[Dailydrool] New puppy advice

[Rosemary Ryan]

Not that it will help your friend any, but 6 weeks is way too young to 
place a puppy.  Some breeders whom I consider to be reputable place at 8 
weeks, but none of mine goes to their new home before 12 weeks.  So much 
development and socialization happens in those first few weeks, it is a 
great disservice to the puppy and their future family to place them too 
young.

That said, my guess is that the pup is suffering from separation 
anxiety.   I have a bunch of questions. Where is the puppy sleeping? In 
your friend's bedroom or elsewhere in the house? What provisions has she 
made for the puppy to potty during the night? Is he in a space that is 
large enough that he can potty away from where he sleeps? Is he crated? 
The rule of thumb is that a pup can hold his urine an hour for every 
month of age. So a 6 week old, the puppy is good for maybe an hour and a 
half!  Does he have a warm snugglie to curl up with? A soft fleece doll, 
especially one that holds a microwaveable heat disk, might provide him 
with some comfort.

If it were me, I'd probably throw a mattress on the floor with a 
waterproof covering and just sleep in the same room as the little guy 
until he was a bit older and less distressed. If that didn't help, he 
might end up on the mattress with me. Of course, doing that would mean 
getting up every couple of hours to give him a chance to go potty. I 
wouldn't bring the puppy to my bed for two reasons: urine soaked bedding 
and creating the expectation that the pup is going to sleep with mom for 
the rest of his life. 

Another reason for getting a puppy from a breeder who keeps them until 
they are 12 weeks or so: issues like this are less likely to develop 
and, if they do, chances are better that the breeder will have dealt 
with them.

Rosemary Ryan
Seattle


> Message: 4
> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 08:56:35 -0500
> From: Dianne Taylor <sokermom5 at live.com>
> To: <dailydrool at dailydrool.org>
> Subject: [Dailydrool] New Puppy Advice
> Message-ID: <BLU120-W16EAC3BE80621CCF4FA40699AF0 at phx.gbl>
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> It's been many years since I've had a new puppy in the house so I've forgotten my new puppy care skills.  My friend has a six week old puppy (unfortunately not a Basset).  The puppy cries all night.  They play with him before bedtime hoping to tire him out so he'll sleep, but it doesn't help.  Any advice you can give to help her out will be appreciated.  She said it's like going through her daughter's baby years again - she's worn out already.  Thanks for the suggestions.
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