Biewer Terrier Puppy Care

Puppy Care for GI Tract Issues

The Biewer Terrier can have issues with their GI tract. They tend to be little vacuums and consume whatever they find on the floor, thus irritating their tummies. Colitis poops will often contain blood and mucus, this is from irritation of the GI tract. Do not rush to the vet straight away, it will often correct itself in time.

These sweeties can be notoriously fussy eaters. Oy, it has caused me and my fellow Biewer owners worry, BUT, in the end they will eat when they are hungry. Hand feeding is a last resort and can lead to unbelievably bad habits. One way to avoid this is to offer a variety of proteins (feeding raw). Kibble feeders are limited as puppy stomachs become unbalanced when shifting kibble.

Keep a good pro-biotic on hand such as Pro-pectalin, this helps firm poops and soothe tummies. Adding canned pumpkin and / or baby rice cereal is also helpful to firm up the poops.

Sometimes these littles get a colitis poo, which will present blood – don’t panic. This is from eating something that upsets the tummy. If they are acting fine and drinking water, it will pass. Give them bit of the probiotic I mentioned above.

Puppies Need Rest

Taking naps is essential for your new puppy. Be sure that your puppy has a warm bed/crate to sleep in away from drafts. Staying warm is top priority for small puppies; a cold or chilled puppy can become very ill in a short period of time and is high on the list of reasons that a puppy can perish. If the puppy’s sleeping area is chilly, a heating pad set low placed underneath his bed can be helpful. Be sure to keep electrical cords well hidden from sharp puppy teeth that love to chew.

Bathing Your Biewer Puppy

I bathe my dogs every two weeks, more often depending on the weather outside and/or how dirty they get.

Always brush and comb the dog out FIRST before bathing, removing all tangles and mats. Using a brushing spray will be helpful.

A good dog shampoo and conditioner for drop coat breeds will work. I am currently using Isle of Dogs Puppy Shampoo for maintenance baths, diluted 7 to 1 at least. Be sure to rinse the shampoo out thoroughly, and rinse again to get it all out of the dog’s hair; soap left in the coat can cause dry skin, irritation and scratching. Use a conditioner such as Suave, or if you're okay buying something pricey, igroom Squalene conditioner. The conditioner can be lightly rinsed so that there is just a bit of residual left in it. Once the puppy is clean and towel dried, brush and comb through their hair. A blow dryer can be used to dry their coat on the lowest heat setting and also, hold the dryer about 6 inches or more away from the puppy’s body. The heat from the dryer can very quickly burn a dog’s skin. Waving the dryer back and forth will help deter that problem as well as using the “cool burst” feature now & then if your dryer has it.

Biewer Terrier Puppy Grooming - Make is a Daily Ritual

Frequent brushing is advised to preserve the Biewer Terrier coat and keep it mat-free, and keep it clean longer.  Some Biewer coats mat more quickly than others and may need daily brushing, whereas other coats you can go 2-3 days between.

Remove the eye buggers and comb it out from the corner of your dog’s eyes daily; if it is allowed to sit at the corner of the eye for too long it causes bacteria and can irritate the skin and possibly cause hair loss in that area.  For tear staining, I recommend you use simple contact lens solution followed by Colloidal Silver drops after you cleanse the area.

Take care to keep the hair around the puppy’s anus clean. Trimming it is best so as not to consistently deal with poopy butts.

The hair on the bottoms of their feet need periodic trimming to keep them from slip-sliding across bare floors. It is especially important when they are puppies so that they do not get injured on slippery floors.

The ears should continue to be erect. The top 1/3 should be kept shaved to prevent them from becoming heavy with hair causing them to droop. If they do droop, shave the entire ear and please use the NEXCARE 3m clear medical tape to wrap the ear for a few days to keep if standing.

Nails need regular trimming a cat nail clipper/scissor works well.

Toy dogs are prone to dental issues, so it is vital to help keep their teeth clean. Raw chicken necks fed under supervision are great to help the pups keep their teeth clean. Likewise bully sticks are great for chewing and help keep their teeth clean. Tooth brushing will help to keep their teeth healthy as well. By 6-8 months of age most puppy teeth are gone & replaced with their adult teeth. Occasionally baby teeth are stubborn and do not fall out on their own. If your puppy has retained puppy teeth your vet may suggest having them removed at the same time the spay/neuter surgery is done.

Potty Training Biewer Terriers

I will pre-empt this with my training suggestions by mentioning that CONSISTENCY IS KEY.  Toy breeds seem to be one of the hardest to potty train, and it's up to you to keep things consistent.

I suggest that you implement crate training and let the puppy sleep in the crate. Puppies will be lonely because they won't have their siblings, so I would keep a crate in your room so they see you at night. You could have one crate in your room and another in the living room. Basically, they stay in the crate when they nap. When she gets up, you take her outside immediately to go potty...* She must go potty before you let her back in * Make a big deal out of it. Keep treats in your pocket for these milestone training moments. Then your Biewer can play and roam... as soon as she's done with playtime and she gets sleepy...lure her back in the crate with a treat for resting. This is specifically for potty training. As your Biewer gets older and she starts going outside on her own, you can stop putting her in the crate. I introduce crates to the puppies at around 9 weeks of age.

Alternatively, you can have a litter box with small alfalfa pellets and/or puppy pads in the house and train them there as well. Puppies will leave here trained on alfalfa/litter box, puppy pads and turf.

Exercise Your Biewer Puppy

Puppies need exercise. Daily playing with them with balls and toys, as well as strolls with your puppy will be great exercise, and fun for them as well. Refrain from taking your puppies on public sidewalks until they have their final Parvo booster at 16 weeks. You can provide plenty of exercise for them in your home and yard with a ball and interacting with them. It's a great way to bond with them, too. I strongly discourage bringing Biewer Terriers to dog parks and do NOT recommend it.

Please use a harness rather than a regular collar for your Biewer puppy as the pressure from pulling on a collar may cause damage to their trachea.

Necessary Safety Protocol for Your Biewer Puppy

All puppies are very inquisitive by nature. They want to see, touch, taste, and play with just about anything they see. While teething, they will also chew just about anything they can get their mouths on. Keep all items of value, and, more importantly, anything dangerous to your puppy, up and out of reach.

Take great care about places your puppy can get up on and don’t be fooled into thinking that they are unable to jump or climb onto something, they are determined little sweethearts. Often, once they get up, it is much too high for them to jump safely off. Do not let your puppy up on furniture until they demonstrate they can jump UP upon that sofa or chair. And even then, I recommend area rugs/cushions in front of your furniture to prevent fractures and broken bones.

Be attentive with your puppy around other dogs that are larger than they are and also around very young children. These terriers are little dogs with a great big dog attitude and often show no fear of dogs more significant than they are. Even during friendly play, a large dog can easily hurt such a small one without meaning to.

Toddlers and very young kiddos might think of small puppies as toys; like toys these small dogs can be breakable. For the sake of your new puppy, please always keep them under your close supervision. When you are unable to be with them, keep them in the safe confinement of a crate suitable for a dog of their size or an exercise pen until you can supervise them.