new pet owner

Hello knoeho and welcome to myLot! And welcome to your little Dora! Your friend made a mistake when he took the little puppy from the litter so young. A puppy should stay with his mother until at least 7 weeks old. During this time she learns from her mother and siblings how to be a dog. The first step you must take is to search for a vet and to take Dora to be vaccinated. Distemper and parvovirosis are two diseases that are common during puppyhood and there are little to no changes of healing. If I were you, I wouldn't take any risk with my puppy. So number one: vaccinate the puppy! Second step: decide the type of food that you want to feed Dora. There are many variants to choose from: raw food (raw meat and bones, raw vegetables), home made food (boiled rice, meat broth, raw or boiled vegetables - but not human food, as it may contain dangerous foods for dogs like onion or chocolate for instance), industrial dog food (dry and/or wet). I decided to feed my dog with dry dog food because it is easier to know how much food to give to your dog and you don't need to worry that your dog doesn't take enough proteins and vitamins from her meals. My dog also eats raw vegetables every day and, from time to time, a raw beef bone. Third step: make sure you expose her to different stimuli (new things, new people, new dogs) so that when she grows up you'll have a well socialized dog. Ask your vet when she is able to meet other dogs - some vets advice puppies' owners to keep them isolated until they finish all their vaccines. Fourth step: start training her. Start with housebreaking (carmelanirel gave you some good advice on this topic) and continue with the most important commands in a dog's life: "Dora", come, No!, leave it!, sit, stay and so on. Don't expect her to learn too much at this age but you can start teaching her some basic obedience commands in a few weeks. It's really difficult to tell in only one post everything you should know as a first time dog owner. Just love your dog and try to be the best dog owner and whenever you have a question, don't hesitate to ask.

This is your absolute first pet ever? I do hope you realize the responsibility of owning a pet, it is not to be taken lightly and it time, patience, money, and lots of love to care for a pet. The first thing you want to do is to find a veterinarian for shots and a check up. consider the cost of not only food, but toys, flea treatments, and a good leash and collar for walks. Then the next thing I suggest to find a reputable dog trainer or someone you know who has had dogs and knows how to train them correctly. The first training would be house breaking the dog, if she is going to be an indoor pet. This is where a crate comes in. I don't know how big your dog is now or how much bigger she will get, but the size for training a dog should be big enough for her to stand and turn around in, but not big enough for her to make a "spot" in the crate for her to pee or poo..See, a dog's instinct is to not go where they lay down, so you want to make sure the crate isn't so big that she can go to the bathroom, and then lay down on the other side. Most importantly where the crate is concerned. If you use it right, which means not hours and hour of being crated, only using the crate for overnight and for a few hours that you can not watch her. NEVER leave a dog in a crate for longer than 6-7 if you can help it, even less time is better. If you are calm and use this crate right, you will see your dog will love to go in and use it as she own personal "get away from it all" room. My dogs are already housebroken and will be two in November. I just leave the crate opened and if one or both feel the need to get away, they will go in and lay down on their own..So it isn't a :cruel thing" to do, like some think. Unless of course the dog was abused using a crate, like ones that come from puppy mills, but hopefully that isn't the case with your dog, because puppy mill dogs need special care, they are not for first time pet owners.. Anyway, if you have any other questions, just let me know. Congrats on your newest member of the household and remember, If you give your dog lots of love, she will return the favor...:D

I know this will be a little bias, however, buy a good dog food. I.E. Purina Pro Plan Puppy with chicken or a high end food. You will not regret it. A good dog food promotes good health and growth, it also helps in clean up, there is less poop. More of the good things go towards the pet and not the poop. Next is training, then training. You will not regrte it. Try not to repeat yourself in training. Tell the pet once, then show it whay to do sit - down - come etc. Luv, train , care for your new lil friend, it will do the same for you..

Congratulations on your first puppy. However since it is four weeks old, consider getting the puppy some puppy formula. She/he will still need mama's milk through the weaning process. But you can substitute this with puppy formula sold at pet stores or through your veterinarian. Another thing to be aware of is the possible behaviors. Your puppy is going to explore everything in a couple of weeks. She will explore mostly with her mouth and teeth and she will try to chew everything. You may want to get some books on puppy behavior and puppy training. It was very helpful to me when I got my first dog. But then... my mother would not let me have a dog until I had studied and read up on them. I am not going to lie and say having a dog is easy. Because it isn't. You will face challenges and your patience will be tested again and again. People will tell you how to raise your dog, and people may even tell you to find it a home. But don't give in. Your puppy will be far most your best teacher. Pay attention to her body language. There are some websites that explain what a dog is trying to say. You may want to consider a dog house too with a dog pen to let your dog enjoy the freedom of the outside without being set free to run loose. Some people tie their dogs outside, but some others have a heart attack about it. Mainly because of the particular fact that chained dogs often seem to be neglected and forgotten. I am not 100% for chaining a dog, but I am not 100% against either. Sometimes it is needed when you have no choice and for temporary reasons. Although I will say this.. No dog should ever be chained and left outside all day without supervision. They can break their chains and run free, they can tangle themselves up if near objects such as trees, and more. This is why supervision is a must. But it's better if you can have a pen to put your dog in. Right now I am hoping to get my dog pen built in the spring/summer of 2012 for my dogs. You also mentioned the best food for your dog. A dog is a carnivore, so therefore she will need a dog food that lists a meat, such as chicken or lamb, or beef as the first ingredient. If your dog has a working breed dog in her, such as husky or shepherd, or something similar, you may need more protein for them. For example, I have a very low content wolf dog, mostly shepherd mixed with husky. Because of her needs, I've had to switch all the dogs I've had to a dog food with more protein to avoid having to thaw out deer meat and chicken to give her to settle her stomach and to save money on dog food. Dog food can become expensive. Your dog may differ, so definitely talk to your vet. Most vets will recommend the brand they sell, but you can always find a cheaper substitute that will work. As for training...since you have never trained a dog before, read up on dog training. And visit a pet training center. If you have a PetSmart in your area, they have dog classes. Visit and watch the class. It helps. Also..some quick advice.. If you have anything of value to you, socks, shoes, stationary items, videos, electronics, cords...put them up high. Lock all of your doors to your cupboards and cabinets. Your puppy will teeth, and will want to chew. Again to explore, and to also for the pain of cutting teeth. By her some toys. The kong toy is a favorite of mine. It's the one toy Keisha hasn't been able to yet shred. Also be aware of possible behavioral changes. If your puppy is healthy without concerns of health, consider spaying her. Your vet will tell you more about this when you take your puppy. Some more advice. Your puppy will need flea protection but you will not be able to give her flea medication until she is about or older than eight weeks of age. Check her fur daily for brown or black specks on her skin. If she has them and if she's scratching, bathe her in luke warm water with dawn dish liquid. You can do this to keep the fleas at bay. You can also use a flea comb. Don't forget to towel dry.. Oh..also wear something old.. Your puppy will shake a lot, and she will try to jump out of the tub, or run from the hose. Grooming is something else you'll want to consider. A dog's nails can grow quickly and should be trimmed every six weeks. Have a vet show you how it's done. You can buy grooming supplies at your local store where they sell pet merchandise. Just don't forget the treats if you can afford it. Play, play, play! Stimulate your puppy with playing and learning. Also, another tip.. Never let your puppy put her head above yours. Never let your puppy stare you and make you look away. Never let your puppy hump you. These are all dominance signs. Most of all, love your puppy and learn right and do right by her. Keep us updated if possible. If you have questions or concerns talk to your vet first if possible. If you cannot, post your concern on mylot. One of us dog owners will see it and respond accordingly. Good luck and again, congratulations. :)

First. If you want to train your puppies, you have to be patient. Because dog is an animal too, they won't able to memorize a trick for one day. For one tricks, examples to train her to sit, it needs one week of training, plus every time training, so she can remember what you have taught to her. For the best food, please look at your country condition, examples for tropical country and snowy country, they have different assumption of protein. And look up to the ingredient, is it good enough for dog? You can see some review about dog food on the internet, try to browse them. Important things you must remember. Don't ever give your dog chocolate, and give less salt...

Nice, I hope you do take Dora to the vet and get her, her shots and stuff that she needs. I hope they have told you what a dog can and can't eat because there are some thing out there we would think is okay for dogs to have but its not. Good luck with training her.

I also love them and i had a cat with me.. one it fell ill and passed away.. that was a bad day for me.. so i don't have pets now..

I nice to hear that you have a pet dog.I also love to have a dog but its not allowed at home because of niece and nephew.Dogs are man's bestfriend.You have to love and take care of her well.In training,you have to be more patient.

you know pets especially cats and dogs are pain and stress reliever, so nice decision to be a pet owner be sure that your pet always clean and monthly checkup by your vet.