GENERAL &BREEDING ADVICE
CLICK FOR PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE EUROPEAN PLUMMER TERRIER SOCIETY DEC 2007
CLICK FOR OLD PAPER ON THE PLUMMER TERRIER .THE BIBBLE
The most common questions asked about Plummer terriers are;
Q- "What, when and how much should I feed my new pup?"
A- Presuming you have returned home from a reputable breeder with your puppy of 8 weeks old. It is generally a good idea to ask the breeder for at least two meals worth of the same food they have been using to wean the infant. Its wise to carry on with this food by buying in enough for at least two weeks whilst the pup settles into its new surroundings. The food you decide to use for your puppy for the next at least 6 months should be of a high quality puppy food of a readily available branded name such as BETA'S PUPPY . I say "readily available" as if its not so readily available you could find yourself short one day and then feeding something different, avoid chopping and changing a pups diet as much as possible as this is a sure way to inspire digestive upsets, which is the last thing a puppy needs to deal with. So when to feed ?three times a day morning noon and evening, where possible but a minimum of twice. Then how much? base your quantities on the manufactures instructions, written on the container. Having said this I feed a large amount at first to see how much it takes to satisfy my pup then I remove the access and feed just under the quantity they first ate, three times a day. Monitor the puppy's progress and adjust the diet where and if necessary as I find that as in all livestock there are "good doers and bad doers". Always ensure the puppy has access to clean fresh drinking water at all times of the day or night, as pups wake up very early!
Q- "Should I have the puppy inoculated ?"
A- Absolutely is my answer to this question. It should in my opinion be a law for all dog owners to have their animals inoculated to prevent the spread of all the canine diseases known by the vets. It is advisable to have a vet give the puppy a health check at your earliest convenience ,and whilst there take the vets advice on a suitable wormer and remember that this worming should become routine especially during the early stages of the pups growth. I once was given a puppy which had not been neither wormed nor fed correctly the poor creature resembled an advert for the RSPCA, it took some considerable time to bring the retch back to somewhat reasonable condition and the said animal I felt never grew to its possible best due to a very very bad start.
Q-"My puppy cries at night how do I stop it?"
A-I always smile to myself when I hear this question. Most puppies have one or two restless nights when they are separated from the siblings. I find that as long as you know the animal is not in a drafty cold back porch or shed/ coal house and you know it has a belly full of food then its best to ignore its whining. Enhancements of the puppies bed with a suitable warming device such as a covered warm hot water bottle and also a radio placed in the room turned down low I find sometimes helps to comfort the insecure pup. Unfortunately its all to common now to bring home a puppy that has had to much attention by young human members of the family. This socialisation is great to a degree but picking up a puppy every time it makes a whimper only teaches the infant to cry for attention. I had such a dog named Dumbo (for obvious reasons) bred by a novice breeder he was a real pain and never actually got out of the habit of whimpering. Good dog breeders have to be cruel to be kind by ignoring the whimpers of the pups and teaching them that periodic loneliness is not forever.
Q-"How do I toilet train my pup?"
A- Plummer terriers are very fast learners and with some degree of patience can easily be trained to life in the home. However this can only be done efficiently if the trainer is at home for a good period of time in the pups first few weeks at the new home, as pups need the garden allot! Puppies invariably need the use of the garden area within fifteen minutes of waking up day and night and just after eating the pup should be shown the place were you wish the future animal to "go toilet" this may sound ludicrous but I gave a girl of twelve a puppy who taught it to "go toilet" in the corner of mums precious garden and inside a cat litter tray, by the time it was 3 months old it used to sit and whimper at the door to go out. Don't give up to fast and be patient expect some accidents from time to time even in later life scolding a puppy for a misdemeanor is not what is required remember animals learn from repetition and success breeds success.