I'm looking at getting a 7 week old Maltese puppy. This will be my first dog. I hear puppies ';yell'; a lot at night. Is it best to use a kennel or a baby gate and gate them off in a small part of the house? Any tips to help with the yelling? How long does it last? Do I just ignore it? Any advice on how to handle a new puppy would be appreciated.
ThanksGetting New Puppy _ Need Advice?
Hi,
what I am about to say may make many dog owners throw up their arms in horror... but still, this is my opinion, based on bringing up two puppies - the first time round I listened to all the ';expert advice'; and lived to regret it bitterly, the second time I did what my heart told me was right.
First of all.... wait until the pup is at least 8 weeks old before taking it away from mum and the siblings. This one extra week of maternal care will make a huge difference to the mental development of your dog.
I guess many people will tell you to get a crate and to shut your pup in there at night ';for it's own safety'; and to let it cry and not to ';give in to it';. I did just that with my first pup. It was the worst advice I have ever followed. I won't go into the if's and but's - suffice to say that in my view this is cruel and unnecessary. By all means, get a crate if you think you need one - personally I hate the things and so do my dogs... but I do know of dogs who love them and crates may have their uses at times. Dogs are all different.
However, back to your pup - just put yourself in the little dog's paws .... taken away from mum and siblings, strange new smells, new environment, strange new humans.... can you imagine the stress levels? How would you feel ?
So here is my advice. Decide where in the future you want your dog to sleep at night.... then put up a camp bed and sleep there with your pup for the first week or so - close by it's own warm comfy bed, so you can touch it and comfort it when it cries and preferably let it out in the garden in the middle of the night, if necessary...
I guarantee you - not only will you have an extremely close bond with your dog for the rest of your life's, but you will have it potty trained in no time at all. Sure, it will be a bit of an inconvenience for a week or so, but it will also give you both immense pleasure and comfort and it will pay dividends for years to come.
My little pup would usually sleep through the first part of the night - then wake and get restless .... which woke me, and I took it out for a wee. Then we both went back to sleep and the little rascal would creep into my bed and snuggle up to me until the morning. It had accepted me as its new mum....
After a week or so it felt secure enough to sleep alone. I never had any anxiety problems as a result - unlike with my first dog....
One other word of advice.... Please do your homework re the vaccination issue. Read the following website thoroughly. http://www.newvaccinationprotocols.com/C鈥?/a>
The longer you wait to vaccinate your pup, the better its chances to stay healthy. You do NOT need to vaccinate every year... once a dog has formed antibodies, they will be there for at least 7 years, but probably for the life time of a dog. If you keep giving so called ';booster'; vaccinations, you might do more harm than good.
Good luck with your little one....Getting New Puppy _ Need Advice?
I just got a puppy this past sunday and we are crate-training her. This is the best because it keeps the pup from chewing everything in sight. Also it helps with house breaking, since they won't go to the bathroom where they sleep and eat. The yelling and crying has to be ignored, unless you think she has to be let outside or to a training pad to go to the bathroom. Also, I have been sleeping in the room next to her crate so I can here her in the night, when she has to go outside. Puppies chew EVERYTHING so be patient. Good Luck!
When I got my puppy he screamed all the time at night. We didn't crate him because he would scream louder and longer while in there. We got him a little bed and put him there at night when we went to bed. He would scream for a little bit, but eventually stopped after about a week. I think every one has to go through this and it's just takes some time. No matter if you put him in a crate or a bed he will scream. Some nights I would put his bed in my room and talk to him until he went to sleep. That seemed to comfort him just to be near me and hear my voice. Good Luck with your new baby!
don't get the pup until it is 10-12 weeks old. that extra time to be with its mother and littermates will solve half the problem.
7 weeks old is too young (in some areas illegal) and at that point, the pup will be plenty scared.
by 10-12 weeks, the pup will have developed a little more confidence, and will be more eager to explore than to freak out.
the best thing to do is crate the pup in your room or near your room. the pup will be comforted hearing you breathe.
No pup should leave it's mother at 7 weeks old. Get online and find out how to look after it if you can't leave it until it is ready to be parted from it's mother.
Keep them in your room so you can comfort them.
I sudjust when you get it keep him in the bed room and give him a dog pad to pee on
You may want to visit this site to know more information about maltese.
http://lnk.nu/dogtime.com/rxe.html
7 weeks is too young to separate a pup from her mother. She should be at least 8 weeks.
Have you done any research on Maltese?
You may want to enroll her in puppy classes, which train basic commands (come, sit, down, stay, heel). You may be interested in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program (link below).
If your puppy can't quit chewing the furniture, there is a product named ';Bitter Apple';. Although I have never had to use it myself, I've heard it works.
You will want to crate train your puppy. It eases housebreaking and keeps the dog out of mischief when you are not at home.
Your puppy will probably whine and cry at first. You must ignore this. You cannot give her the idea that if she begs she will be let out of the crate. Only let her out when she has quieted down.
You will notice a divider in the box. At first this will puzzle you: what is this random piece of metal for? It is used for housebreaking: you use it to squish the puppy in and give it no room to do its business (sounds cruel, I know, but it works). Just give her enough room to lied down comfortably. Nothing more, nothing less. This method relies on a dog's natural instinct not to soil themselves. However, when using this method, you must take the dog out regularly. Just because she has this instinct doesn't mean she can hold it forever. Try to take her out every couple of hours (you're going to be going out with her a LOT for the first few months until she's developed proper bowel control).
Put her within earshot during the night in case she needs to go out. She will start crying or something, so be prepared to have to jump out of bed at 3 in the morning and walk her. Always praise epically when she has done her business outside.
Also, buy a crate that will fit her for when she is an adult.
Lastly, if you're planning on spaying or neutering your new puppy, why not try adopting? Shelter dogs are generally up to date with shots and have already been spayed/neutered (but some shelters jump the gun and fix before 6 months which is too young, so be careful).
