Brought home a new pup

[forestmine]

Hello there,

New to the forums and new to the wonderful world of huskies. I just recently brought home my little pup Odin. He's 11 weeks now, and aside from a lack of potty-training and his stubbornness, he's really amazing.

I did a lot of reading up before-hand, and as I've just stumbled onto this forum today, I've been looking at all the help and info offered, but I still have some questions I'd like to clear up.

For starters, it sounds like pups up to 3 months are supposed to eat 3-4 times a day. I've been feeding Odin twice a day, and typically he usually leaves some food in the bowl. If I leave it out, he'll eat it within a few hours. The last time I checked, his stool was somewhat soft, which I thought is an indication of too much food. The food in particular that I'm feeding him says twice a day for his age, so I'm really not sure. Any suggestions?

Also, I've done a lot of reading regarding glaucoma, and the fact that it can affect huskies. His eyes have been somewhat red in the white areas, and I'm wondering if I ought to be concerned or if it's no big deal. And for that matter, can glaucoma occur in a dog at such a young age?

I've also noticed his front knees seem to bulge out a little bit. When his legs are bent, it looks completely normal, however. His paws are pretty big already, in comparison to him, so I'm wondering if this is just another part of him that he is growing into.

And last but certainly not least...potty-training. I've caught him daily relieving himself inside, at which point it's a "NO" and I take him outside. Once we're outside though, he never goes, having relieved himself completely inside. Should I always take him out no matter what after he's gone inside? I'm worried I'm giving him the wrong message by taking him out (almost as though it's a privilege) when he doesn't even go to the bathroom there. I've caught him just as many times going outside, and I'll praise him for it of course.

Anyway, any help/advice would be much appreciated. Hopefully I'm over-analyzing some of this, and he's a perfectly healthy pup.

Thanks a lot! (:

[Roxy1]

1st off - to the forum and on the new pup.

As you will soon find out -

They'll hound you for pics soon enough.

As far as feeding, you did not mention what you are feeding, let alone how much -

At 3 mos I would still have him on 3 times a day - as far as how much, that depends on what type of food you are feeding. A little more info would help.

As to the housebreaking, just keep pluggin along the way your going. It could take a little while to completely kick in. Especially in a new home.

I wouldn't worry too much about the health issues. as long as you have had him checked out by a vet.

Whats his/her name?

Pics when you can.

[Combat.Tinkerbell]

I Have The Same Housebreaking Problem With Our New Little One Too. If You Get Any Good Advice Please Let Me Know Too

[sutsibe]

Hi and !

Housetraining can be tricky. At that young age, it's best to take them out frequently - every hour while they're awake, a few minutes after they finish eating, after they've been playing... The problem is that they have so little bladder control (they are still babies), that they don't realize they need to go until it's really urgent! Make sure that all spots inside are thoroughly cleaned with a product designed to remove pet odors, or they WILL keep going back to that spot!

Keep the puppy confined to whatever room you are in, and actively watch for signs that puppy has to go - usually they will stop whatever they had been doing, will put their little nose down and sniff, and maybe start circling. You'll want to try to grab them before they start, telling them "NO - outside!", and then quickly carry them out, praising lavishly as they do. If you can't actively supervise the puppy, I would advise putting it in a crate small enough to make soiling less likely, but be sure to let it out frequently, and allow it time to be loose in the house after it has relieved itself. Many puppies will learn to ring a bell on the door to let you know they need to go out (ring the bell as you go out, and tell them "Let's go out!" You can even teach them the command "Ring the bell!" and teach them to ring it on command.

I would feed smaller portions, 3x per day if you can - I have often only fed twice daily, however, when my work schedule made feeding three times a day, without causing my pup to make a mess! They usually adapt pretty well. The amounts suggested on dog food bags are usually much higher than most puppies/dogs need (dog food companies like to sell food!), and Siberians generally need less food than most breeds. They were bred to exist in an extremely harsh climate, to run all day pulling a load, and to exist on very little food. They are efficient!

The knuckles on his front legs are normal. This is where the leg's growth plate is - the point where the bone creates new growth as the leg bone elongates. It will gradually get smaller as the pup reaches full-size, height-wise. Do keep in mind that a puppy's bones and joints are relatively soft until they are fully grown, at around 18 months - 2 years of age. You don't want to run them for more than a very short distance, especially on asphalt or pavement, until their bones do harden, or it can cause developmental problems that could show up while they're still young, and arthritis as they age.

He sounds normal and healthy - stubbornness is definitely a characteristic of the breed!

[Biggles]

to H/O. Looking forward to seeing :click:of Odin and learning a bit more about you too. Be warned husky deafness. They can hear a cupboard door open when they're at the bottom of the garden or even what appears to be a deep sleep, but try and get them to come when you want them to and they don't is amazing.

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

welcome

[Michelle Melsom]

Your puppy should be eating 3 times a day, a small handful each time and if he does not eat the food within a half hour of serving it put it away and he can eat the rest for the next meal. Marius gets red eyes when he is tired its pretty normal as long as its not extremely red or red ALL the time. The knee/joint thing is just a normal puppy thing they have to grow into themselves. As far as potty training goes Marius was great, I did not say anything when he would go to the bathroom inside I would interrupt him by quickly picking him up and taking him outside. I also watched him very closley for the signs he would give before he was about to go and taking him out every hour helped. Praise him when he goes outside and dont make a big deal out of it when he does it inside

[KIMMY 66]

[Andy]

Welcome to the BEST Husky forum in the WORLD.

We'll do our best to answer your questions.

and. . . .

PICS . . . please

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

welcome to the pack gigi (sutsibe) pretty much answered everything there would love to see some pics tho

[cas]

. Looking forward to seeing some pics.

[Luna's Mum]

Hello!! Welcome to the forum, you'll find a wealth of knowledge on here!

I know you've had it answered already but just thought I'd let you know that Luna gets "pink eye" when she's tired, nowt to worry about ... Unless like previously said they're bloodshot red all the time.

Enjoy your little furbaby, he'll get toilet training soon enough, perseverance, patience & a bottle of Vanish!!

X

[Removed #5]

Hey ForestMine and welcome to the Best Husky forum in the world! I'm a bit late with my welcome since I've been tied up with something called real life (sorta) and since no one else has mentioned it yet if you'd hop over to the Member Map http://www.husky-owners.com/forum/memberMap/ you'll go a long way to helping us help you. We're scattered almost all across the world so most of us watch what time zone the person we're responding to is in ( well, don't you ) and knowing where you are will also help us suggest products that are probably available where you are, not half way round the world!

oh, and

[26nikita]

Welcome! Just another tip for Potty training... some puppies are harder than others. My Dakota got it real quick and he was a breeze potty training....Willow, not so much. After several weeks of no success, I decided to start from scratch. I started taking her out EVERY 15 minutes until she no longer had accidents within those 15 minutes for atleast 2 days in a row. Then I increased it to 25 minutes, then 35 minutes and so on...... It was the only thing that worked for her and I would suggest it for anyone that are having trouple with this. I used a timer so that I wouldn't go past the allotted time becuase you have to be consistent!

[AttilaVikingsDemon]

Hello and welcome to the pack! As far as the world of forums, this is the friendliest bunch I've ever come across, and for the world of Husky's, this bunch between us, has experienced about everything you'll be wanting/needing to know. For advice you should read this over copy this and paste in your browser; http://www.siberianrescue.com/seneca.htm Is There a Siberian in Your Future? DON'T LEAVE YOUR CHOICE TO CHANCE.BE AN INFORMED OWNER, NOT A SORRY ONE. Also, I would recommend getting a crate for him to sleep in and crate train him as soon as you can-ours came to love his, we just wish we would've gotten one sooner to save on slippers he's chewed and other things. With that in mind, get him plenty of toys and things to chew on to occupy him with. Also, read the post I will bump up for you regarding bite inhibition, it helped us as our pups razor-sharp puppy teeth made mincemeat out of my arms. The name of the post is; Bite inhibition; the most important thing you can teach your dog~by Magical Merlin. If you have any questions, feel absolutely free to ask, the members are so friendly( just like thier Husky's) and reply pretty quick, too! Again, welcome GREAT choice on his name of Odin! Very appropriate for this Northern breed:D

[forestmine]

Thanks for all the help guys. It's definitely appreciated. He's still being a little troublemaker...starting to refuse listening to "NO," and just being stubborn in general, haha. I got him a crate that he'll go into at times to sit down and play, but the few times I've tried closing the gate on him, he started whining and whining. I know I'm supposed to ignore it, but man, it's hard. I'm going to put him in there tonight because he's not listening at all when I tell him he can't go somewhere. Any tips for when he starts crying? Just ignore him completely, all night? Should I get up and take him out some time in the night? He doesn't seem to pee so frequently, luckily, but he still doesn't ever seem to pee when I'm outside with him, and waits instead to come inside.

Pics on the way!

[sutsibe]

At least wait to let him out until he's quiet for even a few seconds. If you can ignore him, it will eventually stop - if you give in and let him out while he's making noise after trying to ignore him for a while, it will get much worse before it gets better! I recommend tiring him out first (games that work his mind - training, for one thing), and then covering the crate with a sheet or blanket, which seems to settle many of them. Ear plugs can also be a really wonderful thing... If you can, set an alarm for a few hours, get up and take him out then - or listen for the cry to tell you that this time, he really means it - he needs to go out!