New Puppy - Day Three

[Odin's Momma]

Okay guys, I have ALOT of questions, so if no one has the time to answer any of them, or if no one has any advice, I'll completely understand!

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out

 

PS: I hope it's okay to post this here, I know she's not a BC (well, I don't think she is anyway but then I don't know 100% WHAT she is!) I just don't know if I can handle raising a puppy without my fellow BCBers to help me out!

 

#1 - Are dandelions poisonous to dogs?

Cause if they are, I think I should start worrying! Whenever I take her out to pee she's more interested in eating grass and beheading dandelions. And I'm not talking an occational nibble here and there like a regular dog. I'm talking Mmmm SALAD! *munch munch munch*

 

#2 - How do I get her to just PEE?

When I take her to pee, right away she lays down in the grass and starts eating (good thing there are no pesticides or weed control chemicals used here!) Then when she's done of that she wants to play. If I stand in one spot and hold the leash firm, she proceeds to eat the leash. Now usually when she chews something she's not supposed to be chewing I take it from her, give her a firm but gentle "no" and give her a toy instead. But then that just distracts her from peeing even more! HELP!

 

#3 - She whines for people food, should I just ingore her?

She's only seen us eating twice now, but both times she's started to whine. We've been ignoring her and his works pretty well, both times she whined for a few seconds then gave up and went for a nap. I guess begging for food is tiring for her! Anyway, should I just keep doing it this way, or is there a better method I should try?

 

#4 - Is she eating too much?

With Odin, we couldn't get him to eat, even as a puppy it was always a struggle. No struggle with the new one! I usually offer her some food after she comes back from her pee (not every time though), and she chows down like there's no tomorrow! About twice a day she goes through two handfuls of kibble and then about half that much the rest of the time. Is this normal?

 

#5 - Is there any way to tell how old she is and what mix she could be?

It doesn't need to be precise, but I'd like to have a rough estimate of her age so I know when to get her spayed. It's hard to say from her size because we don't really know what breed(s) she is. We were told she was a "husky mix, I think, about six weeks old but I'm not sure". We got Odin when he was 12 weeks old and she's almost as big now as he was then, but she naps alot more than he did, so I'm thinking she's younger. Any ideas? Here's a pic:

 

#6 - I read that I should let her and Odin work out their differences, is this right?

They don't really have differences, they get along quite well, but just in case, I'd like to know. If she yanks on his ear too hard, should I just let him correct her? This is what I've been doing and he hasn't been rough with her yet. I think he understands that she's a puppy.

 

#7 - Is she too young/small for "rough" (ish) play with Odin?

 

#8 - Is it better to keep (non-dangerous) things out of sight, or to let them in sight and correct her when she tries to play it them?

Like shoes for example.

 

#9 - What to do when she insists on chewing the metal leg of our table instead of chewing on her toy?

Usually when she's playing with something she's not supposed to, I say "no" and give her her toy, but sometimes she's stubborn and goes right back to chewing the other thing.

 

#10 - She randomly barks sometimes, what the heck is she doing? LOL!

Sometimes she'll be rolling around on the floor and just let one out: ARF! She also barks at her toys. I want to teach her "quiet" the way I did with Odin, should do so when she does this?

 

#11 - If she barks or whines, should I ignore her or correct her? If correction is the way to go, which method do you suggest?

 

Thanks again!

[painted_ponies]

#1 - No. Dandelion greens are very tasty in salad - a little like arugula.

#2 - Take her out for a couple of minutes. If she doesn't pee, bring her in and crate her for a little while and then try again.

#3 Yes.

#4 What does the food bag say about recommended amounts?

#5 Your vet may be able to tell her approx age from her teeth. And folks here are pretty adept at playing guess the breed.

#6 Yes, unless you're afraid he'll hurt her. Sounds like he's doing a fine job.

 

Sorry - can't keep scrolling down to find the right numbers. Anyway, I think I'd just keep her and Odin under supervision and remove her if you think things are getting too rough. Puppies are pretty tough. I try my best to ignore behavior I don't want to see more of. If I keep seeing more of it despite ignoring it, then I correct it. And I think at her age it's best to keep temptation, like shoes, etc. out of sight for awhile. She's a cutie.

[Odin's Momma]

Woo! Thanks for the answers! I'm doing pretty well then! :D

 

BIG relief about the dandelions! I just don't know why she likes flora so much! Maybe THAT's what I should have called her! LOL!

 

The bag of food recommends 1/3 - 2/3 of a cup for puppies ages 1.5-3 months.

 

Is nutrience a decent brand of food btw? It's hard to get good food here in the boonies

[vickim]

That's going to be ahuge dog! Just look at those paws! She is a beautiful dog, though! Good luck puppy raising!

[Laurae]

Boyoboy is this pup CUTE

#1 - Are dandelions poisonous to dogs?

I've never heard that they are, and a quick look at the ASPCA list of top 10 poisonous plants doesn't list dandelions.

 

#2 - How do I get her to just PEE?

Walk with her a little. Remember, she has the attention span of a gnat right now--moving will promote the physical urges of both peeing and pooping.

 

#3 - She whines for people food, should I just ingore her?

Yup. You've already noticed this is working to extinguish the begging behavior--it's a great example of an activity where the best course of action is "reward the behavior you want to see more of, ignore the behavior you want to see less of."

 

#4 - Is she eating too much?

Right now, I might let her eat what she wants to eat see if she lets you know how much is enough. She looks pretty young. As a pup, Sophie was like Odin, but Taz was like your little...um, Eve? Bree? Taz was always ravenous, but if I learned that if he ate more than x amount, he would have horrible diarrhea. So, through trial and error, I fed him as much as he would eat without getting diarrhea. Taz was also a skinny pup, though (after he went through his "roly poly puppy" stage), so this is what worked best for us. As your pup grows, you can adjust. I like to keep a pup on the lean side anyway in an effort to stress joints less and try to promote even growth.

 

#5 - Is there any way to tell how old she is and what mix she could be?

Your vet should be able to give you an approximation based on her teeth. As to breed, I think she's just too young right now for me to tell, but others with more experience may be able to hazard a guess.

 

#6 - I read that I should let her and Odin work out their differences, is this right?

I'd do this only insofar as Odin is appropriate with her. Your pup is small and this is a really important time in shaping her personality. It is your responsibility to keep her out of danger. That said, it sounds as though Odin is being completely appropriate with her . Just keep an eye on them, and separate them if anything looks like it may get out of hand.

 

#7 - Is she too young/small for "rough" (ish) play with Odin?

Again, as long as Odin is careful and mindful that she is smaller and more delicate, they should be okay--but I'd supervise. Sophie used to lay on her back to play with Taz when he was a baby puppy. That allowed Taz to jump in and out of the action at his pace--and they have been the very best of friends ever since.

 

#8 - Is it better to keep (non-dangerous) things out of sight, or to let them in sight and correct her when she tries to play it them?

I'd try to set your pup up for success--keep her area as free from anything you don't want her to explore (and pups explore everything with their mouths) as possible.

 

#9 - What to do when she insists on chewing the metal leg of our table instead of chewing on her toy?

Just keep redirecting to appropriate chewtoys and limiting access to off-limits items. Physically remove her from the table if she keeps wanting to chew the leg--go to another room, or part of the room, or put her in an ex pen or crate, along with lots of approved chewtoys.

#10 - She randomly barks sometimes, what the heck is she doing? LOL!

Tazzy has always done this, too. I allow it outside, but discourage it indoors.

 

#11 - If she barks or whines, should I ignore her or correct her? If correction is the way to go, which method do you suggest?

I think it depends on the reason she is barking or whining, but most attention-getting behavior will extinguish if you consistently ignore her while she's doing it. This is most effective with baby puppies, so they cannot build up a history of being rewarded for vocalizing, but also can be very difficult with pups, since you do not want to discourage her letting you know she has to go out to pee or poop. Once she develops clear elimination signals and you both get a sense of routine, it'll be a bit easier.

[Odin's Momma]

Laura, thanks for such thorough answers!! This thread is really helping me alot. Reading information from a book is good, but it's so much better when you can ask specific questions!!

[PSmitty]

1) No.

 

2) I would put her on the leash and keep her moving, don't let her lie down if you want her to pee. Start teaching her a command for it, like "go pee or potty" (how original). Anyway, start saying that as she's walking around, and then when she does go, you say "yay! good pee or potty". Give her a treat, too. This way she knows that peeing outside equals good things. Eventually, you can hurry her along with the command, if she's just sniffing or eating grass.

 

3) Ignore her. And if you don't want a begging dog, don't ever feed her from your plate or table.

 

4) At her age, I'd feed her three times a day. In a couple of months, cut it back to twice a day. You can go by the recommendations on the bag, and divide the total daily allowance into three meals. I do not recommend free feeding.

 

5) Teeth are the best way to tell a dogs age. You can look up some info online until you get to the vet, but the vet will be able to give a good estimate when you see him/her. As for breed, I'm still guessing aussie/lab.

 

6) Yes, let her and Odin work things out. Make sure he's not too rough with her and make sure she's not annoying him too much. The rest should work itself out.

 

7) No, just monitor it. I would not leave them alone at this stage.

 

8) I would keep things you don't want her to have out of her reach. If she does get something she shouldn't have, take it away and replace it with something appropriate.

 

9) See above. Yes, I agree with saying "no", too. If she won't leave it alone, move her away from it. She will need good chew toys during the teething stage, BTW, Kongs and the like will be a lifesaver.

 

10) Sounds like she's being a puppy! Little barks and play growls are normal, even at her toys.

 

11) See above. Whining and barking are part of being a puppy. Anything excessive, of course you can start to teach her a "quiet" command. But to me, she's a dog, some whining and barking just comes with the package.

 

Above all, be patient with her. Give her time to settle in and time to bond with you all. Don't expect too much out of her too soon. Have fun and enjoy, puppyhood goes by fast!

[Odin's Momma]

Thanks Paula! Your're so right about puppyhood going fast!! Just this past spring Odin became a grown up all of a sudden. Maybe that's another reason we wanted to get another pup!

[Kyrasmom]

Isn't puppyhood fun!!! Actually it's so precious and we're kind of going through it all over again as well with Wenty...so here goes.

 

1. No, dandelions shouldn't be a problem, my dogs go through them as well and at worst they'll chuck grass back up but I never worry about it.

 

2. A Pee Schedule can be tricky but usually isn't that hard as puppies pee a lot!! I've had great success with getting them out after every nap, extended play, and of course meal and taking them back to the exact same spot they pee'd (or poo'd) in previously. Those odors do help in reminding them of the job at hand.

 

3. Yes, just ignore her and if she goes off to sleep somewhere, that's perfect! It's really important that the whining never work!

 

4. I feed young puppies (7/8 weeks) three times a day if they can't be free fed, adolescents twice a day, and adults once. A feeding schedule will also be really helpful with the housebreaking. When I do feed though (the puppies - not the adults) I fill the bowl and let them get full. When they stop and go elsewhere, I pull it up. With adults I measure food.

 

5. The vet should be able to give you a good idea of her age from her teeth, that would be my best advice.

 

6. Yes, Odin should be able to correct her fairly. Most adults are lenient with small pups and then begin to correct them more and more as they get older and more playful. Don't be surprised if during a correction the pup will squeal as if it's being killed....even if it's not even being touched. They can be very dramatic. Obviously, it's up to you to ensure that Odin's corrections are fair...but it sounds as if they're fine.

 

7. I've always let little puppies interact with my good adults without any issue...usually it's the puppy who wears out the adult. They're pretty tough. Sometimes I will intervene if I feel they are getting too "worked up" and they both end up in that "glazed eye demonic play phase".

 

8. I pick shoes up, simply because it's so easy and in a household there are usually too many of them. Keep in mind that if they're on the floor, it's really hard for a pup to distinguish between her toy and something that may smell equally attractive! Maybe it's a cop out, but I pick my battles and shoes get put up. Once the pups reach 5-6 months, I usually let shoes down...though I've got a 3 year old that still searches for bras....

 

9. That would be a battle I would pick, you just have to be consistent. Could be she learns that by chewing on the table leg she also gets YOUR attention so distract her to elsewhere.

 

10/11. She's a dog and vocalizing while playing is part of playing. If a dog barks a lot, and I'm fortunate to not have big barkers, I go back to distractions and getting them to do something else. Consistent barking at nothing, or the neighbor, or the bike, is just a sign of boredom and a hint that we need to keep them busier. But barking while playing...it's like kids yelling at the park....

 

My best advice...enjoy her and take tons of photos...one day she'll be a perfect adult and you'll miss the craziness.

She's so cute!

Maria

 

 

 

Okay guys, I have ALOT of questions, so if no one has the time to answer any of them, or if no one has any advice, I'll completely understand!

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out

 

PS: I hope it's okay to post this here, I know she's not a BC (well, I don't think she is anyway but then I don't know 100% WHAT she is!) I just don't know if I can handle raising a puppy without my fellow BCBers to help me out!

 

#1 - Are dandelions poisonous to dogs?

Cause if they are, I think I should start worrying! Whenever I take her out to pee she's more interested in eating grass and beheading dandelions. And I'm not talking an occational nibble here and there like a regular dog. I'm talking Mmmm SALAD! *munch munch munch*

 

#2 - How do I get her to just PEE?

When I take her to pee, right away she lays down in the grass and starts eating (good thing there are no pesticides or weed control chemicals used here!) Then when she's done of that she wants to play. If I stand in one spot and hold the leash firm, she proceeds to eat the leash. Now usually when she chews something she's not supposed to be chewing I take it from her, give her a firm but gentle "no" and give her a toy instead. But then that just distracts her from peeing even more! HELP!

 

#3 - She whines for people food, should I just ingore her?

She's only seen us eating twice now, but both times she's started to whine. We've been ignoring her and his works pretty well, both times she whined for a few seconds then gave up and went for a nap. I guess begging for food is tiring for her! Anyway, should I just keep doing it this way, or is there a better method I should try?

 

#4 - Is she eating too much?

With Odin, we couldn't get him to eat, even as a puppy it was always a struggle. No struggle with the new one! I usually offer her some food after she comes back from her pee (not every time though), and she chows down like there's no tomorrow! About twice a day she goes through two handfuls of kibble and then about half that much the rest of the time. Is this normal?

 

#5 - Is there any way to tell how old she is and what mix she could be?

It doesn't need to be precise, but I'd like to have a rough estimate of her age so I know when to get her spayed. It's hard to say from her size because we don't really know what breed(s) she is. We were told she was a "husky mix, I think, about six weeks old but I'm not sure". We got Odin when he was 12 weeks old and she's almost as big now as he was then, but she naps alot more than he did, so I'm thinking she's younger. Any ideas? Here's a pic:

 

#6 - I read that I should let her and Odin work out their differences, is this right?

They don't really have differences, they get along quite well, but just in case, I'd like to know. If she yanks on his ear too hard, should I just let him correct her? This is what I've been doing and he hasn't been rough with her yet. I think he understands that she's a puppy.

 

#7 - Is she too young/small for "rough" (ish) play with Odin?

 

#8 - Is it better to keep (non-dangerous) things out of sight, or to let them in sight and correct her when she tries to play it them?

Like shoes for example.

 

#9 - What to do when she insists on chewing the metal leg of our table instead of chewing on her toy?

Usually when she's playing with something she's not supposed to, I say "no" and give her her toy, but sometimes she's stubborn and goes right back to chewing the other thing.

 

#10 - She randomly barks sometimes, what the heck is she doing? LOL!

Sometimes she'll be rolling around on the floor and just let one out: ARF! She also barks at her toys. I want to teach her "quiet" the way I did with Odin, should do so when she does this?

 

#11 - If she barks or whines, should I ignore her or correct her? If correction is the way to go, which method do you suggest?

 

Thanks again!

[Odin's Momma]

Thanks Maria!!

[shelb'smum]

O Gosh isn't she so cute,

it looks like you got some great answers and I have nothing to add to them..

 

OTHER then she looks like she is going to be big, but I also thought my Shelby was going to be..... and here she is almost a year old and lucky to weigh 45 pounds

 

What a cutie!! have fun!

[Journey]

Any chance you could get the collar she's wearing "off" and a more appropriate puppy collar on? I cringe when I see metal choke collars any more especially with a pup.

 

Karen

[Laurae]

Any chance you could get the collar she's wearing "off" and a more appropriate puppy collar on? I cringe when I see metal choke collars any more especially with a pup.

 

Ditto.

[RaisingRiver]

From her first post about the puppy. So, choker is off, picture is 'old'.

 

Oh and about the collar, she was wearing it when I got her and it didn't clue in at first, but then I was like . . . wth? and took it off, but it wasn't easy, let me tell you. It was way too small for her and DH had to use wire cutters to cut through one of the rings to remove it.

[Laurae]

 

Excellent. Sorry to have jumped to conclusions.

[Odin's Momma]

Yes, the picture is "old", as I said in the first post about my new girl, the puppy had the collar on when I got her from that horrid woman.

 

Aside from the fact that there is no need for such a collar - not only was it on wrong, but it was way too small for her and had to be removed with wire cutters That's why she still had it on in the pictures, we actually had to buy a pair of wire cutters to get it off!

 

Can you imagine if she had gotten lost while her first(?) owner had her? *cringe*

[Kyrasmom]

That is just wrong! I love puppy collars with little bells...so that we know if they're up to something or even just moving about! I often have foster pups so knowing where they are is always important! It's also good for catching them right when they wake up after a nap.

 

Maria

[Guest LJS1993]

Thank god that choke collar is off!!!!!!!!! That is absurd.

[Bo Peep]

choke collars are for training and then they should be removed. Good girl- pat pat- I always use the "go potty" thing. Maybe I look like an idiot, but it works, and my girls would always squat when I said "go potty"- I couldn't see if they were doing anything but they made the effort. I think that sometimes that they think "squat" meant "go potty" LOL.

My Boy- on the other hand is quite a handful- what a difference. When he starts to chew up something he's not- I say NO and distract him with one of his "it's ok to chew" toys. We have so many problems to list, so I can't be of much help. I can only tell you what worked for me in the past. As long as you have plenty of "Their" toys, they will most likely stay away from yours. Hope I helped a tad bit.

[Devi]

#5: Canine Heritage Breed Test!!

 

Good luck with your pupper!!!

[Journey]

Yes, the picture is "old", as I said in the first post about my new girl, the puppy had the collar on when I got her from that horrid woman.

 

Aside from the fact that there is no need for such a collar - not only was it on wrong, but it was way too small for her and had to be removed with wire cutters That's why she still had it on in the pictures, we actually had to buy a pair of wire cutters to get it off!

 

Can you imagine if she had gotten lost while her first(?) owner had her? *cringe*

 

Sorry, I too must have missed the first post about her! Poor puppers having to have it cut off...she's a doll!

 

Karen