Health
Training
Appearance
Your Airedale will be ready to travel home with you when he or she is approximately 8 - 9 weeks old. Your puppy will also come supplied with his or her own bag of food. This is so the puppy can either continue on their diet, or can slowly be weaned to the product of your choice. Once your puppy has eaten one 40lb bag of food, you should consider changing to adult food. Adult food will slow the rate at which your puppy grows - helping the bones to form, good and strong.
Because puppies grow so quickly and yet have such little
When you first take your puppy home, they will need to eat at four sittings per day. This should continue for at least one month. After a month has passed, you can reduce your puppy's feeding times to three times per day. This should continue for five months. After five months you can reduce the feedings to two times per day. After 8 months, you can reduce the feedings to one time per day (Some active dogs are better off being fed two times per day)
Your puppy will have had the first of three sets of shots by the time he or she is ready to go home and will require two more sets of shots following his adoption (these sets are a month apart). You will need to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for the two required sets of shots.
It is also important to note that your puppy is susceptible to colds and viruses during this period and should be kept in controlled environments until after the third set of shots is applied.
On the big day, carry the pupy from the car to your yard and let it relieve itself. Give the puppy a chance to explore and then bring it indoors. Watch closely for any signs that the puppy may need to relieve itself. Catching the puppy just before it has an accident and depositing it outside to complete the job will get housetraining off to a good start. Good rules to follow - always send the puppy outside after waking up or eating. Wait until the puppy relieves itself and then praise it. In the early days it is best to take the puppy outside every two hours.
Get your puppy used to being handled (especially the paws). This will help in the future, when you need to clip your dogs toenails and have him examined by your veterinarian.
You might also consider obedience classes, ideal to start when your pupy is approximately 8-9 months old.
Another worthwhile investment is a dog crate (for crate training). This is the most valuable tool for "potty" training your puppy.
Your little puppy will not look anything like an adult Airedale. Airedale puppies are almost all black with very little tan coloring. As your puppy matures, the black coloring begins to recede and the tan color becomes more prominant.
Ear carriage is often given an extra lift by aid of glue at around the age of four months. Fabric glue is used to position the ears against the head, so the cartilage forms in the correct manner. This is not always necessary, however, it is best to check with your breeder for advice.
