I need puppy help!

[TashaRVT]

...it was full of roundworms!!! Oh my. I about died. What is the scoop with these things? DH took him to the vet first thing this AM to get him treated... I know they can be passed to humans but how long before they are gone??

Congrats on your new addition! New puppys are so much fun!! Alot of work, but alot of fun, as well. Roundworms are super common; they say as much as 90% of dogs are born with 'em, and that's why everyone routinely deworms pups right off the bat! If fact, that's probably why a whole bunch of hem came out at noce - the dewormer was doing it's job!
As far as the transmission to people thing, I wouldn't get too stressed about it. It's what we call fecal-oral transmission, meaning you'd have to physically get feces or fecal remnants *IN* your mouth! I tell new puppy owners to be careful with a) letting the pup lick around the mouth (you never know where the pup's been licking! ), b) wash your hands with soap after scooping poop or cleaning up an accident, and c) if the pup has a soft poop, and their bum's dirty, clean it up ASAP, and WASH WELL after!

Like I said, enjoy your new pup, and don't sweat the small stuff too much; this is a great time in your family's life!

 

[knewton64]

That dogs are like little children......they have hearing problems until it's time to eat!


- Kris

 

[lisadr]

I just want to put my 2 cents in.

Beyond all the potty training and such-make sure you teach your new puppy his/her place in your family. Dogs are pack animals and need to live in a pack with defined rules and hierarchy. Make sure you teach the pup to be submissive to you, your DH and kids by placing them on their back. You gently but firmly push the dog down into a belly up position. Praise them (a lot) with a belly rub and verbal praise. Have everyone in the family do this-especially the kids.

Also nip any food aggression issues in the bud early by feeding on schedule and not letting the pup eat until you say so. Make them wait before they go to the bowl until you say so, also while they are eating put your hands by the bowl and see if they have any aggressive reactions. If you have to- take the food away. I know this might sound mean, but if you calmly do this you teach the pup his/her place and this is really important when you have kids in the house.

Also do a quick check of "funny spots" by touching the dog everywhere-ears, hind quarters, belly, snout, etc. You want to find out if he/she has any sensitive spots they don't like to be touched. It's better you find out then you kids By handling the dog often when you pet him/her you get them used to it.

Again-I am giving all this info because you have kids. I speak from experience-I took a pup in who had established problems and had to give her back when she snapped at my DD for trying to sit on the couch. I eventually got a new pup and was determined to teach her how to behave in our home. A lot of times when people go and get a new dog they are taken in by those CUTE faces and over look the puppys "quirks"-or don't train the "quirks" out of them. That was part of the problem with that pup. We got another puppy and I was determined teach her her place in our pack. I am proud to say that she is the best dog ever!!

Also I can recommend the "Puppy training for dummies" book. It is very helpful!

Good luck with your new puppy!!

 

[lisadr]

I just wanted to add that I am with you on this new puppy thing...We just got a German Shepherd puppy this past Saturday. He is 8 weeks old and very much puppyish We are crate training him and he goes in there for naps and at night, during the day we have him on a leash so that he is with us at all times (less room for a disaster). He gets fed 3 times a day (but drinks water like its going out of style) we take him out right after each nap, after he eats, and before bed. He is doing very well. He only has pooped in the house 1 time (my fault because it was before I started using the leash to keep tabs on him) But the worst part for me is the teething...he chews on everything and I am doing my best to redirect him to his toys instead of us He has a really bad habit of chewing on his leash though...which is why I need to buy some of the bitter apple or no chewing spray...he is a good pup though and is already learning to sit on command

So good luck with your Newfie and Im in the same boat as you with the puppy...I also have a 3 year old little boy and just moved into a new house So I as well have a lot on my plate right now but we are managing (or should I say Surviving ) I wake up with him twice during the night to take him out...he whines to go potty so we go out, he goes right away (while me trying to praise very encouragingly while half awake)and then we come back in (no other talking or playing or anything) then he goes straight back into the crate until time to wake up. The best advice I can give is to try to wear them out with long walks and games before bedtime (it will save you some time to sleep)

I just wanted to give you a heads up-sheps have a LONG puppyhood-like 2 years. So don't be surprised if your shep is goofy for a long time

 

[Terry36]

To my delight we wil be getting a Maltese puppy in the next 6 weeks. It will be potty trained as well. Any advice for this breed?

 

[Momma2dakidz]

To my delight we wil be getting a Maltese puppy in the next 6 weeks. It will be potty trained as well. Any advice for this breed?

Sorry to burst your bubble but most likely that Maltese PUPPY will not be fully potty trained. Be prepared for accidents and to continue potty training. The smaller the dog the longer it takes to housebreak is what i have found to be true. and if the puppy is only 6 weeks, please let them keep the pup till she is 10 weeks. They learn GREAT socialization skills at 9-10 weeks. And the main suggestion i have is while she is going to be an absolute adorable ball of love, make sure she is treated like she will be 160 pounds full grown. You wouldnt olerate a 160 pound dog nipping at your heels and honestly that 16 pounder who does it everyday all day is just as bad.

With that being said.......ENJOY your new ball of fluff!

 

[Terry36]

Sorry to burst your bubble but most likely that Maltese PUPPY will not be fully potty trained. Be prepared for accidents and to continue potty training. The smaller the dog the longer it takes to housebreak is what i have found to be true. and if the puppy is only 6 weeks, please let them keep the pup till she is 10 weeks. They learn GREAT socialization skills at 9-10 weeks. And the main suggestion i have is while she is going to be an absolute adorable ball of love, make sure she is treated like she will be 160 pounds full grown. You wouldnt olerate a 160 pound dog nipping at your heels and honestly that 16 pounder who does it everyday all day is just as bad.

With that being said.......ENJOY your new ball of fluff!

thank you for your response i really appreciate it. I will not get the puppy until 12 weeks.

What type of things should I buy for it? A crate, toys, anything else?

 

[tazgirl1981]

I just wanted to give you a heads up-sheps have a LONG puppyhood-like 2 years. So don't be surprised if your shep is goofy for a long time

Thanks for the heads up Yea I have done lots of research on the GSD's before buying one...I have loved the breed my whole lift but just recently decided to go for getting one Dont worry, I have gone thru puppyhood 3 dogs before (we have two 9 year old dachshund littermates and a 10 year old Siberian Husky) talk about being an obnoxious puppy...the husky was a puppy well into the 3's and lets just say with them being an extremely stubborn breed, we butted heads quite often. It wasnt until he had to have surgery just about a year ago that we really started bonding!! Yes it has been that long (and just think, I got him when he was 6 months old, he is 10 this year....so 9 years it took before we started getting along great And yes he was put into 3 different dog obedience classes (not all at once but he would finish one and then nothing...and I would work with him everyday) now he got the basics, Sit, Down, Speak, Paw, but guess what?!??! He learned those from me at home all in one day!!!! The classes, he would do great while there...but once we got home he wouldnt do anything I tease and say its all because he was trying to live up to his name "Taz Devil" But I figure if I can deal with his puppyhood for 3 years, I can deal with Harley's (the german Shepherd)

To my delight we wil be getting a Maltese puppy in the next 6 weeks. It will be potty trained as well. Any advice for this breed?

Congrats on getting a Maltese...My sister has a Yorkshire Terrier (or in my words a YAPster terrier) she is untrained and rarely goes to the bathroom outside She is also very yappy and nippy and I honestly think its horrible because if it was a big dog...she would be in serious trouble, but because it is so small they seem to take up for it...well "Jedi doesnt like anyone going near her crate", Jedi is scared, *SIGH* You wont see that happening with Harley...If he did that, I would be sued!!! So I am with Momma2dakidz in training them and treating them like you would any LARGE breed dog. Because they can cause some serious trouble if not trained

 

[maraki527]

We crate trained our dog. He is now a year and six months and loves his crate. He goes in there all the time by himself. We just leave the door open. It was hard the first night or two because he cried but you just have to stay strong. We put blankets on the crate at night.

As far as training the dog we took him outside every two hours so he got used to the door and new where to go. He was trained in a week. To this day we do not let the dog sleep on the beds or with us. We have an English Bulldog.

 

[kt_mom]

Congrats on your puppy! We just got an eskimo spitz a couple of weeks ago. He's almost twelve weeks old now and cute as he can be. We started with the crate right away. The first couple of night he cried a little but now he only fusses if he has to go outside. He had a couple of accidents in the crate the first week, but nothing since and we have opened the crate up to full size for him. We both work full time so he is in his crate all day. I go home at lunch and take him out and let him run around the kitchen while I eat lunch and then I take him out again before I go back to work.

We started the first week with only letting him out in the kitchen and only if someone was sitting there with him and taking him outside every 20 or 30 minutes. We always go out the kitchen door and to the same spot in the yard. Now he can go other places in the house but still only if someone is right there with him. If he's in the kitchen and he needs to go out he will go over by the door and look at it but if you're not watching he will go ahead and do his business. He's not waiting long. So we're working on that. But at least he does go to the door. Also if you ask him if he needs to go outside or to the bathroom and he does he will run over the door. He goes right away when you take him out.

 

[LoLaRae]

Congrats on getting a Maltese...My sister has a Yorkshire Terrier (or in my words a YAPster terrier) she is untrained and rarely goes to the bathroom outside She is also very yappy and nippy and I honestly think its horrible because if it was a big dog...she would be in serious trouble, but because it is so small they seem to take up for it...well "Jedi doesnt like anyone going near her crate", Jedi is scared, *SIGH* You wont see that happening with Harley...If he did that, I would be sued!!! So I am with Momma2dakidz in training them and treating them like you would any LARGE breed dog. Because they can cause some serious trouble if not trained

I second(or third, really) this. My aunt has a Yorkie with almost the same tendencies. I have 2 Chihuahuas that with a ton of work, are crate, potty, and attitude trained. The small dogs have a napoleon complex and they think they rule everything around them. The only way I trained my dogs for the crate was to drop treats in the top, and when they went in to eat them I would close the door for a few minutes and praise them. Worked like a charm! When DF or I start to get dressed or put shoes on they both go run to the crate and wait for us to close it.