Questions About My New Pup Plz Help

[Bo's Mum]

hi there gettin our new puppy next week he will be 8weeks old i just have a few questions any help anwering these would be much appreciated
1.how soon after bo has eaten do we take him out to "relieve" himself?

2.how will i know when to cut his feeds down to 3 or 4 he is currently on 5 a day 6.30am then 10am then 2pm then 6pm then 10pm?

3.how long do i keep gving him his puppy milk for he currently has it in the morning then again with his tea?

4.if i cut out the 10am feed will he be ok just having the milk until his lunchtime feed?

sorry about all the questions i jus wanna make sure im doin everythin rite for bo
 
carly

[Cob-Web]

hi Carly, welcome to COL


Molo was on dry complete food when he came home, so I can't help too much I'm afraid, but I am sure some more experienced members will be along soon  

[Jane S]

Hi Carly

Welcome to COL If you are buying BO from a reputable breeder, he or she should provide you with a diet sheet which will give you info on when to reduce the meals down from the usual 4 meals at 8 weeks to 3 meals generally at 4 months. He/she will also be able to advise when to cut out the milk feeds (not all breeders feed milky foods to their puppies once weaned) Good breeders also supply information on toilet training & other aspects of puppy care but I would recommend you buy a copy of "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey which is an invaluable book on puppy training for the new owner. You asked about taking Bo out to relieve himself & this should be done immediately after he has eaten, every time he wakes up from a nap & every time he has been having a play session etc - puppies need taking outside to toilet at very regular intervals throughout the day (every hour is not too often to begin with) which is one of the reasons very young puppies should not be left alone for long periods during the day.

Jane

[PennyB]

Mine came with a diet sheet from the breeder and they were already on dry complete food and no milk in the diet.

As Jane says get the Gwen Bailey book as it also gives you an idea of a schedule for pups re food/sleep/play/housetraining. Pups are hard work as they do take up a lot of time to help guide them to eventually be sociable adults.

[~Jilly~]

Hi Carly and welcome to COL  

Congratulations on your new puppy - I am sure you will have lots of fun with him

We got our Bella 9 days ago and I can tell you that you will have lots of fun and he's sure to make you laugh quite a bit but there will also be times you are pulling your hair out so I would also recommend the good puppy book or the k.i.s.s. puppy book, both are very helpful and will answer most of the questions you will have.

On the questions you asked -

1.how soon after bo has eaten do we take him out to "relieve" himself? - straight away!! I can't stress this enough, do not wait even half a minute, as soon as he's finished eating get him outside. This also applies to the minute they wake up, straight outside.

2.how will i know when to cut his feeds down to 3 or 4 he is currently on 5 a day 6.30am then 10am then 2pm then 6pm then 10pm? - follow the diet sheet the breeder gives you but I would think he should be on 4 meals at 8 weeks old, we feed Bella at 7am, 12noon, 4pm and 9pm, she was having puppy porridge/meat & complete biscuits/scrambled egg/meat & complete biscuits but we've gradually cut the other bits out so she's now just on the complete food.

3.how long do i keep gving him his puppy milk for he currently has it in the morning then again with his tea? - again follow the diet sheet but I personally would be gradually reducing this and then cutting it out feeding pup a complete food.

4.if i cut out the 10am feed will he be ok just having the milk until his lunchtime feed? - I don't think so, Bella loves her food and I don't think she'd go until 2pm with just having milk. Rather than just cutting out the 10am feed I'd be inclined to adjust the four times accordingly so they're evenly spaced.

Only other thing I would say is if you haven't already got a crate, get one. I know some of them are quite expensive but they are an absolute godsend. I didn't like the idea before we got Bella but it has proved invaluable and she loves it too

[PennyB]

Only other thing I would say is if you haven't already got a crate, get one. I know some of them are quite expensive but they are an absolute godsend. I didn't like the idea before we got Bella but it has proved invaluable and she loves it too

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Crates are brilliant but they must be used wisely and not to excess (and not as a punishment).

[~Jilly~]

Only other thing I would say is if you haven't already got a crate, get one. I know some of them are quite expensive but they are an absolute godsend. I didn't like the idea before we got Bella but it has proved invaluable and she loves it too

[snapback]128743[/snapback]

Crates are brilliant but they must be used wisely and not to excess (and not as a punishment).

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that is important, especially as you've said you will be working full time. Bella probably spends an average 1-2 hours max in her crate during the day (in bits and bobs)