Advice on my new puppy please
 

Hi there,

My little girl Bella was born on feb 19th. When she was three weeks old, my boyfriend & I put a deposit on her and discussed when the puppy would be ready to come home. 8 weeks was agreed on if she was eating properly. Last sat morning I received an email telling me that my pup was ready to come home and we could pick her up ASAP. Mind you, our puppy was only turning five weeks on Sunday. After several emails back & forth, we decided just to pick her up before they took our deposit and gave our pup to someone else.. I was told that ours was the only one left because the others had all went home w/they're new owners. We suspect that they had motives for wanting the pups gone so fast..

So I've had Bella for just over four days now & she's a great puppy. Eating soft food, drinking formula, and chewing on hard food cause of her teething.. But she's unbelievably feisty. Energetic of course but rambunctious as ever. Constantly biting (which I know is her teething) but its all the time, constant. Like she kinda doesn't like affection or anyone..idk. I'm worried. I know some puppies can have temperament problems when taken from the mother to early & that's what I'm worried about. We do have a four year old boxer who has been great w/her and we're hoping that she can learn lots from her. I'm just wondering if they go threw changes in they're personality? At what age can I expect her to calm down some... This is quite excessive. She's on a schedule where she sleeps about every 2-3 hours for a couple hours but when she wakes up, she's a feisty little terror as my boyfriend would call her..until she falls asleep again. If anyone has experienced this before, I would much appreciate any & all advice. Thanks to all :-)

Please read up on hypoglycemia because being so young she is at a very high risk. She needs to eat every couple of hours and should not be left alone for anymore than an hour incase she gets hypoglycemic. Also make sure to keep her warm. Don't let here any where near where others dogs go like out in an unfenced yard or park or even on the floor at the vets office. Do not let the vet give her move then one shot at a time and not before 8 weeks. She could have bitting problems ya just never know. Because you have another dog I don't think she will have the socialization problems and hopefully he can teach her stuff but don't leave them unattended together for awhile. Most states its illigeal to sell a puppy under 6 weeks so I really want to stress how telling the police or animal control could really help other people and if they have any more puppies It could help them too. People like that are doing such bad things by not doing what's best for these pups. Make sure within the next day or two you have a puppy wellness exam done. Good luck and welcome!

I don't think pups start teething at 5 weeks, so she must be a little older. (Everyone, please correct me if I am wrong)

As for calming down, the first year most pups are go-go-go. :) Terriers tend to be very energetic their entire lives and need plenty of exercise. Start training now to help focus her. Institute a daily routine of activities at about the same time each day and this will also have a calming effect.

Normally they are getting there baby teeth then so maybe that is what she means?

I agree, baby teeth, but do pups start getting them that early? That sounds a couple of weeks early.

Yes baby teeth..that's what I meant :-) she has just a few in her mouth from what I can see. I took her to the vet on Monday and they said she's perfectly fine. They did give her only one shot, distemper. I have her dewormers for the next 3 weeks. I feed her as much as she'll eat. She's very picky.. Some times she'll eat her soft food, other times she only wants formula. I have been giving her nutri cal to be on the safe side but my vet advised me not to cause its to sugary. But I still am if I think she hasn't eaten enough.. She loves it!
I love that she has lots of energy! She'll need it when shes older & bigger to play w/our boxer. But she's biting nonstop & I don't know why.. She won't settle down. I'm hoping its because of her age & as she matures she calms. Maybe it's because her teeth coming in hurt her?

Yes baby teeth

Yes baby teeth..that's what I meant :-) She eats quite often...if not soft food then formula. She is picky, so i have been giving her nutri cal...but my vet tells me not to. But i still have been when she doesnt eat as much as i would like her to. I took her to the vet & they said everything is fine, she had one shot the distemper. I have three dewormers to give her over the next few weeks. I love the fact that she has energy but its just the biting that's the problem. I just had someone tell me it's her age and that's all she's used to with her brother & sisters..that eventually she'll grow out of it. I'm hoping so.
She will need lots of energy to play w/our boxer when she's bigger.. Right now our boxer just wants to lay with her but she won't stop biting her.

Lol.. Sorry for all the replies. It took forever to post, so I replied again. Still don't quite understand how to use the site. :(

Beth
You are posting just fine. As a new member your posts get approved (I think til post "#10) by a moderator before they come through.

As far as the feistiness a couple things come to mind- 1. She may be biting more due to teething and 2. The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America recommends that puppies not be taken away from their moms before 12 weeks of age. That is partially due to the puppies being taught social skills by mom and litter mates during that time. The social skills would include appropriate play behaviors such is when is feistiness enough and gentler play. 3. It could be the pups age. When Ruby was a young pup she had two speeds..all out and sleep!! Good luck with the new pup. Post pics when you get this site figured out!!! :)

Welcome to YT..your little one sounds adorable

Welcome to YT! You are very lucky to have found this forum as early as you are bringing your pup home. I was not as lucky. I brought my pup home at 7 and a half weeks and I had no idea what nutrical was until I joined this site less than 6 months ago. (Thank goodness I never had a need for it) He is now 4. I am lucky he was never hypoglycemic, since I didn't know that could be an issue and refused to cook special for a dog and took the stance, "he will eat when he gets hungry"...and TG he did...As for the excessive biting, our Huey was terrible for jumping in our faces and nipping, and he drew blood on both my and my husband's noses multiple times until we were finally able to break him of that habit with a firm no and pushing him gently away. Keep working with your pup and you will stop some of the excessive biting and he will grow out of a bunch of it too. Good luck and cannot wait to see photos! :D

I'm not much help but wanted to let you know that when I brought Louie home at 8 weeks, he was doing the biting and chewing thing nonstop. I was worried too and came here asking for help. We were consistent with telling him NO! and redirecting his attention to an appropriate chew toy. Also was advised to put some coins in an aluminum can and keep it handy to shake and say no when he started his biting. The good news is that the phase passed and we have a wonderful precious Yorkie now. ( He is 2 years old)

I'm very happy to hear that u now have a wonderful precious yorkie! I glad to hear the phase passed.. We have been telling her no as well but I think she's still just to young to understand just yet, but we will keep it up. I love ur change in a can idea! This is great & it might really get her attention, Ty :-)

Be careful with the change in a can I read an article about how that can make dogs scared of loud noises. I am pretty sure that's why my Yorkie is scared of loud noises. This age is to young but we used a squirt bottle with water in it when we realized the can was not a good idea.

Oh yes, Bella likes to jump & nip at our faces too. I will keep it up and give her lots of patience.. I know she will eventually understand and learn that she can't do this. This forum website has really helped me, it's great talking to people who have already experienced what I am experiencing :-)

:aimeeyork:animal-pa:)

Ohhh ok. I never thought of a squirt bottle but that's a good idea too :)

Hi and welcome to YT! I'm so glad you found YT as you will learn a lot for all the knowledge of other members here.

I too had to bring my puppy home early (at 8 weeks). I think some of the "backyard" breeders (not all mind you) try to get their puppies out of the house as soon as possible so they don't have to care for them longer.

Our Princess Sophie, now almost 4 months old, is still biting, partly due to teething and partly from puppy exuberance. We tell her "no bite" and it does get her attention. I also know that if they do this and you ignore them, they soon get the message and will learn that biting is not acceptable. I also see that others have made suggestions as well that are very good. You will figure out what works for your puppy. Must remember though they they are puppies and their attention span is about the size of a nat. LOL

You are certainly doing the right thing by looking for answers here. You will learn a lot from the questions others are asking and there is a great "Library" for more specific questions that have already been answered. Enjoy looking around and please stay in touch. We are happy you decided to join us!!:)

Aw thank you very much! Thanks to everyone for they're stories & advice too! Today by far, has been the best day since we have taken Bella home. She's eaten the most food today and I can tell that she really is becoming quite comfortable in her new home.. Other days she would cry once in awhile but today I don't think she has at all. She also comes when I call to her. When she runs its just the cutest thing ever! I'm proud of her today :-)

Hi and welcome to YT. Buster was a bit of a biter too. He left "home" early as well. He was my first dog so I had a trainer teach me some basics. She said to say ouch, no, or make a hurt sound and then turn away to let Buster know his actions hurt and that I would not play with him if he bit me. Also get safe rubber chew toys and when she is in biting mood use the toys to entice her to play with instead. I look forward to pictures of Baby Bella.

Nip the Nip
Puppies nip each other and play rough. Depending on his age and stage of development here are a few things that may help.
There are many training methods that work. Puppies that stay with their mother and litter until they are 12 weeks old tend to have a softer mouth and more bite inhibition.

[/FONT]Really young puppies under 16 weeks old, respond well to this
1. After You say a dramatic high pitched Oucheeeeeeeeeeeeeee ! Immediately put him on the floor or turn your back or walk away and ignore for about 15 seconds. He needs to learn 'Never put teeth on people, because they will stop playing. The lesson is biting people, means no playing. The high pitched sound does not work well with older pups.

Training young Pups
2. If he nips while playing say 'Enough" and give him a toy instead of your hand and say 'Good TOY' when he bites the toy. Your cue word does not have to be Enough, You can use what ever feels right for you, like NO, or STOP IT. What ever cue word you use, say the same cue every time. Everyone in your family should use the same cue words. Enough is easy to use , and it always means Stop what you are doing right now ! If he wants to nip your hands and not the toy, stop playing. This stage of puppy development is when you teach him what is appropriate to chew and what is not.
Please do not play tug of war type of games with your puppy. This is too exciting for them, they get in that rip up the prey trance and you may get nipped.

NOTE: I would not use a shake can( at all, this is a better tool with adult dogs not puppies) And I would not spray water until your pup is at least 8 to 10 weeks old.
The two finger tap works very well with young puppies. It is a fake warning bite like the mama dog would use to correct. Take two fingers and quickly tap the puppy on the shoulder after giving the cue word. Practice tapping your other hand so you know how to do this right. Tapping yourself will teach you what feels just right. Two finger tapping should not hurt or sting. Give the cue word in a low firm voice , "Enough" and follow with the two finger tap to break the bite trance if the pup keeps biting. This is not aggression, this is baby biting. Remember redirect not punish. Hope this helps.

Thanks so much for all the info! I haven't put that much thought into potty training yet just simply because she's only 5 weeks.. But you have some great pointers. When she does pee now though, I do put her right on the puppy pad. I think the leash idea would work quite well w/her because she already follows me everywhere I go. I did already start her nipping training today though :-)

:aimeeyork. :animal36. :)

Ty! :) here's a pic of Bella :). :aimeeyork. :animal36

I too brought my Ellie home at 8 weeks and am a first time yorkie mommy. Ellie still gets wayyyyy excited after a long snooze and bites hard! I've tried replacing with chew toys, saying ouch etc. I think the most effective is walking away or putting her down when she gets to rough. She's now 13 weeks and is getting better all the time :). Congrats on your new baby. We adore our baby girl!

Aw well Ty & I'm very glad to hear that she's getting better every day. Bella's the same exact way, after a nap she has a burst of energy & starts nipping and playing nonstop. Congrats to u as well, I'd love to see more pics of Ellie :)

:aimeeyork. :animal36. :animal-pa

When we brought Mia home at 8 weeks she was perfect the first couple days. Then she started play biting which got pretty annoying. She'd jump in our face and nip at us...she'd bite at our fingers and clothes. I immediately taught her to use a chew toy instead and always redirected her to chew it instead of my hands. Then I taught her the "kiss" command. So now she doesn't even try to bite our faces, she just kisses the heck out of them! I would also recommend using coconut oil on your skin. Sounds weird if you haven't heard about the coconut oil craze. But dogs love coconut oil. If you have it on your skin, they will automatically lick you instead of bite. That's what Mia does! Her biting has gone down tremendously! She doesn't even chew on furniture anymore! She just turned 5 months and the biting stopped when she was about 14 weeks probably. Hope that helps. Google coconut oil if you want to know more about it! It's amazing!

It sounds like you have gotten some great advice. But I just can't help it... breeders who do this make me so stinking mad! :mad: I just feel like it is so irresponsible! Now you are left with trying to teach a puppy things it should learn from it's mom and litter mates. When I raise puppies here, the minute they put their mouth on me I say "YIKES" and it sorta sounds like a puppy yelp when I do it. They learn that the humans are pretty wimpy here at our house. It's such an important thing to teach because it's just not acceptable in human society to have a dog who bites. I don't yell, spank or act harsh in any way, I just say yikes and if they stop right away, I will continue to play but if they are really hard with their teeth or they ignore my "yikes" I turn my back and leave the room. I wish you luck with your new addition.