A few puppy questions...

[Kade]

Winston is almost 10 weeks old... I have a few questions that I would love some help with!

1. I'm getting mixed messages about how much to feed him. The dog food bag says 1 1/4 cups per day for a 5 lb. dog, and that seems completely insane to me. After eating half that amount, Winston is as round as a little piggy. Is there any rule of thumb? I feed him 4 times a day, and he inhales it every time, but I feel like the servings are pretty large.

2. What's the fastest way to calm an insane puppy? Because he's so good during the day, he's a devil in the evening. Unfortunately, without his boosters, he can't really go for walks. So I'm left with this wild-eyed, panting muppet of a puppy who wants to bite ME.

3. How do I tell my boss not to use her hands as toys when she plays with him? LOL

4. When can I expect a bit of relief from the constant puppy monitoring? Be honest, I'd rather know now that keep thinking "next week" will be better for the next 10 months.

5. How old does he have to be to have peanut butter?

6. Does anyone have a recipe for a tabasco mixture to put on leashes, etc.? We've tried bitter apple spray but he happens to find it delicious.

Thank you! If you can't tell, I'm feeling a little frazzled today.

[Ritz459]

Hmm..well, I can only answer your first question. lol I go by what is on the bag, but then I increase the amount of food or decrease the amount of food, depending on how the dog physically looks.
For instance: Blackie is a little piggy. He'll eat and eat and eat. He gets about 3 1/2 to 4 cups a day and is a pretty good weight (80lbs) and he "looks" good. He has that hourglass shape and I can feel his ribs with slight presure. If I went by how much he'd eat, he'd probably eat about 6 cups a a day, but he'd be fatter than fat.
Rose weighs less than Blackie (only about 65lbs or so), but she gets the same amount of food he does, and she is almost starting to get too skinny. (Actually, she is probably perfect, but I'm used to overweight dogs, so she seems skinny to me. lol) I can feel her ribs with slight presure, and she has that hourglass shape when veiwed from above.
So I'd just go by what he looks like. If he is getting chubby, cut down on his food a little. If it seems like he is skinny, up it a little. Don't go by how much he eats.
(And, BTW, 1 1/4 cups does seem a little too much...my Grandma's Schnauzer who weighs about 15lbs, eats a little over a cup a day (I think 1/3 cup three times a day, but I'm not sure), and she is perfect weight.)

[Ritz459]

Oh, and how you tell your boss not to do that...say very polietly, "I'm trying to train him not to bite/play with people's hands/feet so he won't accidentally bite somebody one of these days. So can you please stop?" Then you can show him/her how to play with the puppy, and what to do if the puppy does bite his/her feet/hands.

[Angel Puppy]

I can only answer a few questions...as I'm very new at this...

1) Angel is almost 3 months and she weighs 3 1/2 lbs (she's tiny) and we feed her twice a day , once in the morning and once at supper, and her servings just cover the bottom of the bowl..so depends how big your hands are, I's day about 2 1/2 hand fulls...

The vet, the dog nutritionist, and the pet store workers all agreed on this amount...

During the day she gets a treat here and there...but other than that, just alot of water...

2) Angel is wild and hyper like that too... We can start taking her out soon...but she too is trapped inside for now...I guess the whole scheduling will take time... She tends to get hyper early in the morning and at night, when everyone's ready for bed...the trick is to let her run around and play with her toys, and EXHAUST her so that she's too tired to play later...doesnt always work...but I guess others can give suggestions on that one..

Try putting the puppy in an area where she doesnt require too much monitoring...block off dangerous places/things and let her run around...the key really is toys and little thing to occupy themselves with...

4) My mother has asked around for that one... Apparently it depends on the breed, but mostly on her training which strictly depends on you ... From what I've been told though it takes a good year to get everything under control...

[Kade]

Thanks, Ritz and Angel Puppy! The boss has been successfully reformed. Angel, that sounds about like the amount Winston gets.

[paramount]

I think it's hard to say when everything is under control but it is perfectly normal to have those points where you feel like ripping out your hair. The key is having a place where you can let your pup safely play so you can give yourself a timeout. With that said, the first few months of owning a pup can be really overwhelming, but as each week passes things become easier as you learn to handle your furry bundle of joy.

[Kade]

Originally Posted by paramount

I think it's hard to say when everything is under control but it is perfectly normal to have those points where you feel like ripping out your hair.

Oh, yes, been there.

[Pippinislove]

1. My ten pound dog gets about 3/4 cup a day. The best way to find how much food is to give him a certain amount and see if he gains or loses weight over a period of time, if he gains, give him less, if he loses, give him more, if he maintains, than it's the right about.

2. I would exercise him several times throughout the day, not just when he is hyper. If you get all his energy out through constructive walks and and short training sessions several times during the day, he won't have any energy at night. Also, at night it is cooler, my dog lazes around all day but gets hyper when it cools down.

3. Just say "Please don't play with him with your hands, please use a toy. I don't want him growing up thinking it is okay to bite at hands." Simple as that. Most people won't take offense if you ask calmly and explain why. If she still persists ask again, and if that doesn't work tell her you won't let her play with the dog at all.

4. I stopped the constant puppy monitering when my dog was about 7 months old. At that age he was allowed to be in a room by himself, and I trusted him to know his potty schedule and not to have an accident.

5. He's old enough to have peanut butter.

And for the boosters. Go ahead and take him for walks. He's had one round of them, and more dogs die (aka put to sleep or abandoned) from socialization problems (aka they are afraid of everything and bite) than diseases that are immunized against. Just don't let him eat poop/play with dogs that haven't been given their shots. Socialization is VERY important, and if you don't get him used to things like pet stores, cars, trains, random strangers, strange dogs, etc. now, it'll be much harder to do when he's older and given all his shots. That's just my opinion, though.

[Kade]

Thanks! I somehow missed this post. Great advice, all of it.

I'm grateful that he's allowed at work, because everyone in the office loves him and comes to say hi to him at least twice a day, LOL. He's very receptive to everyone, and he's great in the car for the twice-daily one-hour commute. But I think I'll start walking him around the neighborhood probably next week, after he gets his second set of shots.

[calgal]

As for the leash problem, I'd buy the chain kind till he's older and stops all the chewing that's going on now. Peanut butter is an excellent treat in moderation. Good protien, as well as white cheese (yellow has coloring added) cottage cheese and yogurt. If he's on a really good premium kibble, he shouldn't eat as much as with the cheap brands because they don't use fillers and he's satisified without having to eat so much. Also the cheap brands spray rancid used restaurant oil on their kibble because it stinks so bad plus the oil entices the dog to act like he LOVES that food! http://www.belfield.com/article.3.html

[atincher]

My dog actually LIKED the tabasco sauce! My vet recommended Vicks Vapo-Rub - granted, you won't smell great, but she won't chew the leash, woodwork, nothing!!

[Kade]

Originally Posted by atincher

My dog actually LIKED the tabasco sauce! My vet recommended Vicks Vapo-Rub - granted, you won't smell great, but she won't chew the leash, woodwork, nothing!!

LOL, well, if a dog in the world likes it, that's a guarantee that Winston will, too. I'll look into the Vapo-Rub -- thanks for the tip!

[meganc]

i can only answer one of your questions and thats how to calm an insane puppy. im not exactly sure how to but your puppy is young and he's only being a puppy my friend has a 11 week old pug and he is soo crazy but puppys will mature and know better later on so let him be a puppy and if he gets too crazy put him in time out that works some times you should try it. tell me how it works out