Help with a new puppy!

[ashley1135]

I just got my first frenchie, Sulley, this weekend and am going through that elated/panicky/confused stage that comes w/ a new puppy. I have been bombarded w/ advice that all conflicts, so I thought it best to go to the people that know the breed the best (you guys)! I'm just at a loss as to where to begin w/ him. I know he's too young to expect much out of, but he's also very smart and I want to start out right.
1. Is he too young to crate? If not, how long to crate?
2. His stool is quite soft and I'm feeding what the breeder gave me (Nutro Lamb and Rice). Should I start switching him to one of the better diets I have read about in this forum?
3. Housetraining...AHHHH!?! He uses his litter box about 30% of the time. I was amazed he did at all...but other times he just goes whereever. I don't like him being in an enclosure when I am home, so I am giving him one room to play in. Is this ok? I'm in an apartment and the weather has turned cold here, plus he's so young, that i don't think I should take him outside...am I right?
I'm sure you can tell that I'm an overly worried new frenchie mom, but I would really appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!!

[phoebesmom]

Congratulations on Sulley appicon , and I don't think you are over worried at all, just a loving, caring Mom! I can't give you much advice other than personal experience, so here goes -

1. Crate training - I have never used a crate for any of my dogs so no help there. When I had to confine them I would gate them off in a room where they couldn't harm themselves.

2. Phoebe's breeder also sent her to us with Nutro Lamb and Rice and this was long before I was part of any forum, so I kept her on it for quite some time. As you have already seen, there is wonderful advice on feeding on this forum and I'm sure there would also be recommendations for feeding a puppy.

3. Housetraining. I'm not sure what a litter tray is - is it similar to what you use for a cat? Phoebe was housetrained pretty quickly, as I was lucky to be with her all day long, and I wouldn't let her out of my sight for a minute. She went out regularly and got HEAPS of praise when she did something. If I caught her 'in the act' I would lift her without any fuss and place her on the grass where she would finish off, then gets lots of praise. It would work the same with you placing Sulley in the litter tray. Some people even suggest keeping a new puppy tied to their belt so that you can monitor everything he/she does. As for it being so cold outdoors, perhaps that could work to your advantage as he may want to do what he has to do as quickly as possible to get back indoors sooner.

Enjoy your new little bunny - I'm jealous!!

[phoebesmom]

LOL - I have just re-read my post and nearly fell off the chair with laughter when I read the bit about keeping the pup "tied to your belt" :D . I could just picture this puppy frantically dangling from Mom's belt, but you know what I mean!!! Put him on a leash and tie the one end to your belt. I'm glad I cleared that up!

[franp]

I just got my first frenchie, Sulley, this weekend and am going through that elated/panicky/confused stage that comes w/ a new puppy. I have been bombarded w/ advice that all conflicts, so I thought it best to go to the people that know the breed the best (you guys)! I'm just at a loss as to where to begin w/ him. I know he's too young to expect much out of, but he's also very smart and I want to start out right.
1. Is he too young to crate? If not, how long to crate?

Welcome; the first days/weeks can be exhausting..Your dog is not too young to be crated..He was crated at the breeder.
Dogs are den animals and crates are what they consider a "den".He can stay in his crate one hour longer than he is old..Two months; three hours.


2. His stool is quite soft and I'm feeding what the breeder gave me (Nutro Lamb and Rice). Should I start switching him to one of the better diets I have read about in this forum?
Soft stool can come from (IMO) the change in water, or even excitment.Try giving him a tablespoon of pumpkin; make sure the can says plain pumpkin. NOT the pie mix.It should firm up his stool.
I feed raw;if it were my dog ,I would switch.

3. Housetraining...AHHHH!?! He uses his litter box about 30% of the time. I was amazed he did at all...but other times he just goes whereever. I don't like him being in an enclosure when I am home, so I am giving him one room to play in. Is this ok? I'm in an apartment and the weather has turned cold here, plus he's so young, that i don't think I should take him outside...am I right?

Your dog is WAY to young to go outside..Not until he has had all his shots (about 14 weeks) is it safe to allow him on the ground..

Again IMO, he needs to be in a smallish space.He is a baby and does not need that much room.Sully has no understanding at this point of what you want from him..A room is HUGE..And he has no control. Wherever he is ,is where he goes..

Are you litter training for the long run? Or when he can will you take him outside?
I'm sure you can tell that I'm an overly worried new frenchie mom, but I would really appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!!

You are not overly worried.. You are a new dog owner.

fran

[Borgan]

I also agree with everyone here; you should really give raw a try. It's magical what it will do for your dog's health. Some people will try to discourage you (warning of e-coli), but if you handle the food properly, it's fine.

Re: housetraining - are you using positive reinforcement? Doing the Poop Dance? Putting your pup in the pee area when you catch it going wee somewhere else? Maybe he's confused about where to go. If you make a game out of it, he might be more motivated to pay attention.

-Brooke.

[FrankEinstein]

We had much the same experience with our pup, Sugar, who is now over 5 months old. We started crating immediately, and she had many accidents, even in her crate. Over time, those accidents decreased, and now I can't remember the last time she's had an accident anywhere in the house. I'd hate to say that she's housetrained, but we take her out enough that she doesn't feel the need to go in the house anymore. When we first got her, we thought that she would never get it, but we consistently took her outside, every two hours during the day. I would even wake up in the middle of the night and take her out. Fortunately, that didn't last long, especially with a change in her diet. Switching her food helped a lot. We used the NutraNugget Lamb & Rice, and her stools were not only soft but explosive! We switched her off the kibble and to Nature's Balance raw medalions. We also cut back on her water intake, as we used to add water to the kibble. Now she drinks when she wants to from her bowl, which isn't too often. The diet change was only briefly traumatic (for us more than her), and now her stools are firm and she can hold it. We're starting to add more of our own raw food, like chicken wings, and will keep trying to do so. The ground raw is great for puppies, and the pre-processed stuff like Nature's Variety, although not ideal, was easy for us to deal with. We still don't know when Sugar actually has to go, but eventually she'll learn to tell us or we'll learn to figure it out.

All I can say is that it gets better with time. Your puppy will learn, slowly but eventually. Your life with him will get easier and easier. One day, you'll look fondly back at these trying days, as we're just starting to now. As my breeder said, dogs have lived a long time without human coddling (although they prefer it). They're resiliant beasts.

F.

[gmacleod]

Crate training can be a wonderful tool to help you to housetrain your puppy, as well as somewhere to put him that is safe for those times that you simply cannot be watching him. There are a couple of things to remember with it though - the first being that a crate is only a tool. Housetraining is something that you have to teach (and since it goes against every natural instinct a puppy has, you have to be incredibly vigilent and patient about it). There are also limits on the amount of time a puppy should spend in a crate.

Crates work as housetraining tools because the pup will be reluctant to eliminate if they then have to sit in it. Doesn't mean the pup doesn't feel the need to eliminate earlier - just that they'll usually hold on as long as possible rather than wetting the crate. So you can generally leave a pup crated during the day for a maximum period (in hours) of the pup's age in months + 1 to a maximum of 8 hours (8 hours is the maximum an adult dog should ever be asked to hold it - and if you don't have to ask a dog to hold on that long, then don't.).

Personally, I would not be providing a litter tray or any other pad or newspaper for the puppy to pee indoors. That simply slows down housetraining and is confusing for the pup. It's difficult enough for them to grasp the concept of pottying outdoors without exception when there are no exceptions. Keep making exceptions, and the pup will take a heck of a lot longer to figure out what you really mean by it. The sole exceptions to that rule should be if there is absolutely nowhere outdoors for the pup to eliminate, or if you have to leave her unattended all day (in which case she cannot possibly be expected not to potty).

I would take her outside to eliminate (every hour, PLUS immediately after waking, playing and a few minutes after eating or drinking). And praise madly - make the sort of fuss that will have your neighbours thinking you've lost it - every time she successfully potties outdoors. Eventually it will filter into her mind that it is the location that is what makes you so incredibly pleased with her - and then she'll keep doing it.

Lastly, on the food: yes, I'd certainly upgrade her to something of better quality than Nutro lamb/rice. The concept of "you are what you eat" applies just as much to dogs as it does to people ;)

[ashley1135]

A big thank you to everyone...I appreciate all the advice. Sulley and I are settling into a routine and getting to know each other. He is such a joy and I've decided he's brilliant (though admittedly I might be a bit biased.)

He has adopted a crate...and he really did claim it! He reminded me of a hermit crab looking for a new shell. I looked over and he was moving all his toys into the open crate, plus a few other things he found, then he laid down and took a nap. So it's his now.

I'm getting ready to introduce a new food and have been hearing a lot about Innova....any strong opinions about this brand? Thanks again!

[gmacleod]

Innova is a very good food :) Probably one of the top five or so on the market. There's nothing in this world that suits every single dog, of course, but that's certainly one food that gets a LOT more positive reviews than negative ones. Based on it's ingredient list, I'd say that's one of the best choices you could make.

[Roland]

Innova is a good food, but since it has about 45% protein it may not be great for a puppy. If they grow too fast it could be hard on their joints.

[gmacleod]

Innova is a good food, but since it has about 45% protein it may not be great for a puppy. If they grow too fast it could be hard on their joints.
That is Innova EVO ;) Not the regular brand Innova.

And I'd agree - never give EVO to a growing puppy. Excessive amounts of protein (amongst other things) can cause permanent musculoskeletal damage. It is implicated in a wide range of disorders ranging from exacerbation of things like hip/elbow displasia right through to hypertrophic osteodystrophy (and the latter is sometimes fatal).

For adults though, EVO may quite possibly be the best dry dog food it is currently possible to get.

[Roland]

Oops. I didn't know Innova made a different brand of dog food.

[wendykei]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents. Congratulations on the puppy!! I don't know if you're going through this at all, but after a few weeks with Sidney, I loved him to pieces but was stressed to the max. With 3 a.m. walks every night, I just didn't know how long I'd make it. But it didn't take long before I trusted Sidney's bladder enough to make it through the night. (BTW, I am crate training Sidney. He loves his crate--when I open the door in the a.m., he often doesn't want to come out because he's nice and comfy.) Also, there were many, MANY accidents in the house no matter how closely I watched him--he could squat faster than I could pick him up and run to the elevator, out the three exterior doors, etc., to his pee area. I felt really frustrated and thought I was failing in the training department. But he's really getting the hang of it--he's almost 6 months and doing so well lately!! So think positively and try not to get too frustrated or stressed because they are just babies and it takes some time. :)

Also, the other thing that totally stressed me out was that before Sidney was fully vaccinated he couldn't go outside to play much. I had a hard time getting him interested in any of toys (even now I struggle to find toys that he'll really go crazy for), so he wasn't getting a lot of exercise. He started chewing everything like crazy to burn off all his energy. He'd constantly try to chase and nip at my feet/shoes thinking it was a game every time I walked around. However, since I started taking him out for long walks and to the dog park, he has been the most enjoyable dog to be around. He is mellow at home and just a sweetheart. He is the love of my life!! appicon So just a reminder to try to figure out ways to get your pup plenty of exercise so you can stay sane!!

[ashley1135]

Thanks so much for the information on the food and the encouragement with my puppy. It helps when you know people understand what you're going through. It's been a while since I've raised a puppy and Frenchies are a new breed for me. My last dog was a Great Dane...a beautiful blue who I lost unexpectedly this weekend. It's been a hard last few days dealing with the stress of a new pup and grieving over my dog. If I'd known he was going to die I probably wouldn't have gotten a new dog when I did. Almost feels like I'm replacing him. But I want to do a great job raising this puppy and I appreciate the insightful answers everyone provides.

[miss heather]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts are with you.

[Carolyn]

I'm really sorry to hear about your loss.... Danes are wonderful dogs. This pup has some big shoes to fill.

[franp]

Ashley,

I believe that Sully came to you at just the right time..May the memories of the love get you thru the difficult days ahead.

Fran

[cookiesmug]

I'm very sorry for your loss...