Puppy Advice (merged)

katyk_2

Am rather cautious of letting him off the lead as yet. We did not get him till he was 10 1/2 weeks old and he had had no jabs so we then had over 3 weeks to wait where it was 3 times round the rabbit hutch and not allowed out of the garden. Consequently he has only been allowed out since last Thursday. The biggest thing I did notice was he is incredibly nervous with other dogs, for no apparent reason - at least at first.(got chased a bit by an unfriendly alsation on day 2 outdoors - not actually bitten but didn't do much for his bladder control) First dog he met was a 14 week old lab puppy and I thought what a super first meeting - same size, same age and all she wanted to do was play. He hid behind me and would not come out for love nor money. Thus I fear that if he was off the lead and another dog came along, he would be off like a shot!
He does have an extendable lead though which goes up to 26' maximum so he can run a reasonable bit away from me in the park if he wants.

RooBee

wannabestudent wrote: »

Hiya

We've never owned a dog before but have recently been given a yorkie/border cross puppy.

We've googled everything but found so many conflicting answers we're at a loss for what to do.

Please can you tell us/point us towards the best links for anything at all about a small puppy?

Specifically i'm looking for:
How to collar train them and how long should they walk for to start with
How much/what to feed them (she loves complete dry food - is it alright to keep her on that?)
Is it alright for her to have a little semiskimmed milk?
Which are the best kongs?
Do you really need a crate for a puppy or can you manage without?
How to stop her biting/help her biting? she sometimes 'plays' with our hands and it feels like she's ripping them to shreds. I know she's only 9 weeks old but there has to be a way to encourage her to stop it...?

Thanks

How to collar train.
Start with putting the collar on for just a very short time and then praising and rewarding the puppy lavishly, playing a game etc...the distraction of you fussing and playing will help him get used to wearing the collar whilst learning that fun things happen when he's wearing it.
To get him used to wearing a lead, put a very lightweight one on him and let him trail it around the house and garden (whilst being supervised, naturally).

How long to walk for.
The 5 mins per month of age is a good rule of thumb. Puppies bones and joints are soft and still developing...over exercising at this point can cause long term damage which can affect the dog for life. So, at 4 months, for example, he can have 20 minutes of walks per day. And as much free playing in the house and garden as he wants...this doesn't have to be limited as it is self regulated exercise and he can stop and rest whenever he wants to.

What/how much to feed
Puppies under 12 weeks of age NEED 4 small meals per day. The breeder should have told you what the litter was fed on and how much to feed. From 12 weeks to approx. 6 months, they need 3 meals per day. At around 6 months you will probably find that he starts to leave one meal or eat less over the course of the day which indicates that it is time to cut it down to 3. You can then eventually reduce to 2 meals into adulthood.
What to feed is entirely up to you, really but if you are switching between foods, do so gradually, slowly increasing the ratio of new food to old food over a period of 10 14 days. It is some years since I fed dogs on a commercial diet so I don't feel qualified to recommend foods but would caution against the use of Bakers, Pedigree and the majority of foods sold in supermarkets as they are generally poor quality and full of indigestible fillers....you may as well feed cardboard and wood shavings.

Is it ok to have semi skimmed milk.
In a word, no. Dogs have no need for milk beyond the weaning stage and are lactose intolerant so cows milk is wholely inapropriate for them. Goats milk is better if you feel you MUST give milk but there is absolutely no need at all for it.

How to stop biting/nipping
http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm
Read it, read it, then read it again. Training a puppy/dog to do anything requires 100% consistency from everyone in the household. A behaviour that the dog has no opportunity to practice will soon be extinguished.

Jen151

hello and congrats on the pup sounds adorable!!

a good book to get is 'the dog listener' by jan fennel. it will give you an idea of how to communicate with your pooch and this will make training easier.

i would say no to the milk - its supposed to upset dog's stomachs. on that note, NEVER give your dog chocolate as its poisonous to them.

she will grow out of the play biting - their puppy teeth are needle sharp arent they! i'd go with the advice above of 'yelping' then removing your hand/contact/attention so she doesnt get any reward out of the behaviour

you can get a little soft puppy collar and put it on right away. make sure its not too tight, the usual rule is two fingers should fit between the dog and the neck but this may be a little less with such a small dog.

good luck!

RooBee

Jen151 wrote: »

hello and congrats on the pup sounds adorable!!

a good book to get is 'the dog listener' by jan fennel. it will give you an idea of how to communicate with your pooch and this will make training easier.

i would say no to the milk - its supposed to upset dog's stomachs. on that note, NEVER give your dog chocolate as its poisonous to them.

she will grow out of the play biting - their puppy teeth are needle sharp arent they! i'd go with the advice above of 'yelping' then removing your hand/contact/attention so she doesnt get any reward out of the behaviour

you can get a little soft puppy collar and put it on right away. make sure its not too tight, the usual rule is two fingers should fit between the dog and the neck but this may be a little less with such a small dog.

good luck!

Sorry, but have to disagree strongly with you on that one. Jan Fennel is not a dog trainer of any repute...she teaches a domainance method which was based on flawed theories of wolf pack behaviour. Even the people who developed the theory have admitted that it is outdated and based on flawed methodology. And some of her methods are downright foolhardy and dangerous. The absolute best tip I can give anyone with a puppy is to avoid Jan Fennel like plague...she is an expert at self publicity and not much else.

'The Perfect Puppy' by Gwen Bailey is a good common sense approach to rearing a puppy and gives tips on basic training. If you are interested in learning about dog behaviour, Jean Donaldson's books are a very, very good insight and pretty entertaining to read.

Hawthorn

Cesar Millan books are also a good read I find, and have been helpful to us.
Somebody mentioned dog tags, and putting name/address/phone number on there.
I was advised not to do this, reason being, if you have your address and phone number on, and someone makes off with your dog, or a less than savoury person gets a hold of it, all they have to do is ring your house - you're not in? You're house gets burgled.
Put a mobile number on there instead.

foreign_correspondent

hollydays - the op said her partner would not consider a rescue dog, presumably cos of 'issues' from their pasts - I ws highlighting that there are pups in rescue too, (as well as older dogs) which are likely to be as good a pup as one from a breeder!

butterflylady wrote: »

Thank you for all of the replies.

I would willingly have a rescue dog and take on an older daog. However in the past me OH has had bad experiences with rescue dogs and will not consider one.

suki1964

First off, who gives pups as pets to people not prepared?
(sorry Im not having a pop at you personally, just questioning the thought process behind getting someone else some live as a present)

The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey - New puppy owners bible. Buy it, read it and keep hold of it - you will return to it time after time.

Complete dry food is great, get a good quality food from a pet shop - james welleloved, burns etc . Avoid the supermarket stuff if at all possible other then Waitrose - they stock a very good range of foods.

Collar and lead - buy now. A cheapo canvas/nylon one from Wilkinsons is ideal. Get the one with the clip fastener rather then the buckle as they are much more adjustable for size. I think the lead/collar set for a puppy is around 3 quid. Fit the collar asap (make sure you can slip a finger between neck and collar) and start practicing with the lead a few times a day around the house or garden.

Once pup has had its jabs and is allowed out, then its 5 mins a month walk for every month of its life till 12 months old. So at 12 weeks its a 15 min walk. However school is out as to does this mean just one 15min walk a day or two or three 15 mins. Personally myself and all those dog owners I know have done the 2 or three walks a day. Thi sis on top of playtime in the house and garden and training periods. Believe me, pups are labour intensive and just walking them isnt enough

Also dont allow pup up and down the stairs untill at least a year - ruins the hips and knees

Why would you feed cows milk to a dog? Dogs only need dogs milk Actually dogs soon develop a lactose intolerance so cows milk needs to be avoided but a lot of breeder like to feed at least one milky feed a day so Goats milk can be used - in small amounts mixed with a weetabix . All drinks should be water.

You dont need a crate for a pup as long as you have an area which it can be put out of harms way where it cant do any damage to either itself or your belongings. Some people have a utility room, others make an area under the stairs. My first dog had the huge walk in cupboard in the hall, we took the big doors off and made a half door - rather like a fence that opened when we wanted but kept him penned in a safe place when we were out.

To stop the biting (its normal its how pups play) NEVER let the pup near your hands. When playing , the minute it goes to bite your hands , let out an "ouch" and stop play. Always have a toy for the pup, praise him for playing with the toy and keep the game going. Minute the hands get touched by teeth - games stop. If you have a wee devil who doesnt quite get it and keeps at you, its time to remove him and put him in a safe place away from you for a minute or two to calm down. You may find you are up and down all evening putting pup put the room and letting him back, but pup needs to learn teeth and humans do not mix (Gwen Bailey really does go through this stage in detail)

Best kongs? The one thats the size up from the one recommended for the size of you dog


Sorry if its a long post. I really do recommend getting The Perfect Pup, even though I had gone through the puppy stage with my two , I still returned to it when I fostered a pup

suki1964

15 mins - two or three times a day - with playtime on top else your dog will have you tormented.

Dont do all the walking on footpaths, ;lead walking on concrete is the killer on the joint - but a 10- 15 min walk to the park and then 20 - 30 min play is great.

Now is the time to let him off lead. Hes scared of eeverything right now so wont stray. This is also where you start teaching recall. Let him walk away a feww steps - call him back and treat him. Never go walkies without a pocket full of treats and a favourite toy. Keep on calling him back every once in a while, treat him, sometimes slip the lead on him and walk a few steps before taking it off again, sometimes start a game, sometimes walk the other direction - keep him guessing and keep him forever wanting to come back. 20 mins of this two or three times a day will soon wear him out for you and will keep him from being a bored destructive pup

The retractable lead - Id stop using it. You need to teach him how to walk nicely on a lead and you wont ever get it using one of those (plus they are dangerous when walking along roadsides)

ameliarate

Raksha wrote: »

A 'pre arranged meeting' can have a lot of pressure on the dogs for things to go well - people are watching their every move and suddenly they are the centre of attention. Would your neighbours take the puppy in the garden on lead while you play with your dog? Let her know that good things happen when the puppy is around.......

Thank you, this happened quite "spontaneously" last night, I saw the neighbour in the garden so took my dog out on her lead along with some treats. It went quite well but I can see that it will take some time.

rnr1975

I agree with ALL the posts for rescue dogs, rescue every time.

we rescued a rottie at 18 months and while yes, he does have issues, we are working through them. He is such a loving dog and all this love could have gone to waste. it should be a crime not to love dogs back.

if your OH has had problems with rescue dogs before, could it be due to his training technique? if it is, this could be a problem regardless of where you get a dog or puppy from. (OH, please don't take that the wrong way)

i would highly recommend a rescue dog and research a good trainer to help you out right from the begining. we tried barkbusters first and they DID NOT help, but there are many others and we have not given up. also read what you can about bringing a dog into your home for the first time, so you start on the right foot. i WISH i had!!!

i also agree with morph3us and the go for a look. i was a cat lover and that was what my husband told me!!! but i wouldn't change things for the world.

come on girl, use your femanine powers of persuasion and rescue a bundle of love.