Mthetealady

I agree with Persephone on this one. He will eventually adapt to new food with a gradual introduction of a good quality dry kibble to your current chicken & sweet potato base. The best thing I did for our pup was to change her food from Supercoat puppy to a better quality food (Nutro puppy). She has nice firm stools, and about 2/3 less poop production per day.

:) thanks for all the replies. A couple of days on, she is still hiccuping occasionally, but I think it might be just an odd puppy thing. She seems totally fine in herself and tromps about happily when she gets a bout of the hiccups. The sweaty paws...have not returned...I noticed them the afternoon after she had her booster for her immunisation shots and I am still a bit concerned that it might have been a reaction. I am going to mention it to the vet when I go back in a month, but everyone here has also reassured me that it is ok for a puppy to have sweaty paws. @Korbin13 I think the allergy sounds possible, although she seemed oblivious to it. There was no licking of paws or anything like that. I also think if she were allergic to grass or a cleaning agent we use on our floors, we would still be seeing the same symptoms, as her environment has not altered. Fingers crossed that if it was a reaction to her shot, that she won't suffer any worse effects with the next one!

I am hoping that neither of these things is an issue, but would like to see what other puppy owners have experienced with their puppy. Nellie is now 11 weeks old. She is an absolute ball of incredible energy and mischief and there are two 'quirks' (I hope they are just quirks) that we have noticed with her. The first is that she hiccups a lot, especially after/during play sessions and frequently after she has finished eating her meals (which she guzzles down like they are going out of style). I have started feeding her from a rubber food dispensing toy to slow her down, which also gives her some 'brain play' while she works out how to get the toy to dispense her food. This seems to help with her hiccups a little, although she still gets a hiccup attack about 5 times a day. I asked the vet about the hiccups and he said it was nothing to be concerned about. The other issue, which I have only noticed in the last day or two, is that she has clammy (sweaty?) paws. Our previous Dal never had clammy paws like this - I am hoping that it is just a puppy thing, or just something to do with Nellie and not a health issue? The only reason I have noticed it is because we have taught her to shake hands and when she puts each paw into our hands, we can feel that they are a little bit clammy. Her nose seems nice and cool and wet, and it isn't hot here at all, so I don't think she could be feeling overheated...Is it anything to worry about?

Lol, well I don't know about others, but I have to use my hands to hold the treat/toy/tug rope/ball/squeaky toy! I'm certainly not going to hold any of the puppy's toys in my mouth to play with her! :laugh: We don't dangle our hands in front of her alluringly to tempt a bite. Nine times out of ten, Nellie will ignore the toy we are playing with and go straight for the hand holding it. She is far more interested in our hands and feet than she is in any of the many toys she has on offer. Let me add that she loves mouthing everything at the moment because she is exploring and curious, but her favourite things to mouth are human appendages. I guess they are soft and warm and oh so delicious... She is very quick to learn and already knows how to sit, drop, shake hands and come reliably. But, she does not like to be patted as a method of praise without first attempting a good old chew on a finger. She also has a strange habit of trying to grab our hands with her paws - she reaches out with one paw and tries to pull the hand toward her mouth. She has done this since day one of joining us.

OP, we are having the exact same problem with our 9 week old Dalmation puppy. I know exactly what you mean, it really hurts when they bite! I have tried to stand very still when she bites my feet or nips at my jeans and this does work - she seems to lose interest when she doesn't get a big reaction. Sometimes it is REALLY hard not to react to her when she bites down so hard, though. The biting of our hands is a different matter altogether. At the moment, I feel like I can't play with her at all without sustaining an injury. Both my husband and I look like we have put our arms through a pane of glass, we are so scratched and punctured! The holding her jaw under her tongue works to stop her, but as soon as we release, she comes straight back for more. I know people say that you shouldn't use the crate as a punishment, but she has been going in there after particularly hard biting episodes, because she seems to be so overstimulated and the crate works to calm her down. Maybe your puppy is also getting very excited and then biting as well? Our pup really just seems to be playing, and biting is her fun version of really excited play...unless I am reading her all wrong. Ian Dunbar suggests teaching the puppy to learn to have 'settled' moments during play sessions, so that the puppy can remain under your control. We are going to work on this with Nellie from this point forward to see if it makes a difference to the mouthing.

Oh Misteri that is one gorgeous little Toller! He looks very sweet and a 'lil mischievous as well. Our puppy arrives next Monday and I am soo excited! Now the reality is starting to set in that we will have a new baby around the place it is scary too. Lollipup I hope all goes well with your pup - I am sure you will have a better experience this time around. :)

Thanks guys :D We are getting very excited! I think some toy shopping is in order this weekend...

I used to use Lonely Pets Club (and worked for them as a pet sitter for awhile) when I lived in Melbourne and they were always very good. All of their employees are police checked. Unfortunately, as far as I know, they don't yet service Geelong. It's a pain, because I think keeping a dog in its home environment is always preferable to a kennel. Be aware though that with a pet sitter your pup would still have long periods at home alone with no companionship - I used to book my dog in for 2 x 30 minute visits per day so that she had a little more company. The norm for most people was just one 30 minute visit per day, which isn't much time. For a young dog, this arrangement may not be suitable. Now that I live in Geelong myself, I am not sure what the solution for you would be, and I will watch your thread with interest, given that we will soon have our own lovely little one at home and she will occasionally require care when we are away on hols ourselves.

Hi everyone :) we are expecting our puppy in three weeks time - a lovely little Dalmation girl we have named Nellie. I am so excited and can't wait to have a dog back in our family again! Looking forward to seeing all the puppy pics on this thread over the next little while.

I think I saw you added on there, you wrote about having a dal before. I'm Sarah L on that page. You'll see me post from time to time. Who is the sire's owner if I can ask? (feel free to PM) I'm starting to get to know all the breeders now, which is handy coz not knowing anyone at shows is daunting! I have PM'd you :)

Thanks so much for the replies everyone :) it sounds like a 42 inch crate is the go. This pup will be our second Dal. We lost our beloved Pippa last year (she was a month shy of 17 years old) - she's the Dally in my profile photo. We are so excited to welcome our new puppy into our family as we have really missed having Pip by our sides these past months. I will post photos as soon as we take ownership of our puppy - I'm not sure of the etiquette involved with posting photos from the breeder, but I don't want to put any photos up here unless they are pics we have taken ourselves. She is a gorgeous little girl though (not that I'm biased or anything) :D Thanks too Dotdashdot for the Facebook link - I have just asked to join the group and I see that our puppy's sire's owner is also a member of that page!

We will be welcoming our new Dalmatian puppy into our home in a few weeks time and I have decided to crate train her. I was wondering whether I should purchase a smaller crate for her to use during her puppyhood, or if I should just go straight to the adult size? If I were to go straight to the adult size, what size do you guys think would be best for an adult Dal? The crate will mainly be just for sleeping in - she will have access to roam the house and yard during the day (as an adult dog). Thanks for the help! :)

My dally is an inside dog who sleeps in a BonaFido stay dry soft-sided basket style bed that I have added an extra mattress to for added softness (the bed is flat to the floor), as well as an assortment of polar-fleece blankets. She has arthritis (medicated, but it still troubles her) and at night, even though she is inside the house, I worry that she gets cold in the very early hours of the morning. She is quite stiff when she gets up and it takes her about a half hour to work out the aches and pains. I have never had a heated pet bed before and I am thinking of getting her one. I am curious as to whether or not people think these are a good idea, and if so, what would be a recommended brand/style? I am a bit nervous of over-heating her as she also wears a set of doggy pyjamas to bed. Also, what if she has an incontinence accident on the bed? She is pretty good, but she does occasionally have some bladder leakage while she is sleeping. Are these beds designed to cope with moisture? Thanks to anyone in the know! :)