7 week old jack russell
 

hello everyone i am new to this forum and am in need of some help.

i bought a jack russell puppy yesterday of a lady, she told me she was 12 weeks old, but on the paper she has written all the info about the dog on, it says she was born 1st of july 2012 which would make her 7 weeks 3 days.

is this too eary? should she be on milk still? please help me.

i was also told she was fully house/toilet trained, but she isnt, we have had a few accidents. at the moment i have a blanket outside where she goes and does her business, as she doesnt like the cold concrete. not sure if this is a good thing or bad, but it was the only way we could get he to go out side.

also we have a crate for her, but last night (first night with us) when we went to bed she was very upset, crying and making some right noises. other half tried putting a light and telly on so it looked like we where still up but nothing worked it was as if she knew we werent there.

she also was sent with a bit of cloth with the scent of her mum on, but i think she may of pee'd on it during the night??? do i get rid of this now or do i leave it in her crate????


first time puppy owner all advise would be grateful

i also posted this in the puppy health bit as i didnt realise id put it int he wrong place

[QUOTE=tinkerbellsammi;1044835]i bought a jack russell puppy yesterday of a lady, she told me she was 12 weeks old, but on the paper she has written all the info about the dog on, it says she was born 1st of july 2012 which would make her 7 weeks 3 days.

is this too eary? should she be on milk still? please help me. [/quote]

Welcome to the forum :) 7 weeks is a bit early, ideally puppies should stay with their momma and littermates until at least 8 weeks. Is there any chance you could speak to the breeder and make arrangements to pick her up in another week to 10 days? If you can't, just make sure you are very diligent with socialization and bite inhibitation :)

[quote]i was also told she was fully house/toilet trained, but she isnt, we have had a few accidents. at the moment i have a blanket outside where she goes and does her business, as she doesnt like the cold concrete. not sure if this is a good thing or bad, but it was the only way we could get he to go out side.[/quote]

I'm afraid the breeder wasn't very honest with you. Most puppies aren't fully house trained until 5-6 months. I just brought home a rescue (nearly 9 months old) and we are having some house training issues too! You'll need to watch for her signs for when she's about to go and get her outside :) Normally every hour or so is a good rule of thumb, and especially 20 minutes or so after a meal. She'll get it, just be patient - the important thing is not to scold and when she does go outside, give massive amounts of praise (seriously, it needs to be a party!)

[quote]also we have a crate for her, but last night (first night with us) when we went to bed she was very upset, crying and making some right noises. other half tried putting a light and telly on so it looked like we where still up but nothing worked it was as if she knew we werent there. [/quote]

Can you move the crate into your bedroom where you sleep? She's pretty little, away from her momma, her brothers and sisters, and now in a strange home. She's going to be scared and let you know it. It will take a few days for her to get used to being in a crate, but if you could have it closer to you, I think that would help immensely (but prepare yourself for a few nights of little sleep - she's a baby :)

[quote]she also was sent with a bit of cloth with the scent of her mum on, but i think she may of pee'd on it during the night??? do i get rid of this now or do i leave it in her crate????[/quote]

I'd wash it and give it back to her - it may or may not do anything for her, but you don't want to leave anything that smells like her pee with her - she'll assume it's a good place for peeing! :)


Puppies are a lot of work - but also a lot of fun :) Enjoy!

thank you so much, is she ok to go out little walks so shes used to going out etc???

[QUOTE=tinkerbellsammi;1044850]thank you so much, is she ok to go out little walks so shes used to going out etc???[/QUOTE]

Little walks are fine - but nothing too long or strenuous. I'd also get her into a puppy class once she's got her vaccines, etc - she'll benefit from the socialization aspect.

cool il get her booked in for them x thanks so much x

Sounds like you are on the right path.

The only thing I wanted to mention is this - if you are allowing her to "do her business" on a blanket outside, you are effectively teaching her that blankets are the place to go.

I was just going to say the same thing as LR - do not encourage her to pee on a blanket. That could become a habit. If you have to put anything down outside use newspaper, but really she should be okay with nothing at all.

She's very young and you will probably need to put her outside to do her business in the middle of the night in order to help her not soil her crate. Her bladder hasn't matured yet and she doesn't know to hold it.

If you can put a shirt of yours into her crate (one that has been worn and smells of you) that would help also. Put the crate near your bed so she can hear you breathing. If she cried slip your hand down to the door and let her lick your fingers but do not take her out while she is crying. She will learn quickly that this will get her released.

To help with house training you need to take her out every time she wakes up, immediately. I would suggest carrying her outside so there are no accidents on the way out, she's small enough this shouldn't be a problem. Once she figures out that going outside (remember the party!!) is a good thing she'll go out on her own.

Stay the course, she's a bit young, but with lots of work and love you'll both have a great time together.

thank you everyone for all your help, i will try and put all your advise into practise.

does she still need milk, she seems to be obessed with my kids bottles?

No. She doesn't need milk.

[QUOTE=Loki Love;1044837]Welcome to the forum :) 7 weeks is a bit early, ideally puppies should stay with their momma and littermates until at least 8 weeks. Is there any chance you could speak to the breeder and make arrangements to pick her up in another week to 10 days? If you can't, just make sure you are very diligent with socialization and bite inhibitation :)



I'm afraid the breeder wasn't very honest with you. Most puppies aren't fully house trained until 5-6 months. I just brought home a rescue (nearly 9 months old) and we are having some house training issues too! You'll need to watch for her signs for when she's about to go and get her outside :) Normally every hour or so is a good rule of thumb, and especially 20 minutes or so after a meal. She'll get it, just be patient - the important thing is not to scold and when she does go outside, give massive amounts of praise (seriously, it needs to be a party!)



Can you move the crate into your bedroom where you sleep? She's pretty little, away from her momma, her brothers and sisters, and now in a strange home. She's going to be scared and let you know it. It will take a few days for her to get used to being in a crate, but if you could have it closer to you, I think that would help immensely (but prepare yourself for a few nights of little sleep - she's a baby :)



I'd wash it and give it back to her - it may or may not do anything for her, but you don't want to leave anything that smells like her pee with her - she'll assume it's a good place for peeing! :)


Puppies are a lot of work - but also a lot of fun :) Enjoy![/QUOTE]

It might help to put a ticking clock next to the crate , this will remind the puppy of it mother. I wonder if the dog breeder should be reported or checked up on , they sound like real bad news. The poor puppy being taken away from it mom so young. I agree with that breeder is a very dishonest person.

thank you so much everyone, your all so kind. as you can probs tell where all new to this puppy stuff lol x

I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying the site and finding it helpful. What works for one may not work for the next, but everything is worth trying. Just remember, nothing happens fast. It may take a few days for your pup to get used to the crate, but after a while when she's comfortable with it you can move it farther away from you. But remember, if she gets restless you want to hear that so you can take her outside to do business. Also remember, never use the crate to punish your pup, it should always be a positive place for her so you can use it anytime you feel you need to. Give her treats and meals in the crate if it helps to make it good for her.

You will find so many people on this board who are happy to share their vast knowledge of so many issues. It's truly amazing what you can pick up from their insight.

That said, have we seen a picture of your sweetie yet?? I may have missed it, but....:D we love pics.

how many poo's are puppies of her age meant to do a day roughly, i know its a daft question, but shes only done 3 today since 7 this morning is this ok

here are the pics of my little girl poppy x

[url]http://s1162.photobucket.com/albums/q531/Sammi_lou/[/url]

[QUOTE=tinkerbellsammi;1044900]how many poo's are puppies of her age meant to do a day roughly, i know its a daft question, but shes only done 3 today since 7 this morning is this ok

here are the pics of my little girl poppy x

[url]http://s1162.photobucket.com/albums/q531/Sammi_lou/[/url][/QUOTE]

She is adorable! how do the poops look? Do they look OK to you or are they runny ? If they're runny that is not good and the vet should see her.

Super cute, and I don't need to add any advice, the subject has been well covered by other knowledgeable dog owners already. :)

her poo's look ok, (like a normal dog poo lol) but she seems to as soon as shes done it try and eat it, we havent told her off or anything like that. so really confused why shes trying to eat them. i was wondering if her old owner used to tell her off or something.

[QUOTE=tinkerbellsammi;1044935]her poo's look ok, (like a normal dog poo lol) but she seems to as soon as shes done it try and eat it, we havent told her off or anything like that. so really confused why shes trying to eat them. i was wondering if her old owner used to tell her off or something.[/QUOTE]

Some dogs just like to eat poop ;) Your best bet is to clean it up immediately so she can't get to it.

Brace yourself for a tornado hitting your life :laughing:
They have almost unlimited energy and are super crazy.
My parents got one last fall and it has been very stressing for the cats especially on the senior little goddess (17years old)
But they sent him to a professional trainer so things are better now.
Jack Russells are adorable and awesome dogs.
I really won't add anything as advice since great advice has been given already. Just telling a little story of a super crazy Jack Russell named Alfie heh :)
Good luck and many years of happiness with your puppy :thumbs up

My terrier eats her poo too :yuck: Just pick it up right away. Cute puppy you have. High energy but very smart and trainable. Good luck!:thumbs up

tornado lol it has certainly been that alright lol, feels like i have a newborn baby again lol. she seems to be very attached to me at the moment follows me everywhere i go, if she cant get to where i am going she starts crying lol. was up at 2am letting her go to toilet outside.

she is booked in for saturday to have a microchip fitted.

do you lovely lot think she'd ok to go on a sponsored walk, its 5 miles (if she got tired i guess i could carry her etc) its not untill september, i worked out she would be about 12 weeks when we did it, if we did it lol x


i cannot thank you all enough for all your help.

[QUOTE=tinkerbellsammi;1044935]her poo's look ok, (like a normal dog poo lol) but she seems to as soon as shes done it try and eat it, we havent told her off or anything like that. so really confused why shes trying to eat them. i was wondering if her old owner used to tell her off or something.[/QUOTE]

If the puppy was still with her mother the mother would be eating the poop to keep the puppy clean. My dogs loves to eat all kind of poops . Marty is crazy about rabbit poop. He really like his rabbit poop when it mixed with snow! LOL!! . I call it poopsciles! I wish I could market it , I would rich. You'll have excuse me as I was a health aide and I had to check my clients BM to see how they looked so I used to checking out all kind of poop now.

[QUOTE=tinkerbellsammi;1044945]tornado lol it has certainly been that alright lol, feels like i have a newborn baby again lol. she seems to be very attached to me at the moment follows me everywhere i go, if she cant get to where i am going she starts crying lol. was up at 2am letting her go to toilet outside.

she is booked in for saturday to have a microchip fitted.

do you lovely lot think she'd ok to go on a sponsored walk, its 5 miles (if she got tired i guess i could carry her etc) its not untill september, i worked out she would be about 12 weeks when we did it, if we did it lol x


i cannot thank you all enough for all your help.[/QUOTE]

I would be careful about getting your puppy microchip so young. My hearing dog got microchip when he was 2 yo and he and was bleeding for about 10 minutes . I have no idea how common that is. But it was awful seeing my dog bleeding from his microchip.
Your dog is going to be so attached to you and it would be a good idea to bring her to puppy training when she is old enough so can learn to be alone and not have separation anxiety.
When I first brought Marty home he would get in the shower with me to be next to me.

I'd discourage taking her on the long walk, tinkerbellsammi. She'll still be too young. Young joints are easily damaged by constrained walking on hard surfaces. (Off-leash rough-and-tumble free-movement play is better since it's not repetitive.) At 12 weeks she probably should not be walked 'formally' for more than 15 or 20 minutes at a crack (although you can do more than one a day).

If the walk includes other dogs, another issue might be her vaccination status. At 12 weeks she won't have enough immunity built up to protect her if she runs across a dog (or its leavings) that is sick.

But next year she should be good to go. :D

As for eating her poop, we have dogs that do that, too. Seems like they either really, really like it :yuck: or they have no interest in it--no middle ground. We just try to make sure that we get to it before the poop-eaters do...which means first time out we're running around like maniacs trying to pick it up as it gets deposited. :laughing: We've tried some of the supplements that are supposed to deter the behavior but have had no success. Training the 'leave it' command can help--that's something you might want to start working on right away along with the rest of your yard training. :thumbs up

thanks everyone, so she should learn the sit, no and leave it commands ok then. i wasnt sure with her been so young shed get it if that makes sense

I'm with Hazel about not going on a sponsored walk with her. Puppies generally should get 5 minutes of walking per month of age. But like Hazel said, you can do that more than once a day. It has to do with joints. Larger breeds this is very important with. Immunity issues are also important. You could walk and carry your pup, or have a stroller for her, but you'd still want to make sure her vacs are good.

If you are going to get her spayed (typically done at about 6 months) you could get her chipped at the same time. Even if she is chipped please make sure you have a tag on her collar at all times. I can't say how many times I've come across stray dogs that have had to go to the pound to get checked for a chip when I could have simply called the owners to get the dog returned to them.

She is a real cutie pie! Thanks for the pics.

As for the poo eating, yeah gotta get there first! To teach her a leave it you need to have a very high value treat on hand. The second she goes to take something you don't want her to have, say "leave it" and offer her the treat to her face. When she takes the treat and ignores the other item praise her up like crazy. The treat has to come immediately with the command for her to make the connection that "leave it" is a great thing to hear and do. This command can be invaluable with a young dog and all through it's life. My lab used to pick up everything so it was the first thing I taught her. Watch though, as she gets really good at it you can stop with food rewards and just praise her sometimes - they get real clever and start picking things up just to get the treat :rolleyes:.

She's not too young to start learning basic commands. She won't understand them all or be reliable with them for a while, but it's never too young to start. Just don't expect miracles and keep all training short - don't overload and confuse her. Try to always end on a possitive note. If come doesn't work but sit works, have her sit and praise then end your session.

Spaying is usually done at 6 months of age because it is convenient, NOT because it is better for your dog. More and more studies are showing that juvenile spay/neuter can lead to a higher risk of cancers and tendon/ligament issues. Early spaying/neutering causes growth to stop sooner and bones to develop differently.

I understand that LR, just saying she could have them done together if that's her plan.

we havent really got a plan to be honest as of yet, lol we didnt take her to get her micro chip done in the end. we are going to wait until she is a little bigger, here in the uk (england), the rspca does free microchipping events so we will wait till the next one to get her done.