First dog! Quick Questions!

[Zoidberg]

I just adopted a short haired chi! He's about 8 pounds and ADORABLE I was planning on feeding him two meals a day but he didn't really seem to care for food or treats. Its only been a few hours so I expect nervousness, what do I do if he doesn't want to eat in the evening? Also, what's a good time to wake up to let the dog eliminate? I'm sure there's no "set" time or anything but I wanna know when I should plan on waking up. He is almost 3 years old

 

[poodlesmom]

Welcome to Chaz & congrats on your new furpal! He is a cutie and I'm sure you two will have loads of fun together!

I would offer him a little food but don't be concerned if he doesn't eat tonite. As you said he's probably a little nervous and a missed meal won't hurt him and it will probably just make him hungrier in the morning.

At almost 3 yrs old he is old enough to be able to hold it overnight and is probably used to that already. But when you get up in the morning I'd give him an opportunity right away to go out and do his "business". It shouldn't take too many days for you to figure out his normal potty schedule - just give him plenty of chances to go outside - usually right when they wake up, shortly after eating and after a good play session.

Have fun getting to know him and bonding with him.

 

[Maxy24]

Awwww, congrats on the new guy! What's his name? Two meals a day sounds good, are you starting off by feeding him what he ate before or is it a new food for him? Mixing the old with the new might help encourage him to eat. But yes, with such a big change he just might not feel like it. At 8 pounds I think he'll be okay skipping a day of food.

Where is he going to be sleeping? Do you know if he's supposed to already be housebroken?

 

[Zoidberg]

His name is Shecky Yeah he's behaving the same with food and going out. He is supposed to know how to eliminate outside but he looks at me with a confused face. I'll keep trying, anything to help him know that outside is the place for him to go? Also he seems to have already attached more to my dad than the rest of my family, what can I do to get him to like me as much? He's sleeping next to me in his lil doggy bed right now

 

[Gempress]

He'll come around to you in time. Right now he's still trying to settle in.

Until you know for certain that he's housebroken, I would treat him exactly like an untrained dog. And even housetrained dogs often need a refresher course when they move into a new home. Take him outside every 2 hours during the day. Be sure to praise him when he uses the bathroom outside. Keep an eye on him at all times. If it looks like he's sniffing around and hunting for a place to go, take him outside. Do you have a dog crate or pen for him? Whenever you can't keep a close watch on him, put him in the crate or pen. That will keep him from having an accident. Don't yell at him or punish him if he has an accident. That will only scare him and make him afraid of you. Just quickly take him outside. He'll get the idea in time.

You shouldn't have to take him outside at night. At 3 years old, he should be able to hold his bladder as long as a human can. Take him outside right before you go to bed and first thing in the morning when you wake up.

Enjoy him! He's adorable!

 

[Zoidberg]

He did the sniffing around thing for a few minutes but didn't want to go apparently. I fed him his old food, he actually did have a couple bites finally but only after being tempted with a piece or two of human food (Bologna). He was pumped about eating that but not so much with the dog food, I'm wondering if it is a matter of nervousness or a matter of not enjoying the food I have

 

[Doberluv]

Welcome! And congrats on your cute little Chi. I would try to get some food down him twice a day, even if you have to put a few teensy weensy tid bits of bologna or a little scrambled egg would be better. Chi's are prone to hypoglycemia, so in their case, a little pampering doesn't hurt. You can always work on phasing that out later if you come on a food he really likes. He probably wouldn't have a problem. It's usually with tinier dogs or puppies. But just in case. My 6 lb, 11 yr. old girl will get a bit shaky and looks like she doesn't feel so great if there's too much time between meals. Then right after she eats, she's full of it, very playful and energized. And you're right...he's probably a little stressy with all the changes.

I agree with treating him like a puppy (extra supervision, reward when he goes outside etc) for a while to make sure he's house broken and learns the routine there and learns for sure where the potty place is. Sometimes a new house can be a little confusing.

Congrats! Your little one is adorable. Hope you stick around, take more pictures and keep us up to date on how he's doing.

 

[Zoidberg]

^Thank you for the info! I just didn't want to start off our friendship with bad habits but a lil balogna here and there won't hurt eh?

I'll say this though, he's such a sweet lil guy. My heart melts every time I look at him. At the same time I'm TERRIFIED all my reading and preparation won't amount to anything and I'll turn out to be a failure as a dog owner. I don't want to let him down like the guy that left him at the shelter.

On a brighter note, doggy cuddles with bed!:

 

[Doberluv]

Awwww...so cute. He looks so happy and comfy. Actually, I'd probably stay clear of bologna. I don't have the stuff in my house because it's not healthy for anyone. But, I just meant to put a few tiny pieces of something extra good to make him want his food. Really, a part of a scrambled egg or some real chicken from last night's dinner...a little tiny sprinkling of Parmesan cheese...like 1/4 of a tsp or a 1/4 tsp of cottage cheese...something to make it smellier might entice him to eat. I had to do this with my girl Chi when she was younger. She wasn't inclined to eat very well. She'll eat now (she's a hog) without putting stuff on it, but I often do anyhow just to give them a little variety. Just make sure if you give other meat that it wasn't cooked with onion. Onion is toxic to dogs. I think he'll come around, once he's more use to his new place and all the changes.

One thing that can happen when worrying about their eating, might be over feeding and letting them get fat. My dogs have been a little on the chubby side off and on through their lives. Once I notice they're starting to look a bit on the rotund side, I cut them back but it can sneak up on you easily with these tiny dogs. LOL.

Anyhow, I'm so glad you found yourself such a sweet little companion. And I bet he's going to have a really nice life.

 

[Gempress]

He's so cute! And I'm sure you'll do a great job with him. You sound like you're genuinely concerned with doing things right.

Feel free to posting here with anytime, even if you think it's a silly or minor question. There are a lot of people on here with a TON of knowledge about dogs.

 

[Zoidberg]

Thanks a lot guys, I already feel a lot better about this He finally took a poop outside! He did have a pee accident in the house, unfortunately I didn't catch him in the act so I'm not sure me pointing at it and telling him not to do that in a stern voice didn't do much to teach him. As for the food, he's still anxious about eating - I'm going to try to sprinkle some cheese on his food and see how it works out.

 

[Zoidberg]

I got an update, he is starting to eat finally! Still not into treats but he had a few bites to eat. The last time he peed on the carpet I luckily saw him doing it and sternly told him not to. It was heart breaking putting on that voice to that face especially when he looked at me innocently but since then he's peed and pooped in the backyard twice. Progress! How long should I wait before it's okay to start walking him outside? I don't know if he's even leash trained