New Ridgeback Owner Of Male Littermates

[newtopups]

Hello all,

I am new here and also a new puppy owner. I am after as much help and advice as possible. We have just introduced 2 ridgeback puppies to our family. They are brothers from the same litter and are 6 weeks old.

We are crate training them and through my reading I have heard it is best to crate them seperately. Currently they are sharing the same crate. Being so young we thought this may not be a bad thing for a week or two?

They are sleeping fine, with no crying or whining or accidents inside as yet. My partner gets up tp them at night and takes them out to the toilet. Of a day time we are wanting them to stay outside for the duration that no one is home (approx 5 hours).

Is it best to take the crate/s outside during the day while they are out there, or to give them a kennel/ bed out there as well.

The breeder said we only need to feed them twice a day as they are fast growing and there is a risk of over feeding them, but everything I have read in regards to puppies in general says to feed them 3-4 times a day.

I understand there are a hundred different ways to do things but any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

[persephone]

Welcome :)

6 weeks is very young to be away from their mum - is there a reason they were sold at that age ?

this is from the DOGS NSW page

A Member shall not sell or otherwise transfer from that Member's care any puppy under eight. (8)weeks of age, thus allowing for vaccination which must be given at six (6) weeks of age

I have a few links to other threads dealing with raising littermates/two pups :) You might get some help from them.

LINK

LINK

I am also not sure about the feeding .. what are they being fed?

[Rebanne]

at 6 weeks of age they need at least 4 feeds a day.

eta and they need a kennel for outside, a crate is not at all suitable.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Rebanne

[Rebanne]

couple more links for you :)

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/173603-rhodesian-ridgeback/

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/104098-rhodesian-ridgeback-thread/

[newtopups]

persephone, the reason we got them early (they were actually two days off 7 weeks) was because I have a week and a half off and am able to be home and train our new puppies. So far they are doing great however every bit of advise so far (after we got them) has said that it was a silly move to get two dogs the same age and sex from the same litter.

We understand there are challanges with raising two puppies at the same time. Is it possible to have two well behaved dogs? Or will they just fight for dominance?

[Nekhbet]

you can it will take a lot more work, and you will have to make an effort to separate them so they bond more to you then each other on a regular basis. 2 feeds a day at that age is nowhere near enough what are you feeding them?

[Alyosha]

They do sound like a bundle of trouble! But will be great company for each other. :) The trick is to not let them be the preferred company for each other, and make sure they get adequate bonding time with humans.

Seven weeks is very young, and 3-4 meals would be normal. Yes you don't want big hounds to grow too fast, but that really applies to older pups than this. At this young age you'll be doing all you can too keep enough food up to the rapid growth!

Edited February 28, 2012 by Alyosha

[newtopups]

Thanks for all the replies, this site is so helpful!

We are feeding them raw food morning and night as that is what the breeder had them on and told us to continue doing. I have been feeding them treats (minced raw meat) in the middle of the day as I didnt think the 2 meals were enough. They have to 'work' for their treats though and are doing really well with that.

I was thinking they needed dry food during the day however we were told it was needed.

Thank again everyone. Looks like we have a very busy time ahead of us. But we are well prepared for that.

Atleast the toilet training is going really well, our latest obstacle however is getting them used to being outside again.

ETA: When you say seperate them, how often do you mean? A few hours a day? All the time?

Thanks :)

Edited February 28, 2012 by newtopups

[Rebanne]

What raw food exactly? They should be able to manage chicken wings or necks, minced meat without the bone is not great for the boys. Feeding raw incorrectly can be damaging. You could try the search button for raw feeding puppies and see what comes up :)

[Red Fox]

Thanks for all the replies, this site is so helpful!

We are feeding them raw food morning and night as that is what the breeder had them on and told us to continue doing. I have been feeding them treats (minced raw meat) in the middle of the day as I didnt think the 2 meals were enough. They have to 'work' for their treats though and are doing really well with that.

I was thinking they needed dry food during the day however we were told it was needed.

Raw food can be very good if you know what you are doing. With a large, fast growing breed and particularly if you are new to raw feeding then yes, I would definitely be feeding some good quality dry food during their first year. You can then supplement the dry with raw bones, meat, fish, yogurt, etc.

Ridgebacks need a balanced diet whilst growing, dry food will assure they get it. You could try Nutrience, Nutro, Royal Canin, etc (large breed puppy varieties).

If you really want to continue with the raw I would suggest you use a pre-prepared commercial variety for now - either BARF or VAN and get your hands on the Ian Billinghurst books and read up.

http://www.barfaustralia.com/products.php?pid=2

At 8 weeks old my boy was being fed 4 x per day, about 2/3 - 3/4 of a cup of dry food per meal.

Thank again everyone. Looks like we have a very busy time ahead of us. But we are well prepared for that.

Atleast the toilet training is going really well, our latest obstacle however is getting them used to being outside again.

ETA: When you say seperate them, how often do you mean? A few hours a day? All the time?

Thanks :)

At a minimum separate for feeding, training, walking, and sleeping. You want the dogs to have a high value for you rather than becoming dependant on each other which can cause all kinds of problems later down the track.

Another thing, I'm guessing that given the age of the pups they did not come from a registered breeder? I'd be having them checked for dermoid sinus by an experienced vet asap if it hasn't been done already.

[raineth]

Thanks for all the replies, this site is so helpful!

We are feeding them raw food morning and night as that is what the breeder had them on and told us to continue doing. I have been feeding them treats (minced raw meat) in the middle of the day as I didnt think the 2 meals were enough. They have to 'work' for their treats though and are doing really well with that.

Thanks :)

excellent! that is really good

[Podengo]

Agree with doing as much as possible with them seperately. Training, walking, feeding and sleeping should be seperate. I would take them to different puppy classes, taking littermates that live together to classes together has been pretty disasterous in every situation I have seen it happen.

[kirst_goldens]

i agree with jsut about everything above!! u also need to remember that ridgies are a large breed so ideally should be left entire till they are done growing... however having 2 entire males together may be interesting... i have no experience here but it maybe an idea to get in contact with a good trainer or club in your area and take them seperatly... ask lots of questions and make sure u have a strong pack!!!

[tendayi]

i agree with jsut about everything above!! u also need to remember that ridgies are a large breed so ideally should be left entire till they are done growing... however having 2 entire males together may be interesting... i have no experience here but it maybe an idea to get in contact with a good trainer or club in your area and take them seperatly... ask lots of questions and make sure u have a strong pack!!!

Ridgebacks are easy dogs to train especially if they are food motivated. They do became bored very quickly so 5 mins here and there is enough to start off with. The problem with taking 2 puppies from the same litter is imo that they tend to form a bond with each other and not with their humans. I would separate them when you can and train them separately ( I have kept 2 puppies from the same litter). Try and find a trainer or club that clicker trains and change thing round when training and make training exciting for the puppies. ( I have trialled RR's in obedience)

I have a friend who had one of the only 2 RR's in Australia with an AOC ( when you had to do tracking ) and she was trained with food. Good luck with your puppies.

Annette