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Originally Posted by shannonroselive  I had fully intended intended to crate train her so I bought the crate and she slept in it the first few days (whimpering all night long) but she also did her business in there. Ugh! She loves her regular bed which is in my boys' room so the other night, I reluctantly let her sleep there. I put a wee wee pad next to her bed and her water dish on the other side of her bed. When morning came, she was snug in her bed, there was poop on the pad, and no mess anywhere. I don't know what to think. Do I still need to crate train her? If so, why?
Vaccinations are whats scaring me though. So much info for and against vaccinating so I wonder what is the least we could get away with (if at all). She's just so tiny, I can't imagine she could tolerate much at all. She doesn't even eat much at a time, just tiny bits.
Oh, and I keep reading how it's nearing time to socialize her with other dogs but then I read that I shouldn't take her out with other dogs until she's had her shots. If it's not time for those...I'm confused! |
First of all, if she is always going in the appropriate place (her pad) and not having any accidents AND since you don't have any other pets that she would be left alone with outside a crate, I don't see any reason to crate train if you are happy with her sleeping in her bed. Just make sure she has adequate blankets kind of squished around so that she has somewhere to scoot under if she gets cold......the floor is the coldest place in the house and she is soooo tiny, I would hate for her to ever get cold! Normally, she would be with her mom until she was 10-12 wks old, and her mom would keep her warm.....but, since she isn't, it's your responsibility to make sure she stays warm! (Feel the tips of her ears....if they are cold to the touch, than she is too cool.)
2nd of all, I completely understand your wariness about vaccines. A lot of people only do the "core" vaccines which are Distemper, Parvo, Adeno (Hepatitis), and Rabies (Rabies shouldn't be given before 4 mo. though, and it shouldn't be given at the same time as another vaccine--wait 2-4 wks in between!) Bella got all the extras when she was a puppy, and she had a very mild reaction to the last one. We will only do core vaccines from now on!! (Actually, the vet sometimes will only have DHPP on hand, which is Distemper, Hepatitis (Adeno), Parvo, and Parainfluenza....most people don't worry about the Parainfluenza though, so if that's included that should be just fine.)
3rd of all, NO, NO, NO.....she cannot be around any other dogs (unless you know for a fact and would bet her life on it that the dog has had all it's vaccines and isn't sick!) until 3-4 weeks AFTER her LAST puppy shot!! Yes, she should be socialized with people and get to explore (INSIDE!) before then, and after then Yes, she very much needs to be socialized with other dogs. Before it's safe, though, it's a no no!!
Also, since she's so tiny, she probably needs to be fed ever 2-4 hrs to make sure she's getting what she needs. It's a tough task feeding that often, but I feed mine ever 5 hrs at 9 mo. old because she has a liver issue and work full time (either me or my boyfriend has to come home from work at lunch to feed her in between being gone).....you just do what you have to do!! Good luck on miss teeny tiny!!! And let's see some pictures!!!