Have you gotten him to a vet to rule out anything medical? Have you hired a veterinary behaviorist to help you deal with this?
Sorry If This Seems To Ramble. I Just Have A Lot On My Mind.
He…
He…
Sorry if this seems to ramble. I just have a lot on my mind.
He has already broken and melted my heart. I am a teacher and will actually be off work for the next 6 weeks to train, play, and “mother” the little guy. I think I have convinced my mother to watch him for the first couple of months when school starts to help him settle in because he is so young. Our best guess is that he is a lab mix. He will probably be medium to large in size.
I know that socialization is so important for a pup of this age. What can I do to help him?
I keep crying and my anxiety about the next 6 months is very high. My worries make it hard to sleep even when the little guy is sleeping. I’m so sad for him and I just want to make sure that he is a happy, healthy puppy. The shelters around here are overwhelmed and I refuse to leave the little guy. Euthanasia rates are pretty high.
He will eventually be an indoor/outdoor dog. I won’t be comfortable with this, though, until he is older. That is why I’m going to pay my mom to watch him. I will be gone from 7-3:30 and my man works from 7:30-5. On days with inclement weather, my fella would be able to come home and let him in or out. We have a large fenced in back yard with plenty of shady areas. I live in a rural area with very kind neighbors so I am not worried about anyone messing with him. I live in East Tennessee where there is rarely an extreme temperature; however, I’m also looking into adding a doggie door, too.
Here is what I have done so far:
(1) He has a lifestyle crate (with the partition to make it smaller for now) that is attached to a large playpen in our kitchen. He sleeps in this crate at night. I’ve been sleeping on a couch next to it at night to take him out when he wakes. This is generally every 2 hrs.
(2) I’ve taken him to the vet. They dewormed him and gave him a flea treatment that is appropriate for a little guy under 5Lbs.
(3) I take him out to potty every time he wakes up from sleeping. He has only had 3 accidents in 3.5 days. I clean up his mess well so as not to leave a smell and take him out anyway. I DO NOT scold such a young pup but rather just take him out and set him in the grass each time.
What can I do to ensure this little guy has a great adolescence? Especially considering he is off to a rough start?
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Shadow Has Submissive Urination. He Was Abused As A Puppy We Believe By Men So…
Shadow has submissive urination. He was abused as a puppy we believe by men so hes a little more nervouse around my boyfriend. Recently he’s been yelping and nipping for no reason. My boyfriend went upstairs to grab some stuff and shadow was infront of the door and as he opened it shadow began yelping and snaped at him again while leaveing a trail of pee behind. Shadow is my world and i am his. Hes a damn good dog and very loyal. But if this continues he’ll have to go. Any help or advice would be much apriciated. Thank you.
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Alex Horn We don’t have a lot of money i can’t hire any body. I cant afford to do any of that. And i know none of it is medical related.
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Anonymous Honestly, Alex, if you’re unwilling to find a way to make this work, maybe finding him another home is the best thing for him.
He very well COULD have something medically wrong. How do you know he doesn’t?
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PK Dennis How in the world can you have a dog for 5 years and even consider getting rid of him because of a man? Will this boyfriend be around in 5 years? You can bet the dog will be if you don’t ruin his life by sending him back out into the world of rescue. You are correct, you are Shadow’s entire world – it would be wonderful if he was as important to you as some man. Dogs are not disposable.
“Yelping and nipping for no reason”. Girl, there is ALWAYS a reason for what a dog does. You just have taken the time, energy, effort, or spent the money to find out what that reason is. This dog has just been moved from the home he knows to a new situation. His world is up-side-down. He is probably in pain (the yelping and nipping indicate that), and trying to make sense of what is happening to him.He really does need to go to a vet for evaluation, he may have a pinched nerve in his neck or back – that is often the case with dogs that seem to yelp for ‘no reason’.Submissive peeing – control the flow with a belly band and sanitary pad if he is peeing a lot. The incident you describe makes wonder if the dog might not have a bladder infection or bladder stones that prevent him from controlling his bladder under stress. Again, only a vet can determine if this is the case.Snapping at the boyfriend. Are you sure the boyfriend does not abuse your dog when you aren’t around? If you are sure, then the boyfriend needs to spend more quality time with the dog. He should be the one feeding the dog (by hand, one piece of dog food at a time), and taking the dog for walks. He should also be training the dog tricks or basic obedience so that the dog learns that this man will not hurt him. The reality is that your boyfriend has to build the relationship with the dog so that the dog can trust him – NOTHING you can do will substitute for this!You made a commitment to this being when you adopted him 5 years ago – probably before you met this man. If you had a child would you get rid of the kid just because the guy in your life didn’t get along with him? No, you would tell the guy, love me, love my child – no different than this dog. Tell this guy that he has to either totally ignore and avoid your dog, or do the right thing and work on building a relationship so that three of you can live in harmony.I once had a dog the bit my husband (the husband was in my life first). It must have been very frustrating for my husband to get up in the middle of the night to pee, and have a dog growl at him when he tried to get back in the bed. Four trainers over 3 years did not really solve the problem – until the 4th trainer told me that I would not be able to fix the problem – it was up to my husband to modify his behavior so that the dog would respect and trust him. When it was put to my husband in those words he began working with my Murdoch and within 3 months their relationship was totally different and no more biting! We never, for a second, considered giving up that dog – we made a lifetime commitment to him when he came into our home. He made us both better dog parents. I eventually got rid of the husband, but the dog went with me to my new life!
She Also Is Refusing To Eat Her Food We Got Puppy Replacer Formula That And…
She also is refusing to eat her food we got puppy replacer formula that and water is all she will take besides wanting her beggin treats is this ok
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Anonymous None of this is OK. Get both her and her pup to the vet, please. Consider this an emergency.
My Puppy Was Acting Fine Last Night. Today She Keeps Whining If You Move Her…
My puppy was acting fine last night. Today she keeps whining if you move her, pees herself, and she cant walk, when she tries shes frantic about it, falls over alot and lays back down.
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Lindsey Knouse This is very worrisome. She really needs a good physical exam by a vet to determine what is going on and get her treated. Could she have gotten into something?
My Puppy Is 11 Months Old I’m Sure I Dog Go Through Puberty But Her…
My puppy is 11 months old I’m sure i dog go through puberty but her nipples are hard and red
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Amy Garrity She hasn’t been mated no
A Few Months Ago, We Adopted Two Pups From The Same Litter. They Are Blue…
A few months ago, we adopted two pups from the same litter. They are blue heeler/ Victorian bulldog mixes and they are the loves of our lives. Well they got into a few pretty bad fights, and we figured that they were just puppies and were just playing around. Well one day, they got into a HUGE fight to the point that one was dripping blood. From that point on, we have had to keep them separated- one of them is in the cage constantly. This is not fair to us or them, considering they are cattle dogs and shouldn’t ever be confined to such a small area so often. Plus it is nearly impossible to potty train them like this. So now we have two dogs who potty everywhere and fight with one another if they’re ever near each other. We desperately need help!
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PK Dennis Sad to say, this if a common occurrence when you adopt two males from the same litter. Either they grow up to be totally dependent on each other and can never be separated, OR they are in constant contention. How old are they? Have they been neutered? If they are over 6 months old they need to be neutered. This will help reduce the aggression.
However, it is not the cure. You need to find a behaviorist NOW! Don’t just pick any dog trainer – look for one that can come to your home and work with you there. Or one that specializes in aggression cases such as this. And sad to say – the only answer may be that you have to find one of the boys a new home. They may have developed such a dislike of each other that they will never live comfortably together.
You do desperately need help! But it is far beyond the scope of this forum. You need hands on help from a professional that can see your dogs and figure out what triggers the aggression. And in the future – remember – never get 2 puppies at one time!
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Ash Scism They are almost a year old and have appointments scheduled to get fixed. You response is very insightful, but I do have one issue. One of them is a female. Does this make any difference? Thanks.
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Anonymous littermate syndrome – the issue you’re experiencing – has nothing to do with sex. it has to do with raising two puppies of the same age together and not giving them time apart for training and socializing.
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Anonymous and i agree with PK, this NEEDS to be handled at home. anyone giving you further advice online is being reckless. you need someone in your home, watching your dogs interact. until this can happen, continue crating each dog separately and rotating which has freedom in the house. this will help you to keep them safe from each other. every fight will get worse, every interaction will escalate, and you may end up with a dead dog if you continue to allow them to be around each other.
So Lately I’ve Been Thinking About Getting Another Dog. My Current Dog Is A Chihuahua…
So lately I’ve been thinking about getting another dog. My current dog is a Chihuahua and possibly Rat terrier mix; he’s about 13 years old. Before I got him he used to have another chihuahua he always hung around with, but that was when he was around five. He only barks when there is someone making noise outside or that get too close to our fence, the same goes with barking dogs or ones that pass by our house. Other than that he is very friendly with strangers, especially when they come into our yard. He does however, have an issue if dogs come onto his territory, like most dogs do. He has never been to a dog park and has gone to a pet store a couple times, either for shopping or to be groomed. Our neighbors have a dog who barks at everyone and everything, even if I open the back door for a second. My dog occasionally fights with him through the fence, and by that maybe every few weeks. My dog doesn’t bite, growl, nip, scratch or anything at strangers when they come over, even if it’s our pest control. I’m not sure how he will react when we bring another puppy home? We’re either thinking of getting a border collie, lab, doberman pinscher or possibly an italian greyhound. Any tips on what to do when they first meet? Do you think he’ll be alright with another puppy? Any advice helps, thank you!!
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Anonymous Has he ever been around a puppy? Are you willing to separate the dogs and rotate which is out, if things go south?
A warning about dobes, because I have one – they are NOT gentle with littles. You’ll have to work very hard on teaching a dobe puppy to be gentle with smaller animals – our girl is nearly three and still occasionally stomps my cat. They’re also tough puppies and are quite literally a full time job until they’re around 2 years of age…I’ll happy talk more about the breed if you want, but I don’t want to flood this particular answer with my babble. 🙂
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PK Dennis This is how my rescue recommends you introduce a new dog to your home (and I do this with all fosters coming to live with my pack of 4 terriers, one of which is a Cairn/Chihuahua mix):
Before the new dog arrives pick a place in the home for him to live most of the time for 3 days. I use my guest bathroom some times, and other times I use my craft room – both have tile floors so it is easy to clean up any accidents that may occur with the new dog. Inside that room I place a dog crate appropriate in size for the new dog/puppy.
For the first 3 days after the new dog arrives, we play musical crates and/or rooms. I do not allow the dogs to see each other, they only smell each other on me, and under the door, etc. When my dogs are loose, the new dog is in the prepared room. When my dogs are crated or in their kennel the new dog is allowed to be out of the room, in the yard, or house with supervision. There is ALWAYS a closed door between my dogs and the new dog.
I spend time playing and training the new dog each day, and will crate my boys for an hour or so in the evening so I can just plop on the sofa with the new dog for cuddles. With a puppy you will need to be spending a lot of time with it as you will not be able to resist! Spend an equal amount of time with the older dog. One of the activities you want to focus on with the puppy is learning to walk on a leash – this is critical for the 4th day.
On the morning of the 4th day, put leashes on both dogs and immediately go out the door for a walk. Don’t give the dogs time to sniff or eyeball each other – the job is to walk together with you for at least 10 mins. If the puppy is older keep walking (5 mins. per month of age is a good rule of thumb – too long a walk puts too much stress on the bones and joints of a puppy).
Once we have finished the walk I take all the dogs into my fenced yard, drop the leashes and allow them to sniff, play, ignore each other as they see fit. Dragging the leashes allows you to step on a leash or pull one dog away from the other if things get hairy.
I have had 99% success with introducing dogs this way. The only exception was a foster that decided my smallest dog was prey – good thing I had that leash to grab! It saved my dog’s life.
We believe the reason it works is that it allows the dogs to smell each other without any misunderstandings of body language. In the wild a lone wolf will spend weeks haunting a new pack’s territory. They stay mostly out of sight, but scent mark in the territory. Then they start showing themselves to the pack from a distance. Finally they approach members of the pack. If the pack wants them they are welcomed (usually by the female members of the pack). So while our dogs are no longer wolves – smell is the first thing they pick up on. First scent, then sight, then hearing. So this 3 day of separation, but crossing each other’s scents helps the dogs get to know each other without confrontation.
With my dogs it works so well, they don’t even sniff each other’s butts once we are done the walk.
Since your dog is used to fighting through a fence I caution you to make sure that he and the new pup never see each other through a fence or crate during those 3 days. Keep that solid, shut, door between them.
Your 13 year old dog may never want to play with the puppy – but the puppy will want to play with him! Be sure your older dog has a place he can escape the puppy – such as a dog bed or crate, maybe in a different room. When your Chi is getting too much attention from the pup, tell the puppy to “leave it” and ask him/her to play with you. This will help the puppy learn to leave the older dog alone when he is in his quite place.
An Italian greyhound is a better size for your current dog, and they generally are ‘softer’ dogs. The other 3 breeds you mention will be a real challenge for you, and will overwhelm the Chi. It is a giant leap going from living with a Chi to living with these 3 other breeds. They all are high energy, need WAY more exercise, and a lot of training to become good canine citizens. The Border especially, will need a job. Borders are scary intelligent.
All that being said – give your dog a month with the new pup before you decide if it is going to work or not. Good luck!
Came Home From Work Tonight And My Puppy Started Limping On Her Back Leg. But…
Came home from work tonight and my puppy started limping on her back leg. But she was still playing and running like it didn’t seem to bother her, so i thought it might just be a sprain. She has a small bump on the bottom of her foot ?
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Anonymous unfortunately, the photo didn’t work. i would keep an eye on her, regarding the limp. if it persists more than a day or two, take her to the vet, and in the mean time, keep her on reduced activity. no jumping on things, no running.
I Think My Puppy Has Parvo And Nobody Will Help Her Bc I Sont Have…
I think my puppy has parvo and nobody will help her bc i sont have the money right now what can i do for her at home to keep her alive i got her two weeks ago and she was fine until yesterday she started throwing up and pooping a red color
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Anonymous If you honestly cannot afford to get her well and keep her healthy, please surrender her. Please. This is for her health. Please.
What’s The Youngest Age For A Puppy To Get Her Rabies Shots?
What’s the youngest age for a puppy to get her rabies shots?
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Anonymous you should be asking your vet this question, as they know your puppy best and they have a schedule in mind for her.
seriously – ask them. 🙂
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Carrie Gomez I am asking because we were told 8 weeks then 4 months.
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Anonymous our puppies both had rabies shots at 4 months.
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Carrie Gomez Ok
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Dawn Ferara, DVM 3 months or 13 weeks by law
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Carrie Gomez Thank you!
It will probably take a little while to potty train him because he is so young. To socialize him you can take him on walks and play with him and get him toys to play with. Puppies are resiliant so even though he has had a rough start just give him a loving home and play with him and make sure he is happy and he will be fine into adolescence. I hope you and your new puppy the best!
Don’t worry about what happened to him. Think about how lucky he is to have a caring human now who is taking great care of him. Socialization is important. Make sure to introduce him to lots of people when he is old enough to go on nice walks. Also dog parks or other dogs that you know, should be a great way to introduce him to other dogs. Your vet should have a ton of info to share with you. Best of luck!!
Thanks for the encouragement! I had a torturous few day where I didn’t know if I should keep him or take him to the shelter. Many people on the internet acted like it was inhumane to have a dog if you couldn’t keep him indoors 24/7 and be with him most of the time; however, the lady at the shelter showed me all the cute pups there and told me that many don’t make it out. I refuse to give up on him! I’m not rich and I don’t have the resources to put him in a daycare every day but I do have a very comfortable and large home with a privacy fence. I have lots of love in my heart and no children, as well.
I plan to use the next 6 weeks to get him into the routine of our household. My mother won’t be able to help out because she takes care of my grandmother but my man is gonna arrange to drive 40 minutes here and 40 minutes back on his lunch to check on little man.
We are looking at collar activated doggie doors currently but he will be too young for that at first. I found a really cool solar paneled fan that can attach to a doghouse and “heated flooring” options for winter. I can’t believe this stuff exists! Who knew a dog could have a climate controlled doghouse?!?
Again, I really appreciate the supportive comments while I was panicking about what to do. 🙂