[networkn]

Hi There!

I am normally not a big fan of posting pictures of myself on the internet, but I have to show you all my new best friend.

http://networkn.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album03

I have some questions:

1) At 9 weeks old, will he be able to hold on through the night. If I was to say take him out at midnight, and then again at seven, is it likely he could avoid an accident? I am concerned getting up at 3am to take him out, is creating a habit I don't want to continue with past when its required. Esp since at 3am he is so excited to see me, and so cute and wants to play, I end up spending 10-15 minutes giving him cuddles.

2) We have been playing with him as much as we can. Usually 15 minutes every hour or so, and then when he is awake and alert, 45 minutes or longer as time permits. Usually we rough house, cuddle, have him chase us around a little. We found a towel and he loves to grab one end of the towel and play tug'o'war with me. Does it matter if I win or I let him win? Is it an ok game to play or will it make him more aggressive? He does growl etc when we are playing tug, but no other times. I presume its most likely fine, but I wanted to check.

3) He is quite bitey, which I assume is a development stage, but it means having to be QUITE careful when he play, he loves to lick which is nice, but then he follows up with the chewy bit afterwards. My sister a vet said to push my finger sideways against the V in his mouth where there are no teeth, but I am a little scared of doing that and my wife is even more unwilling to put her fingers anywhere NEAR those sharp teeth

4) As is natural in all babies, he is a little reluctant to try new things and areas of the house. The tiles took 2 days, my office a day or so. I was massively impressed that he after 3 attempts to walk into a darkened area (hallway) between our kitchen and lounge, did eventually follow me (took 2 goes of me circling and him getting 90% there then running back the way he came to meet me before doing the whole circuit *3* times in a row, with vigourous cuddles and praise in between.

5) I am wondering what rewards he would like. We tried some cheese but it (I think) gave him soft poops and we aren't really keen to continue to try that if that's the end result.

6) Is cooked onion as part of a stew ok for him? I know raw onions are a definite no no.

7) Usually his meal times are at 9-4-12 and our meals times are 7-12-7. I am told you shouldn't let him eat first, but two hours before is ok?

8) He dribbles when he is carsick, and I take him to work most days, will this improve with time (only 3 car trips so far) and the last trip was shorter than the others, but had significantly less drool.

9) How many hours a day do your dogs spend in their crates?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[CertainlySpoiled]

What a cutie you have there!! I'll try helping with your questions, I'm no pro at this, and basically all my own opinions, I'm sure there will be the pro's on here help you more than I can. I hope I was of some kind of help though. Congrats on your new best friend!!

1. I'm not sure if he can hold it that long, but Goodluck!
2. Let him win sometimes, it builds confidence.
3. Ouch, those gsd pup bites hurt, but soon he should stop...but I wouldn't encourage bitting.
4. That's natural, he'll eventually realize, he's safe.
5. raw hides, dog biscutes, and any other dog treat is best in my opinion.
6. I don't know about cooked onions, but I wouldn't give it to him, might upset his tummy, then you'll be in for a long night.
7. Eating schedule is a personal decision, I think, but he should know he eats when you want him to eat.
8. I'm not sure about the car thing, he may just get too excited, but over time it should get better, I've never had that problem.
9. Personally my dogs, don't spend too much time in their crates, but they are older than Thunder. Elle, (gsd mix) doesn't do crates. Emma (10 month GSD) she has a crate and sleeps all night in it, stays in it if we have to leave her home, and she also likes to retreat to it for her naps.

 

[networkn]

Unfortunately today he has decided carpet is the thing he wants to chew on the most, a moment of inattentiveness has left a patch of carpet in shreds. I need to find him something adequate to chew on. I thought I had, but no interest compared to carpet and me :-/

The nylabone we got him isn't great for him, he doesn't seem to pay it any attention.. a few moments here and there...

 

[mkennels]

try a puppy kong you can fill it with treats or peanut butter and it will keep him busy for a while trying to get the stuff out, crating is fine really for that young of an age until he is house trained and until you can trust him not to chew everything up.lol I have always been told to eat first then give the dog their food, never let them see you give things off your plate IF you do it will just encourge begging, ours will go lay down while we eat plus ours is older too 18 months to 4 1/2 years old. we tap them on the nose if they get too close (husband and i eat in front of tv) and if they don't listen they get crated until we are done, our middle age dog you can leave a plate of food on the floor and he won't touch it (can't say the same about the other 2..LOL) I have heard NO onions at all so I wouldn't try it don't need a vet cost when it could have been avoided. he will grow into holding it through the night he is very young yet so don't expect too much but he will get there. He should outgrow the car sickness mine all did in time plus it also depends on where I am going I live in mountains so alot of curves that will even make me feel a little sick.

sorry if this is all out of order but hope this helps some these is just my opinions and experiences

 

[BlackGSD]

I wouldn't try to make him hold it all night yet. Give him a few weeks to gain more bladder control. I have always gotten up with my little pups during the night and it has NEVER become a "habit" with them. I currently have a 10 1/2 week old female. She has been getting up between 1:30 and 2:30AM to go out, (Depends on what time she went out last) then again at around 6am. Last night, she didn't wake up at all. She went out at about 11pm and didn't wake up until 6am. I also do NOT play with them on their "bathroom breaks" during the night. We go out, they do their buisness and we go straight back in and back to bed.
If you are having a middle of the night play session, he is more likely to continue to wake up even after he is past the age to be able to hold it all night.

NO ONIONS AT ALL.

You could try small pieces cooked chicken (NO BONES) for training "treats".

As far as the car sickness goes, how is he if you just put him in the car and don't drive anywhere? The reason I ask is that sometimes it is true motion sickness, other times it is nervousness about the car in general. A friend of mine had a dog that would drool giant puddles even if the car wan't moving because he was afraid of the car itself. Where does he ride in the car? Can he see out the window?

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

At 9 weeks old, some puppies can hold it that long, some can't. When we got Dena we were going to bed at 10:30 or 11:00, and my husband gets up at 5:00 on work days. She only got me up at night 3 times total, including the first night, when she got food and water at almost 9:00 at night after a 10 hour drive home.

Keefer got me up at night for weeks, sometimes more than once. Same age, same schedule. Where are you keeping the crate? Some people set their alarm and take the pup out at a certain time each night. I like my sleep and would rather not get up unless it's necessary, so I put the crate right next to the bed and I could hear if they woke up and fussed. As time went on, that happened less and less. I know it's hard not to cuddle and play with a new puppy, but as long as you take him out, let him do his business, and then calmly put him back in his crate at night there's no reason it will be become a habit. I'd try and resist the temptation, and save play time for before bed and after he eliminates in the morning.

If he's not so into the nylabone, try holding it for him while he chews. Cassidy wasn't interested in NEW nylabones, but once we got her started on one and she'd chewed it a bit she was much more likely to pick it up and start chewing again on her own. I also use lots of praise when they are chewing and playing with their stuff, and I like to name everything too. You don't only want him to get attention when he's being bad. I do stuff like say "Bone! Good boy, chew your bone!" when I catch them in the act, and now that my dogs are older I can tell them to "go get your bone", and they know what it, is and will look for it and start chewing. Same thing will balls and stuffed toys.

In addition to cooked chicken as Tracy suggests, there are some good quality, healthy dog treats you can buy. I like to use tiny little cheese cubes too, but sometimes that's hard on a young puppy's tummy. If he's really food motivated you can use his kibble for training treats, or mix some more interesting stuff into a bag of kibble to make it smell and taste more enticing.

I like Zuke's Mini-Naturals, Liver Biscotti, Solid Gold Jerky, freeze dried liver, and Natural Balance Rolls. The NB rolls need to be cut up before use and stored in the fridge, but they are a complete balanced dog food and I've never known a dog that didn't love them. Zukes are the perfect size (a small pea), don't need refrigeration, and come in several flavors. Freeze dried liver needs to be chopped up into smaller pieces, and SG jerky can either be cut up in advance or broken up with your fingers as you go. I also like Old Mother Hubbard biscuits - I usually buy the small puppy sized ones, and even break them in half. They're still too big for training where you'll be using a lot of treats, but are good for when he goes in his crate or potties outside. Liver Biscotti comes in pieces a little bigger and is more expensive than some of the other treats, I'd toss a couple of pieces into the crate as an incentive to go in when they were young, and I mostly use it for nail trims now. Remember to keep training treats REALLY small. Sometimes I even pinch a Zukes into two or three pieces with my fingernail, and they are already quite small to begin with.

I don't think it's important that you eat first, especially at his young age. If you start having dominance problems with him you can revisit that, but I never worried about it with my puppies. Now that they're older I vary their feeding schedule so they don't get used to dinner being always on the dot of 6:00, for example - it could be anywhere between 6:00 and 7:30. Sometimes I feed them before I start making dinner, sometimes I feed them if I have a break while I'm cooking, sometimes they eat after we're finished eating. It's more about what's convenient for me.

 

[networkn]

Wow thanks for the information that helps a lot.

Poor baby had his first indoor wee today, I didn't tell him off, it wasn't really his fault, since I always take him outside after each crating session, and I didn't since I was enjoying the nice smell after a bath.

Unfortunately though he has the runs tonight.. squirts really. We are taking him out every hour or so, but we didn't change anything in his diet, I assume it was just the stress from the bath? (He didn't enjoy the first 10 minutes much, squealing and scrambling to get out. He settled after that and was resigned to it. Could this have caused it? I roasted some pumpkin and fed it to him, hopefully that will help.

Mostly we are just giving him dry food, nutrience junior which is what the breeder recommended. Loads of water too.