new pups 3 questions

[an63lu5]

hi everyone. i found when i owned a cockateil that message boards were the fastest way to gain access to answers, and so here i find myself with border collie pups.

 

quick background. live in a house with 4, my g/f really close male friends X2 (so 4 of us) close friend (we'll call him matt) and i purchased 2 border collie pups. They are sisters from the same litter. about 6 weeks old, we have had them since saturday, so only spent 2 nights with us so far.

 

q1) currently i am not working, so i am the person both pups see, i am trying not too too much, but i am establishing with maiya (my pup) that we are owner and puppy, while makaiybe is matts dog. should i take maiya away from her sister more often, so that we can build this relationship up personally, without the two of them being around?

 

q2) agressive (to me anyway) playing. being sisters i would assume already that they get on well enough to live together. but i have been watching them and although they look like they are playing, it does seem to get rough, and today i her maiya cry yelp, after i broke them up, maiya was limping considerably and yelping each movement. i put her on my lap and moved her leg and paw around (saw a vet do it once) and she didn't compain a bit, but when she walked she did. after taking her to the park she walked it off so i can only assume that it was one of those 'it hurts now but no damage done' things. the question then is how do i stop the rough play and allow them to play together. it would seem they both want to establish a little dominance, being from the same family, but i feel now that maiya is going to be incredibly submissive around her sister now because of it.

 

q3) and my last question is this. obviously it is going to take time to adjust for the pups, that i am not worried about. first night they both cried and yelped and with 1 hour sleep in 2 days, i felt it. last night however, i gave them a bedtime rather than allowing them to choose it. I ran them around the backyard for 15 odd minutes, just to ensure they were a little more tired, and then turned all lights off and closed access into the house. maiya went over to the bed and laid down, makaibe started yelping. i let it go for 20 minutes, and it wasn't as bad as the first night, it was on and off and then on for a good 7 or so minutes. when she stopped i went out, maiya was a asleep. i stopped makaibe from yelping with some stern 'no's and a tap on her snout, she understood. but! what we have found is that she will cry for anyhting, cry when she is happy, when she is sad. they slept very well from 10:30 till 6 am. but then makaibe started again. and then when she saw me she got worse. how can we discourage this constant crying and whimpering.

 

i am sorry those posts took so long, but at the moment that is the only problems we are having.

 

thanks in advance

Bret

[Meg's mum]

Others who know more will answer soon, but I can speak to some things that are obvious.

 

1) Your puppies are puppies were a little too young to have been taken away from their mother. You are going to have crying and yelping problems - their mother would still be comforting them at this age.

 

2) The litter mates will need to be separated a bit to keep them from bonding to each other and not the two of you.

 

3) The aggressive playing and yelping in response is how the puppies learn what can be tolerated and what can't. To some degree you want them to give each other feedback, but you'll have to watch to be sure that one is not brutalizing the other into submission.

 

4) These little ones will need immense care for the next six weeks and you are going to need all the advice this board can muster. Use the search function. It isn't perfect but you will learn a lot.

 

5) Please transfer what you learn to others in the house so that the pups have the best chance.

 

This is the best source I know of for the breed. And this breed needs more help than most, because they are simply not like any other dog.

 

Best wishes for your pack. Please post pictures and names and keep in close touch.

[karrie]

Sorry this is 2 am for me so I hope what I write is clear.

 

Bedtime: First off are they in a crate? If so get a nice thick fleecy blanket or Huge teddy bear ( mite wanna remove the eyes and nose yourself cause they will be removed and you don't want them to eat that or choke). Now keep that next to your body as much as possible ( stinkier the better) put that in with the pups. Sam loved his Teddy and didn't cry once for his litter mates. It will help them keep warm and comfort them like being in a pile of warm pups.

 

I second do searches on the board. There is tons of info here.

[AWQH]

I cannot help in most of the issues, but try an old loud ticking alarm clock near them while they are supposed to be sleeping. It comforts them. Sounds like a heartbeat to them.

 

 

Dianne

 

 

Hondo (BC)

Tango (BC)

Riata (Catahoula cross)

[Beth G]

I crate my two pups too but what I did was to sleep next to the crate and sternly tell them no when they cried and the moment they stopped I praised them. It only took one night to train that.

 

I let them teach each other the bite inhibition but I have read(not sure if it is true or not) that pups taken away from their mom that early(at 6 wks) never properly learn bite inhibition and so we have to teach it to them. But your other pup might be able to teach him. Not sure. Since they were both taken away from mom so young??

 

When they get real rough with each other you do need to intevene though since you are pack leader. This lets them know that you will not tolerate any aggressive stuff.