Hello everyone, my name is Rachel. I'm new to this forum, and my puppy is very new to me, so I thought I'd ask for some advice.
I found a puppy alone in a restaurant parking lot on Sunday afternoon. She had no ID tags...she was simply curled up in a ball on the asphalt. So I took her to Petsmart' vet hosp., which conveniently began opening on Sundays the very day I found her. They estimate her age to be 5.5-6 weeks, and she's a brindle with a very boxy head, so they believe she's a boxer or a pit mix. She has no major health problems; she is wormy, but being treated with 3-day Panacur.
I have another dog (mixed breed) who is approx. 10 mos. and 30-35 lbs, and he appears to have stopped growing for the most part. He is very tolerant of Daisy; in fact, she is very vocal and assertive with him, at an astounding 4.3 lbs! So we've come to my first question: She most certainly does not respond to discipline, and I did not expect her to. Being a possible pit mix, I definitely want to teach her to coexist with my other dog, under close supervision as she grows, of course. Do I redirect her when she barks and growls at the older puppy? He takes her vocalization as signs of play, but little miss Daisy sounds as serious as possible considering she's an infant. Any opinions/advice you guys could offer on this subject would be great!
I read a little bit online about pit bulls and their different training/socialization/supervision needs, as they were originally bred to fight other dogs, according to my reading. I have had numerous dogs, and successfully trained them in the basics (sit, down, stay, leave it, etc.), so I feel comfortable taking on Daisy's obedience training. The plan is to enroll her in classes very shortly after the new year. Is there anything I could be doing with her in the next couple of weeks that would benefit her training-wise, or is she simply too young at 6-8 weeks of age to comprehend commands?
And my final question--God bless those who've made it this far into my post!--Daisy cries on and off from 2:30AM until 6:45AM(when I get up to feed). I feel I am establishing a good routine with her--consistent potty times, feeding times, and no water after 7-8pm. I fully expect her to cry, because she's awfully young and alone. Do I take her out for bathroom every time she carries on at night? Are there times I should ignore her? She has not had accidents in her crate, and do not want to cause her to have no option but to do so, but I also do not want to teach her that screaming as if she's being slaughtered will get her out of her crate. Her crate is the appropriate size, well bedded, and she sleeps in her crate beside my other dog, in his crate, in my bedroom.
Any general advice you can offer on the subject of raising such a young puppy properly, and any breed-specific advice you may have will be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you for taking the time to read my ~very~ verbose post.
Sincerely,
Rachel
I found a puppy alone in a restaurant parking lot on Sunday afternoon. She had no ID tags...she was simply curled up in a ball on the asphalt. So I took her to Petsmart' vet hosp., which conveniently began opening on Sundays the very day I found her. They estimate her age to be 5.5-6 weeks, and she's a brindle with a very boxy head, so they believe she's a boxer or a pit mix. She has no major health problems; she is wormy, but being treated with 3-day Panacur.
I have another dog (mixed breed) who is approx. 10 mos. and 30-35 lbs, and he appears to have stopped growing for the most part. He is very tolerant of Daisy; in fact, she is very vocal and assertive with him, at an astounding 4.3 lbs! So we've come to my first question: She most certainly does not respond to discipline, and I did not expect her to. Being a possible pit mix, I definitely want to teach her to coexist with my other dog, under close supervision as she grows, of course. Do I redirect her when she barks and growls at the older puppy? He takes her vocalization as signs of play, but little miss Daisy sounds as serious as possible considering she's an infant. Any opinions/advice you guys could offer on this subject would be great!
I read a little bit online about pit bulls and their different training/socialization/supervision needs, as they were originally bred to fight other dogs, according to my reading. I have had numerous dogs, and successfully trained them in the basics (sit, down, stay, leave it, etc.), so I feel comfortable taking on Daisy's obedience training. The plan is to enroll her in classes very shortly after the new year. Is there anything I could be doing with her in the next couple of weeks that would benefit her training-wise, or is she simply too young at 6-8 weeks of age to comprehend commands?
And my final question--God bless those who've made it this far into my post!--Daisy cries on and off from 2:30AM until 6:45AM(when I get up to feed). I feel I am establishing a good routine with her--consistent potty times, feeding times, and no water after 7-8pm. I fully expect her to cry, because she's awfully young and alone. Do I take her out for bathroom every time she carries on at night? Are there times I should ignore her? She has not had accidents in her crate, and do not want to cause her to have no option but to do so, but I also do not want to teach her that screaming as if she's being slaughtered will get her out of her crate. Her crate is the appropriate size, well bedded, and she sleeps in her crate beside my other dog, in his crate, in my bedroom.
Any general advice you can offer on the subject of raising such a young puppy properly, and any breed-specific advice you may have will be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you for taking the time to read my ~very~ verbose post.
Sincerely,
Rachel
