How can I raise a German Shepherd puppy? He was taken from his mum. He is six weeks old and he barks a lot.
By profmessi from Sudan, Khartoum
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Best time to take a pup from Mom is 8 weeks. Essentially
he's kind of begging for Mom and siblings, fussing like a baby.
It wouldn't hurt to hold him a lot, scratch his ears, have him sit next to you on couch on old folded blanket that can be
rinsed out if he wizzes. Best to take him out way more frequently than you want, though if you are in Sudan, he's probably out in sun a lot. He might be overheated. Ask yourself the questions you would consider if it were a baby
crying: is he hungry, lonely, needing reassurance, afraid of too many new things?
You might get the pup a stuffy dog to lay beside him in the bed. Pups snuggle against each other and are cozy and feel safe.
Put a collar and leash on the pup and take it for short walks often for daily exercise. A German Shepherd needs a lot of exercise when they are in their youth and early adult years.
Keep in mind hot pavement or sand can burn a little puppy's paws. If you can't walk on the surface barefoot; don't put your pup on it.
Puppies are like babies, they pee, they eat, they sleep and they play and get baths and cry. A baby is comforted and feels safe close to their parents and so does a puppy. Rub its tummy and ears; this is relaxing to pups. The more hands on attention you provide, the more trusting the puppy will be around you and its new surroundings. Read up about this breed of dog and learn what they need to make a happy pet.
en.wikipedia.org/
Poor little baby doggie. He wasn't old enough to be taken away from his mother in the first place, and now with no one to cuddle up to, he is alone, lonely, and no doubt terribly frightened.
He needs you to do a lot of cuddling him, petting him, stroking him, and generally paying the attention to him as his mother would be doing if she were there.
You're in warm enough climate, so he's probably not suffering from cold, but he still needs something soft to cuddle up to. A couple of fairly large stuffed toys and maybe a couple about the size he is would be ideal, but at least, give him a few small stuffed things; even an old pillow is better than nothing.
If you want to housebreak him, start now by taking him outside frequently, and let him exercise as much as possible so that he is tired when you bring him in. He will sleep better and longer.
If you can provide a crate for him that he is able to see you while being safe and secure, that will help a lot too.
Someone else here said that just think of a little human baby's needs, and do your best to treat your fur baby the same way. They need to be safe, clean, fed and happy. For now, that's all there is to it.
Remember, you are raising a "family member", so start out by treating him like a family member from the beginning, and he'll make a good one.
Wishing you the best.
MisMachado
You raise a German Shepherd puppy the same way you would any other breed. Why was he removed from his mother and litter mates at six weeks.? Registered licensed breeders can not by law sell their puppy's before eight weeks. This dear little guy has lost two weeks of this important part of his early life.
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I have a 5 week old pit and need some advice on how to look after him. At the moment he is getting up several times in the night and needs to be attended too. He likes to go to sleep on me and likes cuddling up, but most of the time when he wakes up he wants to play!
He is currently eating goats milk, rusks and weatabix but how long can I allow him to stay on these as when ever i am eating my dinner (especially chicken) he wont leave me alone until i put it down. I would like some advise on what foods he can eat as a puppy, he makes me feel bad when I am eating as I dont know if I can share it with him?
Also i read an article about a puppy and his owner who is currently at 5 weeks rubbing their pups face in the wee and poo, does this help with training him to go toilet in the right place, if so how do i go about re-assuring I do this correct? I don't want to harm him.
Danielle
From personal experience, don't feel guilty about not sharing your meal with the puppy! We had a dog for 9 years that we fed from the table. She died of kidney failure, related to not being able to digest 'human food' properly. This is why veterinarians will tell you NOT to feed a dog 'human food', their bodies can't digest it well, thus kidney problems.
When we got our current dog, we were over the guilty feeling of not sharing our food because we know that will give her a longer, healthier life with us. When she was a puppy we trained her to stay out of our 'eating area' while we ate dinner. We would just keep putting her out of the room until she understood to stay out. That makes it clear to the dog that they aren't getting any, keeps you from having to look at sad puppy eyes looking at your food and feeling guilty. Also, safer if you have small children...the dog knows their food is in their pet bowl. Hope this helps. (07/06/2005)
By Lisa
DO NOT give him "people" food ever. You are starting a bad and unhealthy habit by doing that. Also, rubbing their face in their bathroom is not a good idea. The best advice I can give you is to buy the book called Puppies for Dummies. It answers any question you could possibly ask about raising, training, feeding, etc. (07/06/2005)
By Rachel
Talk to your vet about what to feed the pup. The theory of rubbing their face in it, is all bunk. The only way to house train a dog is by repetition. When the puppy is starting to look for a spot to go, pick him up and take him outside. Then!
Be self assuring when he goes outside, as long as he in, he will go inside, you must make it available to him to go out or he will always go inside the house. Patience and kindness is the only way. If you scare the puppy, he will take longer and longer to train. (07/06/2005)
By kawasue3
It never fails to amaze me at how many people rub their puppy's nose in their "accidents". Is that where it came from in the first place? A very stern "NO!" - if you catch him/her doing it. If you come upon it later, it doesn't do any good to even draw his attention to it. Just clean it up and wait for the whine. At that age, every little whine should be an outside trip. He'll get used to it very quickly!
Sharing your food with the pup is NOT a good idea at all. When you have guests, he's going to be a pain while you're all eating. He's going to have to go "cold turkey" on this one and you're going to have to just ignore (as hard as it is) his whining. He'll eventually get the idea that he's not getting your food.
Have you ever thought of giving him real puppy food? (07/06/2005)
I totally agree with not shoving their faces in their poop. How ancient and wrong is this info., from what idiots. However, healthy people food is fine for dogs and quite healthy. Mine get raw carrots, apples and many other vegetables and fruits. They also get cheese and peanut butter as treats. I've had dogs all my life and the last dog I had to have pts was 20. So what does that tell you.
Also, a vet will tell you that when a dog has an upset stomach you should feed them ground beef, or chicken, and rice, people food. It works. Unless you feed your dogs an expensive whole baked food they aren't getting the right diet. So it's important to add healthy people foods. And it's such a treat for them. I also make frosty paws and they each get 1 a night. Vets are mostly clueless about natural alternatives/diets. I've done the research, as have many other people. (07/06/2005)
By Vic
At 5 weeks your pup is being seriously deprived of socialization. That is why dedicated dog people won't rehome a pup until after 8-10 weeks or longer. So you will have to be Mom. Think like a mother dog and 'train' your pup. There will be serious issues that have to be stopped or altered immediately such as nipping, begging, jumping, chewing on furniture...etc.
By Randiann
If you decide to give your puppy people food, put it in his bowl rather than taking it from your plate at the table. This will avoid a lifetime of begging at the table, really annoying for company, and you will tire of it, too. My dog was well behaved and didn't beg until I left her with my overindulgent father for a week. Now she begs, but only at my father's table. She knows better in my house. (07/07/2005)
By Claudia
Never share food with your puppy from your plate, it will just encourage them to not eat their own food and beg you to share yours.
As for house training your puppy, never rub the dog's face in their accidents, this does not teach them anything, but to fear you. I encourage you to consider crate-training. I had a dog previously that was crate trained and my 10 month old husky is crate trained. You can get advice on crate training from any pet store or pet books or from a vet. (07/31/2005)
By Tonya
