New puppy coming- lots of questions
 

My list of crazy questions.. I'm trying to research and learn everything before my baby comes home (Saturday !! :D) . I haven't had a puppy for 10yrs and she is a large breed (lab) so she was bigger when she came home than my shorkie will be mature.. lol!

1. I read on the sticky thread that it was suggested to give Nutrical after breakfast and before bed while they are still little. Does everyone do that until they are a certain weight? Our breeder suggested white karo if she showed signs of crashing but should I do it preventatively as well?

2. I don't mind her sleeping in bed with us but figured i should probably wait until she's a bit bigger and has more bladder control before I attempt that. For now, I was going to put a playpen beside the bed with her bed & a potty pad in it. Is that okay? If I hear her, I'll get up and take her out but I'm not sure how vocal she's going to be about potty time. lol.

3. My baby is only 1lb 9oz right now so with a tiny bit more growth over the week, will still be less than 2lbs. How many times per day should I feed her ? 3? 4? Do I need to leave any food down in the playpen for overnite or can she go all nite w/o eating?


Okay I know I have more questions but that's all I can think of off the time of my head.. lol. Anxious to get her but I want to make sure I know everything to do! LOL!

Thanks so much!
Kelly

Hi and CONGRATS!!!!

1) I did give am/pm Nutrical to Marcel until he was around 8mths old - he never had a low blood sugar before he came to me or after...but he was just SO tiny! So, I played it safe. Also, it's good to do it for any pup right when they transition to a new home (due to stress). I would do the Nutrical over the Karo (not both); but Karo def works for low sugar too (Nutrical has some other nice added ingredients tho).

2) I did basically the same thing w/ Marcel and Pfeiffer...then transitioned them to our bed when they were better trained, and bigger in size.

3) I fed 4x a day until they were around 2.5-3 lbs; around 3 lbs I went to 3x a day; and then held until it felt right to bump them to 2x day...prob around when they were 10 mths (for Marcel and Pfeiffer; for Wylie it was sooner bc he was bigger). I generally left food in the pen at night. For the day though, I didn't, bc of the choking hazzard if they were alone.

Can't wait to see her!!!

Welcome
 

Congrats on your baby!!

Congratulations on your new puppy!

I definitely think it's best that your pup is in an exercise pen or crate until he gets bigger and has more control of his bladder. I would keep food out for him so that he has access to it for a while. Nutrical is definitely a great idea for a pup that little... You don't want his blood sugar to be low!

It sounds like you are very prepared for your new little guy :) I can't wait to see pictures!

Congrats sounds like you are so ready:D I agree with everything Wyliesmom said. Looking forward to pictures:)

Thanks so much ladies!! I'm super excited and would rather be over prepared than under prepared :) I'll be sure to post pics once she's home !

Welcome and congratulations. I prefer Nutrical to Karo. I also think it is a good idea to offer a clean finger covered with Nutrical after playing. We give the cue word easy and teach even very young pups that tongues are ok teeth are not allowed. We praise with good easy when they lick.