food,exercise

Question
hello I have a new beagl puppy 12 weeks old. I give her Purina puppy chow
but she doesnt seem to like it is the regular walmart brand ok for her to
eat too? she prefers it to the other stuff.
  also Im trying to crate train her and she in there alot all night and
some of the day also on and off. I let her play out as often as I can. Im
trying to get her to where shes out all the time but attacks my children
and even draws bolld to them. is she lacking exercise? I dont have a
fenced in yard but is that why shes so agressive in the house? thanks


Answer
Hi Sandra,

Congratulations on getting the puppy!

If you only recently got the puppy, it would explain why she is fussy about the food. It may be a different brand than what she's been eating. A dog will not starve itself, don't worry she will eat. If you begin switching brands, or adding tidbits to the food in an effort to make her eat, you will actually be training her to be a fussy eater. Stand your ground now, and you will have a dog that will not fuss at mealtime.

What you can do is mix a little of the new food into the old food, and very gradually- over 4-5 days change the ratio so that in the end the puppy is only eating the new food. Dogs and puppies actually have sensitive digestive systems, and any sudden change of food can cause an upset stomach.

I really don't know anything about the Walmart brand of puppy food. You can compare the two ingredient labels to see how the two brands stack up to one another.

It's good that you are crate training the puppy. Again, once the dog is grown you'll be happy that you endured a couple of nights of crying. However a 12 week old puppy is a baby and can not (and should not) be crated during the day, and all night too. Over night crating is a necessity, but during the day a puppy as young as yours should not be crated longer than 1 or 2 hours.

For those times when you need the puppy confined, but don't want to crate her, maybe you can set up a child gate in a puppy safe room. There are also "puppy playpens" you can buy.

Your puppy is not really attacking the children or acting aggressive, she's actually trying to play, but those needle sharp teeth sure do hurt! From the very start, you and your children can be training the pup not to bite or nip while playing.

When she gets really wound up and the nipping gets out of control, sometimes it helps to firmly hold the puppy down (roll her onto her back if she'll let you) and hold her firmly without hurting her. Talk to her softly and only let her go when she relaxes and is calm. Then praise her. This will also help establish you as the pack leader, something that every dog needs to know. This is probably something best left for you, and not your children to do, as the kids might not know how to hold her so as not to hurt the puppy.

Provide the puppy with acceptable chew toys such as Kong toys, and nylabones. Do not give her discarded shoes or clothing. She can't differentiate between old and new clothing. Never strike or yell at your pup during this time. You will only frighten and confuse her, and could create unwanted aggression.

When approaching or playing with your pup, or during training sessions, keep your hand closed in a fist. Then your fingers are not available for chewing. It is much harder for her to chew on your fist, and it makes a less interesting toy for her.

Speak to your pup in her language. If she chews on your or your clothing, give out a loud "OUCH"! She will stop mouthing immediately. Remove your hand from her. Even put it behind your back, and promptly give her a more appropriate toy to chew on. You can use the same "OUCH" for anything you do not want her to chew on. Be sure to immediately redirect her to what is okay for her to chew on.

Not playing "tug of war" games will help. Those types of games gives a puppy the mixed signal that using it's mouth for play is acceptable.

Make sure your puppy gets plenty of exercise. A growing puppy that has too little exercise starts looking for something to do... and that usually mean chewing on something!

You can read more about how to train a puppy not to bite here:
http://www.dogpatch.org/training/biting.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1128&S=1&SourceID=47

Lastly, I will suggest that you enroll the pup in a puppy kindergarten class, which teaches the most basic obedience lessons, such as walking nicely on a leash, stitting on command and coming when called. It will also help in socializing your puppy to different people and dogs.

I hope I've been a help. Best of luck,

Patti