Puppy care thread
 

O.K. Have some questions, I have made many mistakes with princess puppy poo. I accidentally gave her an ear infection, through bathing. Did not realize you have to be very careful about getting water in their ears. It is fine, all cleared up. Medicated her poor little ears, and felt bad about making her have any discomfort. I have bought her everything in the puppy world that is sold at stores to chew on. She loves to chew on wood, not any of the the things I have bought her to chew on. She loves the wood trim in my house. A few years ago, I would have freaked out about my house looking nice. My concern is, I don't want her to get splinters in her mouth. We watch her pretty closely, but can't watch her all of the time. Any suggestions how to divert her? She has tons of toys to chew on, but she loves wood.

Is your dog crate trained?

Doggy Toys!

^:D

come on klynne, post some piccies of the little pup! :)

No, she is not crate trained yet. She is a small dog, only four months old, and a pomeranian. They have to pee about every two hours. I work during the day, so she has pee pads to go on in a confined area. When we are with her, we watch her as best we can, but she is so little she darts off, and we find her chewing on the furniture, and wood trim. I have introduced dental bones to her, and she can chew through one in 15 minutes. Big dental bones and she is only 3 pounds.

My bofriend said he did have two by fours for her out in the garage.

Crate train her. If you feed her and make sure that she relieves bowel and bladder prior to your leaving for work, she will be fine until lunch. Go home from work at lunch so she can be let out to pee. When she is out of the crate she has to be directly observed at all times. Use baby gates to confine her to the areas that you are in so this can be accomplished. When you cannot directly observe her, she has to be in the crate. Take her for walks or outside for exercise when you first let her out of the crate after a long period. She will need to pee then, so use a command like "Go pee" to help her associate the act with the command. This will save you a lot of times in the mornings, on trips, etc. Somewhere between six months to a year, you can start leaving her for short periods unobserved but with you in the house. It should be quite a long time after that -- another six months at least -- before you are able to leave her alone in the house without crating her. This is all part of raising a puppy to be a member of your household.

My dog came to us from the rescue organization who got him out of the shelter with double ear infections in both ears & they're his Achilles heel, he STILL gets them twice a year, no matter what.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS stick cotton balls in the ears before bath time. Also, get everything you need for a bath out & ready to go--warm towel, dog shampoo, a big cup to rinse them faster & a treat for enduring a b-a-t-h. Run the water warm, but not too hot. Close the bathroom door so they can't jump out of the tub & go running into a bedroom under a bed with dog shampoo in their fur (Fritz, 1991).

You do not need to shampoo the fur on the face. We will get to that in a minute.

Grab the dog & place into the warm water.

WORK FAST!!!!! Dogs do not like to be held down, and the quicker you work, the sooner it will be over.

Make sure the fur is completely wet first, then take some dog shampoo (baby shampoo works in a pinch, but can be drying to their skin) and lather it up down their back. Again, be careful of washing their head. You can make sure the lather gets under their little arms, chest, and neck. But leave the head & ears alone!!!

As soon as you've soaped them up on top, kinda pick them up & work at the underbelly, then make sure you get the hind legs, under the tail & the tail itself.

Then you rinse! Use the big cup, make sure the water isn't too hot or too cold & rinse the little pup off as best you can.

At this point you can drain the tub water. When all the suds are gone from their fur, pick up the puppy (one hand under the arms, one hand cradling their little ass) and put into the big warm towel.

Dry off as best you can, for as long as they will let you. The dog should have shook water off at least twice during this process, and will help you by shaking off after getting toweled.

There is nothing like the smell of a wet dog on a hot summer afternoon. You want the dog as dry as possible before you let them go, because they WILL go & roll around on your carpet. Also, wait to let them outside until they are as dry as possible. If you don't, they will roll around in the stinkiest thing they can find in your yard & with wet fur they will smell like that for even longer--yuck.



Are you asking about how to keep her from chewing on wood? Do you have a squirt gun?

Next time you catch her IN THE ACT, squirt her on the ass with the gun while yelling NO. Or BAD DOG. Or BABY JESUS. After awhile you will be able to yell BABY JESUS without squirting & she will know the behavior she is exhibiting at the moment isn't wanted. HOWEVER, it's important to discipline in this manner ONLY when you catch them in the act, otherwise it confuses them.

Dogs chew because they need exercise. Poms have A LOT of energy. If you tucker her out with 2 walks a day, she will be too tired to chew. Also she is a puppy, so she needs to chew to work out those puppy teeth. Watch her close when she's losing them to make sure she doesn't swallow any.

Don't give her anything to chew like a shoe or sock. The reason for this is dogs can't differentiate which sock is ok to chew & which isn't. Same for shoes. Better to stick to actual dog toys. Does she have a Kong? You fill those with peanut butter or Charlee Bear cookies & it keeps them occupied. She needs something hard for those little gums--they hurt! New teeth are coming in! That's why she loves your woodwork. Kongs are great for teething.

Now as far as washing the face, it's not really necessary. She's not down digging in coal mines & shit. HOWEVER. If you feel you want to, take a warm wet washcloth & go over her ears (OUTER FUR ONLY!), top of her head, snout, cheeks (cheeky weekies!), and under her chinny chin chin once a week, once a month, up to you. NO SOAP. Only a TINY droplet of baby shampoo if she's filthy (think mud puddle) and NEVER get that soap near their eyes.

Eyes are another thing altogether. If she's got boogers or discoloration, wet a qtip with some water to carefully remove it.

Ears, do not shove a qtip in there, EVER. Put the cleaner in her ear, massage just under her ear until you hear the good sloshy sounds & let that little bitch outside to shake it out. (thanks, scuba!)

Also along with Trish's post (which I agree with for potty training them), you have to think of it like this: How would you feel if you woke up & didn't know if it was 6am or 6pm? You didn't know when (or if!) you were going to get to eat or use the bathroom? You'd freak & dogs do, too. A routine is ESSENTIAL for them. They need to know what's coming next.

Mine has us trained now. I stayed with him while my parents went to Myrtle Beach for their anniversary & he's like a canine alarm clock. 8am we are up & outside. Back in for our breakfast. Back outside for a nice leisurely poop. Then back inside with a cookie (dog biscuit, treat, etc) as a reward for pooping on grass & not carpet. Then we are ready for our day.

Noon, we have another cookie & we go outside. 430pm is suppertime for puppy dogs. We go outside immediately afterward. 8pm is another cookie & trip outside.

Sometimes the dog will just look at you & you'll be like, "What, honey? What is it? Tell me & I'll do it for you." Well of course they can't tell you, but ALWAYS check the water bowl & be ready to go outside with them. Those are the 2 things Wolf usually needs when he stares at me, or squirms to not be held, or tries to jump off the couch. One or the other, anyway. If it's not an empty bowl, he has to pee.

I scramble him an egg every week to keep his coat healthy. Sometimes it's hard boiled instead, which I cut up for him. It's a treat he really loves.

Also be careful with collars. Make sure her name & yours are on her tags, as well as a cell phone number. She should only wear her collar outside. You don't want it to get stuck on something inside the house. (I say this, but Wolf wears his all day. At night it comes off & he is "naked".) Oh yeah, take the collar off for the bath. :D

If you're gonna walk her, get her a harness. Much easier to control a dog & you're not gonna wreck their windpipe if you have to hold it firmly for whatever reason. ETA: it = the leash, not the windpipe :0

I'm so excited for you. I want to see a picture of your dog. Here is one of mine.

Thanks for all of your advice! Layla is doing very well. I have bought bitter apple spray and have it applied to everything she likes to chew on. She leaves these things alone now. I have become more familiar with her time clock. So elimination is almost always outside of the house. She is a true joy to me, glad we own her. Love her. I will post pictures soon. We go to obedience school, and her trainer tells me how lucky I am to have a wel behaived dog,

It is so fun having a puppy poo, I can't imagine life with out her! Now, I am just doing hang wringing about her spaying....Some vets tell me do it before her first menses, some tell me to wait until she is a year old. Do not know what to do. Just want to make an informed decision. I want to do the right thing for her.

And she is only five pounds. Surgery really freaks me out on something so tiny.

get the picture? yes ! we see :D:D:D

A sure-fire cure to get your little pup to stop chewing the furniture: dab the corners with a bit of dish soap.

I tried all kinds of things. I used that Bitter Apple spray, but my dog thought that meant she was SUPPOSED to eat it. The only thing that kept her from chewing my furniture was to put a bit of dish soap on all the ends of things.

And after a day or two it's not sticky anymore, and it won't discolor your wood and just wipes right off if you need to.

It worked fast. She hasn't chewed on my furniture (or baseboards!) since.

Good luck.

I am going to try that. She loves the bitter apple, bitter lime, loves hot sauce. I will try the dish soap.

I even tasted the bitter apple and bitter lime, I hated it. It was like a fine culinary thing for her.

Dish soap has worked like a charm! Thanks for the advice.

This has to be the cutest thing ever!

Yay! I'm glad it worked. My puppy ate 5 pieces of my furniture before I thought of the dish soap. :-(

Now I have to get her spayed! It is time. My boyfriend and I are wringing our hands over this. I am really worried. It is just because she is only six pounds, that I worry. I like her vet, but I want to quetion the hell out of her...Questions that come to mind, "How many toy dogs have you spayed, what are the drugs you will be using?" etc, etc. Thank God I have never had children, I would be a wreck....I know she is only a dog, I am amazed how much I care about her.

K, you don't need to rationalize. People who say, "It's only a dog" do not & might not ever understand.

Also, ask away that is what the vet is for! If it were a pediatrician you would ask those questions. If it were someone coming to clean your carpets, you would ask questions. Go for it!

We are still waiting on pictures.... ;)

yes, dammit, we are desperately awaiting your cute little puppy pics!! :D

She thinks we are going to forget...about the pictures. Well, we aren't, are we?

You will get pictures, I promise. I am just so stupid. I don't know how to transfer the pictures from my phone to the computer. PM me your phone number and I will send you some pics. I am going through a sick cat problem now. Very expensive had to take Fred to the emergency vet clinic today and no definitive answers. They told me he was fine, but he is still acting very strangely. He is still throwing up, and won't eat or drink. I think it has been brought on since I gave him his latest dose of Vectra. The other animals were fine, but he was foaming at the mouth this morning which freaked me out. The emergency vet cost me $139 dollars today. Oh well. I have to check on him again. I wil take him to his regular vet tomorrow.

^!!! I had a cat that developed an allergy to topical pest medicine and had the SAME response. The vet told me to wash it off of him with Dawn dish detergent...it'll cut the oil better than regular pet shampoo...and then never use it again. I switched to a flea collar for him, and then he was okay. The vet said it was a serious reaction and could have worsened if it wasn't washed off...could have caused intestinal bleeding, I remember.
:eek:
Good luck to your kitty.

Thank you for telling me this. Fred is about at 85% of being back to himself. I have three cats and it is strange, the other two have been sick once in awhile, they still eat, Fred, just shuts down completely. I guess there are slurries you can buy, but my brother (the vet) tells me to force feed Fred tuna, even if I can just get three bites of it into him. It always works, but it is so unpleasant to do. I guess if they quit eating, their liver shuts down. He came out of hiding and cuddled with us, and had some water, so I think he may be doing better. I also force fed him some tuna. I will just have to watch what he does tomorrow.

Layla had a busy day today. We went and visited Bob in the nursing home and she was in hog heaven. She misses him. She made other friends as well. Such a good doggie. I hope Bob can go home soon.

Princess Puppy Poo, aka Layla, was spayed today. She LIVED! Momma was so worried. She is recovering nicely. Just a little sleepy. Well, a lot sleepy. She had a little dinner tonight and is drinking her water. So, I am happy and relieved. It was so cute when I went to pick her up. They took me into the exam room and when they brought her to me, she started wagging her tail. They put her on the table and she wobbled up to me and stood on her hind legs, yelped, (my poor baby) and licked my nose. I feel bad about having it done, but know it is necessary. My boyfriend was kind of pushing not to do it and have her bred so we could have another cute little precious dog, but the health risks to her were too great for my liking. I would rather have her for potentially 15 years than another puppy.

cuuuuuuuuute

Awww, thanks for posting the picture. She is about 100 percent recovered now. She does lurves her pain meds in the morning though. Just two more days of that. Then hopefully, no more vet visits until her next rabies shot!

hey, i missed this!! what a cutie :):)

Don't ever give your dog the product called "Angel Eyes". It is suppose to keep dogs, such as mine, that have a tendency to get black circles under their eyes, from having discharge. It made her very constipated. I thought this product was safe, but, I was wrong. Did not kill her or anything, but it made it impossible for her to poop. I will just wash her face every day from now on.

Wet washcloth, NO SOAP!!! Wet a q-Tip for eye boogers.