Question about puppy care?

Question

Hi my family finally decided to get a puppy, but we aren't 100% positive on everything. All I'm wondering right now is if we get a 8 week old puppy how time consuming will it be? Will it need constant attention and how much of the day approximately will it sleep. It is a shorkie (shih-tzu/Yorkshire terrier) if that helps. And also if we left it alone for 2 to 3 hours will it be okay as long as it has adequate food and water?

Answer 1

Well at 2-months-old, your puppy could only hold its potty for 3 hours at the most.  Puppies are a ton of stress, and a lot of time and work goes into the training, but if you are willing to work, it is worth it.

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 yo

Answer 2

Puppies can sleep for 6-7 hours or shorter depending how familiar the puppy is with you and your family.

Puppies need a lot of attention about 70% of the time. They need to be look after to make sure that don't get hurt, and to be loved/trained.  

Puppies should only be left alone by how many months they are so if they are 1 month = 1 hour, 2 months = 2-3hours .....

Answer 3

1. NEVER BUY A PUPPY just LOOKS, colour along, fur type-COLOUR, fur type and looks HAS NO INDICATION OF DOGS TEMPERMENT!

2. Consider your lifestyle-

4. Are you out more then 8hours a day

5. Consider your energy requirements, Size, Grooming.

6. Don't just buy because someone says this is the dog for you, people particular on yahoo answer will give you there particular favourite breed& what suits them, not what actually suit you.

7. Read all you can-THERE are alot of false information on the web and in books about different dog breed.

8 DON'T TRUST THOSE DOG BREED SELECTORS-MOST OF THE RESULTS ARE INCORRECT. Ex i search large breed dogs, and the Pomeranian came up, which of cause is a toy dog breed!!

9. NEVER BUY FROM A PETSTORE, BACKYARD BREEDER, PUPPY MILL OR NEWSPAPER, DON'T BUY FROM NEXT DAY PETS OR DOG BREED INFO, RESCUE AN ADULT DOG OR SHELTER PUPPY!

10 REASONS TO ADOPT AN ADULT DOG

1. Have you really thought about what getting a puppy means?

• Pour cold apple juice on the carpet in several places and walk around barefoot in the dark.

• Wear a sock to work that has had the toes shredded by a blender.

• Immediately upon waking, stand outside in the dark and in the rain for at least 20 minutes

saying, "Be a good puppy, go potty now - hurry up - come on, lets go!"

• Tip over a basket of clean laundry, scatter clothing all over the floor.

• Leave your underwear on the living room floor, because that's where the puppy will drag it

anyway. (Especially when you have company.)

• Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV program and run to the door

shouting, "No no! Do that OUTSIDE!" Miss the end of the program.

• Put chocolate pudding on the carpet in the morning. Don't try to clean it up until you return

from work that evening.

• Gouge the leg of the dinning room table several times with a screwdriver - it's going to get

chewed on anyway.

2. Puppies are not housebroken! Most people work during the day and are gone for 8 hours or more at a

time. Puppies need to go out on a regular schedule so they have frequent opportunities to eliminate

where you want them to. Puppies can't wait for the boss to finish his meeting or the kids to come home

from school. Adult dogs can "hold it" for longer periods, and may already be house-trained.

3. Intact Underwear. Puppies chew! You can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a

variety of unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before a puppy cuts all its teeth. Shoes? yes,

puppies like to chew them also. Expect holes in your carpet (along with urine stains), backs and pages

missing from books, stuffing exposed in couches, and at least one dead remote control. No matter how

well you watch them, it will happen. This is a puppy's job! An adult dog can usually have the run of the

house without destroying it.

4. A Good Night's Sleep. A puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am and 6am. Puppies naturally

miss their littermates and a stuffed animal is not a substitute for puppy pile with littermates in the dark

of night. Prefer peace and quiet? An adult rescue dog usually sleeps through the night.

5. Finish the Newspaper. With a puppy loose in the house, you will NOT be able to relax when you get

home from work. Do you think kids ever really feed the dog? Clean up the messes? Walk in the pouring

rain every hour to get the dog housetrained? If so, you probably have a severe case of denial. An adult

dog will generally sit calmly beside you as your workday stress flows away and your blood pressure lowers

as you pet it.

6. Easier Vet Trips. Puppies need a series of puppy shots and fecals, then a rabies shot, then surgery to

spay/neuter them, and generally a trip or two to the emergency vet after eating something dangerous.

(All of this usually adds up to substantially more than you paid for the dog!) When adopting an adult

dog, the adoption fee should get you a dog that has been altered, is current on vaccinations, heartworm

negative and on a preventative, at the minimum.

7. What You See Is What You Get. How big will the dog get? What will its temperament be? Is it easily

trained? What will its personality be like as an adult? Will it be hyperactive? Adult dogs are, to steal a

term from internet lingo, WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get.) All of your questions are easily

answered, because the dog is already an adult. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy

or brilliant; sassy or sweet. Further, the shelter adoption counselor, or rescuer and/or foster homes can

help guide you in choosing just the right match for you. (Rescues are FULL of puppies who became the

wrong match as they got older!)

8. Unscarred Children (and Adults). If a puppy does not teethe on your possessions, it will teethe on you

and your children. Rescuers often get calls from panicked parents sure their dog is about to seriously

injure their children. It usually turns out the puppy is just doing what puppies do, i.e., mouth or nip.

Parents, too emotional to see the difference, just want to get rid of the dog. A growing puppy is going to

put anything and everything in their mouth.

It must be taught bite inhibition. As the puppy grows, the puppy's jaws become stronger and adult teeth

replace its puppy teeth. The mouthing and nipping it did as a puppy now can have serious consequences.

Far better to get an adult dog that has "been there, done that, moved on."

9. Matchmaker Make Me A Match. Puppy love is emotionally appealing. They are so cute! But, in

reality, cute is not a sufficient reason to get a pet, a pet that will probably live 15+ years. It may be

cute, but cute can grow up to be hyperactive. It may be not want to share your home with anyone else,

including your spouse, children, or other animals. It may want to be a couch potato, when the main

reason you got the dog was to run with you every day.

Pet/owner mis-matches are the MAIN REASONS owners "give-up" their pets. 60% of the animals in

shelters nationwide are there for this reason. Good shelters and rescuers extensively evaluate dogs and

applicants to insure both will be happy with one another until death do they part.

10. Instant Companion. With an adult dog, you have a dog that can go everywhere and do anything with

you NOW. You don't have to wait until the puppy grows up and hope it will like to do what you to do

with it. You select the adult dog most compatible with you. You can find one that travels well, loves to

play with your friends' dogs, has excellent house manners, etc. You can come home after a long day's

work and spend your time on a relaxing walk, ride, or swim with your new best friend rather than

cleaning up after a small puppy.

11. Bond – Rescue/Shelter Dog Bond. Dogs that have been uprooted from their happy homes or have

not had the best start in life are likely to bond very closely to their new owner. Yes, dogs that have lost

families through death, divorce or lifestyle change can go through a mourning process; however, once

they become attached to their new family, they seem to want to please as much as possible to make sure

they are never homeless again! Those dogs

that are just learning about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what

life on the streets, life on a chain, or worse, is about, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving

environment. Most adult shelter or rescue dogs make exceptional, extremely loyal companions.

Puppies need to be fed 3meal a day at 8weeks until 6months old.Then 2meals twice a day, until 1yr old.

8week old puppies shouldn't be left home alone for 2hours!

Answer 4

Well a puppy needs all the attention it can get, but these times are the most valueble times of raising a puppy because this is when you train the puppy, and everything, but as long as you clean up what you mostly care about in your home and out of reach of the puppy leaving it alone should be fine.

Answer 5

A puppy that young will sleep most of the time. The amount of time it will need taken up with it is really depending on the puppy, but really if you are getting a puppy you should spend as much time as you can with it, it will benefit you as well as the puppy when it gets older. Again if it will be ok left alone depends on the dog. dogs, esp puppies are known to have separation anxiety. My jack russell had it bad as a puppy and still has it as an adult. But she is hardly ever left alone. She goes with me almost every where.

Answer 6

Puppies are about as time consuming as babies until they learn a routine. 2-3 hrs is fine to leave it, but make sure it's crated so it doesn't destroy anything. It doesn't necessarily need food at that time but water is a must. Puppies that are learning to potty train usually need to go out about every 4 hours, but as it settles into the routine it should be able to hold it all night eventually. Good luck!  

Answer 7

the puppy will need to learn to be alone, so it won't hurt to leave it for short periods of time.

they really do need to be taken outside to go to the bathroom every 1/2 hour or 45 minutes, but if you have a good place to confine her for short periods of time (a crate?) she should be ok.

you can find lots of information about puppies by doing a yahoo search -- you can look for CARING FOR A PUPPY, PUPPY TRAINING.  Lots of free, helpful information out there.