For a healthy, happy puppy:

Food: Puppy's food should be soaked in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes to soften, before feeding. Bouviers need something with a low protein level - somewhere around 21%. Bouviers do not do well on higher protein levels. Find something with no dyes or food coloring and no preservatives to cause skin problems. Products containing chicken should be avoided because unless the chickens are Amish, they have been fed "ethoxyquin" in the feed and carry that chemical in their fat which goes into the food. Your main concern is that your puppy does not grow too fast, become too heavy and develop leg problems. Canned dog food is a NO NO. Visit the "What to feed your Joy-A-Len Bouvier?" Page

Treats: NO milk-bones, rawhide pieces or packaged doggie JUNK food. The large rawhide bones that are knotted on the ends are great for teething but take them away before they ingest them. The BEST TREATS are raw carrots, potatoes and apples. Cheese is okay in moderation.

Teething: Your puppy will get another set of teeth at 2 to 4 months. At times his stool may become a little loose due to teething. Give puppy plain low fat yogurt to help firm up the stool. If this doesn't work after a couple of feedings give pepto or kaopectate. Another sign of teething will be that his ears may droop - one or both. It is just like when you have a headache and are not feeling up to par. The ears will go back up. DO NOT play tug-o-war with your puppy or you may throw his teeth out of alignment. Ice cubes may help his mouth feel better. To help with the stress of changing homes, "acidolphilus", a food enzyme, is very helpful. It can be purchased at a health food store, in the refrigerator section. It is a capsule, just open the capsule and sprinkle the powder over his food. Another option is "Fastrack" made by Conklin which is designed for dog digestion. The phone number to order it is 1800 944 2003. It also helps dogs with chronic gas.

Housebreaking: Your puppy will sleep a great deal because he is just a baby. When he wakes up he will urinate almost immediately. If someone is playing hard with him or scares him, he will also have to go. A cage is the easiest form of housebreaking your puppy. Puppy will think of it as a security zone. Some house plants are poisonous. Love him, and praise him when he does something right. When he is naughty your tone of voice will clue him that it is unpleasant to repeat what ever he did to displease you. Some people put papers down and move them towards the door and gradually outside. Personally I would rather take puppy outside and put myself out for a month or so . When puppy goes outside don't forget to praise him. I usually have the cage beside my bed at night too. Don't ever leave puppy outside alone or run into the house for just a minute to answer the phone.

Toys: A small stuffed animal with the eyes removed makes a soft companion at night for your puppy to sleep with. Indian rubber balls, and heavy duty plastic or rubber squeaky toys and an empty plastic milk jugs with the lid removed will amuse your puppy.
The thick rope rags are dangerous. If puppy ingests the fibers he can become impacted. If the squeaky toys become ripped throw them out so puppy does not eat the squeaker or the rubber. Golf balls are too small and may be swallowed easily. Puppy can be entertained by the radio while you are gone.

Have fun with your new Bouvier Des Flandres and let us know how you are getting along. Our puppies are our best advertisement. We want you to be happy and proud of your JOY-A-LEN BOUVIER !!
Feel free to send us cute and interesting photos of your new puppy for our web site.