[Sphinxster]

Last week, myself and my wife found a young pup abandon at the park... We cleaned her up and removed every possible unwanted stuff on her ... We did take her to SPCA the next day but they told US as the Oreo is really young and still haven't taken her shot its wise not to put her up here till its done.

And we decided to take her in (and give her a name, OREO) but still short of whether to adopt her or send her to the shelter.

Mean time, we are just taking care of her for another few weeks. Problem is my wife is 4 months plus pregnant and i don't wanna strain her on taking care of the pup.As much as i would like to keep little Oreo, i don't wanna upset the wife. She loves Oreo, when she is well behaved but when Oreo does the wrong thing (Peeing or Pooping at places whre she is not suppose to) she gets pissed...

We have taken Oreo to the Vet and no one could give a specific age of the pup at this moment.. Some said its 2-3 weeks another said its more then a month.. All i know this poor dog is growing up without a mom and WE are doing tht part the very best i know how...We shall be taking her to the vet soon to get her 1st jab.

At this moment in time, we are just keeping her in the toilet .. and during the day she does roam abit in the house. I cannot take her out to do her business as there isn't any grass at my lawn, strictly concrete.

Her sleeping time has shortened alot since last week, when she came to US,she was sleeping like almost 5 hrs a day but lately she has been sleeping 2-3hrs the longest, why is that so? And every time she wakes up, she wants to eat.. We are currently feeding her abt 3-4 times a day. Initially, we fed her MILK which are for young pups and in a week, she has started on puppy dried food (which we soaked in milk or water to soften it)

My question now is,

1 -What is the difference of keeping Oreo in the toilet and being crate ? Right now, just having abit of tough time telling her to do her business in the toilet.

2- She does not whine like other dogs that i have seen being locked up, she BARKS! And she can go on for almost 30-45mins without stopping.. How do i solve this as well?

3- Is it wrong to keep her in the toilet when i head out for a few hrs to run some errands? Nothing is in the toilet that would harm her. Only leave Oreo,her toys and newspapers for her to do her business..

I know i have been saying alot here but do hope for some kind advices frm you guys..

Many thanks....

[cigwyllt]

Hi there and welcome. Well done picking up little Oreo - if you hadn't rescued her she could well be dead by now.

First of all her sleeping - obviously as she grows up she will sleep less and less - just as with human babies. Sometimes it is easy to forget how fast a puppy matures compared to a human baby. I wonder though if you are feeding her quite enough? At 8 weeks she should be having three or four feeds in a day - at just 4 weeks I would have thought she would need more - maybe every 4 hours. If she was still with her mum she would be feeding whenever she was hungry and would probably sleep better.

You are doing a great job in keeping her alive and I know how exhausting it can be to hand rear an animal - we once rescued a tiny kitten and she required feeding every two hours, day and night, - much harder to care for than any of our children were!

I am not sure what to suggest about the toileting. Obviously it is not safe or sensible to give her the run of the whole house - even when you are home - it might be better if she could have a little pen rather than be left in a room all alone. If you could construct a pen for her she could be safe but reassured by the sounds of a normal household - the sort of thing that will make her more relaxed in an ordinary home environment, whether you keep her yourselves or rehome her.

How long do you leave her for at a time? In her mind when you shut her away she has been abandoned by her family and she is desperate for you to come back. Instinctively she feels that she has been abandoned and she is in danger. Another reason why a pen would be a better option.

[Sphinxster]

Hey cigwyllt,

Thx for replying...


On how much i am feeding her a day.. at this moment or should i say frm the moment we got her, its has been 4 feeds a day.1st feed is abt 6 or 7am,2nd feed abt 12 or 1pm,3rd feed abt 4 or 5 pm,4th feed abt 9 or 10pm.. trying not to feed her anything past midnite as we are trying not to spoil her irregardless whether she is goin to be with US or some1 else. Wow! I did not know kittens are a tougher crowd then young pups.

Its really exhausting especially for my wife (as she is 4-5 mnths pregnant) and i am trying my very best to assist her out when ever am not working.

I did try to haf her at one corner of the house (inside the house) and i use boxes to barricade her in it (does look like a DIY PEN) but she cannot stay inside IT! And she can't keep quiet as well. That is why i asked the question, would IT be better to have had her crated up or to be place at the loo.

I do understand her feelings of probably being abandon again as it has already happened before.No matter how much talking to WE can give to her,i just dun know how we can reassure her on it. On your question on how long she is left alone? She is left alone so far not long then 3-4hrs that too only in the afternoon or late mornings, for US to run some errands and grab lunch.

The only place she loves at the moment is the kitchen and the sound of the microwave getting food ready.. Why u may asked? When she first came, we did warm the milk up for 10secs and then feed it to her. So, everytime tht sounds comes on, she did thinks its food for her.And she would rush into the kitchen frm the hall. We have changed to semi solids for her food now.

As for toilet training.. abit difficult for every one i believe, when ever she does her business whre its not meant to be.. I will scold her abit and then leave her in the bathroom for 15-20mins.. just a TIME OUT.. but not sure if she does understand it.

Thx again for replying..

[EscVelocity]

Scolding and time outs for a puppy going potty where it isn't suppose to will be ineffective. I would suggest setting up a better pen, with a crate inside. Place the pen where you and your wife spend most of your time. Use puppy pads or newspaper on the floor outside of the crate. When you see the puppy using the pads or newspaper, offer lots of praise while the puppy is eliminating and offer a treat when the deed is done. Do nothing when the puppy uses the bathroom off of his designated spot, and clean up the mess with a good enzyme cleaner to eliminate the scent. Also, I would use the cleaner on other spots throughout the house.

When you have the puppy out of the pen, keep him tethered to you with a leash; This so you will always be able to supervise him. When you see him acting like he needs to go bathroom, place him on newspaper/puppy pads and praise/treat him for going on the newspaper/puppy pads.

To help keep the puppy quite while in his pen or crated you can place a piece of clothing in there that smells like both of you. Make sure he has some toys for entertainment, and I would invest in a "Kong" toy. You can fill this with some water softened puppy food and freeze it. I would give this to the pup to keep him occupied. However, I wouldn't treat your dog while he is crying. Wait for him to be quiet and then offer the Kong toy.

[CorkyMax]

quote:As for toilet training.. abit difficult for every one i believe, when ever she does her business whre its not meant to be.. I will scold her abit and then leave her in the bathroom for 15-20mins.. just a TIME OUT.. but not sure if she does understand it.
Please don't scold her--She is probably not old enough yet to be able to control her peeing yet

Cluing into a Puppy's Housetraining Instincts - For Dummies

American Dog Trainers Network -- How To Successfully Crate Train Your Puppy

A practitioner's guide to housebreaking puppies

[reeskujo]

First let me say what a wonderful thing you do rescuing the little baby!...Now, as far as house breaking if she's not even 2 months old she is entirely to young to even understand the concept. Scolding her is going to be very counter productive. For starters when you scold them they do not understand it's because they went somewhere they weren't supposed,they think it's simply because they went to the bathroom. At that age she should still be with her mother and her litter and by scolding her she may eventually start to fear you. Secondly even when a pup is old enough to begin potty training if you scold them when you haven't caught them in the act or well after the fact they have no idea why your doing it. She is also way to young to understand the concept of a time out which should never be longer then 5 minutes.

At that age she probably has to go potty within a half hour of eating or drinking so it would be best to make sure after she eats or drinks she's in an area where it's ok for her to use the bathroom.As for feeding you can't spoil her simply by feeding her past a certain time of night. After all she doesn't know what time it is. If she's a month or younger she probably still needs to eat every 3-4 hr.s. If she is that young she would still be nursing off her mom even if she was being weaned and started on puppy food.

As for her barking,undrstand that in a perfect world she would still be with her mother and littermates so she's definitely feeling lonley. You might be able to help the situation some if you keep her in a crate in your bedroom at night. Sometimes with puppies that young that are very comforted when they're in the same room as their people at night. As Cig stated hand rearing a puppy that young is very difficult and time consuming and it requires and extreme amount of patience. It's wonderful that you've taken her in and given her a chance at life. I hope this helps some. Please keep us updated!

[CorkyMax]

I don't know if many people have the old fashioned wind-up alarm clocks but here is a little hint/idea if you do have or can get one---Put the ticking clock in with her bedding (cover it up a little bit with the bedding) in a corner of her bed. It will remind her of her mother's/siblings heartbeats and may comfort her.

Here is a link to a site on raising a puppy: Raise a Puppy

[cigwyllt]

Fifteen minutes time out for a baby puppy is NOT a good thing. You shouldn't leave her for more than a minute and a half. By the time you put her away she will have no idea what you are punishing her for. If you are going to use a time out as a punishment you must leave her - that is what her mother/litter mates would do. If you turn your back on her and ignore her for a minute she will understand that as a punishment.

As such a young pup she needs almost constant attention from her human family as she would receive from her mother.

[Sphinxster]

Originally Posted by reeskujo

At that age she probably has to go potty within a half hour of eating or drinking so it would be best to make sure after she eats or drinks she's in an area where it's ok for her to use the bathroom.As for feeding you can't spoil her simply by feeding her past a certain time of night. After all she doesn't know what time it is. If she's a month or younger she probably still needs to eat every 3-4 hr.s. If she is that young she would still be nursing off her mom even if she was being weaned and started on puppy food.

As for her barking,undrstand that in a perfect world she would still be with her mother and littermates so she's definitely feeling lonley. You might be able to help the situation some if you keep her in a crate in your bedroom at night. Sometimes with puppies that young that are very comforted when they're in the same room as their people at night. As Cig stated hand rearing a puppy that young is very difficult and time consuming and it requires and extreme amount of patience. It's wonderful that you've taken her in and given her a chance at life. I hope this helps some. Please keep us updated!

Hey Reskujo.... Thx for the reply.. Right now, she is fed during the day, past midnite - she is not fed.. So, u would suggest a crate to be place in the room where we sleep? And as some as mentioned as well, where ever we are watchin tele or in the hall doing other stuffs, just put the crate there and if we see her ready to pee or poop, just removed her frm the crate and let her do her business.....Am pretty patience with her but my wife is losing it with her cos of her barking. Wished she did cry instead of barking when locked up in the bathroom.. Will keep u posted...

Originally Posted by EscVelocity

Scolding and time outs for a puppy going potty where it isn't suppose to will be ineffective. I would suggest setting up a better pen, with a crate inside. Place the pen where you and your wife spend most of your time. Use puppy pads or newspaper on the floor outside of the crate. When you see the puppy using the pads or newspaper, offer lots of praise while the puppy is eliminating and offer a treat when the deed is done. Do nothing when the puppy uses the bathroom off of his designated spot, and clean up the mess with a good enzyme cleaner to eliminate the scent. Also, I would use the cleaner on other spots throughout the house.

When you have the puppy out of the pen, keep him tethered to you with a leash; This so you will always be able to supervise him. When you see him acting like he needs to go bathroom, place him on newspaper/puppy pads and praise/treat him for going on the newspaper/puppy pads.

To help keep the puppy quite while in his pen or crated you can place a piece of clothing in there that smells like both of you. Make sure he has some toys for entertainment, and I would invest in a "Kong" toy. You can fill this with some water softened puppy food and freeze it. I would give this to the pup to keep him occupied. However, I wouldn't treat your dog while he is crying. Wait for him to be quiet and then offer the Kong toy.

Hi Escvelocity, thank for the reply ... U mentioned that newspapers be place next to the crate whre we spend most of OUR time or where ever we are? (Carry the crate every where?) Meaning, the crate doors should be left opened for Oreo to roam about or close it and only open it when she wants to come out? New to this and trying to understand this little one.. And till what age can a pup be in a crate?

Right now,we just place towels for her to play with and if i am understanding you correctly, you said place a piece of SHIRT or cloth tht we are never goin to use for her to sleep on (does tht apply for the crate or the bathroom as well?) She has plenty of toys for her to play but she still loves the carpet Few times she has done her bizzness on it and as u mentioned " keep IT tethered to you with a leash". We try to keep a watchful eye on her when she is roaming about..

U mentioned Treats for the dogs? What kind of Treats can this young one have at this moment? Kong Toy? What is that? And when u mentioned " some water softened puppy food and freeze it" Does it mean i have to mashed the food up and then freeze it? I will look it up and see how it looks like...

Thanks for the kind advices...

[Sphinxster]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

Fifteen minutes time out for a baby puppy is NOT a good thing. You shouldn't leave her for more than a minute and a half. By the time you put her away she will have no idea what you are punishing her for. If you are going to use a time out as a punishment you must leave her - that is what her mother/litter mates would do. If you turn your back on her and ignore her for a minute she will understand that as a punishment.

As such a young pup she needs almost constant attention from her human family as she would receive from her mother.

Hey Cigwylt, did not know tht a 15mins time out is too long and not good for her.. I have tried the method of turning OUR back against her but she will come running She is having sucha tough time sleeping and i am sure its taking a TOLL on the wife..

A question, is having a young pup and a pregnant wife (attending to young pup) a bad idea?

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

[B][COLOR="SeaGreen"]I don't know if many people have the old fashioned wind-up alarm clocks but here is a little hint/idea if you do have or can get one---Put the ticking clock in with her bedding (cover it up a little bit with the bedding) in a corner of her bed. It will remind her of her mother's/siblings heartbeats and may comfort her.

Corky/Max : Wow!! Does tht work? Even if its being covered up, would she by accident open it up and see at the end of the day its just a mechanical item?

[CorkyMax]

QUOTE: Corky/Max : Wow!! Does tht work? Even if its being covered up, would she by accident open it up and see at the end of the day its just a mechanical item?

Lol, All I can say is that it did work for a pup I had as a little girl, Lol, maybe dogs are smarter now a days?!! Try it and see---

I figure the covering up is so the puppy isn't laying on the 'hard' clock!