# Have we made a massive mistake in getting a puppy??



## cdmartinus (Aug 27, 2013)

My partner and I have considered getting a dog for some time, and after 3 months of thinking about it, looking at puppies on websites and reading every single book I could get my hands on about raising a puppy, we finally got a little Westie boy 3 days ago.

However, even though we've both been at home for the last 3 days because of the long weekend (I'm now back at work during the day) we are literally AT OUR WITS END. My question is, have we made a massive mistake in getting a puppy?

In all honesty, I was fully aware of everything that we were going to experience, from the potty training, whining & barking at nights, biting, chewing, lack of obedience. But absolutely NOTHING can prepare you for the actual experience. We have spent 3 days cleaning up poo from the carpet, 3 nights on the edge of our nerves waiting for him to start whining ot barking, endless attempts to get him interested in chewing anything other than our furniture (which works for 10 mins then he's back at the sofa again!) and we have now gotten to the point where our nerves are so frayed we can't relax in our own home.

Looking at it as a whole, he actually hasn't been that bad of a puppy. After 2 days he was peeing on his pee pads without fail (pooping still always goes on the carpet however). We don't have a back garden so we can't take him out there. Also, he is still 3 weeks from his second vaccination and then it'll be at least another week after that before we can start walking him, and there is nothing we seem to be able to do to keep him occupied indoors!! Occasionally he will just lay at our feet and sleep for a bit but then he's back to jumping up and wanting attention, thought he won't chase any of his toys and barely plays with them. If he was able to go out we'd just walk him several times a day to knacker him out but we're are stuck indoors and we're getting a bit stir crazy?!

We can now get him to sit on command, which we use before we pet him, play with him or give him his dinner and it's improved his respect for us a bit, which is good. He's also now only whining for the first 15 mins of being put away for the night before more or less sleeping right through with the odd bark or whine in the middle of the night. We have him in the en suite bathroom (which is a decent size) with a baby gate on the ajoining door which seems to help him settle as he can see us, and his puppy pads are there during the night as well.

But our evenings and weekends are now spent trying to amuse him, but nothing is working?!?! Plus, he got diarrhea on the second day so we've now got him eating chicken and rice which has helped his stool, even though he picks out the chicken, and now we're dreading putting him back on regular dog food in case it starts up again. We spend every waking minute watching him so that the moment he starts pooping on the carpet we can correct him onto the pad, or making sure he doesn't chew or bite anything he shouldn't

Finally, it just seems that our lives have been tossed into the air and everything is falling down around us. You read up on all the practicalities of owning a puppy but none of it prepares you from the sheer stress and anxiety of the experience. We have started to think if we should re-home him somewhere he can get properly looked after and I was lying in bed last night and actually composing the ad in my head.

Is it normal to be having a nervous breakdown by day 3? After reading up on everything, it looks like this could be our lives until he is at least 8-12 months old?!?! All I can think about is the next year of our life in chaos, every day a repeat of the last and it just makes me want to cry sometimes. But, despite all that, we absolutely adore the little guy, but at this point we want to fast forward to the age where he is settled and only pooping outdoors, and we take him for long walks in the evenings and he cuddles up with us by the sofa at night whilst we're watching telly. Am I living in a dream world where this will never happen? Or by the time it happens will I have been committed to an institution??


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## houvan (Aug 23, 2013)

Nothing I read or learned prepared me for my first Malinois puppy. Let me tell you, it gets better. Make use of an x-pen and the crate. Go for lots of walks when he's old enough and vaccinated. When he starts going for the sofa, maybe time to play outside. If that's not possible, play in the x-pen or kitchen with him.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

I'd just like to reassure you that yes, your feelings are normal! Most people who get puppies go through a phase of "Omfg what have I done?!?!" and still end up will well adjusted adult dogs.

Puppies are a lot of work! Just like with a new baby, it's normal to be exhausted and spend all your time tending to them and making sure they're out of trouble. Also just like with a baby, it doesn't last forever (in fact, it lasts a lot less time!).

It will pass and you will get to the adult dog you dreamed of. It takes time, consistency, and patience but you WILL get there!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

You have a normal puppy and a normal reaction to having your life turned upside down. There's a reason so many people prefer to start with adult dogs  

It will get much easier once you can walk him outside and burn energy and then it will get easier again when he is old enough to really get a hang of potty training (around 4-6 months usually is when dogs realize the "need" to go before actually starting to go). By 6 months, if you are consistent in training him for potty training, leash walking and have been socializing him, it should feel much easier and less constant. 

I'd suggest crate training so you can have someplace safe to put him to give yourself a little break when you cannot watch him directly, the bathroom is a good option for nighttime or long stretches of time but having a crate trained dog is VERY useful for the future. Not required or anything, but very useful for travel, vet visits, crating in a car or airplane, crating after neutering, and if you need to keep him separate from another dog or a child. 

While he cannot walk around without his vaccines, you can take him places by carrying him and you can have visitors over (asking them to remove their shoes outside is a good idea) and if you have family or friends with fully vaccinated adult dogs, you can introduce them (if your area has a very high parvo risk, as your vet about if this is okay). Take him on car rides and carry him around to see different sights and hear different sounds.


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## Indigo (Mar 31, 2011)

Feeling overwhelmed is normal. It's a big change. Getting a new puppy is like having a newborn in the house and some people can handle it better than others. It gets better as the puppy matures and as you progress with their training. It won't be this way for the entire year... each week it will get a little easier. It might get harder in a different way when they become an adolescent and the hormones start kicking in, but if you don't give up on training you will end up with the scenario that you described and want in the last paragraph. Everyone I know who has had a puppy has gone through this to some degree, even experienced dog owners. After a year they are glad they didn't give up. 

If he's destroying your house think about getting an exercise pen and putting it in the kitchen (or other tiled area that's practical for you). Puppies aren't supposed to have free unsupervised reign of your home until they can hold their bladders better and are done teething. I personally don't like gating them when they are very young because they can decide to play carpenter and chew your cupboards and door frames! Anything is fair game to a young puppy. The pen keeps them in a safe area with their toys and they learn to take their frustrations out on what you give them when you can't watch them constantly. You don't have to keep them in the pen 24/7, it's just where they go to play when you have to do something else. You can train them to like being in their pen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGxhcb-itO4 You can also use a crate. I personally prefer a crate at night because when I'm sleeping I know they are safe and secure in there.

You could also consider getting treat dispensing toys like kongs or tricky treat balls, and stuffing his meals in them. Doing that will give him something to work at for a while. Mentally stimulating a dog can be more tiring for them than any amount of physical exercise. Do training exercises as that will strengthen your bond and also tire him mentally.

You can also specifically train dogs to be calm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesm2OpE_2c
(btw, there are some great free training tutorials online, my personal favorite is kikopup: http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup?feature=watch )

I hope some of this helps and gives you something to work on for now. Going to a puppy training class would also help.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

Well, I feel like for oh...85% of first time owners, a puppy is a mistake. Not necessarily a 'massive mistake' but just not the optimal choice.

So yes, everything is 'normal' and lots of people have gone through it.


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## shannylee (Aug 8, 2013)

ireth0 said:


> I'd just like to reassure you that yes, your feelings are normal! Most people who get puppies go through a phase of "Omfg what have I done?!?!" and still end up will well adjusted adult dogs.


^Yep...exactly.  Your nervous breakdown is perfectly normal. You're already making progress with him though. Hang in there. It does get easier. Once he learns what you expect of him and you learn his cues, things will be much easier. And wine...wine helps


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

I recall an exact thought I had multiple times when we first brought Alannah home at 8 weeks...."This puppy is going to be the death of us. This is it, the end of our life as we know it". 

And guess what? It gets immensly better. Yes, your life does have to change....but you figure out what works with your puppy and you settle back into a routine. Before you know it, you won't be able to remember your routine before the dog came in to your life. Just hang in there and realize this happens to everyone


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## cdmartinus (Aug 27, 2013)

Thanks for all the responses. It makes me feel a little more relaxed knowing that I'm not the only one that's gone through it! We have a nylon pen for him which we bought so we could take him outdoors, like round our friends house in the back garden, so we could confine him in there whilst we were somewhere else for a few minutes, or weren't able to watch him constantly. Is it worth setting it up in the living room in the evenings and weekends instead of letting him roam round the room? 

The pen is big enough for his bed, a puppy pad and some room to walk around. Giving him less space to poop I assume would mean he's more likely to go on the pad, at which point we can praise him and encourage him to do it again. It also has a base so it would keep him off any surface outdoors where he could eat something he shouldn't or contract a disease he isn't immunized against, so this would prevent him from soiling the carpet!


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## llillio (Aug 15, 2013)

Yes it does get better and yes sounds like you're dealing with a normal puppy experience. It will actually start to get exponentially better and fast! Sounds like you've definitely prepared yourself and know what you're doing. Just keep it up. Having to spend time constantly with your puppy is expected. Like few folks mentioned already, crate is a MUST in my opinion. Exercise pen is nice too but the puppy can grow out of it pretty quick. Our puppy slept in our bedroom in a crate until he could sleep through the night (9-10 weeks old?). 

Diarrhea with puppies can be fairly typical as well as their stomach is getting used to solid food as they're weaned. Our puppy started diarrhea couple of days after we brought him home and had fairly wet/soft stool for 10 days or so I think.

Good luck. You'll do great. And how about some pictures?


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Definitely set up the pen indoors. He really should not be free roaming at this point, not for months yet. If you allow him to free roam, he will do things you don't like because he doesn't know any better. He'll pee and poop everywhere, chew everything and generally make you question your sanity. So keep him contained unless you are directly interacting with him and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble.


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

My dog is 5 months old and still doesn't have free roam privileges. 

Don't worry, it does get better. I don't think I've had a single puppy that I didn't have moments where I wondered what the heck I'd gotten myself into or thought maybe I'd made a mistake with. It does work out, but it takes time and patience. Hang in there and try to enjoy this stage! They are cute little devils even when they're being little devils.


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## Doglover65 (Aug 10, 2013)

I SERIOUSLY suggest treat dispensers. Theyre great stimulation a for puppies and have been like a life saver for me. I use low fat treats because of the amount of treats but he loves them

I agree with crate training, its nice to have that break. I also suggest puppy classes! I get theyre expensive but if you can afford them they can be great! I you can't afford them there are plenty of books and videos for training and tricks, also setting up little jumps in the backyard (no higher than their knees) is tons of fun.

Mental stimulation will get you through it. I have a 5 month old dobe puppy plus 2 other dogs. I know why its like to be stressed out so hang in there! It gets worse before it gets better. You're right that nothing prepares you for "childhood" but its great to sit down and think how wonderful and be so proud of then and where theyre heading. Look at the positives and you'll be fine 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Jen2010 (Feb 12, 2013)

Your reaction is totally normal! It is very stressful and frustrating to have a new puppy. But it DOES get better week by week. Let me tell you from recent personal experience that once the puppy is house-trained, your stress level will be drastically reduced! Lol! He will still get into things and require supervision, but you won't have to watch him like a hawk 24/7.

I highly recommend the crate training; it has made life easier for us. Pepper is 10 months old now and is now started to be able to roam the house when we're home. But at night and when we're at work she goes in her crate. She doesn't mind it at all.

Pepper also had problems with diarrhea when she was younger. Your puppy could have worms (it's very common in young puppies). The vet will de-worm him when you go in for his vaccinations. In the mean time, try a low-fat food. That worked for Pepper. Don't forget to gradually introduce any new food.

Good luck! Hopefully you can hang in there and end up with a wonderful dog


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## Sparkles123 (Dec 3, 2012)

Hang in there! I just raised a Westie rescue puppy, she is ten months old now and nearly perfect, but she never went after furniture, so I was lucky, I guess, but I also walked her much of the day from day one. I used to think that things got better every week, so be patient, you can do this and you will be glad you did!!!!


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## Deamian (Aug 26, 2013)

The reward....I can't even express how worth it, that it really is. I'm actually going on 5 years of odd sleeping patterns, but I've brought that on myself  Nursed 2 German Shepherds to 14 and 15 years old until although all they wanted STILL was to please, they couldn't stand on their own any more, even then I would run a warm bath and soak them and the big one would purr haha. THEN omg 2 puppies right after, flown straight from Germany, up many times a night when i would hear them move, still trained to sleep with one eye open from being Nurse father  Now this Malamute we went out on MY terms, steady goes it, but she was a few weeks and good to go.

Being able to give a good home, I would do it over and over and over, and never sleep again with the way these dogs greet me from even 2 hours grocery shopping lol.


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

Forget pee pads. He'll never go outside if you start him on those. As long as he's had his first set of shots, he's fine to go outside. The risk of him becoming ill is slim to none but the risk of him becoming poorly socialized is very high. He needs to be out and about right now meeting people, dogs and different situations or he will learn to fear them. Crate train him and teach him that outside is the only place to pee and poop. Leash him in the house and walk him around everywhere with you so he can't sneak off and have an accident or chew on something. When you can't watch him, crate him. Dr Ian Dunbar recommends introducing your puppy to 100 new people before they turn 12 weeks old and that surely won't happen if you keep him indoors. NEVER carry him around or baby him. He doesn't know he's little. Keep it that way.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

NicoleIsStoked said:


> Forget pee pads. He'll never go outside if you start him on those. As long as he's had his first set of shots, he's fine to go outside. The risk of him becoming ill is slim to none but the risk of him becoming poorly socialized is very high. ......................NEVER carry him around or baby him. He doesn't know he's little. Keep it that way.


The risk depends HIGHLY on where you are. In some areas, parvo is so so common that walking a puppy before a full set of shots is nearly a death sentence. It is way too risky to say "he's fine to go outside" without knowing the parvo risk level for a given area; it can even vary by the area within a city or county. 

At this point, carrying him around is a SAFE way to introduce him to the world. By showing him stuff like fire engines with their sirens going, construction noises, large trucks, geese and ducks, flags flapping in the wind etc it will help. 
Socializing with known, vaccinated dogs is likely fine as long as those dogs aren't regular visitors to dog parks or such where they could track parvo in on their feet.


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## Sparkles123 (Dec 3, 2012)

Deamian said:


> The reward....I can't even express how worth it, that it really is. I'm actually going on 5 years of odd sleeping patterns, but I've brought that on myself  Nursed 2 German Shepherds to 14 and 15 years old until although all they wanted STILL was to please, they couldn't stand on their own any more, even then I would run a warm bath and soak them and the big one would purr haha. THEN omg 2 puppies right after, flown straight from Germany, up many times a night when i would hear them move, still trained to sleep with one eye open from being Nurse father  Now this Malamute we went out on MY terms, steady goes it, but she was a few weeks and good to go.
> 
> Being able to give a good home, I would do it over and over and over, and never sleep again with the way these dogs greet me from even 2 hours grocery shopping lol.


 Good for you, I can't afford to lose any sleep, I turn into a total bitch!!!!


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## Sparkles123 (Dec 3, 2012)

Shell said:


> The risk depends HIGHLY on where you are. In some areas, parvo is so so common that walking a puppy before a full set of shots is nearly a death sentence. It is way too risky to say "he's fine to go outside" without knowing the parvo risk level for a given area; it can even vary by the area within a city or county.
> 
> At this point, carrying him around is a SAFE way to introduce him to the world. By showing him stuff like fire engines with their sirens going, construction noises, large trucks, geese and ducks, flags flapping in the wind etc it will help.
> Socializing with known, vaccinated dogs is likely fine as long as those dogs aren't regular visitors to dog parks or such where they could track parvo in on their feet.


That was my thought, too...just because I walked my pup all day every day (we live on a golf course) doesn't mean that the OP can walk her pup safely where she lives! And also...pee pads are fine, IMO, I used them during the night and left them everywhere in the house, so if puppy had to go, she did...no big deal, she also went outside when I took her every 15 min for a few weeks...westie's have a bladder the size of a thimble and then they play hard and guzzle the water, so lotsa pissin'


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I have started all my small puppies in a pen with a crate (open) with a bed in it, their food and water and either newspaper or a pellet box. I have never had trouble transitioning them to outside when they are older. I have a well fenced yard but in the middle of winter, you can't very easily take a puppy outside. I am also not about to go outside with them when it is 20-25 below and even the adult dogs are trying to hop around on one foot because their feet get too cold.


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## Sparkles123 (Dec 3, 2012)

Yes, agreed!
I had my puppy pee in the shower in the middle of the night when the snow was flying...actually VERY convenient place to do it!


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Izze was an "OMFG" puppy lol & she turned out to be the best dog I ever had ... BUT ... She was one of the worst puppies xD. 

Josefina was one of the best PUPPIES but let be honest she ain't really the best DOG lol. So I don't know it that is a trend with dogs or not, that they have to be really horrible puppies to make good dogs .


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## Sparkles123 (Dec 3, 2012)

That's funny!


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

I would really suggest getting a crate (I prefer the plastic ones, the fabric crates are worthless for training a puppy). Keep the puppy in the crate when you cannot have both eyes on her (taking a shower, making dinner, anything other than full time watching the puppy). This should eliminate most of the carpet cleaning needs. We also keep our puppy gated in the family room which has a tile floor. If you want to have the puppy in a carpeted room then you need to always have two eyes on her and be aware of when he last ate/drank. Try food/water on a regular schedule. Our puppy does fine with 3 meals per day and water only at her meals. Within days you will see an elimination pattern develop relative to the times you feed him/her. 
It's not unusual to feel overwhelmed with a new puppy. Some of that is sleep deprivation! But if you plan the work and work the plan you will feel more in control of the day. And each day gets better, usually. 
Typical schedule at our house with 10 week old puppy:
6am get up, throw on robe and take puppy outside, I insist that she urinates before I take her back inside
6:15 take her back inside, put in crate to feed while I shower... about 15-20 minutes, when I get out of shower I let her drink water, then we go outside to poop, if she is successful then she can run around in the family room (under close supervision) while I check out the news online and read emails
6:30 usually she has to go outside to potty 
6:30-7 if she has been successful with poop and potty then she can follow me to bedroom while I get ready for work. Sometimes she needs one more potty stop before I crate her while I am at work. I give her a kong toy in her crate while I'm at work.
noon- hubby comes home for lunch, takes her out to potty, lets her drink some water, play in yard while he eats lunch on patio, one more trip to potty area, back in crate
5-5:30 arrive home, take puppy out to potty immediately, back into crate to eat while I change clothes, scope out dinner situation, throw in a load of laundry, etc. After about 20 minutes I take her outside to poop, 10-20 minutes later she usually needs to potty. I do not leave the water bowl out. Otherwise I'd have to take her out every 10 minutes! It only took a couple of days for her to learn to drink at mealtimes, and she does get 1/2 canned food which has a lot of water in it.
After she has been successful for both poop and potty, she can come with me into kitchen while I make dinner, check mail, etc. If the poop/potty routine is not completely successful I prefer to put her in the crate because she WILL have an accident. If I have to re-crate her then I take her out in 15-20 minutes until she completes the task!
Once I have finished making dinner and we're ready to sit down to eat I crate the puppy with a chew toy (we can see her in the crate, never leave a chew toy if you are not supervising to watch for choking). usually by the time we're finished with dinner 45 minutes or so, one of us takes the puppy out to potty while the other clears the table and loads the dishwasher.
After that we will take the puppy to the family room with us while we watch tv, set a timer for every 30 minutes to take the puppy out (or sooner if she starts sniffing, circling) but don't give her any additional water during the evening. 
9pm small meal before bed with a bit of water, out to potty, 10-11pm potty once more, into crate for the night.
Our puppy has slept through the night from about 8 weeks of age. Your mileage may vary. If your puppy needs to go out during the night I would set an alarm for 2-3 hours apart. If you find the puppy dry 3-5 times in a row, then move the alarm up 20-30 minutes. If you find the puppy not dry, set the timer for a shorter interval. Remember the night outings don't last forever. I have a very small breed puppy, only 7-8 pounds fully grown, and she stopped needing a night outing at 8 weeks. I've had some puppies go as long as 3-4 months though.
Rinse and repeat! They grow up faster than you think.
Other bits...I buy used bath towels at the thrift store to use as crate pads. I keep a stack of clean towels on top of the crate, replace as necessary, throw in a basket until we have a load, then wash with detergent and a bit of bleach. Don't care if the towels get spotted from the bleach, they're only used for the dogs! Soon the puppy will start being a bit defiant about going out to potty, running everywhere but where you want them to go...time for a harness and leash. I leave the harness on most of the time (be sure to adjust regularly as puppy grows) and keep the leash by the back door where we go to the potty, I usually carry her from crate to door to prevent an accident on the way and leash her up before going out. Buy chew toys/treats NOW!!! We adopted our puppy when she was just 4 weeks old. But it wasn't long before she started chewing on everything including us. Besides Kong brand toys I have found BestBullySticks.com to be a good buy on the 1 pound grab bag for my puppy and elderly small dog. You can even set it up so that the shipment repeats on a 1,2, 3 month basis. The price is very good for what you get compared to buying locally. We also have a basket of tennis balls to throw around in the evening (working on fetch, drop it), some soft squeaky things as most terriers like "the kill!" And our puppy's favorite toy is an empty 0/5 liter plastic water bottle. She bites them until they are flattened then carries them around for hours. I think she likes the crackling noise they make.


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

If I'm not mistaken, parvovirus is covered in the first set of shots. I would rather not socialize a dog at all than carry him around. When something "scary" happens and you are holding onto him, you are tell him that he has a reason to fear.


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## Thane Teddy (Jul 27, 2013)

You didn`t say how old the puppy is, but I am assuming somewhere in the 2-3 month range, based on that he still needs his 2nd shot. I got a Westie also in mid-July and by the 3rd week I was resenting somewhat my loss of freedom and accommodation to a "baby schedule" We are now on our 6th week and I couldn`t wait to get home to see him today. Try to remember that he is just a baby and it is difficult for him too. He will catch on and it will be much better in the next couple of weeks. Westies are really smart. This is my first and I am pretty amazed at how fast he learns.

We crate Teddy at night and the first week or 2 we had issues with whinning, howling, and barking. But now, he goes in voluntarily for his morning nap. We have a backyard so (I thought) he trained quickly but he will pee on my rugs (I think he thinks it is similar to grass) if he hasn`t peed outside.

I have really limited the areas where he can go because I do not want to have a lot of damaged furniture, or pulled down curtain and most of all because when I had my son, my pediatrician told me to get down on my hands and knees and look at each room from my baby`s perspective. So I have done the same for the puppy because he can get into everything. As he matures, I will introduce him to other rooms. Right now, he is confined to the backyard, the kitchen (where his daybed and crate, food/water, toybox are. We have a baby gate from the kitchen, so now his big thing is, to bark by what I am sure he thinks is "The Forbidden Zone" - like some B class Sci-fi movie 

He has free reign in my bathrooms when I am in there with him because there are things in there that he can get hurt with as well. He sleeps in his crate in our bedroom.

For the diarrhea - why don`t you try just giving him predominantly more rice and less chicken and flavor it with a tsp of chicken boullion. When you re-introduce the dog food, why not mix in the rice - and then you can monitor him and wean him off accordingly. (One of the mistakes I made with stomach viruses with my son was re-introducing regular food too soon).

Don`t give up on him or yourself after only Day 3 - today is day 4 I guess. It will get better as he matures and I would bet money on it, that a 3-4 weeks from now you are going to be madly in love with him.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

NicoleIsStoked said:


> If I'm not mistaken, parvovirus is covered in the first set of shots. I would rather not socialize a dog at all than carry him around. When something "scary" happens and you are holding onto him, you are tell him that he has a reason to fear.


Parvo vaccination is included in the first set of shots. That does NOT mean the dog has immunity to parvo after the first set of shots. 

here's one article discussing this:


> The primary cause of failure of canine parvovirus vaccines is an interfering level of maternal antibody against the canine parvovirus. Maternal antibodies are the antibodies present in the mother's milk during the first 24 hours after the puppy's birth. The age at which puppies can effectively be immunized is proportional to the titer of the mother and the effectiveness of transfer of maternal antibody within those first 24 hours. High levels of maternal antibodies present in the puppies' bloodstream will block the effectiveness of a vaccine. When the maternal antibodies drop to a low enough level in the puppy, immunization by a commercial vaccine will work. The complicating factor is that there is a period of time from several days to several weeks in which the maternal antibodies are too low to provide protection against the disease, but too high to allow the vaccine to work. This period is called the window of susceptibility. This is the time when despite being vaccinated, a puppy can still contract parvovirus. The length and timing of the window of susceptibility is different in every puppy in every litter.
> 
> In one study of a cross section of different puppies the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks of age, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks, and by 18 weeks of age, 95% of the puppies could be immunized.


Article link

Personally, I'd carry the dog around to introduce him to new places and people. Just because you happen to be holding him if something scary happens doesn't IMO mean you are telling him he has reason to fear. Now, scooping up a dog off the ground every time something happens nearby could create a fear of the stimulus but just hanging out with the dog in your arms or on your lap and showing a calm, relaxed response? I don't see the issue.


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