INFORMATION ON FEEDING AND CARE  AND OUR DOGS’ DAILY ROUTINE

Our puppies are vaccinated when 6 to 7 weeks old. The C5 Vaccination, and even C4 have good coverage. Please refer to the certificate for the approximate date that the booster must be given.

It is quite normal if you feed your puppy twice a day say in the mornings and at night. This can continue until they are 6 months old, after which you can revert to once a day feeding. Puppies and dogs can become choosy if they are free fed. So take the food away after say 15 to 20 minutes. Plenty of information on puppy and dogs' well-being and other aspects including feeding and nutrition could also be found in various web sites for example www.petlink.com.au and http://www.leerburg.com I believe this second site is the largest German Shepherd related site in the world.

Dogs need plenty of shade when they choose to be in the shade (in particular in areas with hot Summer). In our farm I strictly prevent pups from climbing the steps; be very mindful of this – in particular if that is likely to happen at night.

Between 3-4 weeks of age I normally start to mix puppy biscuit soaked in fresh goat milk as a supplement to mum’s milk. I have enough available so the mum can also enjoy. I alternate this with good puppy can products such as Pal. Later on often I mix puppy dry food with tuna cat food or sea food can (based on availability) with a little bit of calcium powder and sometimes feed the pups with it for an alternative choice. Their mum also continues feeding them. After six weeks, in most occasions I have introduced the pups to raw small size chicken bones, say size 12 or smaller (this must be a chicken of our times from supermarket, not the solid older ones, free range or organic as those chickens’ bones are normally harder). If in good company (like yours) pupps of that age can eat one full small size chicken frame. I personally make that in small pieces for them with a sharp heavy knife. That is the best moment of social occasions for the pups

Puppies show different reactions to cow milk, most of them like it but in occasions few pups get stomach upset from it. The general advice is that pups must not try cow milk. Though this can be true about them, the same is not true about their mums, they love warm cow milk, in particular if their appetite for other foods is not very good during whelping.

In our farm we have 3750 olive trees.  Most early mornings I take all dogs for a long walk around the farm. This way they leave their scents wherever they go and send a message to vermin, especially wallabies and hares that this is not a friendly environment. In dry seasons wallabies like to eat the leaves of olive trees and I have found the dogs' role very effective. Hare is very destructive animal and ring barks young olive trees and creates lots of shallow holes around the trees. At nighttime often two of our dogs are free to take care of this business.

Our farm is situated next to the picturesque MacIntyre Brook. Sometimes our dogs get the opportunity of swimming in the river water.  This must happen in my presence as in the Summer time dogs like to locate and kill the snakes. Though often they can be successful, but there is also the chance that they can be bitten and killed. This has happened many times in farms.

There is also a chance that they can be dragged into the deeper waters by Wallaroos and get drowned. Wallaroos are colorful animals with an instinct of dragging dogs into deeper waters. Once there they place their strong arms on the dogs and push them under water.

Do not hesitate to ask me questions about puppies or olives as I will be happy to assist if I can

Yours sincerely

Ali Farbood