Yet another puppy question UPDATE PICTURE POST #16

[kimmikayb]

Surprise, we just got a puppy. He's tiny and he's scared. I'm not quite sure he should have been weaned yet...but it wasn't my choice. I'm sleep deprived today because he kept me up all night. Anyone have some secret to getting a puppy to sleep through the night? He also doesn't stop shaking unless someone is holding him.

I need a name too. Boy, white with light brown spots. My husband wants to call him Mr. Bo Jangles. I am not a fan of that name.

He also doesn't want to eat or drink much. I'll probably call the vet today but wondered if anyone here has gone through that?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Where is the mother? Is it possible to get him back to his mommy for more bonding time?

 

[Horseshoes]

Do you know exactly how old he is?

As far as not eating that much, it could be because the changing of his food from where he was to your house. Did they give you any food to wean him from theirs to yours.

My puppy didnt eat much at first either, I think she was just getting used to the change. She is a picky eater and still doesnt eat that much.

What kind of puppy is he?

 

[kimmikayb]

Where is the mother? Is it possible to get him back to his mommy for more bonding time?

Nope, the mom started to reject the puppies, getting nasty. They ate a little solid food for a few days so the owner thought it was best to get them into new homes.

 

[kimmikayb]

Do you know exactly how old he is?

As far as not eating that much, it could be because the changing of his food from where he was to your house. Did they give you any food to wean him from theirs to yours.

My puppy didnt eat much at first either, I think she was just getting used to the change. She is a picky eater and still doesnt eat that much.

What kind of puppy is he?

Yes, he will be 6 weeks old this Saturday. He did eat some solid food a few days before we got him. I have that food and that is what I'm offering him. It's some sort of puppy chow. I'd like to change him over to something else....I like to give good puppy food. He seems to have a hard time chewing it because it's so hard. I know I sound like an idiot but it's been many years since I've had a puppy. He will lick water off of our fingers.

He's a rat terrior. Super cute too.

 

[Poohgirl]

Yes, he will be 6 weeks old this Saturday. He did eat some solid food a few days before we got him. I have that food and that is what I'm offering him. It's some sort of puppy chow. I'd like to change him over to something else....I like to give good puppy food. He seems to have a hard time chewing it because it's so hard. I know I sound like an idiot but it's been many years since I've had a puppy. He will lick water off of our fingers.

He's a rat terrior. Super cute too.

We used to breed spaniels and I remember my mother would give small pups hard puppy chow with a bit of warm water in it so the chow would soak it up and become soft enough for the pups to "gum down". This may help a bit...

 

[Jynohn]

I used to breed Great Danes and I agree with the above poster who suggested soaking his food. It should be soaked for at least an hour and then try to mash it up a little for him with a fork. He will also need to eat more frequently, as much as 4 times a day until he's a little older. His stomach is still too small to handle a lot of food at once.

He is VERY young to be away from his littermates, even if the mother was rejecting the babies. Your breeder should have known this. Puppies learn a lot about how to just be a dog from their littermates. They establish dominance within the pack, etc. A puppy who was taken away from his littermates so young will need a lot of socialization as he grows in order to be a good pet. Just make sure that as soon as he has all of his vaccinations that he is exposed to as many other dogs, kids, etc. as possible.

Good luck with your new baby, and please post pictures soon!

 

[kimmikayb]

I used to breed Great Danes and I agree with the above poster who suggested soaking his food. It should be soaked for at least an hour and then try to mash it up a little for him with a fork. He will also need to eat more frequently, as much as 4 times a day until he's a little older. His stomach is still too small to handle a lot of food at once.

He is VERY young to be away from his littermates, even if the mother was rejecting the babies. Your breeder should have known this. Puppies learn a lot about how to just be a dog from their littermates. They establish dominance within the pack, etc. A puppy who was taken away from his littermates so young will need a lot of socialization as he grows in order to be a good pet. Just make sure that as soon as he has all of his vaccinations that he is exposed to as many other dogs, kids, etc. as possible.

Good luck with your new baby, and please post pictures soon!

I'll try to soak some food. He doesn't want to play at all...which has me worried. We have two other indoor dogs and 4 kids.

I'll try to figure out how to post a picture because he really is cute.

 

[Crankyshank]

I find it a little odd that a breeder would just give the puppies to their new owners instead of just separating them from their mother. This is a critical time where puppies learn pack order and social skills from their litter mates.

Crying through the night is normal - you basically have a baby and he's in a brand new home with new smells and away from his litter mates. Of course he's going to be scared and lonely. Try some stuffed animals in his crate and put a hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket in there. That way it will soothe him and make him think he's cuddled with his brothers and sisters.

he's too young to digest hard puppy food. trying soaking it in warm water and mashing it up a bit. he needs to be fed small amounts several times a day because he has a small stomach.

 

[hlbtimes2]

My guess is this puppy isnt from a "breeder", just someone who's pet had babies.

I agree, soak the food in a little water. He's not going to sleep thru the night for a while. He is a baby. He's going to need to potty and eat at night, just like a baby, for at least a few weeks. He's used to being able to nurse and snuggle at night.

 

[kimmikayb]

My guess is this puppy isnt from a "breeder", just someone who's pet had babies.

I agree, soak the food in a little water. He's not going to sleep thru the night for a while. He is a baby. He's going to need to potty and eat at night, just like a baby, for at least a few weeks. He's used to being able to nurse and snuggle at night.

Yep, just someone who had babies.

Ok, I admit it....I took him to bed with me last night. I am tempted to put our chihuahua in his crate with him. I ended up giving him some food and water at 2 am and then he slept with me.

How in the world do you post pictures here??????

 

[cryssi]

upload somewhere like shutterfly, photobucket, snapfish, etc. Then right click on the pic, go to properties, copy the url, click on the yellow square here in the "reply to thread" page, paste the url...voila!

ok, well that's how I do it. LOL...hope that made sense.

anyway, we have a new puppy as well, but not as new as yours. Shenzi is about 12 weeks now. The first night she was with us she howled for about 3 1/2 hrs straight. We had her in the laundry room and I guess she was lonely. We got a crate the next day and put it in our bedroom. She's ok at night in her crate b/c she can see us. I want to move her out of the bedroom but am afraid she will howl. We think she was taken from her mother too early and has separation anxiety. We leave her alone in her crate when we are at work, and when we get home, she's so happy to see us she becomes a crazy wild rambunctious puppy...LOL

Have you tried wearing an old shirt or something all day and then putting it in his crate with him so he has your smell? If you could have gotten a towel or toy rubbed on his littermates for him to sleep with that would have been good too. I have also heard that a ticking clock or music soothes a puppy too, although the music thing didn't work for us and we don't have a ticking clock...

good luck!

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

Poor little guy! He's very young to be away from his mom and littermates. You and DH will have to work extra hard to be sure that he gains the social, physical, and emotional stability that he would have otherwise had.

When we got Casey, she howled through the night, simply becuase she wanted to be with us. That's just the temprament she's always had. We got a large hot water bottle and wrapped it in a towel, as the vet suggested. Case always had sensitive skin and she didn't water being next to something warm all night to cause her to chaffe or break out. Over top of that, we would wrap the undershirt that DH had worn all day. We jsut went to Wal-Mart and got several packs. If any got soiled, we pitched them. Everything else just went into the washer with bleach (and then got washed again with just water... like I said, sensitive skin).

He's probably too young to be eating soild foods and his food will need to be soaked to soften it. Be sure also that you're using something very, very gentle on their stomachs. We went through a number of foods before finding one that Casey didn't have diaherria with. We ended up going to the local grain and feed store and found excellent, natural food. ETA: Many pet stores allow you to return food if you have used only a small amount of it and the animal becomes ill. If, for some reason they don't (ask before you buy), donate it to your local animal shelter or a rescue league. It's always needed and greatly appreciated!

If you want him to sleep in a crate, you can't take him to bed with you Yes, it's tough. But, consider how confusing it would be for him if you slept with him in the bed several times and then decided that he wasn't allowed on the bed or furniture. Be sure that you have your mind made up on the house rules and then always enforce them. It's easier to ever let them do it.

Lastly, putting your other dog in HIS crate doesn't sound like a really good idea for either of them. For one, that's HIS crate. His home, his place. Same with bedding. If you find something he likes (like lambskin), that should be his and only his to use. Secondly, you run the risk of a territory thing and the other dog freaking out on him. Being as young as he is, he cannot get into a fight or hurt. Hopefully, your resident dog will come around and mother/father him a bit. That would help with this early separation. Once his shots are up-to-date and he's allowed to go a-visitin', be sure you get him socialized really well.

Good luck!
xoxo

 

[FloraFauna]

When we got our first dog, she was 8 weeks old. She did not have much of an appetite. The vet told us to get some beef baby food and smear it on her dog food. It worked.

Yours might be too young to eat the dry dog food. Maybe you could ask your vet about the baby food.

Good luck, my hat goes off to you for having 3 dogs. I have two and they keep me BUSY.

 

[kimmikayb]

Small update.....puppy ate two times, softened food. He also drank. Pooped and peed (outside, I mgith add!) and once I got him outside in the warm air he romped and played. He's also chewing on his chew toy we got him. I think he keeps shivering inside because he is not used to the air conditioning.

I think we're going to name him Eddie.....but it's still up for debate.

 

[kimmikayb]

 

[kimmikayb]

upload somewhere like shutterfly, photobucket, snapfish, etc. Then right click on the pic, go to properties, copy the url, click on the yellow square here in the "reply to thread" page, paste the url...voila!

ok, well that's how I do it. LOL...hope that made sense.

anyway, we have a new puppy as well, but not as new as yours. Shenzi is about 12 weeks now. The first night she was with us she howled for about 3 1/2 hrs straight. We had her in the laundry room and I guess she was lonely. We got a crate the next day and put it in our bedroom. She's ok at night in her crate b/c she can see us. I want to move her out of the bedroom but am afraid she will howl. We think she was taken from her mother too early and has separation anxiety. We leave her alone in her crate when we are at work, and when we get home, she's so happy to see us she becomes a crazy wild rambunctious puppy...LOL

Have you tried wearing an old shirt or something all day and then putting it in his crate with him so he has your smell? If you could have gotten a towel or toy rubbed on his littermates for him to sleep with that would have been good too. I have also heard that a ticking clock or music soothes a puppy too, although the music thing didn't work for us and we don't have a ticking clock...

good luck!

THANK YOU!!! I finally know how to post pictures. Now I'll be a picture posting fool. I wonder if anyone has ever been booted from DIS for posting too many pictures????

 

[robinb]

We also have a new puppy. Darci the standard poodle is now 11 weeks old and she kept me up all night for two nights in a row. Then, I moved her crate into my bedroom near my bed (a suggestion from a DISer) where she could see and smell me. I have been moving the crate away from me every other day and now she sleeps through most of the night with one potty break. I'll be moving the crate back downstairs in a week or two.

I love the name Eddie! And he is a CUTIE!

 

[almacdonald]

Did you pick a name yet? He looks like a Jackson to me!

 

[golfgal]

We have an 8 month old rat terrier, the shaking thing is normal, they all do that. It stops in a few months. How much is not much food/water? They are tiny dogs and don't have very big stomachs. At 6 weeks he will probably need to eat maybe 1/2-3/4 cup of food/day spread out over 3-4 feedings. Here is a GREAT rat terrier website:

http://pocketpuppy.com/default.asp

This is a family of REPUTABLE breeders and they have a lot of information about RT's. THey are GREAT DOGS.