceramic dishes. You do need to make sure you periodically clean them thoroughly.  Remember to also wipe the water dish as a film can develop which can cause staining. Manybreeders/owners use metal dishes. You do not, however, want to use/have plastic dishes. {Note:  It may be a "an old wives tale," but it has been said that the use of plastic dishes may have an effect on a Bichon's pigment (i.e., make it less dark), since this one is easy enough to comply with, why not just get ceramic or metal dishes} ♥        MEDICAL / MEDICATIONS             ♥          Notify your Veterinarian that you are purchasing a puppy and make an appointment to have him checked as soon as possible after receiving him.  If you do not currently have a veterinarian, begin interviewing prior to getting your puppy so you will have one to start with.                ♥          Flea & Tick - I prefer Frontline Plus. I strongly advise you not to use Advantage on your Bichon. I personally know two people (and have read of others) whose dogs hair fell out where the Advantage product was applied. Bichons skin is very sensitive so you need to be careful on applying medications and shampoos used.             ♥          Worm Medication - I prefer Interceptor. I give it to my dogs every month and have had no problems with it             ♥          Purchase Items to make a Canine first aid kit. ♥        BEDDING             ♥          CRATES / KENNELS - There are many different types of crates and kennels available and it is a matter of personal preference as to the type you chose. I recommend a wire crate. Buying a large crate (for the pup's eventual size) is more economical and can be partitioned off for housebreaking purposes. The partition can be moved as the pup grows.             ♥          BEDDING - You need to place soft bedding inside the crate. I like the soft berber mat inserts for the crates. Have several changes of bedding handy. Do not use new pieces of carpet unless they have been washed to remove the formaldehyde and other chemicals. However, carpet does work well under blankets to keep them from sliding. A heavy rubber mat or rug with rubber backing will work until the pup grows large enough to chew it up! ♥        TOYS I like to offer a variety of toys to my Bichons. This keeps them from getting bored and acting out. Make sure you don’t offer any toys that have hard plastic such as eyes which could fall or be chewed off and lodge in your puppy’s throat. Make sure that all toys are too large to be swallowed, and avoid small balls and bones. Constantly check toys for wear and discard those that begin shedding pieces that may be swallowed and cause blockage.                    ♥          Soft Berber or stuffed animals with and without a squeaker.             ♥          Balls of the appropriate size that they can carry in their mouths             ♥          Nylabones             ♥          Tough latex rubber toys             ♥          Bichons love the Booda "rope" Tugs             ♥          Kong’s products             ♥          Dental Chews ♥        PURCHASE A COLLAR AND LEASH BEFORE HAND ♥        ADJUSTABLE GATES These are great if you are going to confine your dog during the day in the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. Be careful when ordering gates like this as many have plastic mesh and a dog can eat through it.   ♥        GROOMING Grooming is another important issue. Start looking now for a professional groomer, preferably one who has experience with Bichons. There are many different cuts for Bichons. I always take pictures to my groomers so there is no mistake as to what I expect and desire. She / He should be brushed / combed on a daily basis. Start early so she/he is used to it. It is fairly easy when they have their puppy hair but as they get older, their adult hair comes in and it is soooo thick. To keep the ears clean, you should periodically pull out the hair that grows inside the ear. I try to pull out as much as I can with my fingers. Then I use the hemostats to get the rest. Be careful, you don't want to puncture any ear drums!  If you are going to cut your dogs nails you need some nail trimmers and some styptic powder. You should be careful not to cut the nails back into the quick, but if you do and there is some bleeding you can put some styptic powder on the end of the nail to stop the bleeding. You should cut the nails and pull the hair out of the ears periodically before bathing.             ♥          Slicker Brush(s) (soft) (available in a kit on our Boutique Page)   ♥          Pin Brush (available in a kit on our Boutique Page)             ♥          Greyhound Comb(s) (available in a kit on our Boutique Page)             ♥          Face & Finishing Comb (available in a kit on our Boutique Page)             ♥          Hair Dryer             ♥          Hemostats (for pulling hair out of ears)             ♥          Nail Clippers / ScissorsDog             ♥          Styptic Powder             ♥          Toothbrush & Toothpaste             ♥         Gentle Shampoo (available on our Boutique Page)