Simply Pomapoo Puppy Care Sheet

Congratulations on the purchase of your Pomapoo puppy! Pomapoos make loving, enduring companions. They are beautiful, intelligent, and love to please. Please read this care sheet completely before your puppy arrives. We offer ongoing support for puppies purchased from us. If you have questions about your puppies, feel free to text, e-mail, or call after business hours.

Some cautions and suggestions are as follows:

1) Pomapoo puppies must be “free fed” meaning that they need to have access to clean, fresh water and a food supply at all times during the day (you may remove food and water at night as long as you are sure you personally saw your puppy eat his/her dinner). Once your Pomapoo is at least 6 months old and eating well, you may switch to scheduled feedings to aid in housebreaking. (NOTE: Please see the MUST READ, detailed information on hypoglycemia below before your puppy arrives! If your puppy ever seems listless or refuses food, you need to take action and see your veterinarian right away.)

2) Be sure to feed your puppy a premium dog food without artificial preservatives or colors. Note: Please do not choose grain-free kibble. Research has shown that grain-free kibble may lead to heart disease. We start our puppies on Royal Canin Small Puppy. If you want to feed another food, it is important that you make the change gradually to avoid digestive upset. We recommend that you feed a premium food for the lifetime of your dog (we currently feed our adults Blue Life Protection Formula). Pomapoos eat very little, so it’s not expensive to feed the best food. Until your puppy is at least 3 months old (longer if your puppy is on the smaller side), we suggest feeding a tablespoon of premium canned food such as Royal Canin with breakfast and dinner. We also recommend sprinkling a high quality probiotic supplement on your puppy’s food daily. The probiotics will help establish a healthy intestinal flora which can be compromised at times of stress. IMPORTANT NOTE: To avoid hypoglycemia, it’s critical that your puppy be allowed to nibble throughout the day and that you see him/her eagerly eat at least one serving of canned food each day. If your puppy is not eating kibble well, you’ll need to offer several servings of canned food throughout the day. As your puppy matures, you can wean him/her off of the canned food as long as he/she is eating kibble well. Chew sticks are recommended to help clean your puppy’s teeth, and will help save your furniture.

3) Diarrhea is a common stress reaction that can be caused by vaccinations, changes in food and water, relocating to a new home, etc. You can treat the diarrhea with over the counter Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate, 1 cc per pound every 6 hours. Also, sprinkle a probiotic supplement on food. If diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours, or contains blood, see your veterinarian. If constipation occurs, give a 1/2″ strip of Nutri-Cal (or other high-energy paste) every 6 hours until the stools normalize.

4) DO NOT feed your puppy table scraps. Dogs like Pomapoos are especially sensitive. If fed table scraps, your puppy will be doomed to tooth problems, health problems and will likely become overweight. Spicy foods like sausage can make a Pomapoo puppy very ill. If you’d like to give a reward, a bit of liver, chicken, turkey, cheese or occasional healthy dog biscuit is O.K., but don’t overdo. A very good way to make good doggie treats is to boil liver, cut it into small bite size pieces and then keep it frozen in a zip lock freezer baggie. This makes a wonderful healthy treat or training reward. Canned food is good for puppies, but not recommended for adult dogs. Your dog’s teeth will be healthier with dry food. Again, give chew sticks often. Do not give milk. If you decide to switch food, introduce the new food gradually mixing it with the old food. Quick diet changes can cause diarrhea and/or digestive upset which can lead to hypoglycemia. Persistent diarrhea, a pot belly, or thinness can be a sign of worms. Take your puppy to the vet or worm with Nemex II. (Take your puppy to the vet for a fecal if symptoms do not improve after worming with Nemex).

5) Your puppy may whine or cry at night at first. He has been separated from his mother & litter mates, and will be lonely. Unless the cries are sharp or unusual indicating pain or illness, do not pick up the puppy. If you do, he will continue to cry every night. Place the puppy in his playpen or crate, and then go and reassure him periodically. He will soon learn that nighttime is for sleeping, not crying. I also suggest giving your puppy a small stuffed toy and soft blanket right away. These will comfort your puppy when you are away. Be sure that the toy has no pieces that could be chewed off and choked on. Avoid yelling at your puppy. A sharp “no” is all that is needed when he does something wrong. Yelling at or hitting your puppy will give him a low self esteem, and he will not obtain his full potential.

6) Be sure to give your puppy plenty of attention and love. Pomapoos adore their human family and need to receive petting and attention as reassurance every day. Avoid leaving him/her alone for extended periods of time. Make sure to allow him plenty of exercise. Check that there are no small objects around your home that can be choked on or electrical cords that can be chewed. Also make sure that any puppy pens or fencing have small enough bar spacing so that your puppy cannot get his head through and strangle himself. CAUTION: Pomapoos are easily hit by cars. Walk your dog only on a lead. Do not allow him to play where there is traffic or where he can dart into the street. Pomapoos tend to panic when they see an oncoming car, and usually do not move out of the way. Use good sense to avoid the tragedy of your pet being killed. Also, watch large dogs. They can be killed by large dogs. Be careful not to drop your puppy or allow small children to carry him around. Pomapoos sustain internal injuries easily.

7) Practice good grooming. A Pomapoo is easy to groom and only needs brushing every few days. Before brushing, lightly mist the coat with a good quality grooming spray (my favorite is  Aromatic Pest Away Mist from Time Laboratories).  Aromatic Pest Away Mist contains skin and coat conditioners as well as natural essential oils which smell wonderful while discouraging fleas and other pests. Use a soft slicker brush and grooming comb to work through the hair in sections, carefully removing all mats. Brush in sections, against the grain (from tail to head) so that the coat will not lay flat. To avoid mats, brush all the way to the skin carefully removing all loose undercoat. If you are using a slicker brush, be gentle so as not to scratch the skin with the bristles. Clip nails once a month. Clip carefully to avoid cutting the quick. Once a month or so, bathe with a good quality shampoo such as Aromatic Pest Away Natural Pet Shampoo. Sea Dew Shampoo, Special Formula D can also be used to help with skin irritation, flaky skin, and cradle cap (infantile seborrheic dermatitis) which is common in puppies. Aromatic Pest Away Natural Pet Shampoo contains essential oils which naturally discourage fleas and other pests. CAUTION: Brush your Pomapoo thoroughly BEFORE bathing. If your dog is blowing undercoat, and you do not brush it out before bathing, the water and shampoo will cause your dog to mat severely. In cool weather, dry your dog completely so he will not chill. After bathing, carefully clip the hair between the toe pads for sanitary reasons and tidiness. Clip up to the first joint of the leg and around the edges of the feet so that they look like tidy “cat’s feet.” Clip the unruly hair from the top of the ears by protecting the ear leather with two fingers and cutting straight across the top of the ear with the other hand. Use caution until you are experienced with this or you may cut the ear leather. Also for sanitary reasons, clip a small circle around the anus regularly. Check the anus regularly for fecal matter that may have become hardened. A blocked bowel will cause infection and death within a couple of days. At approximately 12 weeks of age, most Pomapoos begin a stage affectionately called “puppy uglies.” As the baby coat begins to transition over to adult coat, your puppy will look rather scruffy and gangly. Depending on the puppy, he will begin to coat up and his features soften again at 6-9 months. During this stage it is important to keep your puppy well groomed, particularly exercising care to brush out all loose undercoat to avoid matting. NOTE: If tear stains become a problem, please see our tear stain article here.

8) Be sure to keep your puppy’s vaccinations current. Common dog illnesses are generally easy to prevent, but very hard to cure. Your puppy will have been wormed and given his first puppy shots. While serious reactions to vaccines are rare, toy dogs are more prone to a reaction than larger breed dogs. As a preventive measure, we give children’s Benadryl liquid, 1 mg per pound (0.4 cc per pound) before vaccines and limit our vaccines as much as possible (e.g., if your veterinarian agrees, choose a 5 way combo instead of a 7 way combo and delay any other needed vaccines such as rabies as long as possible). Please click here to see more information on vaccinations. Maternal antobiodies may interfere with early vaccinations, so it’s important that follow up puppy vaccinations be given every 3-4 weeks until after 16 weeks of age. You should also have a stool sample checked periodically for worms. If your puppy is listless or refuses food for more than 8 hours, take him/her to a veterinarian immediately. If your puppy whines or whimpers persistently, experiences a drastic weight loss, exhibits signs of dehydration, has diarrhea for more than 24 hours, or is injured, please consult your veterinarian right away. (Please see special page on hypoglycemia and intestinal infections).

9) House training: Pomapoos are smart and easy to house train if you are strict and persistent in your method. Do not allow your puppy to wander the house unless someone is watching him every second. When he cannot be watched, place him in his playpen or crate (you can also use a laundry room, bathroom, etc with puppy pads on the floor). No, this is not cruel. Dogs do not resent being confined for the night and for limited times during the day. In time, your puppy will actually enjoy his playpen or crate as his den. If you are training to outdoor potty, take him outside first thing in the morning, after meals, and after naps. Praise him when he eliminates correctly. If you see him squatting or hunching his back to eliminate in the house, tell him loudly and sharply, “NO!” Take him outside (or to his puppy pad) and praise him when he eliminates correctly. If he does manage to eliminate in the house, clean the spot with an enzyme cleaner or he will be attracted to it again. Note that we DO NOT recommend a litter pan for puppies because they can swallow it resulting in intestinal impaction.

An especially effective and inexpensive way to house train is to use 2 x 24″ Iris puppy pens joined together with one of the door panels in the middle (see photos below). The actual door itself is left out of the door panel and secured in the middle with zip ties or twist ties. One side of the pen should have puppy pads and the other side of the pen should have your food & water dishes, bed, blanket, toys, chew sticks, etc. Dogs have a natural instinct to keep their eating, play and sleeping area clean, so most will quickly learn to step through the door onto the pads when they have to go. The “Iris puppy pen method” can be used for indoor training, nighttime, when you have to be away from the house, when the puppy cannot be watched, when he goes to a puppy sitter, etc. Once your puppy reliably uses the pads, you can gradually add additional panels to make the play side larger. Note that some puppies love to shred puppy pads. In this case, use washable cloth puppy pads or towels. Most toy dogs are able to use 24″ panels for life, however if you end up with an escape artist, you can upgrade to 34″ panels adding a door to the outside. Scroll down for additional house training information.

10) Breeding: It is not recommended that you breed your dog unless you intend to devote a lot of time and research to this endeavor. A litter is time consuming, and can be very costly if something goes wrong. Pomapoo puppies often have trouble in whelping. Inexperience on the part of the breeder can result in loss of the litter, mother, or both. Once a litter is whelped, it should not be left for more than a few hours at a time. A healthy puppy can suddenly experience hypoglycemia, have a blocked bowel, or be injured. Constant attention is required. The mother will also shed her nice coat after a litter and will not look as attractive. Your male dog will make a much better pet if he is not allowed to breed. Male dogs that are used for breeding are very difficult to house train because they have the natural instinct to mark their territory with urine. They will also wander more often. Having a healthy litter can be very rewarding, but can also be tragic if the proper precautions are not taken. It is recommended that pet dogs be spayed or neutered.

11) Companionship: Although it is not necessary, Pomapoos do enjoy having another Pomapoo around for company. It is  better to obtain the companion while your dog is still young. (Although a Pomapoo of any age will usually accept a new puppy, as long as the original pet still gets attention). Yes, dogs can be quite jealous. Introduce the new dog while you are petting your original dog. While still petting the original dog, let him/her smell and get to know the new dog. Usually this works quite well and your pet will accept the newcomer without a problem. Adult females that have not been spayed will not always accept another adult female for company. Likewise adult males that are not neutered will sometimes fight a new male. Buy your new Pomapoo from a reputable breeder who gives the puppies plenty of attention and socialization. Be cautious of “good deals.” They may leave you with an unhealthy, neglected, or genetically defective dog. Avoid pet stores for a new puppy. Pet store puppies often come from puppy mills, and have problems with temperament and health.

12) Above all, ENJOY YOUR PUPPY! He wants to please you and will learn quickly how to do so if you give him the chance. If you plan to show your puppy, start his training early. Give him plenty of attention so that he will have a good self esteem. Good luck!