Couple of really dumb questions

[Charlied1]

Hi,I have a 5 week old blood hound.I am trying to find out.How young is to young to start training.I mean from potty training on up.Right now she is not potty trained.Is it a little early to even bother with this right now?
Thank you for any help an advice you can give

[Kayota]

You could start now, but first of all, your puppy should've stayed with its mother until 8 weeks of age. :\ I haven't much more to say than that.

[malmo]

Is there any way to return the pup to her mother and littermates until it is 8 weeks old? She will learn so much more from them at this age than she can from you. Actually it will help you in the future with ALL of her training if she can go back and spend that time with her litter. I recommend until 9 weeks.

[Charlied1]

I thought the same thing bout staying till 8 weeks but the person I got her from insisted that 5 was enough.He told me as long as they are eating dog food it is not to soon.I thank you for your reply

[Herschel]

I thought the same thing bout staying till 8 weeks but the person I got her from insisted that 5 was enough.He told me as long as they are eating dog food it is not to soon.I thank you for your reply

What he meant to say was, "As soon as they're eating food, they are going to the bathroom. I don't want to deal with that sh*t so you come and take her, please. That way I get my money faster and I don't have to deal with raising the dog at all."

[Charlied1]

I think you got it right there Herschel(LOL)let some other idiot deal with it.I mean the man did have 11 he was trying to get rid of.Thats got to be a hand full

[Fruit bat]

Hi Charlie1, although I have never tried to begin training a dog that young, I don't think it would hurt to try and put her on a paper. Are you giving her any formula to supplement? I think she could benefit from that a while longer.
Welcome to Chaz ! I would love to see a picture of your baby, I'll bet she is CUTE !

[Charlied1]

Hi Charlie1, although I have never tried to begin training a dog that young, I don't think it would hurt to try and put her on a paper. Are you giving her any formula to supplement? I think she could benefit from that a while longer.
Welcome to Chaz ! I would love to see a picture of your baby, I'll bet she is CUTE !


well thanks there fruit bat.Dont have any photos yet.Also havent thought of the formula.However I am on top of it.I will run down there to local stop and shop and pick me up some(LOL).
Thanks again

[Fruit bat]

Your welcome.:)

[ToscasMom]

Wow five weeks is really young.

[Maxy24]

That dog was taken way too young :( the guy was bad breeder. You can work on house breaking but don't expect much, He can probably hold his bladder no more than two hours. So i would just remember to give a treat when he goes potty outside and to take him out every two hours. Is he having any trouble sleeping? That seems to be one of the first problems people notice with dogs taken too young, especially when they are trying to crate train (which is a BIG help in potty training). you can probably start some basic manners, and since your breeder was poor I would start working on socializing to objects and sounds so you don't have that fear later on (sounds like a lawn mower, thunder, dropping certain things like keys, any other odd noise you can think of really and objects like toys, umbrellas, canes etc.). The puppy cannot learn any bite inhibition from his litter mates since he was taken so you have to make sure if any of his puppy bites hurt you immediately stop giving all attention or stop playing with him for a minute. This will teach him to control his jaw strength, something they learn while playing with their litter mates but even that is too hard for people to handle.

But if he is having sleeping trouble there are a few things that can help.

[malmo]

This link (http://www.jamesandkenneth.com/new_puppy.html) takes you to an e-book that will show you how to set up a pen with a potty area and a crate. It is a good start, since your pup will not be able to control herself, yet. But, I am about to get a puppy and I noticed that because their mother trained them, they knew not to go potty in their bed. At the very minimum, with a setup as described in that e-book, you can encourage your puppy not to potty where she sleeps, and that is the beginning of training her that there are other, better places to do it.

Also, it shows confinement which is really important for the puppy's safety when you can't supervise her.

I agree that supplementing with some puppy formula will also help. I'd do a heating pad or hot water bottle as, at that age, puppy's bodies can still chill very easily. They are used to having their littermates and momma around to keep them warm.

Search this site and read up on articles for bite inhibition. You're gonna need it!

Again, this is all on the stipulation that the breeder will not take her back until 8 or 9 weeks. I would ask that, first, honestly. Offer to pay her food costs until then, or something.

[Charlied1]

Trust me sleeping is not a problem with this dog(LOL)sHe will go crawl on a pillow I gave her.If I move or make any kind of noise she will get up and whine for a min then lay right back down and go to sleep.


That dog was taken way too young :( the guy was bad breeder. You can work on house breaking but don't expect much, He can probably hold his bladder no more than two hours. So i would just remember to give a treat when he goes potty outside and to take him out every two hours. Is he having any trouble sleeping? That seems to be one of the first problems people notice with dogs taken too young, especially when they are trying to crate train (which is a BIG help in potty training). you can probably start some basic manners, and since your breeder was poor I would start working on socializing to objects and sounds so you don't have that fear later on (sounds like a lawn mower, thunder, dropping certain things like keys, any other odd noise you can think of really and objects like toys, umbrellas, canes etc.). The puppy cannot learn any bite inhibition from his litter mates since he was taken so you have to make sure if any of his puppy bites hurt you immediately stop giving all attention or stop playing with him for a minute. This will teach him to control his jaw strength, something they learn while playing with their litter mates but even that is too hard for people to handle.

But if he is having sleeping trouble there are a few things that can help.

[houndlove]

Wow. 5 weeks. I have to say that I think that's the youngest I've ever heard a pup being sold at. In many states that is actually illegal--I think you should investigate that and report this jerk for doing that. What he is doing is ripping you, the consumer, off. Big time.

Puppies learn a tremendous amount just from interacting with their mother and littermates for the full 8-12 weeks they stay with them. Your puppy is missing out on 50% of that time (which at this point is half his life). My suggestion is to consult a dog behaviorist ASAP about what you can do to give this dog the remedial socialization he's going to need, STAT. Bloodhounds are not small dogs (my mix is 90 lbs) and are sensitive by nature and that combination along with a dog who has not been socialized properly really makes me afraid for this pup.

[mrose_s]

First, like poeple have said, the dog is way too young and I've actually heard of dogs developing problems later in life because of missing out on those few weeks where their mother does some training with them. Including some socialisation, which will be hard now as your pup won't be able to have any further socialisation untill their vaccines are complete at 12 wks of age.

You can start training right now but I'd also be consulting a good trainer about this.
The person you got this pup form is a bad breeder, he shoulsn't have let his dog give birth if he wasn't prepared for the sheer cost it takes to raise puppies.

Please stick around, we all want updates... and pics :)

[Charlied1]

I promise to keep you all posted.I have read all of your replys and I am well at best ignorant when it comes to this.Most all agree on the same result of takeing the pup to soon.Scocial behavior.My question is does this mean that the dog will not like people.I know that sounded stupid but what I mean is ....is she going to try to bite everyone who comes around.

Thank you all for your replys

[malmo]

When I was helping with a new litter, Bubbatd recommended a book to me that was really helpful. It's called "How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With." As Bubbatd pointed out to me, you can get it cheap, used from Amazon.com and it's worth every penny. It gives tons of tips, but will also beat you over the head about the 8-week thing (I say that as a warning, since it doesn't seem like you can change the situation at this point). But, it will at least give you some tips on how to begin with socializing and how to deal with "puppy stuff." Definitely start contacting trainers and don't keep her too sheltered.

Congratulations. You just became a Momma Doggie. Learn all you can about your new role. :)

[houndlove]

I know the biggest worry with dogs taken too early is learning bite inhibition. Dogs walk around with knives in their mouths and they must learn very early on how to use them properly. Through play with their siblings and mom, dogs learn what is and is not an acceptable level of pressure to use when biting (and all dogs use their mouths to explore and interact with the world--I know you're thinking 'well my dog will never bite anyone' but bite inhibition comes in to play when playing with your dog and giving your dog things to hold in it's mouth, all the time). If they use too much pressure, they get reprimanded, in a dog-appropriate way that they can easily understand and they learn over time how to use their mouths without impaling everything they come into contact with.

They learn acceptable ways to play and interact with other dogs as well. A dog who is "socially retarded" with other dogs is difficult to have if you live anywhere where there are ever other dogs around. The ways dogs communicate are not necessarily instinctual--they are learned at a very early age.

There may be other things to worry about too, which is why a few people have recommended getting a trainer or behaviorist involved as soon as possible. There may be ways you can simulate some of the things they'd be learning from staying with mom that an expert can lead you through.

Personally, I think you should hire a behaviorist and then send the guy who sold you this puppy the bill. When he won't pay, tell him that you'll be happy to refer him to law enforcement (if you live in a state where it's illegal to sell puppies that early).

[mrose_s]

good idea houndlove. I'd never heard about bite inhibition before a few weeks ago thats why I couldn't explain exactly what I was talking about. But I knew it was a factotr in there somwhere and now I understand it.
When the pup is old enough and vaccinated, make sure you go puppy pre-school, obediance class etc. I made the mistake of not socialising my dog properly and now he has dog to dog aggression in certain environments. By that I mean he can be introduced to any dog inside the yard (he lives with 3 others) and he is fine and he can meet dogs offlead in "neutral territory" but he is very dominant. However when he is onlead he goes completly off the handle.

[smkie]

with little ones i make sure i keep an eye on them when they are sleeping so i can see when they are starting to wake, as soon as they start to rise i scoop them up and out the door..in fact i use to get mom to rise and go out with the whole litter following behind. As soon as they hit the yard everyone went! Also anytime they drink it is a great time to head out, and immediantly after they eat. I set the alarm clock to every 30 minutes for the earliest ones and then gradually stretch that out as they get older. I always keep a puppy where i can see him and pretty much have one eye on him the whole time until the house breaking issue is over with. As long as you are attentive there will be no accidents and it is so much better to spend a few days being one hundred percent focused on the pup then to spend weeks to months being hit and miss confusing the issue. Good luck!