New puppy advice :)

pinkapple

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the board and would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me. We just adopted our first "child" last friday and called her Pippa (8 weeks old on Wednesday). She is a cross between a yorkie and a bichon. All in all she has been very good and in good health except she has had very loose stools since we got her. I've had a check up with my vet and he said not to worry as it is probably caused by the stress of moving to a new home and readjusting. However I've read that pedigree chum puppy food is the devil of dog food so I'm thinking that might be the cause of the problem. That is what the breeder told me to give her. She would not eat it at first so I got some puppy milk and have been adding a little bit to her meals to try to encourage her. This has worked a little (she will eat a few mouthfuls) but I find the only way she will eat any more than that is the hand feed her. If I keep doing this will she develop a bad habit? I don't want her going hungry. She is very intelligent, has learned her name, a few tricks and has even been house trained within a few days (and sleepless nights ). Do you think changing her food gradually would fix this problem? I'm thinking Orijen puppy food?

Thanks in advance and sorry about the long post!

Ash.

andreac

To answer your question, yes it probably would help. I would get a small bag of Orijen and gradually introduce it over the space of a week or so and see how you get on.

Pedigree is crap really, very low quality food. Regarding the puppy milk, there really is no need for an 8 week old to be getting milk, even puppy milk.

Try soaking the food in a little bit of hot, not boiling, water to make it more appealing to her, this should help.

Def stop the hand feeding now, dogs, even puppies are well able to eat themselves and do not need to be hand fed. By doing this you are only encouraging bad feeding behaviour and making the puppy fussy.

Put the food down, leave it for 15 mins and take it back up again even if not eaten after 15 mins. Repeat this at every mealtime and the pup will soon get the message.

House trained at 8 weeks?? I cant see an 8 week old pup being house trained already as they cant hold it for very long so unless the pup is being brought out every half hour you are going to have accidents in the house.

pinkapple

Thanks for the advice. I have been soaking it in water but she still won't eat it. I'll just have to be cruel to be kind I have been leaving the food down for 15 minutes three times a day and one of the days she didn't eat anything at all. That was when I started to coax her by putting a bit in my hand and directing her to her bowl. I hope I haven't done too much damage. I'll be more strict and see how I get on.

Thanks again

pinkapple

With the house training, I have been good at taking her out quite often. Every half hour for the first 2 days and now she whines and walks to the door when she needs to go. She does it quite a lot but that is to be expected as she is so young. It's great that she has learned to let me know when she needs to go though

andreac

pinkapple wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I have been soaking it in water but she still won't eat it. I'll just have to be cruel to be kind I have been leaving the food down for 15 minutes three times a day and one of the days she didn't eat anything at all. That was when I started to coax her by putting a bit in my hand and directing her to her bowl. I hope I haven't done too much damage. I'll be more strict and see how I get on.

Thanks again

How long have you got her? Sometimes it can take them a while to settle in. Try soaking the food and stick to the routine for a few days and i guarantee she will eat.

Do you give her any treats? If so dont give her anything bar her meals so shes hungry come mealtime.

portgirl123

u said she has been eating a few mouthfuls! dont forget she is only a baby and also a small breed dog so she is not going to be a big eater. Prob a few mouthfuls is plenty at her age. My mates 3 yr old yorkie only eats 1 or 2 mouthfuls at her feds. my mate was the same as u really worried now she knows after checking her at vets that this is normal. her weight and health are fine.
I wouldnt worry as long as she is eating something and is healthy. she will be fine. Dont worry she wont starve herself

pinkapple

I have had her a week today and she seems to be settling in great other than the food issue. But I'll stick to a strict routine and see how that goes. You're probably right, once she is eating something I should try not to worry She is visiting to the Vet Monday to get the rest of her vaccinations so I'll be strict until then, add some new food gradually and if it is still happening I'll see what he recommends. Thank you both very much