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Got my pup...


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...and he is the cutest thing in the world.(ok... i may be a little biased.)

 

His name is Jinx and his birthday is July 14th so he's almost 9 weeks.

 

Poor boy got carsick on the drive home... it was a LOOOOONG drive. He was doing soo well, then we got to a very windy steep part of a pass through Yosemite and the poor boy puked. Can't really blame him though... I tried to drive fairly slow. Other than that though he just slept the whole way, except for when he was staring at me with very sad puppy eyes. (5 hours)

 

How much food do you give a puppy?(cups or calories) I know it all depends on the dog and what works for the dog... but I need something to start with and I can adjust it. I'm feeding RedPaw 26k.

 

 

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I think he looks a lot like your new pup. But with sad floppy ears :(

 

All his toes are white, I love it. And he has a white chin too.

 

He seems like a very happy, wiggly boy. He's never worn a collar and leash though and he fights the leash if I want to go somewhere and he's not ready... but off the leash he'll just follow me.

 

Anyone have advice on how to teach a puppy to go down stairs? He'll go up the stairs but he just whines if I'm at the bottom trying to coax him down(but I've also only tried this once.)

 

He also seems to be a very outgoing pup. When I met him he ran straight up to me wagging and jumping up on me to play, then rolled right over for some belly rubs

 

I just learned that he likes all sorts of toys and he likes chasing balls! So far he even enjoys me brushing him.

 

I know this is the honeymoon phase but so far he's everything I wanted in a BC

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Oh, and for leash training . . .

 

Time will make a big difference there, too. So many big changes going on in this little fellow's life, and most pups (and older dogs just being introduced to the leas) don't like leashes.

 

Two suggestions.

 

1) Leave the leash on him and let him drag it around to get used to it.

 

2) Make experiences on the leash positive things. Give him a yummy treat and a "Good boy!" when you put it on. Don't tug or pull him around using the leash. Cajole him into going into the same direction you're going with treats, toys or play. Praise & treat him when he moves forward. Ignore him if he pulls back or resists. Just give him some slack and entice him to move forward again. Keep the training sessions short and fun. Always end on a positive note, when he's moved forward with you willingly.

 

Good luck . . . and be patient. He's just a baby.

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Thanks for all the advice! I think I actually figured out how to overcome the stairs with him. We haven't done the whole flight of stairs yet but we've done a few. I don't blame him though... the stairs are steep and he's going down head first, I'd be scared too. We've already gotten up to about 5 stairs. I started instead of putting him on the top stair(which is what I did the first time and I realised that was probably not the best option) I put him on the second stair from the bottom then walked away. He whined a couple times then came down and I gave him lots of praise. Then I tried it again adding stairs. It seems to be working.

 

He seems to be getting used to the leash as well now too. I just walk slower and he follows, I think it's when the leash is taut that he doesn't want to move.(yesterday was his first time with a leash and collar on.) He's great so far. He sits when I go to him to pet him, he sits when I go to put the leash on him, sits when he greats new people. Sitting(so far) seems to be his default behaviour.

 

I think I may have trouble finding a food treat that he really likes, or he's just weird and likes kibble better than liver. Turns his nose up at freeze dried liver. Still going to try cheese and cooked meat. Doesn't like bully sticks(yet) but likes cow tracheas. Loves all sorts of toys. I was tossing a ball and frisbee for him last night(only about 5 feet) He would bring me back one and I would throw the next. And then we stopped before he got over it.

 

We did already have a bit of conflict over the cow trachea though. I went to take it from him and he growled at me and did this odd hopping/pouncing nipping thing. He didn't bite but I will not put up with that kind of behaviour towards me. I immediately scruffed him, growled fairly viciously(I'm a weirdo, I know)(hope it wasn't too much of an overreaction) But he has no problem with me taking his bull trachea away from him now. All it took was that one time.

 

Ok... so I don't know if this was right or not. I know you're not supposed to let the dog out of the crate or pen when they whine... But he woke me up at about 545 this morning(last time he went potty was 1 am) whining, so I took him out to go potty and he went. Did I do the right thing taking him out or should I not have because he was whining?

 

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Yeah, reducing the number of stairs he has to negotiate was a great thing! I'd forgotten to mention that. :P

 

The scruff shake and menacing growl may have been heavy handed for a first -- and baby -- offense, imo. But what's done is done. Now when you practice taking things from him (and that is something I'd do quite often), you might consider what's known as "trading up", which is offering him something even better than what he has (w/ some dogs, it can just be something different than what he has), praising and rewarding him as soon as he lets go of what he had originally. Also add a cue. I use "Give.' As he gets better with giving things to you, do practice sessions where you ask for it and then give it back to him. That way he knows that you're not out to steal his stuff and will usually give it back, so he won't be as likely to feel the need to guard it.

 

I think you did exactly the right thing when he whined early this morning. Great pup to let you know that he had to go out.

 

He may figure out that whining gets him out of the crate, so best to put him back in, at least for awhile, if he's gotten out to go potty. You can let him out a few minutes later if he's quiet.

 

Also, if he's whining when you know he shouldn't have to go potty, then that's when you don't give in to it. But for now, until he's reliably house trained, whining to go out should be respected. Better a false alarm than an accident. And if it is a false alarm, just put him back in the crate right away.

 

Sounds like you've got a pretty sharp little guy there. :)

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When they are that age, I usually let them out to potty, but not to play; If he were not to pee when you let him out, than I would have put him right back in.

 

I find that they will whine for a potty break until about 16 weeks. Use your common sense and if you think it has been the right number of hours, he probably has to potty

 

Cynthia

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Congrats on your new pup. Cute boy!

 

I agree with the advice given above.

 

Regarding the kibble treats: Go with it. If he likes it (the kibble as a treat), give it to him. If he thinks that kibble is the best thing to come down the pike, Yay! That will save you a lot of money as compared to the expensive stuff. My boy loved kibble too when he was a pup. He will still eat kibble, but now that he has also had many other, more tasty treats, the kibble is lower value. One thing I used to do is to cute up a hot dog into treat-sized bits, then mix with some kibble (maybe 1:1) and let it sit for a while. The taste of the hot dog will transfer to the kibble.

 

Jovi

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I do 'trail mix' like Jovi, except I use cheerios, (the Target brand, even more economical) and mix in something that smells strongly. I don't really have to do that for long, all my dogs have been toastee-o lovers.

 

I pull out something special for first time training of something challenging, or for when I think Gibbs might be a little intimidated. That's the time for tiny pieces of balance roll or cheese or chicken.

 

And as for the response to his growling at you, I do think it was a bit over the top. As you say, it's over now. For a puppy, brand-new to your home and you, I'd think just a 'hey! cut that out!' if you want to be clear from the beginning is going to be just as effective and won't leave him worried about your unpredictability. If he grew up with other puppies, he was only doing what he had done before when one of them took something from him. As you say, you don't want him to threaten you at all, but you're about 200 times his size and you have a much bigger brain. If he's got a soft personality, you'll need to figure out a different way to handle this type of thing.

 

And, OMG, he's freakin' adorable!

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

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Anyone have advice on how to teach a puppy to go down stairs? He'll go up the stairs but he just whines if I'm at the bottom trying to coax him down(but I've also only tried this once.)

My wife told me a funny story about that. In the shared student apartment she lived were some pretty steep stairs. And one of the younger dogs really didn´t want to go down that thing. So the owner thought it might be a good idea to go down on all fours, and show the dog that it wasn´t scary or difficult at all....

To find out that is was both scary and difficult; she couldn´t do it :lol: .

The dog learned to do it eventually (the owner didn´t).

 

NB. Cute puppy!

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. And one of the younger dogs really didn´t want to go down that thing. So the owner thought it might be a good idea to go down on all fours, and show the dog that it wasn´t scary or difficult at all....

To find out that is was both scary and difficult; she couldn´t do it :lol: .

The dog learned to do it eventually (the owner didn´t).

LOL.

 

Yes, it is very illuminating to get down on the dog's level and/or try to do the same things that a dog can do effortlessly.

 

Since I run my dog in agility, I decided to walk over the teeter. I was successful, but it took me about 4-6 times longer than for a dog. I have not tried the DW after I heard that someone who did attempt the DW broke it (the DW is not meant to take the weight of the average adult 2-legged male). And the A-frame is so steep, I would probably have to crawl up it (i.e. all fours). As they say, (paraphrase) don't complain until you have walked in someone's shoes (paws).

 

Jovi

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Three days in and he is a VERY pushy puppy. He absolutely loves toys and can entertain himself with a toy very well.

 

I actually remember when I was a child(6-7?) and would act like a dog-weird, I know-and would try to go down the stairs like a dog... it was definitely scary and not easy.

 

Heard the beginning of a growl at me when he had his bully stick yesterday, but seemed to rethink it when he saw I had another one for him. Then he decided today that it might be fun to give me the bully stick to play with me.

 

So far he sleeps through most of the night... I was expecting to be up every couple hours to let him out. And he makes a very punctual alarm clock. 5:45 both mornings so far. He goes out to go pee then we have some playtime and cuddles then food. Today he got really excited and did a couple laps around the living room and tried to play with the landlords 12 year old golden, who was not having it. I called him off and he left her alone.

 

Poor boy had a run in with the screen door and sounded like somebody was killing him. Just ran full speed into it and scared the pee out of himself. Doesn't seem to be afraid of the door now though, so that's good... it's a good thing the sliding glass door was open and it was just the screen.

 

Think he's comfortable in his new home?

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loves all sorts of toys and playing tug with them.

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So cute! It sounds like he is really settling in.

One word of advice about the stuffed toy: I can't tell from the photo, but are the eyes and nose hard plastic? If so, pull them out so he doesn't swallow them by accident. Is that a toy made specifically for dogs? - in which case the eyes, nose, etc. should be sewn. When I first got my pup, I used to go the Goodwill and buy little stuffed toys for about 0.50 or 1.00, but would pull off anything that could detach and be swallowed. Then later, I found out that children's toys can be stuffed with non-flammable stuffing which can ball up inside the dog's stomach and possibly cause an obstruction. So on two levels, stuffed human toys are not good for dogs.

 

Good Luck,

Jovi

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And he makes a very punctual alarm clock. 5:45 both mornings so far. He goes out to go pee then we have some playtime and cuddles then food. Today he got really excited and did a couple laps around the living room and tried to play with the landlords 12 year old golden, who was not having it. I called him off and he left her alone.

 

If you want to get up each and every morning at 5:45, this is fine. But if you think you might ever want to sleep in , you're setting yourself up for a rude awakening (pun intended).

 

My dogs know that they get up when I get up, not the other way around.

 

If you don't want to have to get up at 5:45 for the rest of his life, then he should get popped back into the crate as soon as he's gone potty.

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I can't tell from the photo, but are the eyes and nose hard plastic? If so, pull them out so he doesn't swallow them by accident. Is that a toy made specifically for dogs?

Yes they are, it his not his toy... it's Kona's(the landlords golden retriever) toy. They're only here part time but I will make sure to avoid toys like that, and that he doesn't chew them off.

 

If you want to get up each and every morning at 5:45, this is fine. But if you think you might ever want to sleep in , you're setting yourself up for a rude awakening (pun intended).

Oddly enough I don't mind. I have to work at 7 and when he's older I'd like to take him on runs and get him tired out before I have to leave.

 

I realised I am really going to need to work on socialising him with people. A woman walked by him today-totally non threatening not even walking towards him- and he freaked out like something attacked him. Completely opposite of how he reacted when he met me. He peed when some very nice, gentle kids came up to him with some food(I asked if they wanted to pet him and gave them some treats) Will have to get housemates to help giving him treats and playing with him.

 

Had his first vet visit today! Healthy puppy but his temp was a little bit high 102.2... could that have been due to stress or it being pretty warm outside? He weighs a whopping 13.5 lbs(about how much should he be eating? I've been giving him a half a cup three times a day but he doesn't finish it all so I put what he doesn't finish back.) He got his parvo and distemper shot and got some dewormer for him.

 

I worry about him a lot :-/ The last puppy that I had was when I was really young and that was taken care of by my parents so this is really my first "puppy." Are puppies pretty hardy?

 

Rough day for puppy

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I somehow get the impression you have a pretty good feel for the little guy. Follow your gut, ask questions and don't forget to simply listen to him as well. He will let you know. Cute little boy by the way.

 

Oh, and most of all - enjoy!

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Looks like a get my big pointy ears after all!

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.... when there's a stiff breeze...

 

 

Here he is struggling for dear life because I have to cut some sap out of his fur... he did not enjoy that at all, but seems to have forgiven me for it. Anyone have advice for getting sap out of dog fur that doesn't require me traumatising poor Jinx with clippers to get it out.

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He is so odd. Freaks out when nice friendly people walk by him, but walking by a big scary beeping trash truck is a breeze. Or be approached by a giant year old newfie(who's head was bigger than his whole body) dragging her owner fifty feet to meet him and that's no problem.

 

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At this age (and even at an older age, but it works better when they are younger and clueless :) ), use treats. Easiest if you can recruit a 2nd person to feed him treats to distract him from what you are doing - cutting his hair, clipping his nails, whatever. If you are by yourself, you can try alternating treats with clipping his fur or try giving him something to lick that might distract him enough to ignore you while you are clipping his fur.

 

Jovi

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So I just moved to a new place and went grocery shopping for the first time and found these

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SO much cheaper than the same thing at a pet store and it was a HUGE hit with Jinx. I asked the butcher if they always carry this -grocery stores where I used to live never carried things like this and I would get the weirdest looks if I asked- and he said yes, because the people in town buy them for their dogs and get mad if he doesn't keep them in stock... I love this place! I swear, everyone has a dog and everyone loves the outdoors.

 

I had to leave Jinx alone for the first time today - for more than 10-15 minutes- and it was heart wrenching to hear him crying. I had left him alone in his crate before(for 10-15 minutes and he only whined a couple times then stopped) I didn't do anything differently but he seemed to know I was leaving for longer. He cried for a good 8 minutes then settled, then I left so I don't know if he cried more. But boy was it hard to ignore him. Came back and he was very quiet in his crate, waited a few minutes to let him out and take him potty.

 

Enjoying his bone... a lot!

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