♪♫LMBC♫♪

Any dog is suited to agility, but just be aware that young pups shouldn't jump hurdles until they are at least 18 months old, so that they don't damage their joints. Apart from that, have fun :D

Ok, I have a bit of an update. My parents have bought some frontline treatments for the dogs, really just so that our dog doesn't get them too. he has his own flea treatment but we didn't want to take the risk. I am planning on contacting the local animal welfare leauge about desexing the bitch at least. Tonight, I am going with my sister to an obedience class. It's a good cheap one ($6 per dog per class) and includes a bit of agility. I've checked them out and they seem pretty good. As for the cattle dog being hit by a stick, my sisters boyfriend (who is now 'looking after' her othr two dogs) used to hit them with sticks, shoes, his fists, whatever was available. He's got anger management problems and drinks too much. Fortunately the new puppy was bought to live with us so she has not been subjected to the same treatment. And while I'm on the sybject of the puppy... She is now fully weaned, almost flea free and growing at a healthy rate. She is a bit of a sook but she's very playful. She tries to get in on her mum and dad's wrestling matches. The only thing I'm worried about is that the puppy might not be gettng properly socialised, as she doesn't have any littermates. Any ideas? I also found out that both dogs are due for booster vacs at the same time. This is good because we can get them both done together and only hvae to pay for it once, rather than getting one done and having to go back for the other. i have one last question: Can the pup be given the same commercial worming treatments as the parents, or does she need somethign different? I have to go now to prepare a 'treat bag' for obedience class. Wish me luck

I know exactly what you mean. This is not what i would expect from a reputable breeder.

It might be helpful to also post this in the breeders forum if you haven't already

Thanks for the advice. Is there anything that can be used on fleas for such a little puppy? Also, MaxSpots mentioned something about bone density problems? What are some of the symptoms of that becuase she has been walking with a bit of a limp and I couldnt find anything wrong with her feet or legs...

Oh where to start... Last week, my sister moved back into our house, bringing with her, her three dogs. She has a male cattle dog about a year old, an 18 month old staffy, and a 5 week old cattle dog x staffy. Yes thats right, she decided that she wasn't going to desex the dogs, and is now raising their offspring. There was only one puppy in the litter. She also has two other dogs that stayed with her boyfriend, a cattle dingo mix and another of her poor little staffy's babies, who is about 9 months old. Firstly, the Staffy, Jess, has had two puppies (is it still called a litter when theres only one?) and has been on heat twice. She is extremely thin, even though she eats and eats and eats, and she has terrible mange. The cattle dog Oscar is hormonal, scared of sticks and is aggresive towards my 7 year old border collie Sam. We have fenced of a section of the yard for my sisters dogs to play away from my dog, but on the few occasions that they have been together, they have fought. Well, it is Sam's territory after all. All three dogs have fleas. They have no flea treatment, and have only had their puppy vacs (n boosters) with the exception of the baby who has not had vacs yet at all. She is supposed to have them next week but my sister most probably 'can't afford it'. On top of all this, Jess and Oscar are untrained, with the exception of knowing how to sit. They will sit only when there is food involved, and only for a brief few seconds. I have been given the task of training them. I don't expect to be payed for this, but I don't mind because i know they need it. They are both very strongly food orientated, which makes my job that much easier. But my biggest concern is the baby. She has so many fleas and they are causing her o get scabs everywhere from scratching. i think they are begginning to build nests. And, although she was supposed to be given away to a new home when she's old enough, just this morning I heard my sister say "I think I like you to much to give you away. Maybe i'll just keep you." I know she loves her dogs but this is not right. She can't keep her. Sh ewon't vaccinate her, she won't desex her, she won't worm her and those fleas aren't going to just disappear. She knows she should desex the dogs and worm them etc but she just can't afford it. And my parents aren't going to help her, because they want the dogs gone.

I just love it when people desex their dogs. I don't mean to sound lame, but there are a surprisingly large number of people who just don't think they need to. Congratulations on your responsible attitude.

Oh dear...that poor little baby :shakehead: was this a registered breeder? If so, i am very annoyed by the way that they treated your friend. However, I think it may be more likely that the breeder was simply a backyard breeder. in other words, an irresponsible person who breeds the family pet either for the money, or for the purpose of having a dog that is 'just like' their beloved pet. I don;t mean to sound harsh but it is important to do your research when you buy a puppy. Its not just th breed of dog that matters but also the breeder. Did the breeder give you registration papers or pedigree papers? Most god breeders will offer to help you out if the puppy gets sick. Did your friend take the pup to a vet? If so, what did the vet say? If this was a problem with the pups hips, I would guess that it was a genetic problem, which straight away points to bad breeding practices. It's important that your friend doesn't think that this was her fault. You are right, the breeder is supposed to be there with advice and in the case that a puppy gets sick, the breeder should offer a refund. But many breeders will offer their puppies with a guarantee (sp?) that there will be no genetic problems, such is there belief in the good quality of their dogs. This is a very sad thing to have happen and i hope your friend is not put off buying another puppy later on, from a good breeder.

She is very cute

1. Biting: The yelping thing doesn't work on all puppies. Try to avoid holding his mouth as he may think of it as a game. Try squirting him with water when he bites. Again, this doesn't always work but its worth a try. Apart from that, you can try growling at him. 2. Feeding: Are you feeding him special puppy food? If you aren't already you could give it a try as its easier to digest and comes in little puppy sized pieces. If he's already eating puppy food, maybe try getting a different flavour and alternating so he doesn't get bored. If you have the time, you can try feeding him a home made diet, but this tends to be more expensive and you have to be careful to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs. 3. Cleaning: Normal dog shampoo doesn't work? Don't use human shampoo as this can cause skin irritations. Not much else I can say about that. Doesn't liek baths? Are you bathing him outside under a hose? If you are, you can try bathing him in warm water in the laundry tub or bathtub. Just make sure you have lots of towels handy and shut the door if possible. You don't want him to escape adn make a big wet mess all though the house. Also, try a rubber mat on the bottom so he doesn't slip/ 4. Excercise: You shouldn't walk your dog outside until he has had all his vaccinations. You're right, sleeping a lot is normal. For excercise, it may be more suitable at his age just to get involved in some active play (teach him to fetch maybe) but only for short periods at a time because he might get tired. 5. Toilet training: You seem to be on the right track. However since you are leaving the door open all the time, it seems your puppy doesn't know what to do when he can't get out. Maybe you could try closing the door sometimes, and just taking him out yourself when you think he migh tneed to go (after waking up, eating, drinking or playing). This way he learns that you are the person with the power to let him escape, and he will learn to come and get you if he can't get out on his own. When he has an accident, just ignore it. Clean it up and be sure to remove the odour (pine'o'clean is good). Don't punish him. He didn't do it on purpose. Just be sure to praise him when you do happen to catch him going in th right place. 6. Shots: You're right about not taking him outside until he's had his shots. Its great that you are concerned about socialising him. not enough dog owners do these days. You should be ok to let him play with other peoples dog's in your own yard, provided that you know they have al their shots too. This means he may end up playing with dogs a bit older than him, but I'm sure he won't mind. After the shots, you can take him to puppy preschool to make friends. 7. Training: Its perfectly normal for him not to know his name yet. Jus t be sure to say his name a lot, and use it before commands, ie 'Fido, sit.' Soon enough he will learn to pay attention when you say his name. To teach him to come when you call, try this: Get a friend to restrain your dog. Position yourself about 3m away, and call your dog using his name and the 'come' command. Try to sound really enthusiastic. Your friend lets him go, and when he gets to you, give him a treat and get really excited. Then have your friend call him and reward him when he comes. Repeat this, gradually increasing the distance between you, over a few training sessions. After he has got the hang of it, only reward him randomly so he doesn't always expect a treat. At this point, you can try callign him outside of training sessions.

At this age, the most important thing is socialisation. Give her lots of oppurtunities to play with other dogs to make sure she knows how to socialise with them when she is older. Make sure she is exposed to dogs of all sizes, ages and genders, but just be sure to always properly supervise (both you and the owner of the other dogs) just in case your little one gets scared or any of the dogs become aggressive. Unless the dogs know each other well, all socialisation should be on a leash to begin with, just to be safe. It is also important to socialise her with lots of different people, and of course, lots of supervised play with children. Make sure the kids know how to handle the dog, eg not pulling her tail or ears. Very young children will often think of the pupy as some wonderful new toy. It is important that all puppy's experiences with children are positive ones, so make sure everyone is playing nicely. Kids under 10 (give or take a few years depending on the maturity of the kid) should be supervised at all times. Make play sessions short, as a young puppy will tire quickly. A puppy that is sick of playing but is forced to play anyway, may grow up not liking kids. ("Oh no, not those kids again! They never leave me alone!"). Puppy preschool is a great way to meet other puppy owners, and for your dog to make friends. It also gives you a chance to talk to the instructor about any problems, and it may also involve some obedience training. If you don't want to squirt your dog with water, another tactic is to make a high pitched noise when Jazz bites. Apparently, this is similar to the noise other puppies in her littler would make if she bit them too hard. Another DOL member gave me this idea, although I can't remember who it was (sorry!). Edit: reading the post above, I just realised who gave me the idea lol You're dog probably doesnt respond to you saying no, because she doesn't know what it means. It is your tone of voice that is important here. Try to sound like you are growling when you say it, using a deep tone of voice. This makes you seem doninant. However, I think it is much more useful to actively correct a dog's behaviour than just to intimidate them into stopping. Training is the key. You can't punish your dog for doing something she didn't know she was supposed to do. Your dog will still like you if you correct her behaviour rather than just punish. The best age for training varies from dog to dog, personally I think a dog is never to young to be trained, however at a younger age, the puppy has a much shorter attention span and gets bored easily, so training sessions must be limited to about ten minutes at a time. This may mean it takes a bit longer to train a young puppy. But its still possible.

Crate training can often help make house training easier. If you get your puppy used to being in a crate, she will eventually see it as a place where she can have her own space and play by herself. many people also have their dog sleep in the crate, and you can put her in there when you want her confined for some reason eg for transport. A pomeranian wont grow very big at all, so you will only need a small crate. It should be big enough so that she can sit, stand, lie down, and turn around without touching the sides or top. To get her used to the crate, start off by luring her in with a food treat or toy. Feed her in the crate, and put her in there with the door closed for short periods. Once she starts to see the crate as her special place to eat and play, she should avoid going to the toilet in her crate. Dogs generally dont like to go to the toilet where they eat and sleep, but you have to make sure that the crate isnt so big that she can sleep in one end and go to the toilet in the other end. Because she won't want to go to the toilet in the crate, you can put her in there for short periods (start with about 30 mins maximum and gradualy extend). You should still take her outside after eating, sleeping, playing etc as others have told you, but the crate helps you to prevent accidents at times when you may not be able to supervise her and watch for signs that she wants to go. The only problem here is that when you get a puppy from a pet shop rather than a breeder, the puppy has usually been forced to live constantly in a small cage, where they have no choice but to eat, sleep, and go to the toilet in the same place. if this is the case, your puppy won't care about going to the toilet in her crate, because she will be used to doing it. Hope this helps