# 6 Week old Pup and I need some help !



## Maika (May 11, 2012)

Hi. This is my first post in this forum so hello to all. I have gained a new GSD pup who's mother would not feed them any more and the dog owner is ill. There was a litter of 4 and all went to homes at 4 weeks old, it was that or the kennels. Maika is now 6 weeks old and has had her visit to the local vet who has given her a good bill of health and a few days ago her fist inoculations and passport book needed in Spain. I know they should not leave the mother until 8 weeks but this was rather an emergency situation so I took her on and and all seems to be going well but I do have a few things I would like to ask. If I am ranting on here please point to a part of the forum best suited to my questions :blush:. I have a family with two daughters 19 and 21 and the wife, Maika gives them all sum fuss but with me she will never leave my side not even to go to the loo !. Where I go she goes accept when I have to pop out for a couple of hours and then she is in the kitchen with her water bowl, paper for wee's and her few toys, I never leave her for more than a couple of hours and when I come home she runs around with me outside on our land as we have 5.000 m2 so she has plenty of space to run when she gets older. Firstly I am giving her puppy food "Dry" which is about 15 euros a small bag and has everything in it including Omega 3 etc, now I started off giving her 100 grams a day divided into 3 feeds with warm water so it was very mushy and with a little boiled rice. I am now giving her the same amount 100 grams a day but dry and with no rice, the vet said her teeth are perfectly fine to eat dry food and she has no diarrhoea etc, but is this enough as she seems constantly hungry ?. I give her no tip bits or snacks. She is now getting bigger and starts to snap at my fingers and If i say no with a finger she snaps again, if I give her a tap and I mean just a tap on the nose and a stern "NO" she will jump back and start barking and then jump forward for another go even though I am trying to stroke her. Is this normal? for them to be so advanced in the "I want to control you" and not the other way around? I gave her half her worming tablet in a little bit of beef pate and my index finger now looks as though I have had a blood test :laugh:. Apart from this she gets loads of fuss from me, lays on me while I am watching TV, sits over my feet when I am sat outside, wee's every time I come home with excitement even though i have probably only been gone 5 minutes and in general thinks I am her mum. So yeah, she seems healthy, fit, sleeps a lot "Very hot in Spain" and she does not like the sun to much, she is happy, snaps a bit and chews on fingers, trousers, heals, and will no way let me take anything out of her mouth. We have a gravel area which she loves to try and eat and will get her back up when I try and get a stone out of her mouth which is most frustrating. Well if someone can give me some help on the above I would be very grateful. Thanks.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on the new pup. Too bad you had to take her so young. I am no expert so I hope others will post you some tips about pups so young. I will only say that you should not be popping her on the nose for anything. Try to find other distractions or give her and yourself some time out by putting her in a pen or crate. Crate training can be a big help to both of you. GSDs are famous for being landsharks as puppies and biting, nipping, grabbing are very common for the first few months. They are often stubborn and you have to be especially patient and persistent and consistent in your process of raising her.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I am no expert either but I know that puppy time with the litter is critical in naturally learning bite restraint and proper social behavior. If you don't get good answers here, I have a non GSD friend who raised a foundling that was about 3 weeks old and had been found on the side of the road ...she must have done something right...and her dog is now a certified search and rescue dog and quite fine on being around dogs and other people.....


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## Maika (May 11, 2012)

jocoyn said:


> I am no expert either but I know that puppy time with the litter is critical in naturally learning bite restraint and proper social behavior. If you don't get good answers here, I have a non GSD friend who raised a foundling that was about 3 weeks old and had been found on the side of the road ...she must have done something right...and her dog is now a certified search and rescue dog and quite fine on being around dogs and other people.....


Hi and thanks for your reply. Yes I have been told that it is critical when they leave the mother early, but luckily my parents have a house on the same land as mine and they have two dogs and two cats as well as my cat, so little Maika has her hands full with all of them I take her out ever night and they area all mixed together slowly but surely getting used to each other. She has just had her first experience in getting involved with two cats having a scrap and has now decided it was a no no and ran and sat back next to my side. I had nursed our cat when her mother went off some years ago and I had two feed her day and night with a baby bottle from a dolls toy set and she is now a fully grown daddy's girl who is watching Maika from a distance. Would love to know how to find this friend of yours for some tips. maybe you could send a personal message? All the very Best and thanks again.


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## Maika (May 11, 2012)

PaddyD said:


> Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on the new pup. Too bad you had to take her so young. I am no expert so I hope others will post you some tips about pups so young. I will only say that you should not be popping her on the nose for anything. Try to find other distractions or give her and yourself some time out by putting her in a pen or crate. Crate training can be a big help to both of you. GSDs are famous for being landsharks as puppies and biting, nipping, grabbing are very common for the first few months. They are often stubborn and you have to be especially patient and persistent and consistent in your process of raising her.


Hi PaddyD. Thanks for the welcome. Yes was a bit of a shame. I have had one before some 30 years ago and he was 3 months when I got him, superb friend and loyal to his end poor thing, killed by a drunk driver mounting the pavement when he was 8. When I tap her on the nose its is a kind of tap you would do with a human baby when playing and doing the old coochi coos bit lol so it no way hurts her I am to fond of her to do anything like that, but I have found getting down to her on floor level and asking her why she is doing that she is slowly stopping this and sits back and puts her head to one side and then the other listening to what I am saying to her in a low voice, seems to amuse her more than biting and she is taking in the words or thinking this guy is a complete nut case. Well maybe someone can give some advice about her food situation and how much she should be having. Thanks for getting back to me and all the best.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

Welcome to the land of sharks 

Instead of the little tap on her nose for the biting, try offering a toy instead. I remember when Woolf was at that stage, I had toys stashed in every room and kept one on me to use for redirecting the bites. 

For puppy food, look for a good quality one, low in calcium, no wheat or corn in it.


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## Maika (May 11, 2012)

Twyla said:


> Welcome to the land of sharks
> 
> Instead of the little tap on her nose for the biting, try offering a toy instead. I remember when Woolf was at that stage, I had toys stashed in every room and kept one on me to use for redirecting the bites.
> 
> For puppy food, look for a good quality one, low in calcium, no wheat or corn in it.


Hi Twyla. The teeth do have the lock of a shark. Yes, I tend to agree, distraction is the answer here, I have a few chews I bought for her but she does not seem that interested so off to the pet shop over the weekend. I have trained her over the past few days to fetch a ball and drop it by my side giving her a tiny chocolate drop on a few occasions very small one though due to her age, she is catching on quick, sometimes it's un canny how she just sits and observes everything going on around her. All the Best. PS Note taken on the food side.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Welcome, I would continue with the chews instead of the chocolate drops because chocolate can be bad for your pup. When she starts to nip you tell her no bite and shove one of her toys or chews in front of her. She missed out on a lot of learning not being with her siblings, but with you working with her she will catch on.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I have asked my teammate (who raised this amazing dog from a 3 weeks old discarded pup) if I can share her email address with you. Her dog is not a GSD and she is not on this forum but I will PM you if she says yes.


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## Maika (May 11, 2012)

1sttimeforgsd said:


> Welcome, I would continue with the chews instead of the chocolate drops because chocolate can be bad for your pup. When she starts to nip you tell her no bite and shove one of her toys or chews in front of her. She missed out on a lot of learning not being with her siblings, but with you working with her she will catch on.


Hi Karen. I have been and got a ball for her and some small "trainer" snacks as they call them here in Spain. They are like little tiny meat sticks which can be broken into very small pieces, I will use the toys as you suggest and I think a few little treats when she is learning could be a good idea. Thanks for your help.


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## Maika (May 11, 2012)

jocoyn said:


> I have asked my teammate (who raised this amazing dog from a 3 weeks old discarded pup) if I can share her email address with you. Her dog is not a GSD and she is not on this forum but I will PM you if she says yes.


Hi Nancy, OK that would be great if she would, all suggestions are an eye opener and great to hear other peoples stories  Thanks once again for you help, much appreciated.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

Bien venido! Yo soy Sevillana, pero resido en EEUU. Que pena que la madre dejo de amamantarlos. 

Tiene 4 semanas? 3 veces al dia esta bien. Nosotros le damos pienso de perros triturado mezclado con leche de cabra y un poco de agua caliente. Despues solo el pienso con agua.

Suerte con tu cachorro, es precioso!


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## Maika (May 11, 2012)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> Bien venido! Yo soy Sevillana, pero resido en EEUU. Que pena que la madre dejo de amamantarlos.
> 
> Tiene 4 semanas? 3 veces al dia esta bien. Nosotros le damos pienso de perros triturado mezclado con leche de cabra y un poco de agua caliente. Despues solo el pienso con agua.
> 
> Suerte con tu cachorro, es precioso!


Hola Carolina. Sevilla muy cerca, soy de Malaga, disculpa los tildes no funcionan con este teclado lol. Pues Maika esta toamndo de momento arroz con un poco de comida de bebes o yogurt natural porque tenia su poo poos in poco liquido la pobre y el vetenario pulso ella con este diete hasta hoy y ahora esta empezando con arros y muy poco pienzo para cachorros y asi poco a poco hasta eslla se va acustombrando. Ella un autentico dulce aunque estoy en un lio con su entrenamiento de no hacer sus necesidades en la casa y eso es la parte mas dificil en este momento. Ella con la tema de solidos se hace fuera y hace ruidos para decir "Necesiti ir fuera" pero lo del pe pe lo hace por todos lados y yo por detras con la frigona

Un fuerte Saludo

Kevin


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