Hi Ashley, your dog got into the biscuits did he! 

Depending on how many hes eaten look out for him throwing up, loose runny stools and obvious stomach bloating and pain. 

If he gets these 3 symptoms you need to take him to a Vet. Hopefully he will be alright but go easy on feeding him especially today and tomorrow. It takes up to 48 hours for food to go through a dogs system and it would be wise to let all these biscuits pass through before you give him more food on top. 

Hope hes ok! 

Nothing happen and they still acted like themselves

It takes time for a new dog to get used to his new people and surroundings. They all do it at their own pace. I strongly urge you to consult a behavioral trainer so that you introduce him and socialize him the best way possible especially since he’s an older dog that can easily have a lot of baggage. Meanwhile, just love him, give him time to trust you. As your relationship grows and he sees you as his leader, protector and family he will be more likely to trust others and situations that he is placed in with you. All these wonderful things that we share with our pets take time and a lot of patience. I just adopted a 2.5 year old Great Dane, we love him dearly. He wasn’t socialized well, if at all, and he can be a lot to handle, he’s having to “learn” how to play in an acceptable manner with our other dogs and even with us just throwing a ball. Just remember that coming to your home, even with all your love, is a huge adjustment to him. It takes the average dog about 6 weeks to acclimate to their new surroundings and begin to feel calm and secure in their new home with their new people. Trainers with behavioral expertise can give you tons of advice, to-dos, not to-dos and offer you a world of information. I can promise you that a consultation with one will help you to understand things we never thought about with adopted dogs – you will learn so much and it will help you bond even faster. I can tell you that time will change things and that you can never have a more devoted dog than one who has been rescued. Wishing you much luck and love with your new baby.

i’d get him in, particularly if it’s anywhere near teeth.

Sorry about your pup!! Well, first, go to a rescue and get a puppy there! Most of the time, they have been vaccinated and have had a parvo shot! All puppies should have had their first set of vaccinations before you bring them home. Most are dewormed too and its all included in the adoption price. There is no guarantee. My rescue puppy had parvo too, at 7 weeks old, he was sick two day after I brough him  home, but my vet saved his life and he survived.  He is 8 years old now. Just make sure you know where you’re getting your puppy from. No pet shops! Best place is a rescue! Good luck!

what else are you feeding her?  has she been to a vet?

hmm. that definitely doesn’t sound like enough. i’d take her to the vet to see if there’s something else wrong.

have you offered her pinkies?

Hello Brandon…well done for giving this dog a home. 

Firstly you really do need to take her to a Vet. Not only to see if she’s microchipped (she may actually belong to a worried owner) but she is obviously not in good health and needs checking over. All new pets should be checked by a Vet within the first 3 days of getting them.

That said she needs worming and a flea treatment, also heart worm meds if they are prevalent in your area. She needs a top quality food, small meals and often. Split her daily allowance between 4 or 5 meals to start with, as she gains fitness and body weight you can gradually knock them down to a meal morning and evening.

Glucosamine is a good bone/joint supplement as is Wild Salmon Oil which will also improve her skin and coat.

I do hope you and take her to the Vet as that is honestly what she needs. If she hasn’t been spayed it would be a good idea to have her done

Good

Sounds like separation anxiety, which a trainer could give you advice on. Also, a “snout slap”..that is a form of abuse, please, don’t let anyone hit your beloved puppy!!

Just as a follow up, I do not agree with any form of hitting, or threatening with anyone’s pets. The reason he was boarded was to combat the separation anxiety. And as I said, even though my dad is 89 and “old school” he has agreed to never raise a hand or yell and we are now watching out for each other to curb any bad behaviour on our part. My worry is that after two weeks of boarding/training to curb the separation anxiety my boy was anxious again and not happy about me leaving him.

Yes take her to a Vet….there is obviously something going on with her foot that needs investigating.

I mean 16 day old

ANY sudden behavior changes should be met with a vet visit first to rule out any medical problems.  please, take your dog to the vet and get him checked out.   i’d also talk to a veterinary behaviorist about this situation.

If you have to remove that sweet dog from your home, call a reputable rescue in your area and try to find a good home for him. Perhaps his tail was pulled harshly and it was just a warning to your child, but I understand she is too small to know better. You can take him to a behaviorist and see what that say but please don’t put a family member in a shelter. Can you imagine what he would feel like after only know your family all these years. Best of luck to you!

This is one of the hardest situations I have ever had to deal with. He is definitely a family member, and this is why it is very conflicting for me. I have family members telling me to just send him to the humane society but I know what would happen and I cannot do that without feeling extremely guilty. If it was just me I would do anything to help the dog, but my husband does not agree. I am in a very difficult situation and heartbroken. I thank everyone for their honest advice and will take this all to heart and continue to soul search in which road I should take. I do not believe he needs to die in any way shape or form.

i can’t imagine how difficult this is, but please, do the medical checks to make sure there isn’t something else going on. it’ll make it easier for a rescue to place him, as well.

Thank you, I will be looking into the Chihuahua rescue to see if they can assist me, I truly appreciate your help and honesty!

Totally and absolutely agree with P K here. The brutal truth is you allowed this to happen by letting an 8 month old baby pull your dog around, and how many times has she done it before? Look at it from the dogs point of view, if someone was constantly poking you and pulling your hair what would you do?
You would retaliate. Which is just what your dog has done.
This is honestly not your dogs fault. You shut him away now and you are compounding the problem, I’m not surprised hes stressed and barking….dogs pick up on our emotions very well indeed.
Please don’t rehome this dog. Rather be sensible and keep your baby out of his way for both their sakes. Again I agree with PK I would not let a dog go to a home with a child under the age of 7 years when they are old enough to treat a dog with respect.

Hey Brittany,

I just came across an article in The Whole Dog Journal about getting your dog ready to deal with a baby – this article mentions a company Family Paws Parent Education in Cary, NC which has a program, “Dogs and Toddlers” which is available to families through a worldwide network of more than 200 licensed presenters.  Jennifer Shryock developed this program in response to a huge number of families that wanted to surrender a dog after an incident (bite) had already occurred with a child in the home.  This program takes an in-depth look at helping the family dog successfully live with kids (and since he has been living with the 2 boys successfully I don’t think you have a big leap to hurdle!).

I can’t encourage you enough to give a trainer a try – they can help you design a training plan to keep everyone safe, while minimizing the dog’s anxiety.

One of the techniques recommended in the article is to teach your dog to be calm and happy in a room that is gated away from where the baby has access.  This works best if it is a room where the dog can see your family.  For example gate the kitchen so the dog can be in there with you while you cook and he can peek out and see the living room or family room.  Since it is dangerous for babies to be in the kitchen anyway (hot food or knives falling, reaching for pot handles…!) it makes sense to let the dog be in there, but not the baby.  The older boy can let himself through the baby gate to interact with the dog but the younger children are kept safely away in an area where they can be overseen but not touching the dog.

Ways to keep the dog happy in this space is to interact with him there, and when you are not interacting give him toys and chews to work on.  A Kong stuffed full of goodness and then frozen will keep him content for hours.  A trainer can help you with this!

I am just so worried for this sweet little guy!  My best wish for him is that he stay in the home he has known his whole life, with the people he loves.  But if that is out of the question I wish I could come scoop him up!

Thank you again for this information! I am full-heartedly trying to convince my husband that we can help our dog and keep him at the same time. He has had no prior aggressive behavior towards anyone in the family or anyone I bring into the home (the only aggression he has ever showed is to strangers when he is outside in the fenced yard – but I just think this is because he is very protective of his territory)…. I really do appreciate your opinions, help AND suggestions (rather than just being told I am at fault for everything).