[AM103]

First off I got a Maltese, Pomeranian, Yorkie, Toy poodle mix (rescue) last weekend. He is a 5 month male and weighs 9 pounds.
1. He just got neutered last week and keeps licking the scars.....How long should this last and should I be letting him lick/itch that area?
2. Sometimes randomly he makes a weird sound like when you squeeze an empty plastic water bottle and he takes huge deep breaths synchronized with the sounds...that lasts for 10-20 seconds...Should we be concerned? (He's going to the vet this weekend anyways...but should it be sooner?)
3. He usually barks/whines when he needs to go potty, How do we know when he just wants attention and doesn't really have to go?
4. If i'm outside waiting for him to go potty, how long should I have to wait if he actually needs to go and will go?
5. Right now he goes to the bathroom around every 4 hours and sleeps from 10pm to 7am without going in his crate...How, or what should I do to prepare him for the school year when we will be gone from 7:30-4? (As far as feeding, sleeping and play times?)

Thanks!!!!!

 

[Gally]

First off I got a Maltese, Pomeranian, Yorkie, Toy poodle mix (rescue) last weekend. He is a 5 month male and weighs 9 pounds. Congrats
1. He just got neutered last week and keeps licking the scars.....How long should this last and should I be letting him lick/itch that area?
No you shouldn't be letting him lick it. He needs an protective collar like an Elizabethan cone or a snug fitting t-shirt so he can't get at the stitches.
2. Sometimes randomly he makes a weird sound like when you squeeze an empty plastic water bottle and he takes huge deep breaths synchronized with the sounds...that lasts for 10-20 seconds...Should we be concerned? (He's going to the vet this weekend anyways...but should it be sooner?)
Maybe a reverse sneeze? I'd have the vet check it out. If you can get a video/sound recording of the behavior it might help.
3. He usually barks/whines when he needs to go potty, How do we know when he just wants attention and doesn't really have to go?
You will probably just have to get to know him. Each dog is an individual and has their own habits. Spinning, sniffing and scratching at the door can be common signs of needing to go out.
4. If i'm outside waiting for him to go potty, how long should I have to wait if he actually needs to go and will go?
Most dogs will pee almost as soon as they get outside if they need to go. Pooping can take a little longer as some dogs seem to need to find "the right spot." I wouldn't wait more than 5 minutes for potty training purposes. If he doesn't go and you bring him back inside make sure you either watch him like a hawk or crate him until you can take him out again to prevent accidents.
5. Right now he goes to the bathroom around every 4 hours and sleeps from 10pm to 7am without going in his crate...How, or what should I do to prepare him for the school year when we will be gone from 7:30-4? (As far as feeding, sleeping and play times?)
Start with short times of being gone and work your way up since you have time to prepare him. Leave for 2 minutes and come back, then 5, 10, 15, 30 etc. until he is okay being alone for as long as you need him to be. Do it slowly over the next month. Play crate games with him by getting him to go in and out of the crate for a treat. Give him a special treat while he's in the crate like a frozen stuffed Kong to keep him busy while you're gone. Start feeding him now the way you will once school starts.
Thanks!!!!!

My answer are in bold.

 

[AM103]

Thanks for the responses! I'm going to get him one of those collar things today. I noticed a little bump down there in front of his penis....is that where they did something to him or is that some sort of infection? Another thing is, We are supposed to give him 1 1/2 cups of food a day, but this morning and yesterday he hardly ate 1/8 cup...We have given him quite a few milk bones broken up very small into almost 8 pieces a bone to teach him to sit lay down roll over etc. He knows sit, lay down, shake, roll over, stay already...we have been trying to limit him to 3 "full sized" milk bones a day so he doesn't eat too much, but is he not eating his normal food because he is expecting treats? We haven't given him hardly any treats today but he is sniffing for food now. We picked it up off the ground so he couldn't get it because we are trying to get him used to the whole "2 meals a day" thing for when hes gone.... I JUST HAPPENED to hear him make the sound....I filmed it for 50 seconds.... [video]http://s1132.photobucket.com/albums/m575/motocross103/?action=view&current=video-2012-08-01-10-00-01.mp4[/video] For some reason when I click the link i dont have any picture....I'll try again if he does it later.

Thanks much! It worries me!

 

[Amaryllis]

look up "reverse sneeze" on youtube. there are a lot of videos. kabota does this occasionally and the first time i thought he was dying, but he stopped on his own and seemed fine. i remembered reading about reverse sneezing, looked it up on youtube and yup, that's what it was.

 

[Fade]

He may have developed infection cause of his licking and itching I would recommend having someone take a peak at him. a lot of licking can cause the area to get irritated then it will not heal in the 2 week time frame properly. It is super common if a dog is a licker nothing to be scared about though easy to fix at the vets!

 

[AM103]

He may have developed infection cause of his licking and itching I would recommend having someone take a peak at him. a lot of licking can cause the area to get irritated then it will not heal in the 2 week time frame properly. It is super common if a dog is a licker nothing to be scared about though easy to fix at the vets!

Thanks for the advice! @ Amaryllis...Just wondering, is you dog named after Kubota tractors? hahaha my dad has a kubota tractor! Thanks for the advice....That seems to be what it it!

 

[Amaryllis]

Yes, he is! You're the second person to know that. I didn't name him, he's a rescue, but I was told they're great tractors, so I kept it. Plus, it's funny to hear commercials "buy a Kubota today!"

 

[AM103]

Yea! That's cool! Haha! I love creative dog names! Ok, two more questions....If he does have these reverse sneezes does he need to see a vet ASAP? or could it be in a week?
and
When he whines should I ignore him until he barks as far as knowing when he needs to go potty? He ate 25 minutes ago and just quit whining is this bad?

 

[gingerkid]

Yea! That's cool! Haha! I love creative dog names! Ok, two more questions....If he does have these reverse sneezes does he need to see a vet ASAP? or could it be in a week?

We actually had the same question for the vet on Wednesday. Our vet said they're nothing to be concerned about - they're annoying, but harmless. Some dogs have them all the time, some dogs only have them occasionally, or only once in their life. They can be caused by something (like being very excited) or might happen for no reason at all. He said the best thing to do if we were worried about them is to try to figure out what situations they happen during, and then try to avoid or limit those situations (if they seem to happen when the dog is excited, try to keep him calm, etc.).

As for the having to potty thing... Normally it takes several hours for the food to be digested. So the fact that he ate 25 minutes ago has little to do with whether he has to go potty right now. If you are training him to go potty after he's finished his dinner, in which case you should take him outside the same amount of time after every meal - if he goes potty give him a treat when he goes potty and when you get inside.

You could also try putting a bell by the door and training him to ring the bell, either when he wants to go outside, or when he needs to potty.

 

[tirluc]

you said you feed him 1 1/2 cups a day? plus biscuits? and he weighs 9#? not real sure but my 37-44# Border Collies eat 1 1/2-2 cups a day w/ one big milk bone biscuit in the evening each......having eaten only the 1/8 c, maybe he's getting too much food....