Questions

[Doggish.Obsession]

STORY: Before my dog died, I bred him to a female. The female had her puppies on Jan 19th; A healthy litter of five. My mom said I could get two. There are four boys and one girl. (The puppies are purebred maltese)
Now for the questtions.

1. When is the soonest I can get the puppies? (You can tell me the consequences of getting TWO too early, but the answer as well please.)

2. Should I get a male and male or female and male? (I am not planning on breeding, and they are siblings. Should I neuter/spay anyone/both?)

3. How old should they be until they can gte neutered/spayed?

4. For how long must I feed them 3-4 times a day?

5. For the first couple of days should I seperate them or anything?

6. When are puppies normally brought to their new homes?

7. Should I visit their mother frequently with the puppies?

8. When should I start training?

9. In the area where it sleeps, should there be ANYTHING that should be put in?

Thats it so far. xD

 

[jess2416]

Well I cant answer many of those but I can answer some...

1. When is the soonest I can get the puppies? (You can tell me the consequences of getting TWO too early, but the answer as well please.)

Most like to wait till they are between 8 - 12 weeks

3. How old should they be until they can get neutered/spayed?

Usually I think its 4 months some vets do it earlier but it is a vet preference on when to do it.

2. Should I get a male and male or female and male? (I am not planning on breeding, and they are siblings. Should I neuter/spay anyone/both?)

You should spay/nueter both of them.

 

[Doberluv]

Yes, 8 weeks. They should stay with their Mom and littermates at least that long as they learn a lot about bite inhibition and social behavior from them.

I strongly recommend that you only get one pup. Often two pups from the same litter don't get along later on down the road. Another reason, the biggest one to me is that it's very difficult to raise even one puppy well, the housebreaking, manners, socializing, training etc. But to have two pups at the same time is reeeeeeeeeeeeelly hard. They are so into eachother that it is more difficult for you to form the necessary bond with them that it takes to have them look to you as their leader, teacher etc. It's harder to train them when their are two which are the same age.

Another reason is that they both grow old at the same time so when that sad time comes that they have to be put to sleep or die, you lose them both at close to the same time....or you tend to. Where as.....if you have one pup for 3 or 5 years and then you add another, it's more spaced out so that when the first gets really old and you have to say good-bye, you still, at least have the other one to comfort you. Of course, there are variables and unexpected things that could happen to change that common tendency, but that's something that always weighs on my mind.

As far as the medical questions....your vet is your best choice...about how much to feed them etc.

6 months is the average age for neutering and spaying.

It would be great if you could visit the litter before you get the pups, but not imperative.

In their sleeping area, a nice doggie bed would be great, some safe, hard toys, like a Kong or Nyla bone. Be careful of toys they can tear apart because they can choke on parts of them.

Training should start right away....very short times and just a few basics, like sit, down and to come along with you when you entice them. Use all happy, playful ways so they learn to love to learn and love to be with you. Do a search on training puppies. There's a thread on the training forum called training tips. There are a couple of good links right there. Search all over this forum for training info. Read about crate training....the best way to potty train and get your dog use to a crate IMO. You may need to crate your pup (s) to go in the car or at other times, so it's good to accustom them to one right away.

There are good books...How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With is one. At The Other End of the Leash is another. Culture Clash come highly recommended. (to name a few)

Good luck!

 

[Julie]

1. When is the soonest I can get the puppies? (You can tell me the consequences of getting TWO too early, but the answer as well please.)
I would want to get the pups no earlier than 10 weeks. Especially for a small breed like this. But not before 8 weeks seems to be acceptable for med/lg breeds.

2. Should I get a male and male or female and male? (I am not planning on breeding, and they are siblings. Should I neuter/spay anyone/both?)
I would get two males and have them both neutered at the earliest time the vet reccommends.

3. How old should they be until they can gte neutered/spayed?
6 months is average.

4. For how long must I feed them 3-4 times a day?
For a small breed, I would feed 4 times a day, daily ration divided into 4 small meals.

5. For the first couple of days should I seperate them or anything?
I would let them have lots of playtime together, but each should have their own crate, for sleeping, and time alone. Also its a good idea, to spend time with each puppy individually. That is the problem with getting two puppies at the same time, they can easily bond to each other, instead of you. It also makes house training, obedience training, etc. more difficult. It can be done, but I think one puppy at a time allows you more time to really bond, and enjoy the company of your new pup. If it were me, I would only choose one. Then in a couple years when first pup is trustworthy, start looking for a companion.

6. When are puppies normally brought to their new homes?
Not before 8 weeks.

7. Should I visit their mother frequently with the puppies?
If you mean visiting the litter and mother now, then yes. That way you can get to know each pup, and decide which pups you think would fit in your family best.

Now if you mean taking the pups to visit 'mom' once the pups are living with you; No, that would be totally up to you. If you think its fun, then do it. But not neccesary. Socialization is a good thing. But be careful about taking puppys under 16 weeks (without all their shots complete) to places where other dogs frequent. You would hate for them to catch any diseases.

8. When should I start training?
Training is being started already - with the mother and siblings.......that is why you should let them with the litter until around 10 weeks.....
You should start training as soon as you take them home.
And by training I don't mean hitting, yelling, or strong corrections.
I mean Getting used to collars, leads, noises, etc. And house training. Simple obedience.....come when called, sit, laydown, stay..etc.

9. In the area where it sleeps, should there be ANYTHING that should be put in? A crate is a great sleeping area and training tool. It is your choice, a blanket maybe or pad.

 

[Doberluv]

If you do get two, I highly recommend two of the opposite sex....male and female. Two males often fight, neutered or not and even two females sometimes will get snarky together.

 

[Julie]

That might be the best combo....

but I did have two neutered males that lived together with us for 12 years and it worked out well. They were neutered at 6 months and were 6 months difference in age. One was a chow mix and the other a dane mix.

It also can depend on the particular dog.

male/female might be best.

 

[Doberluv]

Absolutely I agree. I have two males, a Dobe and a Chi, plus my female and all is fine, for the most part. Many times it's fine. But if you have a choice, it's usually even less risk to have the opposite if you can. It's more common in a general sort of way.... for same sex to have arguments than opposite. That's all I mean. This is just what I've always read. Mostly in the past I've always had opposites when I had multiple dogs.

 

[bubbatd]

I agree with Dob's 1st post.... get only one for now. Two are not only double trouble, but they do tend to bond too much with each other and tune you out. I was talked into a family taking 2 pups once as they promised that each would handle one pup separate from the other. Finally when they were about 11 months old, they turned one over to another family member ( another home ) , as things were getting too bad . After that, each dog turned into great family members who looked up to their humans .

 

[Saje]

STORY: Before my dog died, I bred him to a female. The female had her puppies on Jan 19th; A healthy litter of five. My mom said I could get two. There are four boys and one girl. (The puppies are purebred maltese)
Now for the questtions.

1. When is the soonest I can get the puppies? (You can tell me the consequences of getting TWO too early, but the answer as well please.)

Minimum of eight weeks.

2. Should I get a male and male or female and male? (I am not planning on breeding, and they are siblings. Should I neuter/spay anyone/both?)

Avoid getting siblings and spay and neuter all pets.

3. How old should they be until they can gte neutered/spayed?

Advice varies but usually around six months

4. For how long must I feed them 3-4 times a day?

No real answer. Advice varies again.

5. For the first couple of days should I seperate them or anything?

I wouldn't recommend bringing home siblings

6. When are puppies normally brought to their new homes?

7. Should I visit their mother frequently with the puppies?

after eight weeks

8. When should I start training?

training should begin while they are still with their mom.

9. In the area where it sleeps, should there be ANYTHING that should be put in?

Where it sleeps? I'm not sure I understand but you can put blankets, kongs, toys, a warm water bottle and perhaps a clock that ticks to help with weaning.

Thats it so far. xD[/QUOTE]

I thought you said that this breeding was accidental? What happened to the advice on all the other threads you posted? I think you are hoping to find someone who will tell you that you can bring your puppies home sooner. Don't.

 

[Doggish.Obsession]

Hm...

Darn. I wanted two. But if its for the best, I guess one. Then I can persuade my mom into getting another one. *cackesnort*

 

[bubbatd]

I echo Saje all the way !!! And yes... visit the pups as often as you can so you can see what the breeder is doing ! Do you have a copy of " How To Raise A Puppy You Can Live With " ... it will tell you what the breeder SHOULD be doing each week and how to evaluate the pup best for you. I wore out 3 copies and each owner had a copy .( Used on Amazon ...Rutherford and Neil )

 

[Doberluv]

Well, that is a good idea. My brain is geared toward reputable breeders, like the one I got my Doberman from. Because of her reputation, I was very confident that she was raising the pups inside and had kids coming and going...lots of socialization etc. She was wonderful with the pups and took good care of them. When you find a breeder you trust, it is such a comfort. But if you don't know well, who you're going with, it sure would be a good idea to see what's going on. (of course, it's always optimum to go with someone you're very sure of) Are the pups raised inside with the family? Are they handled a lot and exposed to regular goings on? Does she do temperament testing on the pups at various intervals?

I bet Grammy can tell you more what to look for as she's bred dogs. I am not that familiar with all that should be done.

 

[bubbatd]

She knows the " Breeder " as she bred her dog to the female. I'm now questioning.... how did your dog die ?? Obviously you lost your dog soon after breeding him. Was this something that may be passed on ?? Did you get pick of the litter ?? Were there testings on both sides ?? Maybe we could help you more if we knew all the facts. Hey, we won't put you down ! Just be honest with us.

 

[Saje]

She/he said in others posts that it was an accidental breeding.

 

[bubbatd]

OOOOOOOOOOO !!! I remember now !

 

[Doberluv]

It's funny how sometimes by the time we oldsters (ROFLOL) get to the second page on these threads, we forget already what the details were in the beginning. Woops!

 

[bubbatd]

LOL!!!!!!! How true !! At least I can blame it on a senior moment !

 

[Doberluv]

Yes! We are entitled. LOL.

 

[Doggish.Obsession]

He died in a car crash. He met a female and just mated on the spot. Then, BAM! They were born! Maybe I can get some pictures of the puppies...

They already opened their eyes!

 

[bubbatd]

Just remember that what is done the 1st 8 weeks makes the difference of a happy pup and new owner to be. You never acknowleded the book I recommended . I feel it's a must for you AND the breeder ! Sorry, but if she wasn't watching her female in heat and had a " BAM " she needs help . Pup are cute, but you will own a DOG within a year.