Puppy... HELP!!!

[PatMarlin]

Yesterday, Valentines day I made the mistake of taking my wife out to eat, and on the way back home we find this cute little varmint someone dumped off in the woods.. :roll:

The thing was in shear panic, and jumped out in the road as he heard us approach, trying to flag us down. I stopped and as we got out the little guy came running right after us. Couldn't leave the poor little guy to become a dinner ticket for the next yote or what ever critter that comes along. He can't be more than 3-4 weeks old maybe, but has his teeth in. Looks like a Queesnland type farm dog breed.

People dump animals off in the forest all the time, and I swear I don't know what I'll to to if I ever come up on a bastreed doing this. I'll prolly wind up in the booty house over a pup.

So we get the little guy home, and I built a screened in pen for him and sat it on the kitchen floor. It's been so many years since I had a puppy, and my wife has never had one, and of course she fell in love with the thing.

Well you guys prolly know what last night was like- a yip yelp fest about every 3 hours. I don't believe I got a wink of sleep. Got up to feed him every time, and just when I would start to get back to sleep, the yipper with pipes the size of a dog 10 times a big would start in again.

I need help on how to keep this little guy without turning me into a zombie- even worse is a zombie hillbilly with an attitude from the lack of sleep. I never was a father, so I don't have much experience in the infant department.

If you experienced dog owners have some tips, I sure would appreciate it. I may have to give the little guy away, if I can't get somewhat of a handle on him. AT my wits end from just one night PLEASE HELP!! .....:mrgreen:

[ron brooks]

Give him a hot water bottle and an alarm clock. That way he has something warm to snuggle up to and the tick-tock of the alarm clock seems to sooth them. Worht a try, right?

Ron

[Gunload Master]

I've always noticed that if you put the new puppy at the foot of your bed at night and try not to kick him off.. He will be good all night, until he has to use the bathroom :) All they need is good snuggle time.

[klausg]

Pat- Ron is spot on with the alarm clock, some folks think it reminds them of mom's heartbeat. I don't know, but it seems to work; another trick I use is to sacrifice a t-shirt that I've worn for a day. That way they have your scent with them in the kennel. Never tried the hot water bottle but it can't hurt, heck wrap one up in the T-shirt. Oh yeah, make sure the alarm clock is of the wind-up variety, those digital ones don't tick very well.

-Klaus

[Boz330]

What Ron said. You have to remember that someone just took him away from his litter mates and dumped him in the woods. He doesn't know that you haven't deserted him again. I'm suprized that if he was doing that in the woods that the Yotes didn't already get him.
Wear his little butt out right before bed time and get up early to let him out. They can deffinately try your patience while they are a puppy but it will get better reasonably quickly. If you go to them everytime they do that, they will keep it up because they want attention. One trick that I heard of was to put some rocks in a tin can and when they start that yowling shake it at them. That usually startles them into stopping and pretty soon they learn that's not acceptable inside. If you get up in the middle of the night you might let him out to relieve himself, but don't wake him up. Let sleeping dogs lie, so to speak.

Good luck
Bob

[dk17hmr]

Looks like a rabbit dog to me.

I have always had muts, except when I was really little my dad had a pure bread English Setter. Muts make the best dogs, the little runt I have now will run a rabbit like a beagle except he doesnt bark when on the trail he just takes off.

My neighbors alway leave the radio on in there entry way where there dog sleeps, maybe just need somethign to make some noise like everyone else said.

[PatMarlin]

Thanks guys.

Keep em' coming. I gotta find a wind clock. Last time I had onna those was the one my grandpa bought me at 9.

I think I'm gonna build a lid for his pen, with some acoustic foam under to deaden the sound then put a sleeping bag over the whole thing to get through he night.

Ear plugs maybe a good idea.. :mrgreen:

[PatMarlin]

Man I'll tellin ' ya...

Today's a bell ringer. I've got the dog, robbing my sleep. I've got my 93 year old grandmother out of town who's plumbing plugged up yesterday, then I've got my wife going through hormonal hell with the change of life upstairs cryin' half the day.

What next.. :roll:

...:mrgreen:

[tommag]

If you are bottle feeding him you will probably have to feed him every couple of hours for a bit. If he's eating solids and seems to be doing well on them, what everybody else said.
Your wife fell in love with him? Heck I fell in love with him from the pics.
Give it away? No, it'll get better. It's yours forever! hehehe. Make sure to keep anything that is irreplaceable put away so it doesn't get chewed up and be ready for everything else to get chewed up. The "But I love you daddy" eyes should keep you from killing it. I already have two Australian Shepherds or I'd come down and get him.
Good luck

P.S. try snuglling it in your arms as you nap on the recliner. That should keep you from thinking about giving it away.

[tommag]

Man I'll tellin ' ya...

Today's a bell ringer. I've got the dog, robbing my sleep. I've got my 93 year old grandmother out of town who's plumbing plugged up yesterday, then I've got my wife going through hormonal hell with the change of life upstairs cryin' half the day.

What next.. :roll:

...:mrgreen:

That which does not kill us only makes us stronger (and makes everybody else wish it killed us):)

[PatMarlin]

I've been feeding him bout' a teaspoon of can dog food mashed up in a saucer with water and condensed canned milk.

He hogs it right down. I don't want to feed him to much, but he seems to keep wanting more.

I've got a 1/2 Austrailan and german shepard mix bout' 2 years old. What an awesome dog. He's got the strength of a bull.

[tommag]

I bet that's a heck of a dog. My Aussies are strong with lots of endurance. My female starts lactating everytime she encounters a youngster of any species. She was born to be a mother. She is the only dog I've ever had that would run down a rabbit, hold it down with her paws, and lick it. She's done this several times and never killed one yet.
You shold've seen her when she discoverd the neighborhood pet blacktail had fawns. The fawns bawled like heck and Misty just kept holding them down and kissing them. I think she'd fight a cougar for the oportunity to suckle it's cubs!

[PatMarlin]

Here's Rocky. Rescued him from the pound...

[tommag]

Pat, I think I saw on another board you lived in Oregon. My wife just fell in love with your new pup. If you need to get rid of him, remember us. I live up near Kelso. You probably will keep him, but if not, Misty would teach him how things work around here just fine. Tom

[tommag]

Another thing. My wife suggested a stuffed toy in the pen with him.

[Bret4207]

We've been through about 30 dogs now. For pups we put them in a box near the bed where we can drop a hand down to assure him when he gets scared. Works for us. Personally, the best dog I ever had slept every day of his life with me till me wife hit the scene. The dog hated my wife...

[PatMarlin]

TM- we're up in far northern ca, and thanks for the offer, but I think we're in it for the long hall.

My sis read the posts here and said everyone was right on with the info. She's got 2 baby girls and is Laughin' at me right now.. :mrgreen:

We've got the stuffed animals in the pen. He just had lunch and I took him outside. He's havin' a good ol' time. Went poo poo right off the bat, so I think I'm gonna keep that program up.

Box by the bed sounds like a plan too Bret... :Fire:

[tommag]

Pat. My wife is smiling. She says it won't take much longer before the all nighters stop. Enjoy!

[NVcurmudgeon]

Pat, remember about outside potty training, puppies are instantaneous. Watch him all the time for needing to go no. 1, and rush him outside at the slightest clue. I always had better luck with praise and petting rather than with punishment. When puppies eat they often need to take a dump before the last bite hits bottom. Again, hustle him right out and praise him to the skies when he delivers. Our cockapoo had his fifteenth birthday yestereday complete with cake, (cheese and a candle on a dog biscuit.) Your little guy is cuter than the law allows.

[ron brooks]

You don't need to mix up food for him like that, just f3ed him something like Purina Puppy Chow about 4 times a day. You wet it down, they love it. last time I was buying it you could get it where it would make a milky gravy or a beef broth.

Ron

[MT Gianni]

Let him put his head in your lap or on your leg when you sit. He knows one of you is the Alpha in the house and he needs to know that he fits in there somewhere. did you come up with a name? Gianni.

[tommag]

Maybe something like Ingot...A work in progress, waiting to be molded.

[woody1]

I've been feeding him bout' a teaspoon of can dog food mashed up in a saucer with water and condensed canned milk.

He hogs it right down. I don't want to feed him to much, but he seems to keep wanting more.

I've got a 1/2 Austrailan and german shepard mix bout' 2 years old. What an awesome dog. He's got the strength of a bull.

Pat, you may not be feeding him enough. I'd say give him all he wants at one time, but watch he doesn't overeat. He prob'ly won't. Let him get his tummy full, tight, two- three times a day at his age. Good advise all around on the clock, etc. Last two dogs we potty trained was real easy. My wife kept them closed in a dog carrier beside the bed at nite. A dog won't usually soil his/her nest unless forced to stay in it too long. So at night when the dog needs to go, he'll wake you and you must hurry him out. I do mean hurry 'cause they'll squat as soon as they get outa the box if you let 'em. HTH Regards, Woody

[Flinchrock]

11 of these little ones 9 female 2 male

[JeffinNZ]

PAT: We got a black lab a couple of months back and she played up too. We had here in the kitchen with a blanket etc and left the light on the range hood over the stove on for her and she settled. Liked her night light.

We would comfort her and let her be.

Good luck. I know what you are going through.

[woody1]

NVcurmudgeon is right on re: potty training. Lotsa praise. I talk to 'em all the way thru it praising and saying "Go Potty...good boy/girl go potty...repeat ...repeat" you get the picture. Pretty soon they get so when you want them to deliver at your convenience you can just take 'em out and if they've got any inclination to go they will. My Lab forgets sometimes when I take her outside because she's so interested in other things so I have to remind her "Go Potty." Oh, yeah I do have to go! Most folks prob'ly can't but I'll bet you can, and I do..........take the dogs outside just before bed and we all go....Good training for a pup too! Regards, Woody

[garandsrus]

Pat,

I think your puppy is older than 3-4 weeks. Their eyes and ears don't open until 21 days. At three weeks they can't walk yet if I remember correctly. I think your puppy is closer to 6 weeks old. Softened puppy food should be just fine.

Make sure you take him to the Vet to get checked for worms and to get his vaccinations. He will probably have roundworm, which is very common. If the puppy does have roundworm, you will notice that his stomach will get very bloated looking right after he eats. The vet will de-worm him and the next stool or two you will see a stool full of what looks like spaghetti noodles. The pup actually gets the nutrition from the food he eats after that. I have raised three or four litters of Lab puppies.

When something goes in the pup's belly, something always comes out to make room for it! It takes about 30 seconds from the time it stops going in until it starts coming out. Use the time wisely and housebreaking will be easy....

New puppies will almost always carry on at night for two or three nights. Then they are fine.

I would highly recommend that you crate train the puppy. They get used to it and it's never a big deal after that. The best thing is that you can leave the house with the puppy in the crate and you know exactly what he can and can't get into. You get a lot less furniture chewed up that way. The other really nice thing about crate training is that I can leave my dog in a motel room while we go to dinner or whatever and know that if the cleaning lady comes in, my dog won't be able to bolt out the door.

The puppy can start to learn his name and commands when he is about 8 weeks old. It's amazing.

Have fun!

John

[bruce drake]

Flinchrock,

What type of dog are those and how many have been claimed? Where are they located as well. I may be able to take one off your hands if you are close.

Bruce

[PatMarlin]

John,

My sister mentioned those worms. She said, "Those guys know their stuff"..
:mrgreen:

He's sleeping now and she also agreed I'm not feeding him enough. Gotta buy some puppy chow. Well I hope it's not as bad tonight.

How do you "crate train?"

Here's the crate I made him...

[PatMarlin]

My wife wanted to call him Valentino or "Val" cause we found him on Valentines day, but I don't care for that name. I dunno.

[waksupi]

Pat, he will be chewing in no time. Get some apple branches, or other sweet hardwood. About a foot long, and an inch or less thick. Right from the tree, bark and all. Best puppy teether in the world, and they prefer it to shoes, socks, rawhide chew toys, furniture, wallets, homework, (hint, hint). They will go through one in about a week. The fresh material passes right through them, no harm. Keep it up, until adult teeth are in, and you should never have a chewing problem.

[wills]

John,


How do you "crate train?"

Here's the crate I made him...

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

[PatMarlin]

We've got apple branches. Green ones OK? I'm behind on pruning.

OK- it's lookin' good right now.

Crate- check.
Fed him more food and water- check.
Clock- check.
My stinky T-shirt- check.
Night light- check.
Stuffed animals- check.

We're gonna try for one more night with him where he's at. Next maybe the bedroom.

Sheesh- now I've got to go make some more money cause I got another mouth to feed.. :mrgreen:

There goes the shootin' budget. . :roll:

[garandsrus]

Pat,

The link Wills provided on Crate training looks pretty comprehensive.

One thing I don't think they mentioned is to always use a word that means "go into the crate". I have always uses "kennel" for whatever reason. The dog then knows what's expected of it. The puppy is too young to "learn" the command right now, but you might as well start using it so that you are consistent.

My dog is now three and isn't crated much. We don't even have her crate in the house any more. We do use it when travelling though. When Misty sees her crate going into the truck/van she can hardly wait for us to put it down so she can hop in. Then she looks at us like "lets go already!"

John

[Duckiller]

Pat add some yogurt to his food. Calcium for good bones and aids digestion. We (wife) have two new kittens. They sleep in a LARGE dog crate that is covered at night. Once a dog gets used to crate they are no problem, will even go into crate on own to take naps. Enjoy

[PatMarlin]

I gotta make a door for his crate.

He slept about 4 hours this last stretch. If I could get 12:00- 4:00 am I would be good.

He's already telling me he wants to go to the NCBS.. :mrgreen:

[Mk42gunner]

Gotta love those camouflage dogs, I got Ginger in front of Walmart in Fallon Nevada. One thing about teaching him to set on your lap, they get to be about 45 pounds or so and still want to set on your lap.
When you start taking him places tell him "load" and before long he will get in by himself, Ginger can get in the back of my truck over the side, flatfooted.
Great pets and very protective, when we were travelling across country on leave if Ginger started growling anyplace we stopped I didn't stay there.

Quite possibly the best dog I have ever had.



Robert

[No_1]

My little pup loves his crate. We started him very young to learn it was "his" spot. As a little puppy we need to train him to not potty in the house. I was told they would not potty in their space unless they could no longer hold it. We found some old towels that we would put in his crate and I would play with him with a toy which I would throw in his crate when he was to go in there. We would crate him when we were not home then take him out to "go potty" as soon as we got home. Over time he would just run back to his crate. We would always latch the door in the begining but learned after a while that shutting it was good enough (took a couple of years). Now he pretty much lives in his crate with the door open. He see's the crate as his space. The bonus is when we travel. We take the crate with us and that is where he stays when we stop. It gives him a familiar feeling I guess.

Robert

BTW, he is about 9 now.

[Boz330]

I found that using the crate makes house breaking much easier. I have a Rot and she is pretty big for the crate anymore but still takes naps in it every once in a while. During the winter I leave it on the front porch and have a heating pad I made up with a couple old blankets on it. I also made a cover to keep the wind off of her if she wants to lay in there. For the most part she just stays where people are in the house and doesn't use the crate that much anymore but then I got it mostly for house breaking her.
They are a little bit of a PITA but they sure are fun as well and that outweighs the minor hassels by far.

Enjoy
Bob

[Poygan]

We crate-trained our black lab mix and our golden. We put a blanket over the top to make it a nice cozy den for them. Both of them really loved the crates. We have a cottage that had a crate in one of the bedrooms and the lab upon arrival would go immediately to the crate and would go in it to check it out. I'm a firm believer that a crate makes it easier on everyone, pup included.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Reading all these posts about crate training has got me thinking it might be a good idea for the next dog. Too late for this dog, at age 15, I'm surprised Bo doesn't send ME to the crate. Right now he is sleeping under a desk right next to me, that is used for storage only. There are old blankets in the footwell, and he is very comfortable there. In a few minutes I will move to the kitchen where he has a dog bed behind a couple of barstools. Bo will follow me to make sure I stay out of trouble. Bo has created these improvised crates by moving blankets, etc. around until he is satisfied, so crates must look like the ancestral lair to our dogs.

BYW, Pat. My wife thinks you are the greatest for rescuing that pup. That puts you on her list of heroic men, along wth Tom Selleck, Bob Lee Swagert, and Jamie Frazer from the "Outlander" novel series.

[carpetman]

Pat---You being a musician,I'm sure you recognized the advice another musician(Waksupi)gave you. He said use apple wood with the bark on it. That may or may not be the right pitch for your needs. You might want to fiddle around with it. As you know pine is very high pitch--your orchestra might need a soprano? Bass wood might suit your needs? Keep it low key. What key is your cat? You do want them to live in harmony?

[PatMarlin]

Well I got a little more sleep last night I think.. :roll:

-I don't think I measure up Bill, but tell her thanks. I like Tom Selleck. A good friend of mine built Tom a custom 45 1911, and he and his wife stayed overnight at his house when they delivered it. He's a great guy.

-Our pine up here sure is pitchy Ray, but I haven't tried to build a piano yet so I don't know. Sat down and played one few days ago. First time in I can't remember when.

Scooter my cat's startin' to get used to the new mutt a little. She doesn't like to share her dad with anyone.. :mrgreen:

[MT Gianni]

A couple of unnecessary solutions. 1]Take the crate outside with the dog in it to where you want him to go. Let him out and tell him "Go Pee", then praise him when he does.
2] Every time he is to go into the crate tell him "Kennel" and he will understand that means not just go to the crate but through a tight space or through a door of any kind. Gianni.

[qajaq59]

Years ago my brothers kids brought home a mutt pup that someone had abondoned in the woods. He was a black and white, runty looking thing that turned out to have a great nose and loved hunting pheasants. We shot a lot of birds over that silly looking dog. We also got a lot of stares from guys running their "real" bird dogs. :)

[Flinchrock]

Flinchrock,

What type of dog are those and how many have been claimed? Where are they located as well. I may be able to take one off your hands if you are close.

Bruce

Bruce, Mama is pure American Pit Bull Terrier, Daddy is pure American Staffordshire.
They were born on Dec 8, unfortunatly, there are none left now, I found homes for all of them with people I know, and they are beautiful Dogs and doing great.
But it sure was noisy around here for a while,and I had to help mama feed them.there were just too many for her first litter. Thanks for asking.

Have as Good a Day as You Can

[PatMarlin]

Years ago my brothers kids brought home a mutt pup that someone had abondoned in the woods. He was a black and white, runty looking thing that turned out to have a great nose and loved hunting pheasants. We shot a lot of birds over that silly looking dog. We also got a lot of stares from guys running their "real" bird dogs. :)

Wish I knew how to train one. No birds up here cept for quails. Now that would be useful- retreiving quail out of the brush.. :drinks:

[Boz330]

Pat,
How is that pup doing now that it has had a couple days to aclimate to his new home?

Bob

[PatMarlin]

He Bob,

It's getting better. I finally got a full nights sleep last night with my wife taking over the dog sitting which is about every 3.5 hours now.

The little guy is going potty outside all the time now. We bring him in right after and he gets his puppy chow., then back to sleep after romping around for a 1/2 hour.

Cute little buggar hasn't even got his first bark off yet.. :mrgreen:

I must admitt I've fallen in love with the little guy.

[Dr. A]

I've been in the business of dogs for most of my life, and it appears as close as I can tell that he is probably 5 or 6 weeks old. He is old enough if you give him an appropriate food (Purina, pedigree or better) puppy food, that you can drop the milk gravy etc. Water is OK for another couple of weeks,(mixed with food) but enough is enough. Next, assuming he is your dog, you need to own up to it. Parvo is prevalent, and as he is approaching the age, you need to get him to the Vet pronto for his first shot (6,9, 12, and 16w) Different vets may differ a bit. Neuter/spay at 5 or 6 mo, and Heartworm as needed in your range. The deworming is important ASAP, as is behavior. I would NEVER let the dog on my bed, couch etc., and decide right now who is in charge. "Poor baby" comes to mind as the most popular term misused by the public. Take the dog out every 30min. or so. Don't wait for him to tell you he needs to go. Everytime he eats, awakes, farts, belches, plays etc., take him out. Forget paper training. Feed up to 3 times a day and get him used to being trained right now. If you can manage sit, come, stay and learn the leash in a couple of weeks, everything should turn out as planned. Spoiled dogs are for people that can stand them. I can't. Australian breeds are tough and ornery. Make him mind! He's a survivor. Good luck!

Dr. A aka David