I find myself in possession of a new puppy; haven’t had one in years. I know to make sure that it’s checked properly by a vet, and I know I’ll have fun training it to NOT ON THE CARPET!!! and NO!! NOT MY BEST (or even worst) SHOES!!!, but I’d welcome any additional recommendations about how to get rid of (ick) fleas on a 10-wk-old puppy and any other exceptionally good tips others would care to share.
Now…let’s see if I can understand what she wants me to name her. (Oh, yes…at what age do you recommend she be spayed?)
“There will always be somebody who’s never read a book who’ll know twice what you know.” - D.Duchovny
For fleas, ask your vet about Sentinel. The pup needs a heartworm pill anyway, and Sentinal is a combination of Interceptor (a heartworm and other parasites med), and Program, a flea pill. If your pet takes Program, any fleas that bite it become sterile. I have six cats and a dog, and have never had a flea problem. The dog, who goes out, gets Sentinel year-round, and the cats get Program in the summer.
I recommend cage-training your puppy. Works better than any other housebreaking technique I’ve ever seen. You never have to scold the pup, because its own instincts keep it from widdling on the carpet.
My vet told me the worst behavior I would ever see from my dog would be when she was five to ten months. G-D was she right. But we made it through that period, and now she’s great.
When she’s teething, put anything she might ever remotely consider chewing out of her range.
–Rowan
Shopping is still cheaper than therapy. --my Aunt Franny
mangeorge, she hasn’t met cats yet…and I don’t imagine she’ll care if yours is hun or un-hun. She’s a PUPPY.
Rowan…thanks for the info. I’ve got a puppy cage…I’ll drag it out of storage and get it set up. I’d heard to use Advantage, but I agree with you about the heartworm essentials (went through that with a Yorkie years ago…gads).
We’ll work on the teething thing…so far, we’re relegated to freshly washed socks (NO!) or decorative baskets (NO! NO!), but we’ll work through this.
Oh, she told me her name is Jessica.
“There will always be somebody who’s never read a book who’ll know twice what you know.” - D.Duchovny
Pig EARS?? I know about pig hooves…I recall years ago believing I’d broken my feet on them several times, but pig ears? Okay, I’ll look for them.
As far as how she “told” me her name is Jessica…we just sort of sat there…face to face. I was running names through my mind, and feeling them rejected. Suddenly, the name Jessica came out of nowhere. I said the name, and she smiled, as if to say, “well, I’m glad THAT part’s over.”
“There will always be somebody who’s never read a book who’ll know twice what you know.” - D.Duchovny
I have used Bio Spot for my dog and I believe it is the best product on the market. Not only is it completely effective for my dog, it smells very pleasant. Plus, I prefer topical treatments for my dog whenever I can avoid treatments that he must ingest.
Puppy, eh? What kind? Is she cute? (do they MAKE puppies who aren’t cute? lol!)
The best advice I can give you is to take your puppy to a puppy obedience class. I did with mine, and it made a WORLD of difference. She learned the basic stuff - sit, stay, etc. but the most important thing she got was a chance to socialize with other dogs. I could never deal with a dog that wanted to kill all other dogs, and I think the early class made her more comfortable around her own kind. The class we did was called “Puppy Kindergarten” and it was enjoyable for us humans, too.
The other thing you need to do is to buy LOTS and LOTS of chew toys. Our puppy never chewed up anything of importance because she alway had “her” things to chew on.
And, buy a bunch of “Nature’s Miracle.” You can find it at pet stores. It’s a liquid containing some kind of enzyme that eats up the stuff that causes urine (and other) smells. You spray it on the spot, and it goes to work. A week later you’d never know your puppy had an accident.
Athena…she’s a border collie-something-else (probably black lab) mix, and, yes, she’s cute. Thank you, Rowan, handy, rseneres and falcon2 for the great suggestions…and thanks for the giggle, mangeorge.
We have a great place for obedience training and “temp housing” nearby. I’ll check into that next.
“There will always be somebody who’s never read a book who’ll know twice what you know.” - D.Duchovny
Mazey;
It’s good to see someone take the responsibility of pet ownership so seriously.You already mentioned that you plan to have her spayed. Good. You’ll be better friends for it. Jessica’s vet can tell you when.
I had a border collie when I was a kid. Great dog. Very smart and FULL of energy. She’ll need lots of play time.
My cat (who refuses to be named) would probably love to play with her.
Enjoy life with your new friend.
Peace,
mangeorge
Mazey, hooray for new babies!! Puppies are fun but a lot of work. Everyone has given you a lot of good advice so I’ll just add one thing: be careful of too many pigs ears or rawhide treats. The pigs ears are very fatty and the rawhide treats can sometimes get chewed into slivers that can cause intestinal damage. There’s a brand of chew toy called “Nyla-bone” that’s supposed to be really great. Stays hard for the chew toy aspect and when they do chew it down, it does it in small, unobtrusive pieces. Made in lots of different sizes and varieties and I think that eventhough they are more expensive than the rawhide, they are generally safer and last longer.
Good luck and give Jessica a hug for me!
…it has never been my way to bother much about things which you can’t cure.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court-Mark Twain
Lots of good answers given thus far. I agree with the people who have advised crate training and puppy classes. Sentinel is a wonderful product and very safe, but if you have a heavy flea problem you might want to try Advantage as well. You can use Advantage and Sentinel at the same time. I am wary of any over the counter flea control products, as many of them can be dangerous to a pet’s health. Many chew toys can also be somewhat dangerous, so I agree with the person who advised the Nyla-bone prducts.
Spaying can be done at almost any age but typically done when an animal is 5-6 months old. I advise pre-anesthetic bloodwork before any sort of surgical procedure, and a pain injection afterwards. Ask your vet if he/she provides these services. Microchipping a dog at the time of spaying is also a good idea.
Our dog, when he was a puppy, always wanted to chew on everything and had a real knack for lifting the lid to our kitchen trash can with his nose and digging out all manner of garbage. For a week or so, I took jalapeno peppers, cut off the end and rubbed the exposed fresh pepper on things we wanted him to leave alone… worked like a charm…
Another trick that we used to keep him off the furniture was to keep loaded water pistols around. When he jumped up, we blasted him… kind of therapeutic for frustrated pet owners, too…
Hey, speaking as one who’s also training a new puppy right now, I have a book recommendation: “The Art of Raising A Puppy,” by the Monks of New Skete. It’s a comprehensive manual of not only how-to but why, and it demonstrates some excellent training methods based on the observed pack behavior of wolves in the wild. These guys are Eastern Orthodox monks in New York State who’ve been raising German Shepherds for years, and they have a ton of insights into doggy behavior. Breeders recommend them, and the methods they use are compatible with most obedience courses. [A NY pal tells me she has the impression they also make whiskey butI have found no mention of that.]There’s a website if you’re interested: www.dogsbestfriend.com. Thought you might find this useful.
Again, thank you ALL (now BunnyGirl, JoeyBlades, salieri2…and Michelle…I’ve been reading up on your emergency pet info…thank you for putting your valuable “2-cents” worth in). I’ve learned of an exceptionally good vet nearby (couldn’t get Jessica in before tomorrow), and will go over ALL of these things with him. My previous vet was superb, but a 90-mile roundtrip is not feasible.
Fleas are a terrible problem in South Texas, so all bets seem to be on Advantage for them. Because of heat and humidity, we have mosquitos (-toes?) as well, so heartworm preventatives are essential.
Since I had a beloved dog who developed diabetes, I’m really cautious about the right food for the dog (Jess’s prior owners apparently did some “table scraps”, which we’re getting OUT of her repertoire), as well as the right treats. SOME kind of chewies are a must, however…my fingers are getting a little “ventilated”.
We’ve had our first go-round with cage-training. Jessica’s vehemently opposed thus far, but since I’m the “alpha dog”, I’ll persist. It’s either that or we move outside. Nonetheless, Jessie’s getting pretty good at instantly squatting when we go outside, and I’m full of praise and pats for her efforts.
The one thing I have to share is that if you find yourself in the midst of replacing your wooden fence with another, don’t forget to add “puppy windows”…double the fence boards and make a double-sided screened box for viewing. I still have these from my last dog, and Jessie just loves to see what’s going on outside the fence…from within her safety zone.
You all have been most kind to take the time and post your suggestions; I promise to follow them all as much as possible.
“There will always be somebody who’s never read a book who’ll know twice what you know.” - D.Duchovny
Hi! I suggest that since you have a border collie/mix that you give her a LOT of exercise. I see you live in Texas. If someone you know has horses, sheep, cattle-let your dog run with them. They need it. Our poor BC-who I adopted though I didn’t want to, chases our pool cleaner robot around for 4 hours a day and gives it the “eye”. Personally, I just train my dogs to go outside by leaving them outdoors and bringing them in, watching. But if you don’t have a yard, crate training is the easiest way.
Since you live in Texas, I would recommend that you talk seriously with your vet about effective tick control. Deer ticks (which carry lyme disease) are pretty common in Texas.
Yes, deer ticks are a problem near my home. Lyme disease vaccination handled, and we’re using Program to combat fleas AND ticks. Other than that, she checked out very well…small infection that has her on a sulfa drug daily for 10 days.
Found puppy gates at Wal-Mart for about a third the cost as PetSmart, as well as a puppy pool, and some other good things for her.
One little problem has been with the Nylabones. Got her 3 varieties, and she ended up *really* liking the peanut-flavored one the most. As I sat here, working away, she chewed up HALF of it.
The emergency vet clinic recommends I give her a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. (sigh)
“There will always be somebody who’s never read a book who’ll know twice what you know.” - D.Duchovny
She ate the Nylabone that fast? She must have some powerful jaws. I used to give those to my dogs all the time, and they really lasted. Are you sure they were Nylabones, and not something gereric? I plan to adopt another puppy someday, and won’t use them if there’s a problem.
Peanut flavored? Cool.
Peace,
mangeorge
