How to NOT Spoil a Puppy

[tmmoye]

I am getting my puppy (Ernie) tomorrow. He is only 7 weeks old. I had posted earlier with questions about age, and it was recommended that I not get him until he was older. However, the vet said he was able to go now, and the owner wants me to go ahead and get him. Are there any recommendations/suggestions for bringing home a puppy so young? How can I make him feel secure without his mommy and not spoil him? I am also concerned about introducing him to our female lab, who is 5, and hasn't had to share us with another dog. How long should I wait before introducing them? I am SO thankful for this website. It has been extremely helpful

[gemy]

Okay how much does this little one weigh? That is important to know b ecause the smaller the weight the more challenges there are.

Whose vet said it was okay to take home the puppy? Your vet? or the "owners vet'?

Introducing a new puppy to an adult dog. First make sure your adult dog is in a crate or separated somehow from the new puppy. Let them and the pup get used to your home first. Sniff, look, see.
Never and I mean NevEr let the two unsupervised in a room together. If you feel your older dog is now relaxed around the puppy - through watching their interactions through the crate. Put your older dog on the lead, and if you have another person in the home - they supervise the puppy. Allow them some time to sniff n greet each other.

Make sure your Lab knows they are not displaced in your affections. Play, pet , groom, walk your Lab as before.

It is your choice of course - but I crate my little Razz for sleeping at night. Our two very large dogs are on their dog beds in our room, with razzle in his crate beside my side of the bed on the floor. Obviously asleep I can't supervise their interactions, and although it's been a year now, if the big ones get up at night simply stepping of Razz could hurt him irrepairably.

[Judy in Waco]

uh oh....

I've deleted and typed several things....I'm just going to say that your vet gave you VERY bad advice. Is he familiar with small breeds at all?

The lab also concerns me a great deal.

[tmmoye]

Oh my! Since I have no choice, I am getting him, and I will have to do whatever I can to help him adjust. Yikes - I am worried now. Will I have an insecure spoiled puppy? I am hoping there will be a lot of information here with helpful advice when getting younger puppies. I'm not sure how much he weighs. His mom is 8 lbs., and the father is 6 lbs. The owner's vet said the puppies were ready - I will take him to my vet first thing. Another puppy from the litter was taken last week and has done very well, they haven't had any problems. Thanks for the help.

[brendah]

research as mush as you can on here. lots of people have advice for young sick puppies here. I think the least of your worries will be a "spoiled Puppy". I hope you the best of luck.

[Mytinkerbell]

How to NOT spoil your little one?! Well, good luck on that one...regardless of how much you DONT want to spoil them, they always end up that way...you just can't help it!!!! LOL Is this your 1st yorkie? I have one and a "grand-dog" that's a yorkie and spoiled they are!!!!! They are the loves of our lives!!!!

I agree with gradually introducing them....but they'll probably be best buddies before long. My Lily sleeps mostly in her crate..but always ends up in our bed somehow! Forget about sleeping the 1st couple of months....they're like newborns!

All I have to say is just enjoy and love them!!!!!

[LilMissy]

I know that this won't change your mind, but I just want to say...if the breeder is INSISTING that you take your yorkie puppy home at 7 weeks of age, they are an irresponsible breeder. That being said, please educate yourself on how to deal with hypoglycemia. Yorkie | Yorkshire Terrier | Hypoglycemia Information

[JasmineNoelle]

Welcome to YT! I brought my yorkie Jasmine home when she was 8 weeks old and we did fine. Congratulations on your new puppy. If you want to pm me please feel free to do so. We fed Jasmine chicken and rice baby food and plain yogurt along with wet dog food. Also I would get some nutri cal. Good luck and have a great day.

[bjh]

I do agree that he is too young to be leaving his momma and siblings but if you do go ahead and get him just be prepared that he may not be completely weaned. Make sure you find out exactly what the breeder has been feeding him. Hopefully she will give you some of his food. If she is feeding a poor quality food then I recommend you purchase a high quality puppy dry food. When I wean my pups they love ground up dry food. I just put the dry food in a blender and blend it until it is fairly ground up. At 7 weeks some small chunks will be okay. You will need to change his diet slowly or he can get sick. Puppies that age need to eat a lot of small meals. I always just leave out a bowl of the ground up puppy food. It will be essential that you make sure he is eating and if he does not eat well at first you might need to give him some Nutri-cal or Nutri-stat. If you don't have either of those then a little corn syrup and water would help. Young puppies can get hypoglycemia very easily if they go off their food.

Another thing you will have to watch closely is the puppy's stools. Coccidia is fairly common with young puppies when they first leave their momma. Be sure to take your new pup to the vet as soon as you get him. Make sure the vet checks a stool sample on him. If for any reason after you get your pup, he gets diarrhea, even if the stool sample is normal, be sure to get him to the vets immediately.

Do you know what shots your puppy has received if any? Most breeders don't even start shots until they are about 8 weeks or older but some vets do start sooner.

As for the lab, sorry but I would not allow the lab anywhere near the pup until the pup is much older and even then you have to use extreme caution. I know someone that lost their little yorkie because their lab that the yorkie had been raised with accidentally broke the yorkie's neck when they were playing. The yorkie was over a year old.

[Pam Campbell]

Good luck!! I don't think that you will be able to "not spoil"!! Our girls came home at about 10 and 10 1/2 weeks and did awesome! We had Nutrical on hand and used it preventatively the first few days. Gave them a dose several times a day. Bristol LOVED it!! Totally licked it off of the container! She has got to be the most easy going lovable puppy!. My Gracie Belle is the cranky one. She is still getting used to Miss Bristol! Neither EVER cried at night and they both adapted right into our home really well. Both were totally weaned when they came to use and had already started using potty pads. We have been so lucky. Hope you are too!

[LilMissy]

Originally Posted by JasmineNoelle

Welcome to YT! I brought my yorkie Jasmine home when she was 8 weeks old and we did fine. Congratulations on your new puppy. If you want to pm me please feel free to do so. We fed Jasmine chicken and rice baby food and plain yogurt along with wet dog food. Also I would get some nutri cal. Good luck and have a great day.

Besides the "wet dogfood", this is not a balanced diet for a puppy. It is important that a puppy receives the proper nutrients and vitamins required for healthy development and growth. If you want to homecook for your puppy, you will need to use recipes formulated by a nutrionalist and be sure to include the proper supplements. I am ALL for homecooking (this is what I do for my girls), but it has to be done properly, or you could do more damage than good. If your pup is eating more than 10% of its diet as "homecooked meals" it MUST include supplements.

[Sookie]

My puppies have done very, very well on Wellness Puppy kibble with a small spoonful of wet mixed in to make it interesting. They are fat, happy, and very active. I have tried a lot of different dog food over the years with my dogs, but this is the one that they ALL love the most.

I, personally, think 7 weeks is way too young for a Yorkie puppy to leave its mom and siblings. But, since it has been decided, I would just make sure he is safe and happy. They will eat anything (and then choke) so don't take your eyes off of him unless he is safely in his crate. Also, don't over play with him. Naptime is very important when they are so young. Since he is only 7 weeks, make sure you socialize him. I think it's important that you do that - but only after he has been given his puppy shots of course. Good luck on your new puppy. Would love to see pics.

[tarczely]

Originally Posted by JasmineNoelle

Welcome to YT! I brought my yorkie Jasmine home when she was 8 weeks old and we did fine. Congratulations on your new puppy. If you want to pm me please feel free to do so. We fed Jasmine chicken and rice baby food and plain yogurt along with wet dog food. Also I would get some nutri cal. Good luck and have a great day.

I too got my Axel at 8 weeks he was just fine, he did real well, I would put him in his crate and leave him to get adjusted I wouldn't let the other dog have free access to your new pup. mine did great on royal canin food dry they are little puppy bites. I got the nutrical never needed it but I don't know how much yours weighs mine was 2.4 pounds he is now 3.13 and 4 months. From the very first nite mine sleep all nite in the livingroom in his crate when he jumped out of that we got him a closed up crate. Mine ate 1/4 cup daily now he eats 1/2 cup. drank and drinks lots of water. I also keep a nice big teddy bear and blanket for security...pm if you would like and best to you

[Lovetodream88]

First off whoever the vet is Im going to go ahead and say hes not a good vet or knows very little about little dogs and I suggest you not go to him. 7 weeks is way to young and if you didnt have a choice why didnt you go else where to a better breeder? Also what is wrong with spoiling a puppy?

[LilMissy]

When I got Missy, I didn't know any better. Missy's vet also said that she could go to her new home at 7 weeks of age. I picked her up when she was 7 weeks and 3 days old. We battled hypoglycemic episodes for the first 2.5 weeks that she was home. At times, I thought that I might lose her. I had to give her Nutrical 3 times a day as a preventative measure because her blood sugar levels were constantly dropping on me. It is SO important to make sure that food is always available when you have a toy breed puppy and that they are eating regularly. Hopefully you will be able to keep an eye on your puppy every moment of the day and night. Once they become hypoglycemic, things can go downhill quite quickly. I'm not trying to scare you, only trying to make you aware of what to watch out for. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and you don't have any troubles. Please share lots of pics once your new little one is home.