Important Tips For Raising Your Chesapeake Copyright © 1990 Gary & Dorene Irish Irish’s Clover Leaf Kennel Brush the Chesapeake using a flexible rubber curry brush or glove. A wire or slicker brush will remove the dog’s protective undercoat. To give the coat a general cleaning,, wet the coat with plain water then rub with towels and repeat. The dirt will come off on the towels. You can also rub with a wet towel on a dry coat. Do not shampoo a Chesapeake unless they have gotten into something that smells bad. Shampoo will remove the oil from the coat and skin. This will cause shedding and dry skin. I f you must shampoo, use as little shampoo as possible by diluting with water before using. Be sure to rinse all of the shampoo out of the coat. Follow with a conditioner, making sure that it gets down onto the skin. We like to use “Mane & Tail” shampoo and conditioner made by Straight Arrow. You could also use any mild moisturizing shampoo and conditioner formulated for dogs. Make a habit of taking your pups food and toys away from him. If he ever shows any aggression, give a stern correction, wait a minute then return the toy or food. Have everyone in the family do this. Continue this until he is at least a year old. Get your pup used to having his feet and mouth handled early while he is small enough to control. You can do this by pretending to trim his nails every day until he learns to tolerate this. You can do mouth training just by lifting his lips to look at his teeth. Do not give your pup any toys that he can chew apart. Toys that are not safe are socks, rawhide, pig ears, or any squeaky toys. We recommend giving safe toys such as Kong toys, Nylabones, Plaque Attackers, processed sterilized bones (never give your dog bones that are leftover from your meals). Bones from home as well as the unsafe toys mentioned can cause intestinal blockage that can be fatal. Never leave your dog’s collar on him while he is in a crate. It could get caught and choke him. A fat puppy is not a healthy puppy. You should always be able to feel their ribs by applying light pressure to them but you should not be able to see them. Excess weight can cause stress to the developing bone structure. WARNING: Do not use the landscape mulch that is made from the coco plant. It contains the same toxic chemical as chocolate.