tootoo Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 I just brought home a five week old husky puppy a few days ago. I know that five weeks is far too young, but her mother had a bad infection and the puppies needed homes. She is very small and cute, but and loves to be held and loves to fall asleep on my lap, but I don't want to turn her into a needy dog by holding her too much (although I love it too!) Is that possible? Also, my neighbors have dogs and puppies, so I've been letting her have supervised play time with them several times a day, so that she learns how to socialize properly. Is this a good idea, or is she too young? Any other ideas about anything she might need to be a happy, safe dog? *side note* I live in the arctic, so there are no obedience schools or vets. A vet comes to town twice a year. One will be here shortly, so she can get her shots and stuff. What about spaying? What is the absolute, worst-case scenario youngest that she can be spayed? When do they go into heat? The next time a vet comes is in October! Thanks everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkyries Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 Hi and welcome wow 5 weeks is young but hey i say hold and cuddle her as much as you want, it will do no harm and at such a young age she prob needs it. also as long as she is safe with the other dogs and pups thats great she will learn from them. get her shots done and ask the vet about spaying as on october she will be 7 month so she could have it done then, can we have pics please xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carianne Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 Ask the vet about what's best for your puppy when they come. You could try and get hold of some books on raising puppies but because she has not supposed to have been seperated yet it might be hard to get information. Or you could search the internet for some help. Just try and get some tips from the vet i guess?? Sorry I couldn't be much help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISDW Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 Pics please She should be okay playing with the other dogs, as she'll have immunity from her mother's milk. It is more important that she has time with other dogs at such a young age, than keeping her safe from bugs in my opinion. she will learn so much from playing with the other dogs, things that she will normally have learnt from her mother and litter mates. Best of luck with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 Welcome to our worldwide Pack. . . It sounds as if you are doing everything right. cuddle as much as you like, they are very social animals and love to be around other dogs and people. bonding with you from such an early age you will become her best freind and she will be your companion. As the others have said get everything done by the vet that you can and in october get her speyed. well done for taking on your little furbaby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GungeUK Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 I would personally say that 5 weeks is too young to socalise with other dogs especially without both vaccinations done. We have just had our second one done with our pups at 10 weeks and they got to go out 2 days ago. Still trying to get them used to the lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 and they got to go out 2 days ago. Still trying to get them used to the lead. Yeah after Koda had her last set of injections and she was allowed out. . . We plonked her down on the grass and she sat down and refused to budge. . . .sooo funny. . . echo came over and nudged her and she got up and trotted off after her adopted mum. She wouldn.t move for us though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GungeUK Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 Same with Holly, she will follow Chloe but not us. She is getting better though. Today we took her to Pets at Home, she walked on the lead, sat down in the shop and weed hahah, I wet myself laughing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 Same with Holly, she will follow Chloe but not us. She is getting better though. Today we took her to Pets at Home, she walked on the lead, sat down in the shop and weed hahah, I wet myself laughing awwww bless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuriousMoves Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 While normally I would be very cautious in letting a puppy play with another litter of dogs at that young of age, in your case, I would probably do the same. Is parvo virus very common up north? It's common down here unfortunately, but I am not sure how well it travels where you are. Parvo virus is basically a virus that inflicts very young puppies, and is one of the reasons why pups that young should have their vaccinations before doing any major socialization. A puppy can be spayed as young as 8 weeks old. Will she be that old by the time the vet gets in? You can probably talk to your vet when she arrives to see when the best time would be to get her spayed. Shame they don't come more often but I know it's difficult to get those resources up north . Normally a female dog will go into heat in between 6-12 months of age. Some dogs take a little longer, some go in pretty early. When they do go into heat, it lasts about 3 weeks. I wouldn't worry too much about coddling at this age. She's just a baby and it will help the bonding. Be sure to play with her paws, her ears, her tail..get her nice and used to being handled. Makes it much easier for when she's an adult! One thing you must be adament about is play biting. It is between weeks 6 and 8 that a puppy learns what is known as bite inhibition. Basically that means the pup learns that biting hurts and if you bite, no one will want to play with you! http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition this is a great article on the subject! Infact, many of the articles on that website might be of use to you Pictures are always welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GungeUK Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 Chloe has started biting when mouthing and it hurts. We tell her no but she does like to carry on. Holly hardly ever mouths yet she was born on the same day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuriousMoves Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 Chloe has started biting when mouthing and it hurts. We tell her no but she does like to carry on. Holly hardly ever mouths yet she was born on the same day. Some pups are just a little more hard headed then others. Some have higher drives, some just didn't quite get the message from the mom and the litter. The link in my previous post is to an article on bite inhibition, and it is worth a read if you have a bitey puppy. I would also check this one out if you havent already, http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootoo Posted April 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 Thank you all very much for your help! Parvovirus isn't a huge problem up here (yet). There was a small outbreak a few months back, but some emergency bylaws went into place and it was isolated within a few weeks. I know it's always a possibility though, so I'm going to try to be as careful as I can, but I need to balance that with some learning time with other dogs...I think...I'm definitely no expert though, so constructive criticism is welcome! Cute as she is, I know that she'll grow into a big dog and I don't know who her father was...I don't want her to have to be destroyed or hurt someone because I was negligent. I've been taking her out of her crate to pee when she whines at night...about every two hours or so...sometimes she has to go, and sometimes she's just startled. I don't want to be wrong and have her mess her crate. Am I worrying too much? From what I've read, at 5 weeks she'll have to go a lot at night. She seems to be getting the hang of it! Not much sleep for me, but I know it's my responsibility to make sure she learns! I've got a lot of reading ahead of me! Anyone know what will happen if her first heat happens before she's spayed...besides the possibility of getting pregnant? I know this is a lot of questions, but I really appreciate your advice and encouragement! Thanks again, from the Canadian Arctic! **I saw your requests for pictures...they will be posted shortly...just having a bit of trouble...internet can be slow up here...she's white and grey with a little mask on her eyes....not helpful, I know! Pics are better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 Oh she sounds so adorable and so very lucky to have someone like you caring for her Great advice given already and totally agree, I would cuddle her as much as you want - however if you don't want her on the sofa when she's big - don't let her up there now, personally I don't mind my boys on the sofa, they still think they're small though and want to sit on my knee ouch heavy lumps lol When she has her first season, if she's not been spayed before hand, her vulva will swell, she will clean herself more and you will notice small amounts of blood on your floor - she will give off a different scent at this time to let other males know that she is "ready" best to keep her away from un neutered males at this point If you got her "done" in October when the vet is next up near you that is a good age, she's stronger to go through the anaesthetic as well then, my vet advises to spay after a first season, but there's so much controversy around this issue. Can't wait to see the pics :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 Hi, I had never heard of Nunavat (???!!!) so googled it. Very interesting and beautiful place you live in, have you always lived there? Would love to hear more about your day to day life there. Enjoy the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootoo Posted April 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 I just brought home a five week old husky puppy a few days ago. I know that five weeks is far too young, but her mother had a bad infection and the puppies needed homes. She is very small and cute, but and loves to be held and loves to fall asleep on my lap, but I don't want to turn her into a needy dog by holding her too much (although I love it too!) Is that possible? Also, my neighbors have dogs and puppies, so I've been letting her have supervised play time with them several times a day, so that she learns how to socialize properly. Is this a good idea, or is she too young? Any other ideas about anything she might need to be a happy, safe dog? *side note* I live in the arctic, so there are no obedience schools or vets. A vet comes to town twice a year. One will be here shortly, so she can get her shots and stuff. What about spaying? What is the absolute, worst-case scenario youngest that she can be spayed? When do they go into heat? The next time a vet comes is in October! Thanks everyone Thanks everyone! The vet is only in town for a couple of days, so the appointments have to be booked ahead of time. I just spoke to his assistant on the phone, and she said puppy is too young to be spayed, which is what I figured. Here's hoping she doesn't go into heat before October. There are not-neutered male dogs everywhere here... We only have really terrible dog food up here. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can supplement it with once in a while? I used to slip my roommate's dog a cooked egg every so often, but I don't know if that would be bad for a puppy. And sometimes the neighbors will give us a bit of caribou with a bone. I'm sure she'd love it, but might she be too young? Sorry for all the questions. There are almost no resources up here, so your ideas are a huge help. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 when you say terrible - how bad is it? She will need to be on puppy food however you can feed raw as well - maybe a few spoons of mince for now (raw) and when she gets a bit bigger, chicken wings? my boys love tuna as well - but in oil not brine as it's quite salty for them. The bone would be ok for her as long as it's uncooked but i'd leave it a bit longer before you give it to her. Love the pics you posted up - she is so beautiful Can't wait to see how she comes on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqwidge Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 omg she's adorable! Everyone has given some great advice so far, and i don't really have anything more to add...maybe a breeder on here will be able to help you further as they would normally still have their pups at 5 weeks??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootoo Posted April 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 I just brought home a five week old husky puppy a few days ago. I know that five weeks is far too young, but her mother had a bad infection and the puppies needed homes. She is very small and cute, but and loves to be held and loves to fall asleep on my lap, but I don't want to turn her into a needy dog by holding her too much (although I love it too!) Is that possible? Also, my neighbors have dogs and puppies, so I've been letting her have supervised play time with them several times a day, so that she learns how to socialize properly. Is this a good idea, or is she too young? Any other ideas about anything she might need to be a happy, safe dog? *side note* I live in the arctic, so there are no obedience schools or vets. A vet comes to town twice a year. One will be here shortly, so she can get her shots and stuff. What about spaying? What is the absolute, worst-case scenario youngest that she can be spayed? When do they go into heat? The next time a vet comes is in October! Thanks everyone It's Purina Puppy Chow. I know it won't kill her or anything, but because there's no vet, I'd like to try to keep her as strong as I can. Maybe I can slip her a bit of cooked fish from time to time? We have arctic char up here, and I've seen some of the puppies in town eating it. She's going to be eating better than I am! Thanks for all the advice! It's been really helpful. She's been here a week now, and seems ok. Last week I worked on housebreaking her, which went well. Maybe an accident here and there, but that's it. This week is working on no biting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 you are doing a wonderful job. . . You can try the fish cooked or raw but boned, skinned and chopped up into bite size pieces. i've given my puppy raw fish and she practically inhaled it. . Lol keep up the good work we are all keeping everything crossed for you and your little girlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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