[drocknor]

Hey everyone,

I brought my pup home yesterday morning around 10:30 am. I am knocking on wood before I write the rest of this...

She has been great! She is so much smarter than I was expecting to deal with. Housebreaking has gone very well...she has only had a couple accidents and both happened right as I was getting her leash and treats. As long as I catch her sniffing around the door in time, she will go outside and not indoors.

She also has done good with her crate. She will cry for less than a minute, and then quiet from then on (I am at home for a few more days so my dad lets me know). I have gone to the gym for a couple hours at a time, keep her in there when showering, making food, etc. Her first night was also pretty good. Cried for a minute when I turned off the lights and that was it. I had to take her out twice before getting up for good and she would cry for only a few seconds each time we came back to bed. I am SO glad she hasn't been a terrible crier yet as I don't want my roommates at school to be upset about her. Oh, and no accidents IN her crate either.

She also has already learned sit very well, and I continue to use that and am starting to work on lay down with her. Also, I took her to my mom's today, where she made her first friend (11 yr old Golden Retriever) and got to go ice skating on the lake (she had so much fun on her little field trip!). Although, she did bite the other dog's tail a little too hard before we left.

One thing she is still working on is the "bite inhibition". My hands, ankles, and feet are her guinea pig for this process. She is getting better and will be very gentle with my hands in her mouth and sort of licks them while they are after she bites too hard when we are playing. The only thing that worries me about this is when meeting other dogs, like biting the GR's tail today, he barked really loud and seemed pretty angry. I have never owned a dog, so I dont have much experience in introducing her to other, bigger, older dogs...I am not sure when it is "too much" or if she is hurting them with her little razor teeth, and worry about them hurting her if she does upset them.

Another thing I would like some feedback on is going outside. She had begun her vaccinations while at the humane society, but I have to bring her in to a vet on the 10th for one $48 dollar shot (I think that's what she said) and then 2 more $28 dollar shots. Then of course, rabies at 4 months. I want to let her explore outside and have a little fun but some stuff I have read on here has me a little paranoid since she is not fully vaccinated yet. How much can I realistically do with her outside, and meeting other animals? I love the idea of socializing her as much as possible, but not if getting in contact with other dogs can get her sick.

Anyways, sorry about this long post but you all obviously know all the stuff that goes on when raising your first pup! Also, want to thank everyone because without this forum I would honestly have close to no idea what I am doing. I will try to post some pics soon!

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

Sounds like everything is going really well! :thumbup:

One thing she is still working on is the "bite inhibition". My hands, ankles, and feet are her guinea pig for this process. She is getting better and will be very gentle with my hands in her mouth and sort of licks them while they are after she bites too hard when we are playing. The only thing that worries me about this is when meeting other dogs, like biting the GR's tail today, he barked really loud and seemed pretty angry. I have never owned a dog, so I dont have much experience in introducing her to other, bigger, older dogs...I am not sure when it is "too much" or if she is hurting them with her little razor teeth, and worry about them hurting her if she does upset them.

Bite inhibition takes time - it's not something that's going to just suddenly be over one day, it's a process. As long as you can see some progress from week to week you're doing well. With other dogs I'd just make sure that she only meets other dogs that are healthy and vaccinated, friendly with other dogs, and especially, gentle and tolerant of puppies. If she occasionally crosses the line and the other dog snarks at her, that will teach her exactly where that line is. That's what her mom and littermates did. But you do want to protect her from being hurt, so carefully monitor those interactions with other dogs while she learns polite play behaviors. If she hurts THEM, they'll let her know, preferably verbally though.

As far as vaccinations, do you know exactly what shots she's had and when? And how old is she? There are several series of puppy shots, designed to capture the time when immunity from the mother wears off. Shots given too early don't help because that immunity is still in effect, which is the reason for several rounds a few weeks apart. For the puppy classes I've taken they want the first two rounds of puppy shots, with the last one at least a week prior to class. If you use that as a general rule, you should be safe, especially if you're prudent about how and where you socialize. I carried my pups at the vet's office for their first few visits and did not take them to dog parks or let them walk on the floor at pet stores. If you want to bring them into a store, bring a towel or blanket from home and put it in the cart. Walk her in places where there haven't been a lot of strange dogs, and only have play dates with dogs that you know are current on shots. I did do short walks around the neighborhood at a fairly young age, and I took Halo to strip malls so she could meet people outside the stores. You can sit outside on a bench and put her on your lap if you like.

Have fun!

 

[drocknor]

I am going through the exam history now..

11/30: Bordetella, Intra Nasal and DHLPP manufactured by Fort Dodge
12/3: Diarrhea, positive for hookworms: given Pyrantel Pamoate (.5cc)
12/10: Had nasal discharge and URI. given 1 squirt adams flea spray, 1 tablet of capstar blue, and .3cc of doxycycline
12/14: DHLPP manufactured by Fort Dodge
12/27: DHLPP and Pyrantel Pamoate, tested negative for fecal flotation parasites
12/31: microchipped

 

[BowWowMeow]

She's had 3 sets of shots already. They're telling you that you need to do 3 more sets? :shocked:

Most people only get 3 sets of shots for their puppies and then revax at a year old.

Scroll down on this page to see the protocol that many of us follow:

W Jean Dodds Vaccine Protocol VACCINATION PROTOCOLS

 

[drocknor]

Yeah you are right..I was wondering the same thing because it was my understanding they get 3 sets of shots. Is there any type of shot besides the DHLPP that puppies need that she maybe has not gotten yet? Or does she need more because she is from an animal rescue? Hmmm...

 

[kidkhmer]

Trust me....the nipping is going to get a lot worse before it gets better LOL

 

[Stosh]

He's right! The biting escalates to the point that you're ready to give her to the first person that walks by, but by some inborn scale she knows you've reached that point and she'll back off. But she will bring you to that brink, all the while being the cutest, smartest thing you've ever seen. That's why they're called 'land sharks'.