Hi Everyone, I am having a lot of issues taking care of my new puppy. Here's the situation.
I am in China (for work) and one day I found my puppy abandoned in a trash can with his umbilical cord still attached. I decided to take him home and care for it. I wanted to give him shots right away but I was advised not to because he did not get his mother's milk that supposedly helps build a strong immune system. After seven long weeks, I finally took him to the vet for his shots but, by then, my puppy has gotten a minor cold, so I have to wait yet another 2 weeks to give him shots.
Now he is 7 weeks old, stuck at home all day and alone when I am at work with "drop-ins" from my neighbor for mini playtimes and feeding time. When I come home, this is what I see -- pee everywhere, my puppy overly excited causing him to bite and playfully growl non-stop, and his unwillingness to listen to anything I'm saying.
I'm so afraid his peeing, biting, growling, unwillingness to listen is a sign of behavioral problems. I don't know what I can do...
Advice needed
12-02-2011, 05:45 PM
RubyRoo
Poor little puppy, what a good job that you found him.
Until you can get his shots, you could get some protection from homeopathic vaccines (nosodes), have a look on-line. So that he is starting to see other things and people, you could carry your puppy out for a little while each day. This will help with socialisation, though don't put your dog down on the ground.
As for pee everywhere. Puppy's have tiny bladders, so to expect him to go all day without peeing is not going to happen. You could make a designated area where he can pee, like a big litter tray and encourage him to go there. Also make sure that you clean up with a cleaner designed to get rid of every trace of the smell from pee, as any trace left and he will keep going in that area. To encourage puppy to go in litter tray area, or a large newspaper covered area, clean up some pee from where ever he has been, and then leave that in the litter area, to teach him that this is where to go. If you find him using this area, then reward him for doing so, with praise and a titbit.
Make sure that puppy has plenty of interactive toys that he can chew, or that dispenses food, so that boredom doesn't set in. When you get in, ignore your puppy until it is calm. Ignore any growling or anything else, and when he is calm, reward this behaviour. Alternatively you could have a few treats in your pocket, and when you come in throw them on the floor, spreading them about. Hopefully this will distract your puppy from the unwanted behaviour, and when he has found and eaten the treats, hopefully he will have calmed down and you can then interact with him. Your puppy is going to get excited, you have been away all day, if only we had the same reaction from our partners when we come home!!
If you teach your dog using reward based clicker training, your puppy will listen and will learn. Try not to punish him, keep calm, you are doing a wonderful thing.
