Getting my Puppy on the 21st!

tomatoboi · 02-13-2007, 09:45 PM

Hey guys im so excited! The next week is going to be a LONG week..ive been thinking about the puppy nonstop! Anyway,I have a couple of questions. when I get her(shes a 8 week old Shihtzu), What are some suggestions that you guys can give me? Ive read through the whole forum almost, but it would be great if you guys can just list some things i Should or shouldnt do! btw, im a first time dog owner.

Ive also been thinking about making a schedule.. Any suggestions?
I sleep at around 11:30P:M - 12.
Wake up at 6:30-7:00A:M
I leave school at 7:15 and get back at 10:00 A:M
After that, im home the whole day.
thanks!

EDIT: heres a pic of the puppy!!
http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=49dehg4.jpg

Kerry · 02-13-2007, 11:15 PM

Congratulations! It is great that you are thinking ahead. Your schedule will work fine with a new puppy. Mine never had to go out in the middle of the night, I just set my alarm for 5:45am instead of 6:30am for a couple of weeks but now she goes from 11pm to 7am.
I like crate training. Puppies are so cute that it is hard to be strict with their freedom around the house. You want to be able to do all the fun stuff right away.

My neighbor let her puppy play outside and go for walks and have the run of the house. Big mistake. Keep her close to you or in the crate for a long time.

tomatoboi · 02-14-2007, 10:46 AM

Thanks kerry! any more tips or advice?? Im kinda nervous and excited at the same time.. i really want to raise a well behaved and healthy dog

cockapoolvr · 02-14-2007, 11:01 AM

What a cute puppy!!
Sounds great.
I also agree with the crate training. My puppy is crate trained and he's doing fine. I can't say he "loves it," but he has accepted it, and it's working out fine for all of us.
Good luck with your new bundle of joy!!!

Tess&Coco · 02-14-2007, 12:17 PM

Apart from advice on the internet, have you got any books about puppy training? I can recommend "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey or "Before and After getting your puppy" by Ian Dunbar. They both offer pretty comprehensive puppy care advice. Good luck!

briteday · 02-14-2007, 09:07 PM

First, take your dog to a local vet so that you can establish a relationship. You want to have someone to call in case of emergency and have the vet be able to put a face with a name. The vet check will also confirm that the animal is as it was represented and healthy.
I am a fan of crates also. Although none of my dogs "liked" their crate for the first few weeks, they all now seek out their crates for privacy or protection. I leave the doors open except at night or in the car so they can go in anytime. A crate is also helpful when transporting a dog in the car so they are not loose to get caught under your feet or flung around the vehicle during an accident, or worse. I keep a bunch of old fluffy bath towels piled on top of the crate so that I can change them as needed. Easy to launder and lots of them around. If you don't have any try a thrift store and pick some up for free. When you purchase the crate buy the one that you will need for the full grown dog. Hopefully you can see how large the parents are. If the dog pees a lot in the crate (usually because they can pee in a far corner and sleep in an opposite corner) then you can block off the back half of the crate with a plastic box or cardboard "wall" until the dog is ready to have larger quarters.

When we've had pups that young you can expect to be getting up at night for a while. A feeding and exercise schedule will help you anticipate the needs throughout a day, but you will lose some sleep during the first few months.

I like to feed my really little guys at least 3x/day, until about 6 months old...then 2x/day for the rest of their lives. Little dogs need the 2x/day feeding so that their blood sugar doesn't drop too low. They can get cranky or worse. Start out with whatever the breeder is feeding. If you want to do the research, you may want to change food later on. My philosophy to prevent a pick eater is to go with whatever food you choose, don't add people food or enticements. A healthy dog will not starve itself and will eventually eat. The first few days are tough because they are away from their mom and litter mates. So I don't worry over 3-5 day of picking at food. The pup will soon be eating with gusto!

I like to schedule things so that I can anticipate and prevent any unnecessary cleanups. You'll have enough as it is. So I would let her out first thing in the morning, bring her in to feed her, anticipate that she will need to go out about an hour after she eats (every dog is different, just a ballpark), then you can crate her while you go to school, let her out as soon as you get home, go for a nice long walk every day...at least 30 minutes to start and working up to a total of an hour...can be broken up into more than one session...and small dogs can burn off energy by fetching a toy down a hallway, etc...if the weather is inclement or you can't get out that day. But never underestimate the need to exercise. This isn't a pocket toy and they can get bored and destructive..., feed her a midday meal, out about an hour later, feed her an evening meal, out an hour later, and then out before you go to bed. The only change I see to your current schedule is that you may have to get up a little earlier in the morning to take care of her needs. Some dogs will go out, eat their breakfast in their crate while you shower, go out again, and be good until you get home at 10.

When she is out of her crate and you are home I would suggest tethering her to your belt loop, etc with a leash so that she can be where you are but yet you can keep an eye out for the signs that she needs to go out, sniffing and squatting...scoop her up and run outside to the designated potty area saying "hurry up" "go potty" "outside"...whatever consistent term you are going to use for housebreaking.

While shopping I would also get a lightweight leash and collar, a little longer leash for tethering (10' ???) ID tags, check with your vet about a microchip ID, a small bag of the food the breeder is using, and a crate.
Hope this helps.

tomatoboi · 02-14-2007, 09:22 PM

WOW thanks alott..it really helps lol. ANothe question.. lets say like theres something on the floor that maybe i didnt notice..like a penny, or dime, bottlecap etc etc. Basically smething small.. If the dog eats it, can it possibly kill her? Do i have to keep my house squeeky clean at all times?

Weebles · 02-14-2007, 09:40 PM

Congratulations!! You don't have to keep your house super clean all the time - just make sure to watch the puppy and try to keep little things and dangerous things like electrical wires out of reach. Also, definitely crate the puppy. My dog is much more relaxed when he is left in a crate versus out by himself.

Another suggestion is get lots of chew toys early. My dog has always had lots of toys and he loves them, so he never has chewed on furniture or shoes. Try petedge.com - they have toys for less than $1 or you can give the puppy ice cubes (mine loves to play fish the ice cube out of his water bowl).

Finally, definitely get some Nature's Miracle cleaner. It's the best at getting out those new puppy stains in the carpet!

tomatoboi · 02-16-2007, 11:47 AM

hey hey, i have a few more qeustions i thought of..

1)lets say your puppy pees or poos on ur carpet, or somewhere that she wasnt suppose to.. how do you discipline that? (i know ur not suppose to yell at her)

2)Whats the best poop/pee method to train the puppy if i live in an apartment.. and cant always take it outside to poo/pee. Is training it to go in the litter box good?> (especially since its snow storming out there!)

Weebles · 02-16-2007, 12:59 PM

I live in an apartment too, and my dog uses the potty pads. I like the Jump Start ones the best because they stick to the floor and the puppy cannot run off with them or eat them. I think these are better than litter boxes because some litter can be bad for dogs (I think they eat it or it gets stuck to their paws, something like that).

For when they have an accident, I found it works best to just ignore it (my dog seemed to think any attention meant he did something good). Then, when he went on his potty pad, I would jump around and tell him "good potty" and give him a treat. The more excited I seemed, the more he associated it with a good thing. Also, you can try leading her to the pad or litter box, and have her stay there until she goes. You can put a leash on to hold her, or put one of those pens around it. Then, she gets to come out after a good potty and she get praise and a treat.

tomatoboi · 02-16-2007, 01:23 PM

thanks weebles, i have alot more questions.. lol maybe ill ask wen i think of them though.. btw im from Chicago too!

sheltieluver · 02-16-2007, 01:42 PM

Sounds like you got a lot of great suggestion and good luck with your new puppy! I just wanted to say your puppy is ADORABLE!

Weebles · 02-16-2007, 01:49 PM

Well, in the Chicago winter, you will definitely appreciate training your dog to go inside!

BTW, when your puppy is older, my dog (10 month old Silky Terrier) always loves to play with other little dogs!

tomatoboi · 02-20-2007, 11:09 AM

hey hey... im picking up my puppy on thursday..

im so happy but im jw, Should i bring the puppy straight home to my house and just keep her in my room, or should she be allowed to roam around the house r ight away? Oh! and lets say you're teaching youre puppy tricks.. do you give her a treat everytime she does it correct? wont that make her fat?? thanks for the help

Curbside Prophet · 02-20-2007, 01:29 PM

If you let her roam around the house, she must be supervised...no free roaming. Its fine to let her explore, but when she can't be watched keep her in a puppy proofed enclosure. Use her daily protion of food as training aids. I wouldn't use doggie treats, and if you use puppy treats, introduce them slowly...you don't want to upset her stomach.

tomatoboi · 02-23-2007, 08:22 AM

hey guys, i picked up my shihtzu yessterday! shes beautiful! but theres some Quesions i have.. i dont know if its normal behavior or what.. But she looks like she likes to BITe everything.. my finger, the crate, her tail, even her own leg ! how can i train her to stop this?..unless its normal.. oh and she likes to spin around in circles all the time, i dont kno what it is, but it looks like shes REALLY REALLY excited, its either that or shes aggravated. (she looks like shes going to charge at you and stuff) thanks for the help !!
Btw: shes only 6 and a half weeks old.. shes also keeps licking her vagina area..NONstop

skelaki · 02-24-2007, 05:29 AM

This is normal puppy behavior but it won't stop automatically. When she tries to bite/chew something inappropriate tell her no in a firm, low (growly) voice. Then give her something appropriate to chew. If she takes it, praise her.

If you don't have a crate for her, get one. If you crate train her you will not only find it easier to housebreak her, once she is used to the crate it will be her safe den and her familiar place if you travel with her.

Personally I don't like my dogs to use my house/apartment as a toilet. And yes, I've lived in cold, snowy places (Utah now, and Wyoming). Does your apartment have a balcony (even a very small one)? If it does, you can put a litter pan with a pee pad or something in it out on the balcony and take the pup out there to do his business.

The main thing to do is to supervise constantly, crate when you can't and put everything on a schedule.