New Puppy In The Home

[Rainy]

We are the new owners of a english staffy 12 wk old male pup my hubby and i have been talking about getting a pup for a couple of weeks but last night he came home from work with this boy and i was totaly unprepared i dashed to the local store and got some pedigree puppy food wet and dry is this is ok for him? last night he cried untill about 1am this morning :rolleyes: i was hoping for some advice on how to handel this i just ignored him last night and felt terrible.

the other problem is that he tends to try and jump up on my daughter that is 3 and not very confident with dogs i told her to push him away and say no loudly but is this the right way to go?

thanks for your help and please tell me if there is anything specific i need to know and do straight away

Edited March 17, 2008 by rainy

[BC]

Welcome and congrats on your new addition.

Firstly, I will just give you a heads up on your breed of dog. It is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier (there is no such breed as an English Staffy) Not having a go but there may be some replies to your post in regards to this :cool:

In regards to food, I would take him off the Pal as this is a cheap commercial food that is full of water and will most likely go straight through your puppy, and will definately make your puppy fart :rolleyes: Do a seach on DOL for premium dry foods and you will get an idea of what there is out there. They are more expensive, but you actually feed quite a bit less than the cheaper foods as they include all of the nutrients etc that dogs require whereas the cheaper foods are full of fillers.

Just a question, is puppy inside or outside ??? Staffords are a very people orientated dog and needs lots of human interaction.

You did the right thing by ignoring the crying. It will continue for a while, but if you give in to the crying puppy will learn that every time he cries you get up, so will continue to do it. Just ignore it and puppy will settle down after a few nights.

In regards to the jumping, the best thing to do is completely ignore the behaviour. If puppy jumps turn your back on it without saying a word. If puppy continues to jump, just keep turning your back. Puppy will soon realise than jumping means you ignore him and will stop, however, this will take a while as puppies will be puppies :D

Hopefully you can teach your daughter this too as puppy needs to see your daughter as higher in the pack than itself, so she will need to learn to also show leadership

Good luck and have fun with your puppy, please post some pics

[Erny]

We are the new owners of a english staffy 12 wk old male pup ... he tends to try and jump up on my daughter that is 3 and not very confident with dogs i told her to push him away and say no loudly but is this the right way to go?

You have a 3yo child as well as a baby pup. Your job is to be a leader to both and to protect both. I would be controlling the pup around your 3yo child so that the pup doesn't get the opportunity to jump on your 3yo child. Allow confidence from your 3yo to develop calmly, rather than getting her to handle a situation on her own (which from what you've written I'm assuming is what is happening).

Just as you would want to teach your 3yo the guidelines of life (eg. manners; respect; family and household rules; etc.) so you should also teach your puppy guidelines of life. You need to do so in ways that your child understands, and similarly you need to do so in ways your pup will understand. Even though you would 'show' your child to help her learn, she has the advantage in that she can understand your language and this helps in her learning. Your pup can't, so you need to "show" rather than assume your pup understands your words. Tone of voice coupled with this guidance is what will help your pup. Above all, consistency - something that many people know about but do not apply.

Going to a reputable puppy school (ie with instructors who are proven to know what they are about when it comes to pups and dog psych) would stand you in good stead. It sounds to me as though you were somewhat unprepared for the entry of this pup to your home and a good puppy school will bring you up to speed faster than being solely reliant upon tips over the internet. Not to suggest there aren't and won't be a lot of good tips given here, but IMO nothing beats seeing AND doing under the watchful eye of a good coach, who can also give you explanation along the way.

Do you think you would be able to enrole and attend a puppy school? If you let us know where you are located, we could perhaps offer some recommendations.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Erny

[sas]

We are the new owners of a english staffy 12 wk old male pup

CONGRATS! You must post some photos!

my hubby and i have been talking about getting a pup for a couple of weeks but last night he came home from work with this boy and i was totaly unprepared i dashed to the local store and got some pedigree puppy food wet and dry is this is ok for him?

mmm it's not what I would feed my dog, if you're on a budget Optimum is better. Generally with puppies you soak their kibble in some water and add a handful of mince. Hopefully a Staffy person will pop into this thread to advise what is the best diet for a growing Staffy.

last night he cried untill about 1am this morning i was hoping for some advice on how to handel this i just ignored him last night and felt terrible.

You did the right thing. Him crying is normal. It may last a week but it will last longer if you give in. Puppy will need to toilet once or twice during the night so make sure you take him out. Crating a puppy is a great way to toilet train them and keep them in a safe environment, many people keep the crate in their room so the new puppy can see them.

the other problem is that he tends to try and jump up on my daughter that is 3 and not very confident with dogs i told her to push him away and say no loudly but is this the right way to go?

Dogs jump to get at eye level, a normal canine behaviour, just one we don't like. I wouldn't tell your daughter to push the dog off as this can be a game to the dog. I suggest you have your dog tethered (lead attached and connected to you or a hook in the wall or piece of furniture) when your daughter is around and praise the dog for calm behaviour. As an adult we turn our backs on dogs who jump, although I think this would be difficult for a toddler to grasp the concept of and I don't think they should be put in that position, as the adult and the leader you need to be the one controlling the sitution.

You can give a gruff growl to the puppy when it jumps as well although I just don't think the puppy should be given the opportunity to jump at your daughter.

Puppy pre-school is something that is highly reccomended, I hope you can attend one and then carry it on with general dog obedience classes.

Edited March 17, 2008 by sas

[Rainy]

Thanks soooo much i feel like im flying blind hear im off to get a coller and lead today so he can come on holidays with us its gonna be interesting. I have him booked in next tuesday for vac and microchip is there anything else that i should be doing at the same time?

we live near nowra it on the south coast of nsw about 2 hrs south of sydney and i do want to find a puppy preschool will they let my son and dughter attend so they can learn aswell? ill go get some of that new food aswell. i was once told that puppys cant have collars as they affecct there growth? so do i get a collar or a harness oh and sorry for the breed name thats how iv always known them

[Tonymc]

Erny very good post and very well said!!!! Tony

[helen]

For puppy pre schools this link provides some excellent places with qualified instructors - http://www.deltasocietyaustralia.com.au/cg...wsouthwales.htm

If you contact the breeder of the pup they should be able to advise what they have been feeding and you should continue with that diet initially. If you want to change diet do it down the track and add the new food very gradually so it does not upset his stomache, just add a litte of the new food to his existing food and gradually add more and more.

Also depending on his previous vaccination history it may or may not be a good idea to take him on holidays at this time, you vet will be able to give you more advice.

Edited March 17, 2008 by helen

[poodlefan]

Thanks soooo much i feel like im flying blind hear im off to get a coller and lead today so he can come on holidays with us its gonna be interesting. I have him booked in next tuesday for vac and microchip is there anything else that i should be doing at the same time?

we live near nowra it on the south coast of nsw about 2 hrs south of sydney and i do want to find a puppy preschool will they let my son and dughter attend so they can learn aswell? ill go get some of that new food aswell. i was once told that puppys cant have collars as they affecct there growth? so do i get a collar or a harness oh and sorry for the breed name thats how iv always known them

I'd suggest you leave the kids at home for puppy preschool and any further training you do. Kids don't have the best attention spans when they're young and it will be distracting for you and the instructor if they're there. Most dog training actually focusses on teaching handlers, not dogs. IMO it's preferable that you get the lessons and reinforce them with the puppy and teach the kids at home.

A flat collar is fine for a pup. Checking it regularly will ensure that it doesn't get too tight as puppy grows.

I would be very careful about taking him out in public until he's been fully vaccinated. Parvo is around at the moment and potentially lethal for pups.

ETA: Agree with the advice about you taking charge of the jumping on your daughter. I'd also very strongly recommend that your children and the pup are never left together unsupervised. If you can't watch, put puppy in a play pen or outside.

Personally, I'd not bother feeding canned food - it's mostly water anyway. Decent kibble and some chicken wings, lamb flaps or beef ribs will give puppy something to chew on.

Edited March 17, 2008 by poodlefan

[Scarlet]

Thanks soooo much i feel like im flying blind hear im off to get a coller and lead today so he can come on holidays with us its gonna be interesting. I have him booked in next tuesday for vac and microchip is there anything else that i should be doing at the same time?

we live near nowra it on the south coast of nsw about 2 hrs south of sydney and i do want to find a puppy preschool will they let my son and dughter attend so they can learn aswell? ill go get some of that new food aswell. i was once told that puppys cant have collars as they affecct there growth? so do i get a collar or a harness oh and sorry for the breed name thats how iv always known them

When you go to the vet ask about all your worming needs, including heartworm and tick prevention. Vets often have lots of written information so take as much as you can and read them at home. I worm my pets every 3 months, on the first day of each new season, eg. ist summer, autumn, winter and spring. That way I always remember when they were wormed.

I buy my products from here as their prices are great.

http://pricelesspets.com.au/

Until he has finished his vaccinations the puppy shouldn't walk on ground outside your home as he can get parvo. It is OK to carry him places and get him used to lots of different environments and noises. The more he is exposed to now the better.

Read the puppy development calender on top of this puppy page - great advice.

[Snoopy21]

As an adult we turn our backs on dogs who jump, although I think this would be difficult for a toddler to grasp the concept of and I don't think they should be put in that position, as the adult and the leader you need to be the one controlling the sitution.

I'm not very experienced in the puppy owning thing, but we certainly managed to teach our young boys (5 and 3) to turn their backs and cross their arms when our pup jumped. She was jumping and grabbing at their arms with her teeth which was obviously unacceptable, and it only took a couple of weeks of back turning for her to figure out that it wasn't a fun game anymore. We just showed the boys over and over again what to do and practised until they got it. But as sas said, it is probably better not to put a child in that position in the first place. Maybe teaching your daughter to turn her back would be possible as a back up plan? It is probably a good thing for her to know anyway.

I leave my kids at home when I take our pup to training, they find it really boring and want to touch all the other pups all the time which is distracting for everyone. We let them help with training at home.

Congratulations on your new pup. I hope he brings you much joy.

[persephone]

Taking a new pup on holidays???

Oh dear... when and where are you going?

It may be a tricky time, unfortunately... a new pup trying to settle in..excited kids..

a puppy without full cover for things like parvo

Your husband didn't time this right at all

Please read as much as you can in the puppy and training forums here...I think you will need it!

best of luck.

[Rainy]

Thanks for the replys this is helping heaps i should of explained further as to how hubby got him he found a notic at a peterol station free to good home so he just went and got him hubby sighted the parents an said they look healthy as far as i know this pup hasnt even seen a vet much less had any thing done to him im shocked that he is in such good shape ill try and get some pics tonight we are holidaying at my sisters house she dosnt have a dog and none of her neighbours do either we cant leave him at home as there is no one hear to look after him and we only just posted hear a few months ago so we dont even know our neighbours that well thank you so much for your help keep posting any thing you think is relevent ill have a look at the sticky

[Dogsfevr]

Silly husband & i do hope the pup is a staffy & not something else especially as it was free.

I would also consider crate training especially with young children.

As the pup is 12 weeks & unvaccinated you will be behind the eight ball there & just be sure the vets will take pup into puppy preschool at that age.Many do have a cutoff age as at his age he could start attending an obedience club.

[Rainy]

Hay guys thanks for all your help we have decided to stay home for the holidays as its a bit risky for pup we are all doing well and my daughter has picked up turning her back very fast diesel is still "crying" at night how long dose this usually last for as im starting to suffer from the mummy grumps? When can i start leaving him at home by himself i havnt been game to leave him yet because he seems distressed when he is left outside by himself thanks again

[Dogsfevr]

You need to be consisatnt but you need to satrt doing small leaves in small doses.

Often pups that havent had the best start to life often find it harder to deal with life & can have some issues.

Dont pander to your pup BUT dont attempt major changes over night.

Start with time outs outside (presuming its also a housedog??) Allow pup out & when no noise or reaction let pup in BUT make sure no fuss is given.

Infact whene ever you leave/return etc etc dont make a big deal out of it.Walk calmly into the house & go about doing a job & them acknowledge pup but do so calmly,confidiently & without razzing it up.This also applies to the kids.

So much has changed for this pup that at present its unsure off whats expected sp just be very patient .

Crying at night where is pup sleeping & when does it start cryin the most??

[Rainy]

he is in the laundery in a bed with a clock and hot water bottel we put him to bed at about 730 / 8 ish and he crys and barks for hrs then starts again around 4 in the morning its getting a bit anoying but i dont want to blame him either as he is just a pup any help is realy apriciated

[Erny]

I've had an almost 100% success rate in settling crying pups utilising the "Canine Lullabies" CD. My own experiment with the use of this CD is limited though ..... only 4/4 at this stage. One of those 4 was a slightly older pup with chronic crying issues (and where the owner had tried just about everything - even under the direction of a trainer/behaviourist), and the last I heard was that it had "improved" the situation almost instantly. I haven't heard of further progress for this pup since that first report, so unsure at this stage if the problem continues or whether it has further abated. If it has, then the success strike rate is 100% (ie 4/4). Not many, I know. But IMO worth trying for the price (1 CD for $15.95US or 2 CDs for $24.95US, plus postage).

The Canine Lullabies CD can be purchased on-line from CANINE LULLABIES.

This is assuming that your pup has not already begun to settle down.

Also, ensuring that puppy is mentally fatigued by the introduction of basic (gentle) training as well as 'puzzle solving' type activities and sensible socialisation* experiences may assist in pup being tired enough to be happy to slumber more easily.

*Socialisation includes not only learning appropriate interaction with other dogs and people, but also to all the other worldly 'things' we generally take for granted. Eg. Different noises; different surfaces; moving traffic; etc. etc. Socialisation is not about thrusting your pup in the midst of things straight up .... it's a matter of gentle untraumatic and positive introduction to these things, slowly but frequently and regularly. Use commonsense where you chose to venture for these socialisation experiences. For example, taking pup to the local park where umpteen unknown dogs of all manner frequent, especially until your pup has been vaccinated sufficiently to have the anti-bodies necessary to either prevent or reduce likelihood of contracting disease.

ETA : Ensure that the laundry where your pup sleeps is draft free and cosey.

ETA : Hope you are all managing to enjoy a Happy Easter together.

Final ETA : You've received some excellent 'tips' here. Particularly about going to puppy school so that YOU can learn undistracted, and then bringing your learnings home and applying it to your children over time. Also about teaching your pup independence in small increments at a time by leaving for very very short moments (teaches the pup it is ok to be alone) and gradually building up until pup is ok to be left for the periods required to suit your general lifestyle commitments. It can be daunting for a pup. One minute pup has a whole bunch of his litter mates to play and sleep with and then whooooop, he's sleeping on his own in a completely new environment with no one he is familiar with. Pretty scarey, I'd imagine. So we need to make things as 'nice' and as secure as we can for pup, but simultaneously avoid inadvertently reinforcing the very behaviour we would prefer not to occur.

Edited March 21, 2008 by Erny