Puppy Care

Everything you need to know about setting up your puppy with healthy eating habits to last them well into the adulthood.

Dogs bring a lot of joy into our lives, but when they fall ill it’s all too easy to worry about the cost of treatment. That’s where dog and puppy insurance comes in! We’re here to help you find the right policy for you and your pet. Veterinary care is improving all the time, but unfortunately, these treatments can be expensive. When your dogs under the weather, the last thing you want to worry about is having enough money to make them well again, which is why dog or puppy insurance is a great idea. Taking out a dog insurance policy can bring you real peace of mind by taking the worry out of many stressful situations. Even so, you’ll need to be careful when choosing the company and policy for your pup, as there can be a wide difference between them – it’s not fun, but this time you really need to read the small print! Have a chat with your vet about pet insurance for dogs and the different types of insurance cover you could benefit from. In the meantime, we’ve put together some things to consider when you’re looking for your new policy to help you on the way.

Now that your pup is getting to grips with basic dog training, you can start to think about to teaching them some cool dog tricks! Read our step-by-step article for advanced dog trick training – and some top tips. We all love the idea of having a well-trained dog who hangs on our every word – and now your puppy is starting to get the basics under their belt, it’s time to move on to more advanced – and more fun - dog training. Learning new tricks and games with your dog is going to benefit you as much as will benefit them, it's a lot of fun for you both, and it will enhance your relationship as a result. It’s a win-win! Some of these fun dog tricks are based on masteringbasic dog training skills, so if you need a refresher make sure you check our article first.

Getting a new puppy is incredibly exciting for all the family, but it is easy to forget that it can be stressful for your new pup. Find out how to deal with your puppy’s first day home with Purina. Bringing a puppy home is an exciting one for all the family! You are starting out your new life together with the canine best friend you have always dreamt of. Everything is ready to welcome your new puppy and help them settle in straight away. But there is something many new owners don’t realise. While everyone in the house may be bursting with excitement and desperate to play with the newest member of the family, your puppy’s first day home may look entirely different to them. After all, they’re on their own, away from the mum and their littermates for the first time in their life, in a totally strange place, with people they don’t know. It can be overwhelming for your pup and may be stressful or even frightening for them. Here’s how to help your puppy settle in and find their paws in their new home.

New puppies are full of mischievous energy, and their endless curiosity means they get their little noses into all sorts of trouble. Of course, that’s how they learn but it’s also how they can get themselves into trouble! An expandable dog pen can be a great helpfor those times when you can’t give your puppy 100% of your attention. You get peace of mind knowing exactly where your puppy is, that they can’t wander off too far, and what they’re playing with - and they have lots of room to play safelyand feel they are still beside you and part of the family. Follow our helpful tips for everything that you’ll need to give your playful puppy their perfect dog pen.

All puppies go through a teething phase. Puppy teething is when they outgrow their puppy teeth, which are replaced by more permanent, adult teeth. This happens at a different age depending on their breed and size. But the effects of teething are the same: an irritable puppy and damage to your house! In this article, we explore why puppy teething can be a destructive phase and talk you through five steps that can make the whole process easier on both you and your pup.

We know that resisting those big puppy eyes is difficult but discouraging begging behaviour can help keep your puppy healthy (thanks to fewer sneaky table scraps!) and prevent puppy begging from becoming more insistent or demanding as your puppy grows up! Puppy begging can be anything from giving you those cute appealing eyes, to whining, scratching your leg, jumping up and even barking at you. If your dog behaves like this every time, you sit down to have a meal, you can be sure your puppy has learnt how to beg for food or a delicious treat! Dogs are brilliant at devising new and interesting ways to get what they want from their owners at mealtimes – in this case, a sneaky delicious treat. However, this can be difficult for you as an owner, especially if it happens every time you want to eat if the begging becomes more demanding - and especially if you have children or vulnerable adults, or guests who don’t appreciate your dog wanting to share their meal. While you might not mind your dog begging, if they think that your mealtimes are an opportunity to get tasty treats, this could easily become problematic if they do this with others. Fortunately, dog begging for food can be prevented using a few simple steps. Why do dogs and puppies beg for food Dogs beg because it works. Playing on your caring nature, they use their best acting skills and begin the hope of being treated to scraps from the plate. Dogs perfect this method of asking for food because it is so effective, and our dogs evolved as highly effective scavengers. This clever but totally natural canine behaviour means that your dog can often persuade you to give them more food without exerting much effort. It is hard to resist a cute puppy who is trying to convince you that they really need just a small mouthful of your delicious food! Nearly always at some time during your puppy’s early weeks with you someone will give them something from the table - and so very early on your puppy realises that begging is worth doing because sometimes, it works! And you - or whoever gave into those beseeching puppy eyes - have taught them that. As a puppy grows up, they are learning all the time what works and what doesn’t in this strange new life. The things that are ‘rewarded’ will be repeated - and all so often people reward this begging behaviour.

Is your puppy biting or nipping you? There is no doubt that puppy teeth hurt! They are like sharp needles and if they catch your skin while you are playing or interacting with them, it can be really painful!

Your dog's sense of smell is one of their most powerful senses and sniffing is one of their very favourite activities, so it only makes sense to start nose training when they're puppies! Learn more about how to begin to scent train your dog with our helpful guide and advice. For owners who really want to take their relationship with their dog to the next level, one of the best ways to do this is to focus on the most underappreciated of our dog’s senses… their incredible nose. That means it’s time for some puppy scent training! It’s probably because we don’t see the world in smell the same way that our dogs do, that we don’t understand how important the sense of smell is to our dogs. For that reason, we miss an entire way to interact with and stimulate them. It’s thought that the part of the dog’s brain that analyses smells is 40 times larger than ours. And if you compare our measly 5 million scent receptors to a Bloodhound’s 300 million, you can see that our noses are pretty pathetic in comparison! The good news is that puppy scent training is easy! Read on to find out how to scent train a dog and some of our favourite puppy scent training games.

Healthy and happy puppies need exercise. Find out more about how to exercise your puppy appropriately using play, enrichment games and walks without putting a strain on their growing bodies.

Puppy diarrhoea can be distressing to deal with, especially while you are toilet training your puppy. Aside from being unpleasant for you, no owner wants to see their puppy suffer or be uncomfortable. It can also be tricky to recognize when puppy diarrhoea is a sign of something serious, and when it can be easily treated. This article gives you some information about puppy diarrhoea, plus practical advice on treating it.

Bathing a puppy for the first time? Don’t worry! Here is everything you need to know. From choosing the right shampoo and brush to wondering how often you can bathe your puppy, it’s normal to feel a little bit overwhelmed by all the bathing time decisions. We’re breaking it down for you, step by step.