Got a new puppy!

After much discussion and debating, my husband and I decided to get a puppy.  After 3 beautiful daughters and 2 precious granddaughters, we decided it was time for a little man in our lives - so we bought little Sammy Jake, a simply adorable maltipoo, home on Saturday.

Well, I'm sure all you dog owners know how much our lives have changed so quickly.  We (I have a daughter home also) really love this little guy, but boy,  did we underestimate the job we had ahead of us.  We're trying to get him crate-trained for the times when we have to leave him alone and at night, and of course the potty training is a real challenge.

He barks and whines uncontrollably when he's in the crate and this is a big problem, since we live in an apartment that is attached on both sides and we don't want to annoy the neighbors.  We're working on having him potty on a wee-wee pad.  Have to stock up on lots of pet-carpet cleaner.

Strange - I haven't had to make too many trips to the bathroom since we took Sammy home.  Seems as if my CD is taking a back seat right now.  That's a plus!

Anyway, would appreciate any words of advice from experienced dog owners.  My husband's so frustrated, he's ready to give him up!!  Help, please.

 

I find that killing people w/ kindness can be the best way to avert a problem. Maybe you should visit your neighbors and say "hi, I just wanted to let you know we got a new puppy. We are working on his whining but we can't give in to every whimper or we will never train him. If you are able to hear him and it bothers you please let me know immediatly so I can correct it." I use that tactic when Im having parties. I invite the neighbors (knowing they wont come) and say oh please, if we get too loud, just let us know and we will turn the music right down. They usually say "oh don't worry about it, have a great time" Then if we do annoy them, they remember they pretty much gave us permission and they dont bother calling the cops. No one has even come over to tell us to pipe down. :) That technique works well too b/c its important to know if your puppy barks when you are not home. This way you find out before the landlord does. Good luck!!

Congratulations on the new addition to your family. I am not surprised that your CD has taken a "back seat" as it were. We have had many pets over the years....actually 33 in all. We weren't supposed to have pets in our condo at all, but because my then 4 and 5 year old daughters had been so traumatized and their "spirits so broken" (its a long story)....I decided that pets were too therapeutic to not break that one rule. We were very careful and extra vigilant about keeping everything extra clean. ....we got away with it for 10 years. We began by having A hamster....then , It needed a little friend....etc...pretty soon the pet stores in town started knowing us as the "animal crusaders"....every time they had a pet that wouldn't sell, one eyed fish, one eyed hamsters they would call Mary...and Mary couldn't bear the thought of leaving a poor little creature to suffer alone...so off we would go. My daughters felt they were on a rescuing mission,which did wonders for their self-esteem and self-worth. We've had everything from mice, rats, lizards, fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and finally 3 cats. Little animals don't live very long....so it was a great lesson in loving and letting go....in grieving when it is time to grieve, not keep everything bottled up inside as they had been prone to do. We carried on for 10 years....then our 3 rescued cats who couldn't stay off the windowsills(even tho we had the curtains ducktaped to the wall, and pinned all the way up to the ceiling) finally got noticed and we had to give them up. It was heartbreaking....but we volunteer for an animal rescue organization so we were able to find great homes for our treasures.
My daughter did a study for school that measured a person's BP before, during and after holding and stroking an animal for 30 minutes. Her findings were that the person's BP came down significantly during and for a long time afterwards , which supports all the studies out there about the therapeutic benefits of animals.

Good for you, Hang in there with your little Sammy Jake! I think he will be a GOD-Send!!

P.s. We fostered animals in between all that, little ones that needed to feel safe and regain their faith in people. My co-workers called us the Mother Theresas of animal rescue. We sure do miss our "babies". I've noticed that my CD has been far worse since the house has been "empty".

Mary

Hi I had my little guy trained by keeping him in his bed at night after awhile they know where to go to bed and it becomes there home.He runs loose now but still has his bed but no cage .A nice blanket with your scent on it would make him feel cozy they love comfort. Hope you make out ok with him . lol gail

I have a diploma from an animal care specialist program and have worked as a vet asisstant

The clock idea is a good one, supposedly it comforts them since it sounds like their mother's hertbeat. Make sure you feed the dog in set meal times, at this age (6-16 weeks it is best to slpit meals into 3 times a day then later feed in the am and pm. Usually the dog will poop within about 10 minutes of eating. As far as water that should always be available. You may want to try taking the dog for a walk every 2 hrs or so so it can pee. Some people try wee wee pads and it works great with some dogs but others dont get the idea when the pad is gone and they are to go outside they still think it is okay to go in the house. If you are afraid of it peeing while you are out use ice cubes in the water dish rather than water, this allows the dog to still get water but at a slower rate. When at home try taking a leash and tying it to your belt/beltloop if you are walking around this way you can stop and correct accidents immediately. When you cannot have your eye on the dog make it go into its crate. Do not use the crate for punishment.

This may sound crazy but...brush your dogs teeth. Dogs dont get the teeth cleaning they need just from dry kibble and milk bone type treats. Small dogs have more dental issues than most large dogs since there is usually crowding of the teeth. To brush the teeth you can get a dog toothbrush or even a piece of gauze. you only have to worry about the external portion of the teeth, their tongue takes care of the inner surface. Make sure you get the molars, they usually get the most tartar buildup. It is best to brush the teeth daily, but every other day is good too, after that the plaque begins to calcify. Starting to do this at a young age even though the baby teeth fall out makes it easier when the permanent ones come in.

Also play with the dogs feet, this helps when the nails need to be cut if you do it or a professional does it. Most dogs see tugging on the feet with wanting to pick a fight so they dont typically like it unless you get them use to it . With all dogs especially those with floppy ears play with their ears! I have a maltese and a japanese chin and trust me the floppy ear dogs get more ear infections than those with ears that stand up. the more you play with the ears the better they will be when it comes to you cleaning their ears (to help prevent ear infections or to treat them). After bathing especially is the best time to use a drying agent in the ears, water getting trapped in the ears is a major cause of infections. They get bacterial and/or yeast infections in the ear. They sell drying agents such as eucleanse at your vet. There is also a product called vet solutions, make sure you have the vet or a tech show you how to clean the ears properly!

Good luck with the puppy :)