AboutLabman Expertise I can help you with your new dog. I am experienced in, and trained in techniques the average person can make work with dogs, especially puppies. I strongly believe in obedience training and the need to give your dog proper leadership. I have been raising a new puppy every year since 1991. I know housebreaking and protecting the puppy and the house from each other. I can explain the the feeding regimen you can easily follow to give your dog the same long, active life life as highly valuable dog guides. I try to give answers you can make work.
The mark of a real expert is knowing the limits of his knowledge. I will not try to answer questions on breed standards, AKC registration, etc. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME MEDICAL OR BREEDING QUESTIONS. An internet forum is not the appropriate place for them. Even if I could tell what was wrong from a handful of symptoms, you would still need to get the medications from your local vet.
Breeding should be left to those not needing to ask simple, basic questions. Books have been written about it. Rather than ask me a question, start reading. Those unwilling to do the work it takes to produce quality puppies should spay/neuter their pets at 6 months. I will not answer questions that sound like a poorly prepared breeder.
Experience Like many, I grew up around dogs, but never realized how much I had to learn before my family started socializing puppies for a large dog guide school. The school shares their experience from thousands of dogs with the people they entrust to raise their puppies. Their recommendations on training, feeding, and care come from a large, well documented program. After it is a year old, they X-ray every one of the hundreds of dogs they breed every year. I continue to attend monthly training sessions with trained volunteers and professional staff. I share experiences with others doing the same. The school must have sturdy, healthy, well behaved dogs, that will have a long, active life. If that is what you want too, I can help you. In addition I have done extensive reading, and the 4 years my daughter was in 4-H were a real learning experience for Dad too. That exposed me to more breeds than the Labs, Shepherds, and Goldens in the dog guide program.
Hey Labman, I have been doing great with my new chihuahua pup. His name is "Gismo" and he is 5 1/2 weeks old. My dad actually purchased his sister penny. I've been trying to do the best research as I can and will be getting a "manual" on complete health and care. At this age, can he be out of the bed area, and have an indoor dog house he uses as he desires? Also, can the bottle of formula(infamil) be put away for him to start eating regular semi-solid (mush-style) puppy food? I would appreciate some feed back and if possible some good methods on correct care for my new best friend! I appreciate your time and will be looking forward to your answer.
Thank You, Jeff
p.s. will Gismo be o.k. as far as my miniature shnauzer being curious and near him as a puppy?
His shots are now current, but is there any precautions in that aspect of care? thanks...
Answer 5 1/2 weeks is too early to remove a puppy from its litter. Continuing contact with the Schnauzer may help it relate to other dogs. Keep a close eye on them. Puppies enjoy rough play. Dogs that aren't too old often play very well with them. Also let it play with its sister if you can. Mock fighting is OK as long as there are no yelps of pain or one trying to run away and not coming back for more. Physically, it should be able to eat solid food soon. The mush of wetted chow is fine for now. It shouldn't need the formula. Do not give it any cows' milk. Puppies can't digest it.
You can let it have the run of a limited area. Mostly keep it in a room with a hard surfaced floor if you can. It will be having frequent bowel movements and urinating with very little forewarning. That makes housebreaking difficult. Do not punish it for what it can't help. Try to keep things cleaned up. If it has to live in its own filth, it will cause problems with housebreaking.
Early shots often fail to take before the immunity the mother passed on wears off. The vets give a series of shots hoping to hit the window between the mother's immunity wearing and the puppy being exposed to parvo and other diseases. Keep it away from areas used by strange dogs. One sniff of where a sick dog eliminated in the last 6 months can kill a little puppy. Lethargy combined with diarrhea, means rush to vet even after hours.
Good dog info is hard to sort out from the abundance of bad. Here is some more material that should help.
What does a puppy need?
A crate. It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
will rest in their crates even when the door is open. Skip the
bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. I think the plastic
ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in. At bed time, with a new puppy, I have found lying down in front of the crate like you were going to sleep and speaking softly to it, or singing, until it settles down and goes to sleep works very well. Follow the pattern, a period of active play, outside to eliminate, and then into the crate.
Chew toys. The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a
close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in
pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed.
These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive
chewers such as Labs.
Food. Find out what the breeder is feeding. If it is dry chow you can buy readily, I would stick with it until the dog is 4 months old, at that time switching to a dry adult chow. If not, try to have the breeder give you a few days supply to use making a gradual change to a dry puppy chow.
A collar and leash. You should stay with a flat fabric or leather collar until your puppy is 5 months old. Then you can go with the metal slip collar with the rings on each end. Otherwise you could damage its windpipe. Put it on like this for the usual dog on the left position. Pull the chain through the one ring forming a"P". Facing the dog, slip it over its head. The free end comes over the neck allowing the other end to release pressure when the leash is slack. A five
month old's head will still grow some. If you buy one that easily goes over
the head, it still should come off leaving the ears when the dog finishes
growing. I start the puppy out with a metal leash and switch to a leather one after the worst of the chewing is over and I need more control.
A brush. Start the puppy with a bristle brush. They don't shed much at first, and the bristle brush will remove dirt and help control odor. When shedding becomes a problem later, switch to a slicker brush with the wire teeth.
The number of a vet. It is very hard to evaluate them. Dogs need more medical care than in the past. Many new problems are wide spread.
A book. Any book is better than none at all. I like the Monks of New Skete and their The Art of Raising a Puppy, ISBN 0-316-57839-8.
Obedience training. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start obedience training the day you get the dog. Build on the foundation of housebreaking. The younger the puppy, the shorter you must keep sessions, only a few repetitions at a time. A few minutes here and there, and by the time the puppy is 4 months old, people will be impressed with what a nice dog it is.
An All Experts bookmark so you can come back for help as needed.
I didn't forget treats, shampoo, and bedding. I seldom use them.
Much of housebreaking is not training the puppy, but making it easier for your
puppy, you, and your carpet while its body to catches up to its instincts. At
around 8 weeks when the puppy goes to its new home, the time from when it
realizes it has to go, and when it can't wait any longer is a matter of
seconds. Only time will fix that. You can hardly be expected to be attentive
enough to avoid all accidents There is no sense punishing the puppy for your
inattention. It is not fair to punish you either, but you still have to clean
it up if you didn't have the puppy outside in time.
Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have
a crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the
bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. If you
already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use
something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start out in crates as
little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose
in the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting
the dog have its crate all its life.
Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays,
the less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a
non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it
to the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep
repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. If it does anything,
praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it,
and maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it,
but it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it
inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to
go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine.
Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back
inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the
house until it does go.
At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it
needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating,
drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around
sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just
have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older.
By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if
they go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts
to going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If
your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it
even gets near the door. A stern "Bad dog!" is all the punishment that is
effective, and only when you catch it in the act and are sure you didn't miss
it going to the door. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little
puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam
sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving
it and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives
work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with
the other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet.
This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house
plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good
shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam.
Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.
Many people strongly strongly push cleaning up all evidence of past accidents. I am slower to suggest that. Dogs will return to the same spot if they can find it. When you see one sniffing the spot, that is your clue to run it out.
