Getting my jrt sooner then planned.....

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hello again, I have found a litter of jack russle terriers that will be ready to go on the 16th of this month, they are five weeks now and I'm going to see them to pick one out and put a deposit on one this sunday, I found the ad in a locle newspaper..... this is how I found my lab as well. The pups tails are docked, dew claws remopved and they will be getting there first shot on the 9th, I'v got everything exept the puppy, food & I still need a few more toys. I will be getting a male and as it turns out all four pups in that litter are males! Well I am now wondering if its possible to tell the subbmissive pups from the domante ones at five weeks of age? It also turns out that I am moving in with my mother shortly after I get the puppy, now she has those two bichon-shiztuz's,  they are free fed(I'll ahev to get them on shedualed meals, they are fed table scraps... which wil need to stop as my dog doesnt get table scraps neither will the puppy. Now these two dogs don't like my lab the one snarls if she bothers her the other is more passive and will just run away from my lab..... my lab loves them but I'm afriad they just don't feel the same way lol THe two dogs are slgihtly over weight and need a diet but they are so picky.... if you have any ideas on how to get them to like a better low fat food and stop wanting table scraps that would be great, As I said the pup will be eating Nutro narutal choice ultra puppy shortly after I get him I am wondering if changing him from his old food(not sure what brand yet) will be easy as smaller dogs mainly toy's seem to be very picky about what they eat(for instant the ones treats the two bichonX's will eat are beggin stirps they turn up there noses to any hard treats lol). Also what is the best thing to clean up "acctidents" with? would pure viniger work?

Also during the night I'm sure the pup will need to "go" again before I get up.... will it cry so I can get up and take it out?

And lastlywhat is the best way to introduce the pup to all the other dogs?

THank you for any help in advance.
Answer -
Since you are dead-set in buying a puppy from a backyard breeder, all I can say is that I hope your pup doesn't end up with any genetic diseases or other problems, and I'm sorry you see nothing wrong with supporting such a breeder.

It is not really possible to tell dominant pups from submissive pups at just 5 weeks of age because a pup that is submissive now could turn out to be the head honcho in a few weeks. You just never know. They should remain with their mother and littermates until they are at LEAST 8 weeks old. It is during this time that they learn proper 'manners' like bite inhibition and how to properly interact with other dogs. Puppies that were removed from their mothers before 8 weeks of age can develop into adults that are aggressive towards other dogs, bite and chew on things that are inappropriate (far past the teething age), and be overly mouthy and/or pushy towards their owners, among other things.

Ask the breeder if you can just put a deposit down without making a hard decision just yet. Tell her you want to make sure you pick just the right puppy, and that you'd like to come and visit them at least 3 or 4 more times before making a decision. If she won't let you do that, then you need to find another breeder.

When you move in with your mother, you need to keep your lab separated from her dogs unless you are there to supervise them. They should eventually work out who's boss and they will get used to each others' presence. Until the puppy has had all its shots, do not let it interact with ANY of the dogs. Even if their vaccines are up to date, they could still be carrying something that might be harmful (even deadly) to the puppy. The puppy's immune system is not built up yet, and it will be very sensitive to any little thing for a while. Talk to your vet about when it would be appropriate to allow the puppy to actually interact with other dogs without fear of becoming sick.

I've found that the best way to introduce a puppy to other dogs is to start out indirectly. Allow them to see each other, but not actually get close enough to touch. Do this for a few days. Once they are used to seeing each other, then you can allow them to actually interact. Do not let all of the dogs meet the puppy at one time; they should be introduced separately. If the other dog(s) become too rough or rambunctious with the puppy, make sure to tell them NO and then remove them from the situation. They should learn to be gentle with the puppy or else they will not get to be with the puppy. To be honest, I'm more worried about the little dogs than the lab, but everything should go fine.

As for getting the other dogs to lose some pounds, firstly, cut out ALL table scraps. Period. That may cause them to refuse to eat their regular food, but do NOT give in and give them anything BUT their dog food. My cousin has two Bichons and they are the same way as your mom's. In addition to cutting out all table scraps, like you said, get them on a schedule. Look on the back of their food bag and see what the recommended feeding amount per day is for their weight. Bichons and Shih-tzu's should weigh between 9-16 pounds, so that's what you should look for on the back of the bag. See what the daily recommended amount is and feed half of that in the morning and half in the evening. Put their dish down and leave it there for 15 minutes, then take it back up. If they haven't eaten, too bad. Offer it to them again in the evening. Leave it down for 15 minutes and then take it up again. Throw out whatever they have not eaten. They will soon learn to eat when food is put down or they won't get to eat at all. They may make you *think* you're starving them to death, but be assured, they will not starve themselves, no matter how picky they are. They will eventually eat their food, even though it isn't what *they* wanted. What dry food are they on now? Are you planning on switching them to Nutro Natural Choice's 'diet' food? Do they have any allergies that you know of?


White vinegar is good to clean up accidents with, but be careful; it can discolor some surfaces. I would mix it with water rather than using just pure vinegar. Mix it half and half, or one part vinegar to three parts water. Nature's Miracle (which can be bought at K-mart) is a good over-the-counter cleaner.


I do not know whether the pup will cry when it has to go at night or not. Your best bet (assuming you follow my advice and wait until it is 8 weeks old before you bring it home) is to take him out right before you go to bed, and set your alarm clock for about two hours later. Take him out again and remember to praise, praise, praise when he goes outside. Repeat every two hours, unless he has already soiled his crate when you go to take him out - then try every hour and 45 minutes. As a general rule (I don't remember if I told you this already or not), he should be able to hold it 1 hour for every month of age. At 8 weeks, that means he's 2 months old, so he *should* be able to hold it for approximately an hour and a half to two hours before he has to go.

Kristen





Hello again and thank your help, the small dogs are on kibbles'n'bits as this is the only food we could get them to eat that wasnt 50 bucks a bag, I belive there is a kibbles'n'bits lean but I'm not too sure, most of our dogs wrer brought home before eight weeks including one of the bichon/shiztuz's.... and they turned out fine. Also My lab has a few things I'd like to stop her from doing before I bring the puppy home... she jumps up onto the window sill(she puts her feet there and looks out and if someones walking she will bark), she will bark if someone is in the back alley and she nearly jumps our 5+ foot fence & she sometimes puts her feet on the counter..... how can I stop these or at lest stop her from doing them offen at home? (perferbly a home remidee), and lastly how many toys should each dog have?  

Answer
Well, since the little dogs are on Kibbles 'N Bits, and you say they are picky, use the KNB Lite formula for helping them to lose some pounds. Even though KNB is a horrible, nasty food, use it if that's what they're used to eating, and then when they're down to a healthy weight, you can switch them to something a little better if you like.

Here's how I stopped my dog from jumping up on the windowsill when we went outside:

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and go back to the flooring department. Ask a salesperson where the clear carpet runners/carpet protectors are. There are two kinds; one has larger "teeth" that are spaced a bit further apart - this is the side that is supposed to go down onto the carpet. The "teeth" hold it in place. You do not want the kind with the larger, wider spaced "teeth." You want the kind with the smaller, closer spaced "teeth." I can't remember if that's for low or high pile carpet though. The salesperson will have to cut you some. You shouldn't need a lot. Depending on how many windows you have and how wide the sills are, base the amount you buy on that. What you're going to do is cut the stuff into strips that you can place on the windowsills "teeth" side up. You may need to get some doublesided tape to hold them in place. When your dog puts her paws on the windowsill, it will be a very uncomfortable feeling - little pricklies - and she should jump down immediately. Don't worry; the "teeth" are not sharp enough to hurt her. They will not draw blood or anything to that extent. You can use it on the counters, too. I've used the stuff to teach foster cats not to jump on the kitchen counters/table/etc. as well. It can also be used to help teach pets not to go into certain rooms without using a baby gate or closing the door to that room. It works in the same manner as a 'Scat Mat' but is much less expensive and doesn't use any electricity or batteries.

As for barking at people in the back alley - you might not want to discourage her from that. You never know who might be lurking back there.  

To keep her from potentially jumping the fence, you need to teach her to respect the fence as her boundary. The easiest way is to get either an electric fence that has been designed specifically for use in containing pets (these can also be found at Lowe's or Home Depot) and string it along the top of the fence (which will also help keep people from sticking their hands into the fence and might keep raccoons and such out of the yard also). I have no personal experience with this, so I don't know how difficult or pricey it is. Another alternative is to get an Invisible Fence system (which again, can be purchased at Lowe's, Home Depot, certain pet stores, and even some K-marts). Since the insulation on the wire that comes with these systems is light-sensitive and will decay if exposed to sunlight for long periods of time, you'll also need to get some kind of flexible conduit to run the wire through. Weave it through the existing fence (if it's chain-link or welded-wire), or run it along the top (if it's a privacy-type fence), whichever is easiest and most practical. Since you already have the existing fence to serve as a physical barrier, you will not need to use the little white flags that come with the system. Follow the instructions included with the system to set the boundary and teach her to stay a few feet back from the fence to avoid getting a static-correction. This will safely keep her from either digging out or jumping over. If you're leary of it, try the collar out on your leg - it doesn't hurt; it's just an unpleasant sensation.

It's up to you how many toys each dog should have.

Kristen