A few puppy questions~?

Question

I just bought a 7 week old puppy yesterday, she is a poodle and jack russell mix and looks like a teeny lab puppy! But I have a few questions and concerns since it has been 13 years since the last puppy we had, and I was still young then.

First off, how often do puppies p**p? She has been eating regularly but she has not pooped in nearly 2 days ... or maybe she has but eats it, hopefully that isn't the case, she is already great about going potty outside and never piddled in the house ... yet.

My next question is shots. When is the right age to get them? I would like socializing her soon but want her to be vaccinated so she won't catch anything.

Is it normal for puppies to want to play in the middle of the night? She is sleeping pretty well alone (we have her in a crate next to us) but wakes up and demands to go potty, and after needs a good 10 or 15 minutes play time before going to bed without a fuss. I don't want to teach her any bad behavior an would just like to know if she will grow out of this phase or just shouldn't do it.

And lastly, biting, she loves nibbling on fingers and whatever she gets her teeth on especially. And although that is normal she doesn't seem to repond to correction at all. Firmly saying no doesn't have an effect, tapping her nose makes her think its play time, and lightly holding her muzzle shut for a second seems to work but she is at it again within seconds. She already has a variety of toys but still prefers flesh or clothing. Is there any suggestions to make her stop or is it just going to go away nautrally and she will start responding to commands.

That is it, finally! Thank you to everyone who read this all and moreso to those who offer advice!

Answer 1

Puppies pooh basically in direction relation to what goes in the other end.  So if this one hasn't gone yet - I'd say you need to investigate.  Could she be eating it?  Nasty!!

Shots - be advised by your vet - they tend to differ.

Oh yes, puppies play during the night.  You need to persuade her that this isn't required - if you want a night's sleep!!

Play biting-  Puppies - nose first, teeth next.  This is totally normal, and as she gets to teething, will increase rather than decrease.  When she does this, replace what she's biting with what you want her to bite ie toys.  You can't stop a puppy biting, but you can direct her to what's good, and what isn't.  And you do need to do this because puppy biting is one thing, adult biting quite another  lol.

Answer 2

She is too young to be away from her mum.  If you got her at 7 weeks, wonder when she was weaned - poor little mite.

Should have been vaccinated at 6 weeks, then again at 12, and some vets do a 3rd vacc at 18 weeks.

Pups are like young babies, eat, play, sleep (and eliminate in between times).  

She will need to empty out about 3-4 hours after a feed, and they are fastidious creatures - really dont like "messing" in their bed area.

Either feed her the larger meal earlier in the day, and only a small meal late at night., but as her bladder etc control increases, she will be able to sleep thru without discomfort.

Biting - normal behaviour. Tell her the way she understands, just like her mom did - growl and hold her muzzle as you do it, she should give you a little l**k in apology, then you can give her more loving.  But, each time she teeths on you, or whatever it is you dont want her to teethe on - growl like her mum would "No", and eventually the "no" growl will be enuff in all sorts of situations.

Any correction - i e the growl and hold muzzle - has to be IMMEDIATE, and then 3 seconds later, do the soft voice, good girl bit.

And KEEP Doing it until she works it out - she is only testing you.

Answer 3

for the poo she could have constepation a vet should see this

take her the vet shell give her an approprite age to get an injection

dont have her crate next to you as she needs to get used to sleeping without you in sight dont play with her let her poo in doors then rub her nose in it sounds cruel and stupid buts better in the long run ignore her all night

DONT TAP A DOGS NOSE ITS EXTREMELY SENSETIVE AND PAINFULL be more strict and make shore the no is in a deep town as if your saying no in a friendly tone its confusing for her and take her  to puppy classes its better in the long run

Answer 4

Puppies p**p pretty often, maybe she really has eaten it o_o. When I got my puppy it pooped every single day, not quite sure whats wrong with yours.

Go to the vet and get some check ups, if you go to the vet once they'll probably tell you when and chances are when it's time they'll even mail to tell you. Again, not sure about your vet.

Puppies want to play all the time! If you have problems with her sleeping keep a clock or have something warm beside her. I'll make her think she's with her brothers and sisters, so she'll feel safe.

Of course puppies have growing teeth so chew bones can be the solution. Toys are a good way too.

If your not sure how to solve your problem exactly you could always go to puppy training courses, they'll help you get rid of all your bad habits they might develope and you'll have some bonding time. They might even have some dogs there so she might gain some socialization skills.

Answer 5

For the biting thing... get a horn or whistle that makes a loud sound, and will scare her. Every time she tries to bite you.. make that sound.. she will stop eventually.... Also there is this spray that you can get called Apple Stop. spray it on your hands and let her get a really good taste, she wont like it and that may stop her from biting also.  

Answer 6

Here are some tips, use what helps.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.

REVISIONS:

*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.

*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.

*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home.  The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place.  You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.

*Yelling.  It is not a good idea to "yell" or "spank" your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident.  They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment.  While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again.  Shake it off, and resume your schedule.  You have to keep it real.  Puppies train at their own pace,  but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours.  A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.  

Source:  These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds.  Thanks for your help!

Answer 7

1) well if u r feeding ur puppy 2 times a day (in the mooring and night) than it should p**p 2 times (make sure to pick up the food when she finishes eating so she doesn't eat all day)

2) about the shots you should talk to ur vet

3) bitting is normal for puppies but try raising ur hand as if you r going to hit her and tap her on the head and say NO very firmly it will take her a while to learn that bitting is unacceptable you should get her some bones to chew on and i got my dog these tows that squeak and there little birds and he loves them and he only chews on those now not are fingers

Good Luck and ur puppy sounds cute,

Olivia