So now you bought a puppy. This is a big responsibility, and you will need to pay attention to (amongst others) the following items:

Sleeping Place:
   The puppy needs a warm sheltered place that is his own. The puppy must be safe and be able to get away from other dogs. The shelter should be close enough to the house to enable the puppy to get attention from his./her new owner.

Food:
   The puppy needs fresh water available 24 hours a day. As he has just been weaned he will need small amounts of food 3 times a day. The food needs to be the kind specially developed for puppies. The food needs to help him grow and support his bone structue.

   Please prepare only enough food for him to eat at one meal, preferably wet food. The amount of food must be increased gradually once a week as the puppy's nutritional needs increase. Do not overfeed the puppy as this will cause diarrhoea.

Attention:
   A small puppy needs a lot of sleep and rest. When he is awake please give him/her lots of attention, this will help him to form a bond with you, enabling him to understand you and better listen to your commands. This will allow you to train him in a more relaxed and positive manner.  

   As time goes on the puppy will begin to understand the basic commands you give and you can slowly increase their complexity, until he is really your right hand (at least when it comes to sheep!).

Potty Training:
   This needs to be approched gently in a positive and friendly manner. If the puppy is to live outdoors, he will choose a specific spot do do his business. Try allow the puppy to always go to the same place.

   If he is indoors, the first thing he will want to do after waking up is to empty his bladder. Place him on the same spot every time, preferably on some grass near the house. He should form an accociation with that place and doing his business. It is important to do this from the beginning as these habits will be difficult to break, once they have formed.

Excercise:
   A small puppy must not be forced to do too much exercise. He will regulate his own exercise and will take a nap when he is tired. As he gets older, he will be capable of more exercise and should have enough space to run.

Basic Training:
   This needs to start as soon as you receive the puppy. At a most basic level he needs to know his name after that, start with teaching him to get used to a collar / something around his neck. Use a light leather collar that fits with enough free space around. Place him on a leash for very short periods. Do not over strain him, as his attention span is very short, and will increase as he gets older.

Other training a small puppy can be taught, needs to include recall, potty training, up to a 3 min "stay" and a basic "down".

Inoculations and de-worming:
   Please follow the advice of your vet. But a general guide will be to de-worm your puppy once every 3 months or so. Increase the de-worming rate if there are more than 2 dogs in the yard.

    Regarding inoculations, please make sure your puppy gets his 6-week shots, and then again boosters at 3 months, 4 months and yearly thereafter. This is especially important if the puppy is to stay near or in a urban area where he/she will have contact with other animals.

   Please bath the dog regularly with a recomended puppy dip (please speak to your vet), and prevent fleas with a powder and NOT a flea collar, as the puppy may poison himself while playing with it.