HINTS FOR CARING FOR YOUR NEW PUPPY Your puppy must have quality food, fresh water, shelter, shade and a safely fenced area to keep him from harm. A young puppy sleeps a large part of the day and needs his own place away from noise and distractions.  Children need to understand the puppy needs quiet rest times just as they did when young. We strongly encourage you to feed you puppy fresh ground beef, lightly cooked with water, everyday of his life.  Ground chicken or turkey is fine in lesser amounts and must be well cooked.  Add approximately one part meat to 4 part dry, quality kibble.  Always use large breed puppy food or a food containing no more than 26 or 27% protein for akita puppies.   Akita pups may develop structural problems when fed too high protein puppy foods. Do not feed raw chicken wings, legs, thighs to you puppy as with the latest fad.  All bones can splinter, cooked or raw, and we have seen the result of splintered bones in a dog.   Hamburger may be fed raw if it is eaten all at one time. Young puppies need to be fed mixed food twice a day, with dry food available for mid-day feeding.  We like to mix yogurt or cottage cheese with their kibble at least twice a week, as well as raw egg yolks or boiled whole eggs Feed a puppy all it wants to eat as long as it does not get obese.  If the puppy gets too heavy for his age, cut back on the meat and use more yogurt.  Never overly restrict the diet of a  puppy as you can stunt him for life.  Be sure fresh water is available at all times. Do not give your dogs chew hooves as they will splinter.  Use only USA made rawhides, the rolls without knots are better.  Pressed rawhide treats are best. We guarantee our puppies for two years should they die of parvo or distemper if you follow the recommended shots in the health records we provide with the puppy.  All vaccinations and wormings listed on your puppy's health record are precise and note the date and brand of the vaccine or worm medication.  You are to have your veterinarian administer the balance of the shots we recommend, as well as bordetella at his discretion. Puppies should not be taken to public places where other dogs may have been until he has had a minimum of this 12th week vaccination. Never take a puppy out of your yard off lead.  Flexi leads allow up to 26 feet of freedom and will keep him safe. Puppies need lots of free play exercise.  Never force exercise until he is past 13 months of age, such as biking, jogging for long distances, etc. Never let your puppy jump off furniture, out of pickups or from any place taller than he is.   While he is growing, always help him on and off the grooming table to prevent injury. Socialize your puppy with other animals, children (supervised) and friends.  Never let him get the idea he is top dog.  He is your baby, but he is a dog and comes after your family in the order of things.  After he is 12 weeks old, take him to as many public places as possible with you where he can meet new people and adapt to new situations. Never leave a young puppy unattended with an older, large animal who may injure him through play.  Never let children ride or play too roughly with a young puppy. Never let your puppy race across slick floors, wet floors, etc as hips have been fractured this way. Never leave a choke collar on your dog when unattended or when playing with another dog.  Many tragedies have been caused this way. Akitas do not need frequent baths.  If they are full time house dogs who are bathed more often or who scratch excessively from dry skin, try bathing them with Murphy's Oil Soap, original formula. We are always as close as our telephone and will do our best to help when you need us.   We want your association with our puppies to be as rewarding as possible for you and the puppy.