How to Care for a Month & a Half Old Puppy

Ideally, puppies should remain with their mother until at least 8 weeks old. This is a crucial formative period in which the puppies learn socialization and behavior from their mother and their litter mates. In addition, many puppies continue to nurse until 6 to 8 weeks of age. However, puppies may be removed early for a number of reasons, such as illness in the mother, though the most common reason is the breeder's rush to move out the new litter. Owners may also come into possession of an underage puppy in a rescue situation.

Things You'll Need

  • Dry puppy food
  • Milk substitute
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Instructions

  1. How to Care for a Month-and-a-Half-Old Puppy

    • 1

      Take the puppy to a veterinarian. The vet can evaluate the puppy's overall health, administer de-worming medication and may choose to start the puppy's vaccination series at that time. She can also make feeding recommendations, address concerns and answer any questions you may have about caring for an underage puppy.

    • 2

      Create a diet for the puppy. If you do not know whether the puppy has been weaned to solid food, such as in a rescue situation, you can do this yourself using a dog's milk substitute. For the first week, create a "puppy mush" using about half a cup of dry dog food. Make sure to use a high-quality brand with a formula specifically for puppies. In a blender or food processor, mix the dry food with about 3 ounces of dog milk substitute. You can purchase this almost anywhere pet food is sold. Feed this mixture three to four times a day. Each day, use a little more dog food and a little less milk substitute. At the end of one week, the puppy should be eating dry food only. Make sure he has access to water at all times. Keep in mind that some diarrhea and even occasional vomiting may occur as the puppy's body adjusts to his new diet during the first two weeks. If he experiences excessive diarrhea or vomiting, or blood is present in either, take him to the vet immediately.

    • 3

      Begin house training immediately. Decide whether you want the dog to eliminate outdoors or on puppy pads. If you want him to ultimately learn to eliminate outdoors, do not start off using puppy pads with intentions of "transitioning" him later. This only lengthens and complicates the house training process. Take the puppy outside (or to his pad) every few minutes until he eliminates. As soon as he does, praise verbally and reward him with a treat. If he has an accident in the house, do not scold or punish him. If you catch him in the act, immediately redirect him outdoors or to the pad and praise him when he continues eliminating in the correct location. Patience and consistency are the keys to any type of dog training, especially house training.

    • 4

      Create a schedule for your puppy. This should include consistent feeding times, walking and leash training, obedience training, grooming, play and interaction. You can determine the best types of training and games for your puppy through the "guess and test" method, or if you know the breed of the puppy, by researching the needs of his particular breed. For example, retrievers are typically a high-energy breed and tend to enjoy games like fetch.