new pup, help needed

On monday I got a puppy.
He's 6 weeks and 2 days old now, Golden retriever/sheepdog cross breed.

Seeing as I wanted one for ages I was really happy about taking it home in the car.

I had no trouble, no crying or yelping like I read on the net.

We took him home and on the first night he was very calm, not wanting to play.. I thought he might just be shy, let him sleep.
I finally went to bed about 2-3am, which is normal for me.
No noise at all, I was very pleased seeing one of my previous pups in the past had alot of trouble sleeping on his own.

Let me just fill you in, in a few bits of info:
He sleeps on his own downstairs for 7 hours until me or my girlfriend gets up and sees to him.
He has access to the kitchen, living room and the back room.
There is only me and my girlfriend and him, no children, and no other dogs or puppies or any kind of pet.

Right, now to the point:
He is a very strange puppy to me, maybe I'm just not used to this type of puppy seeing as I used to have a Jack Russle.

On the 2nd day he greeted me when I got up just by running up and wagging his tale, but he didn't really seem that bothered about seeing me.

In the daytime he sleeps in the living room on his own behind the coach (very cramp space) or sometimes near me in the backroom when I'm on the pc, he sleeps on the floor about a metre a way.

To me, sleeping on his own in the day time behind a coach is weird, somebody correct me if It is not because my old jack russle used to follow me around all day.

Anyhow, when he does get hyperactive, he tends to nip anything he can.. Not really hard, just like a playfighting nip.. But I don't know if this is not normal. If I play back he bites my hands and fingers, again, not THAT hard.. but if by chance my fingers slip down his mouth to the back teeth it hurts a bit more.

Again I am not used to this either, but sometimes when I fight back he growls. When he's on the sofa (which he can't get off by himself) and I'm on the floor, I call his name in a silly voice and wobble my face as in playing fashion, and he lets out a loud bark.
Not loud as in manly, loud as in a child's yelp.

It shocked me the first time, when hes up there he quite often trys to play bite my face, but never really gets me because he is too slow and clumsy.
Is this normal?

Sometimes he crys for no reason, having being fed, drank, had a poo and pee. Is this boredom? I Don't know.

But I'm fairly worried about this.. today he attempted to eat his own poo from outside. (he goes for most of his poos outside but still pees inside)

Sometimes when I pick him up for a fairly long time he does a little growl, well, a little cry. not growl.

Also, I read on to stop him from biting to let out a puppy sounding squeel and walk away. So that he thinks he won't bite as hard as it hurts, but he seems to just get scared and panic and either follow me looking worried or hide behind the sofa.

Can somebody explain if this is normal puppy behaviour and put me out of my paranoid mysery.

Regards,
Mr.M.

To start off with, hi and welcome to the forums! Your dog sounds like a very cute puppy. I'd like to see a picture!

On to the rest: 6 weeks is actually very young to be seperated from his mother and littermates. 8 weeks is more the norm...and with puppies, a lot can happen in 2 weeks. You are about to start entering into the 'fear stage', where he suddenly develops 'irrational' fears about everything, and if not handled properly, those will be things he fears all his life. If he acts like he's scared of something, give him a few pats and tell him it will be ok, or show him that there is nothing to be afraid of. Reassure him, but don't coddle him.

You have a mix of two pretty large breeds here, thus he will be calmer, clumsier and slower. There is going to be a bit of 'culture shock' going from a JRT to a GoldenX. And as Goldens are retrievers, they will be very mouthy puppies. If he starts nipping your hands, yelp like you have been and walk away. If he was still with his littermates, this would be the time when he learns bite inhibition, but it's a moot point now and up to you to teach it to him instead.

I recommend you get a book called "How to Raise A Puppy You Can Live With". I haven't yet read it myself, but it's the number one most recommended puppy book from the puppy people here and I'm more than happy to take their word for it.

In the mean time, come back with any more questions (and pictures!) that you may have, we're always happy to help!

I agree with Zoom. Most of your problems are the young age of your pup. When the pup stays with his mom until at least 8 weeks he learns bite inhibition and so much more. You are going to have a lot of work to do with your pup. I think he probably misses his siblings too. He's used to playing with them all day and now he's in a new, scary home with people he doesn't understand. He's bound to act a little shy/different.

Thanks for the help.

here is a picture of him, his name is Snoop. (sorry for the bad quality, was taken on webcam)

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4724/snoop3pf.jpg

still, why did he try to eat his poo, and should i be worried about the odd bark?

what a cute puppy you have! What kind of sheepdog?

As for the poop eating I know a lot of dogs do that. It's pretty normal I think. They smell all the nutrients left over in the poop I think.

Oh gosh what a cute pup. Too bad you don't have a better picture.

I don't have much to add, it seems like normal puppy behavior to me... You should probably browse the puppy forum a lot, you will get lots of answers to all your questions. It's what I did when I got my pup, and it really helped.

yes a lot of the probs are because of age he didnt have time to learn not to bite befor ehe left the litter, and dont forget all breeds are different i have jacks and they also follow me everywhere even into the shower lol

As a Golden owner for so many years I agree with the above ( Thanks Zoom e.g. the book suggestion ) ...Goldens are very sensitive , and his coming to you or hiding is very normal when you yelp at being bitten. They are very laid back puppies , like cozy corners or lying at your feet. Never rough house with a Golden ... play but don't get them riled up. That is why Chip was re-homed with me..they played hard with him thinking this was neccessary , then after 15, 20 minutes would expect him to be quiet again. You may think, well that's no fun! But, at one yr old , you'd rather have a Golden type than a " terror" type. From what I understand , a Sheep Dog is rather laid back too. Be a good friend to your pup... I gather he was just 6 weeks or younger when you got him ....hope you get the book for the next 10 weeks . Good luck !!! Keep us posted !!! ...BTW, does he have a soft stuffed toy to cuddle with ???

thx guys! he hasnt got a soft toy at the moment but no doubt i will buy him one as soon as i have the money.

he has 3 squeeky toys which he likes alot tho.

how come he growls after about 20 secs of being picked up?

I'm really short of money at the mo.. so i don't think i can get the book just yet... would it be in a libary?

It might be in the library and you can also get it used online at amazon. Used is usually best I think

Stool eating:
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/stool_eating.htm

He growls because he wasn't socialized as a pup... When grooming at 3 weeks , I always gentle turned the pups on their backs ( which is a threat to them) and soothed as I brushed their tummys ( baby brush ...very soft ) ... I never held them down and soon they learned to lie still and enjoy. The other test is to hold them up by their chest with the back feet on the ground... never fight with them... 1st time just a few seconds...this lets them know that being held isn't to be feared....." THE" book tells you all. As a breeder, this was spending at least 15 mins. one on one with each pup daily. Also, bring some young kids into the house to get them used to children. When he's older with all shots, move on to other outside experiences.

P.S. ...I'm sorry you're short on $$$ at this point .....what if your pup gets sick ....as Saje said, it will cost you less on Amazon used...my last copy cost less than $10.....stuffed animals will cost you less than $2 at Goodwill....no bean-bag and don't let him rip up ! Goldens have very soft mouths and like to carry..remove any plastic eyes or noses until he learns.

Also at thrift stores they sometimes get stuffed toys in that they can't sell. They might just give them to you.

thanks.

this is very helpful info and i'm very grateful

i lifted his chest of the ground and let him stand on his back legs, he was quite normal.. should he not be scared now?

ok well my girlfriend has money... which i didn't know about. So i will get him a stuffed toy and get myself the book asap.

Sounds good to me!!! If he was upset he would have either struggled or growled .... did you do this from the rear ??? Now, let me know what he does with a gentle brushing.... start with his chest and his back and legs ... then slowly put him on his back ...if he struggles talk to him gently ...don't push it ! I always talked to my pups through all these stages with the " good dog" praise.

yep i did it from the rear.
he seems fine with brushing too.

i read that ur not supposed to let him play bite, is this true? if so i will stop him from playbiting.. what do u think?

he is still growling at times when picked up.

Is there any chance that he's in pain? Dogs will get growly when handled if they are in pain or uncomfortable.

well i am lifting him up by the chest and bottom of the back, and i gently turn him over into my arms like you would a baby human.

his mum stopped feeding him at 3 weeks seeing as she dried up. could it be due to any pains processing food or anything?

yes he could be in pain, the first born in Pearls litter was doing this untill he went to the vet and they found out that he had an infection