4 Week old puppy

[jeannie00]

I just adopted another puppy. She is a 4 week old Polmeranian/chihuahua mix.(how ever you spell it) Yeah i know 4 weeks old and already taken from its mother. THat i dont understand. I thought a puppy had to be at least 8 weeks to be taken from its mother.???? Is this true???? I guess these people were desperate to get rid of them. Anyways, shes four weeks old, born on May 1st. I seen her and just fell in love with her. She is soooooooo tiny. I bet she dont even weigh a pound. She is so small she fits in the palm of my hand. She is a tan color. She looks like shes gonna be long haired.

We stopped and bought her some Kibbles and Bits. She wouldnt eat it at first, but then i added a little water to it to make it soggy and she ate it just fine. The previous owners said that they started them on dog food and that they ate it fine. Well i had to add water to soften it up for her before shed eat it. So she does o.k. on regular food. She whines ALOT!! I just cant believe they took her from her mom so early. But im happy to have her. She is soo precious.

My question is this. Should i start taking her outside to potty, or is she too young yet to start house training. Ive taken her out several times and she just sits there whinning. I dont know what to do with a puppy this young. Ive never had one this young. Please if anyone can help me. Id really appreciate it. Its the weekend and i cant get ahold of any vets until monday. Is she fine to stay on dogfood. Am i doing things right? What do i need to do or not to do???

My other dog Valentine is doing awsome with house training, but were still having problems with her peeing in the box. but i think i found the problem to that. Anyways, other then that issue, she is doing great. Shes a fun loving dog.

[chocolatecoffee]

Four week is incredibly young for a dog to be taken from its mother; the absolute earliest they should be taken from their mother is eight weeks. In some areas it's even illegal to sell a dog before 8 weeks of age. I don't know much about puppies, but I don't know if a dog should have even be completely weaned from its mother at four weeks. You'll have to do extreme socialization to ensure she doesn't become scared, a dog taken from its mother at that age is very difficult to train. Is it possible to have her go back with her mother for a few weeks or at least have her interact with her litter mates?

Here's a website I just found on puppies: http://www.sheltermedicine.com/porta..._orphans.shtml

3-4 weeks

* Feeding: Bottle feed formula every 4 hours, until puppies are full but not bloated. Puppies may start lapping from a bowl.
* Environment: The floor temperature of the nest box should be 70 to 75 degrees from this point onward.
* Behavior and training: Adult eye color will begin to appear, but may not reach final shade for another 9 to 12 weeks. Puppies begin to see well and their eyes begin to look and function like adult dogs' eyes. Puppies will start cleaning themselves, though their mother will continue to do most of the serious cleaning.

4-5 weeks

* Feeding: Bottle feed as needed to keep pups from crying with hunger. Puppies usually can drink and eat from a saucer by 4 weeks. Weaning should be done gradually. Introduce them to solid food by offering warmed canned food, mixed with a little water into a gruel, in a shallow saucer. You can begin by placing one puppy by the plate of canned food gruel, and hoping for the best - if she starts eating, great! Her littermates will probably copy her and do the same. But without mom around to show them, many puppies do not have a clue about feeding time. The puppies will walk in it, slide in it, and track it all over the place. Sometimes one will begin lapping right away, and in its anxiety to consume as much as it can, it will often bite the edge of the plate. Some will prefer to lick the gruel from your fingers. Some will start licking your finger after they sniff it, then slowly lower your finger to the plate and hold it to the food. The puppies need to learn to eat with their heads bent down. Sometimes it takes two or three meals before they catch on. If they do not seem interested enough to even sniff your finger, try gently opening the puppies' mouth and rubbing a little of the food on their teeth. Hopefully then they will start licking your finger. If they're still not getting the idea, you can take a syringe (without a needle) and squirt a small amount of gruel directly into the back of their mouths.
* If there is a bitch present, she will usually begin weaning by discouraging her puppies from nursing; however, some dogs (particularly those with small litters) will allow nursing until the puppies are old enough for permanent homes. Some nursing activity is the canine equivalent of thumb-sucking, that is, for comfort only. Even if puppies appear to be nursing, they may not be getting all the nutrition they need from mom. Make sure they are eating food and gaining weight.
* Be sure that the puppies have access to fresh water in a low, stable bowl.
* Behavior and training: Begin housebreaking at four weeks. Use a pile of newspapers in a corner. After each feeding, place the puppy on the papers or outside for him to go to the bathroom. Be patient! He may not remember to do this every time, or may forget where to find the papers, but he will learn quickly. Be sure to give the puppies lots of praise when they first start using their papers or cry to go out. It is a good idea to confine the puppies to a relatively small space, because the larger the area the puppies have to play in, the more likely they will forget where the papers are. Keep the papers clean and away from their food.

For canned food, I definitely recommend Merrick, but I wouldn't feed Kibbles 'n' Bits as it's full of fillers and yucky stuff.

I would really see if you can keep this dog with her mother for a bit longer, four weeks is entirely too young. Good luck!

[jeannie00]

I dont think getting it back with its bros. or sisters is possible. They are all gone. I got her because they were selling them at a yardsale. So you really think i should use canned dogfood for now? I dont wanna give her anything that will hurt her. Yeah i was kinda puzzled to find out she was only 4 weeks old and taken from her mother. But i promise to take care of her the best i can. She does whine quite a bit but i know thats to be expected. I hold her alot to comfort her. She is happy when i hold her. She is a playful lil thing to be sooo young. Thank you for the website and info. too. It was very helpful.

[Lucky Rescue]

I'm confused..you already have a puppy that's driving you crazy and who you are "fed up" with. How are you going to continue training your other puppy and care for this new tiny baby? Not to mention most toy breeds are notoriously hard to housetrain.

This puppy is at great risk for hypoglycemia and needs quite a few small meals a day. Going to be a lot of work.

You've been given great advice that really needs to be followed if you want the puppy to survive.

Someone peddling 4 week old puppies at a yard sale...and people wonder why we hate bybers?

[chocolatecoffee]

Not to mention most toy breeds are notoriously hard to housetrain.

I can definitely testify to that. My Shih tzu X wasn't too bad, but I've been working on my Maltese/Chihuahua X since I adopted her at 8 months (she's now over 12 months). She was also taken from her mom and littermates too soon (the joys of puppy mills) and was abused. I still can't leave her alone at all without her having an accident.

I look it up and it's illegal in Ohio to sell a dog under eight weeks.

From http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusohst955.htm:

§ 955.50 Dogs; regulations re sale; receipt; transportation.

(A) No person shall sell, offer to sell, or expose for sale, for the purpose of resale or receive for delivery within this state, or ship from any point within this state to any point outside this state, for sale to the general public at retail, any dog under the age of eight weeks.

This person really needs to be reported.

[Prin]

Originally Posted by Lucky Rescue

I'm confused..you already have a puppy that's driving you crazy and who you are "fed up" with. How are you going to continue training your other puppy and care for this new tiny baby? Not to mention most toy breeds are notoriously hard to housetrain.

I know! I am so confused too. Why would you get another, even higher maintenance dog when you haven't figured out the first one yet?

[BMDLuver]

I'm pretty sure in the state of Ohio that it is illegal to sell puppies prior to 8 weeks of age. These people should be reported for selling puppies at a yard sale.

Be prepared for this pup to need some serious medical care as the cross points to a pup that is most likely only about 1.5lbs or less right now as you've already mentioned tiny.

This pup can become dehydrated, hypoglycemic or have other complications. The pup needs to eat every 2 hours through the night. It needs to be stimulated to go to the bathroom. It needs to be kept warm. It needs formula which you can mix with a very tiny amount of good quality wet food, pureed and fed through a bottle.

It most likely is going to have some serious behavioral issues as a tiny breed like this should not have left it's mom and littermates until 12 weeks of age.

Do not take the puppy outside to go to the bathroom... it has barely any immune sytem.

This type of thing makes me very sad as people like these who sell dogs at a yard sale need a good slap upside the head. They have put all these pups lives in danger, why let them have arrived in the first place if you don't give a damn what happens to them.

I'm now going to go eat a box of chocolates and try not to think of things like this... the reason I like animals much more than humans. sigh.

[phoenix]

OMG... did I just read that? Tell me it isn't true.
You have a 5 month old pup that you've been struggling with, and now you decided that getting another one (that will definitely have problems with socialization, bite inhibition, maybe health, housetraining, etc) was a good idea??????

Dogs are not disposable, and they don't stay cute little puppies forever. They are a 15 to 20 year committment. Did you even think about how the two dogs would get along/sizewise and energy wise, they are very different. IMO< sounds like you are addicted to little pups but lose interest when they become bigger, noisier, poopier, etc.

Well, you should probably get to a vet and get some advice on how to raise this one. It will not be easy.

I'm so sorry that you made this decision on a whim (at a yardsale- you couldn't have gone in with a plan...)

[Lucky Rescue]

They have put all these pups lives in danger, why let them have arrived in the first place if you don't give a damn what happens to them.

Hey, if you can make a couple bucks without spending a dime by peddling puppies before you need to even buy them food, why not?

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by phoenix

OMG... did I just read that? Tell me it isn't true.
You have a 5 month old pup that you've been struggling with, and now you decided that getting another one (that will definitely have problems with socialization, bite inhibition, maybe health, housetraining, etc) was a good idea??????

Dogs are not disposable, and they don't stay cute little puppies forever. They are a 15 to 20 year committment. Did you even think about how the two dogs would get along/sizewise and energy wise, they are very different. IMO< sounds like you are addicted to little pups but lose interest when they become bigger, noisier, poopier, etc.

Well, you should probably get to a vet and get some advice on how to raise this one. It will not be easy.

I'm so sorry that you made this decision on a whim (at a yardsale- you couldn't have gone in with a plan...)

I agree. What on earth made you do this?

[jeannie00]

Originally Posted by Lucky Rescue

I'm confused..you already have a puppy that's driving you crazy and who you are "fed up" with. How are you going to continue training your other puppy and care for this new tiny baby? Not to mention most toy breeds are notoriously hard to housetrain.

This puppy is at great risk for hypoglycemia and needs quite a few small meals a day. Going to be a lot of work.

You've been given great advice that really needs to be followed if you want the puppy to survive.

Someone peddling 4 week old puppies at a yard sale...and people wonder why we hate bybers?

You people on here are soo harsh and rude. People come on here for help and advice and u just tear them down. Thats not right!! At least we care enough to ask for help. Yeah my dog gets on my nerves at times. BUT WHOS DONT???? I love my animals like one of my own kids. Thank you very much, i have proved to ALL OF YOU that i would make things work with Valentine and i have. I just needed help, and i got the help i needed from this board. WEll from those of you that didnt PUT ME DOWN!!! Ive done very very good with training her. She is doing very verywell. Shes had no accidents in a long time. Occasionally she will pee in her box. But thats getting better. So id really appreciate it it you wouldnt put me down or anyone else on here that gets on here and ask for help. Grow up!! Your supposed to help people not put them down. What hippicrits

[Lucky Rescue]

Holy cow....take a deep breath and calm down. What was said that was rude or a "put down"??

You were asked a few reasonable questions, considering the other stuff you've posted here, and given a ton of great advice that people took time to give you and instead of being appreciative you blow a gasket and throw a tantrum? And I should "grow up"?

Whatever. Good luck with your puppies.

[phoenix]

Jeannie don't pm me again with your abuse please.

IMO means "in my opinion". I'm entitled to it, aren't I? My posts are my opinion, and in my opinion you have entered into a committment with a puppy that you have not thought out ahead of time, just as your other puppy leaves that cute stage and enters teenage rebellion stage.

And I think the word you are looking for is hypocrite. It means someone who says one thing and does another, someone who professes a belief but does not really hold it. I don't think that applies to any of us here, as we certainly do practice what we preach... this is because the advice/help you've received is based on our own mistakes and experiences.

In my experience (and also based on what I have read here from others), puppies removed from mom this early are a nightmare to raise. Mine was taken at 5 1/2 weeks and he was terrible re. bite inhibition and is still not great with social graces with other dogs, even though he was overly socialized by me from day one. AND- although I certainly don't know everything, I know quite a bit about raising and training dogs. Honestly, I don't think that you have the skills or the experience to raise this puppy well from what I have seen from your posts, and I also don't think you'll get those skills from a website (certainly not with the attitude you give). As I suggested, talk to a vet about what you'll need to do for the pup's health and talk to a trainer about what you'll need to do to become the replacement MOM AND SIBLINGS for this dog. At least, Valentine should help a bit with socialization as long as their size difference doesn't cause a safety problem.

If I were having problems with one dog, and searching for help to deal with these problems, I certainly would not take on another very difficult case. Yes, I think the puppy would have been better off with someone else, particularly with its mom and siblings, and if that were not possible, someone who knows how to care for such a young puppy. And THAT is my opinion.

You call us harsh and rude, well... you cannot expect to continue to make bad decisions on a whim (this is my biggest problem... if you had come on the website and posted, should I get another puppy, and then you did your research about good breeds for your lifestyle and your other dog to get along with... and then took your time to find that dog that would be perfect for you... if you had done any of that I would likely not be so harsh)...and think that I will continue to 'bail you out' by giving you advice that makes your decision "OK"...

I know what is done is done. But you and any readers to this post need to understand that this was not an OK decision, at least by me. Hopefully a vet and a trainer can eventually help you out. I hope that you realize the kind of time and care this will take to end as a happy ending.

[White Wolf]

Thread closed. The original question was answered. Please get this young puppy the care it needs and please do not reopen closed issues.