Puppy advice

[Shipwreck]

Hello All,

We now have a bulldog puppy (Male, 12 weeks old) in our family and was hoping to go over a few questions and concerns if I may ...

I noticed when reading over previous puppy threads some advice to not give string tugs or rawhides and wanted to find out the reason for this (aggression, digestion, both)?

I read the suggestion of martingale collar and wanted to get more information as to why that is preferred. I currently have harness type.

Also, was hoping to get advice for our current issues ...

- puppy is being crate trained but still pees inside (sometimes even 30-45 minutes from last going outside)

- he attacks hands with play biting, i switch out to a chew toy, but when playing again later same result. He has caught me a few times and broke skin. I don't see any aggression but of course would like tips to stop this now. I notice he will start of with kisses then start the chewing/nipping. Night time is when he is in full time "attack" play mode.

- He has tear stains around eyes and in one wrinkle (maybe two but its darker coloring), I clean every night with wipes and also go inside his ears and get wax every time (is that normal?). Current food is Taste of the Wild Puppy Pacific Stream with tablespoon of ground meat and rice as a topper, sometimes chicken broth or both.

- Does not like to walk, it will turn into dragging which we won't do so I have to carry him. If he has already done both types of business, he will attack my sneakers and bottom of shorts the rest of the way home. Is this just the way it is?

Thanks for any advice!!!

 

[2BullyMama]

Welcome to EBN!! Well you definitely have a real puppy on your hands... all normal puppy behavior!

- string tugs/rawhide -- string/ropes eventually break apart and can become a hazard to the intestines .. there are fleece ropes that you can get in place of them. Rawhide is all chemicals, just nothing good about them, and they can be a choking hazard. Good chew toys are raw marrow bones, moose paddles (antlers) kong toys or nylabones.

- martingale collars are nice because you can give a correction without choking the pup.... harness is a great once the walk will on leash, keep in mind, the harness gives them more strength so they are great since bulldogs have a sensitive neck/throat, but can give them more pull if not walking well on leash. And, since he is still fighting the leash... bring some small/tiny treats with you to encourage him to walk... then slowly stop the food treat and just give some love and praise... he will eventually get it.

- potty ... keep in mind, they can only hold it for 1 hour more than months old.... and you should take them out immediately after eating, waking up or a play session ends... that is when they will need to go

-- night time attack mode -- bulldog zoomie hour! They will play hard just before passing out for the night. He is teething and will continue till about 6 months old. Get Nylabone 'keys' I placed them in the freezer and would give to our pup around 7;30 - 8 at night and he would fall asleep sucking on them... the cold helps relive the teething. just keep redirecting to a toy and give a firm no or ouch when he does do it.

Consistency is everything with a pup... so get everyone on the same page and use the same words/commands so he will get it! A good tool is 'nothing in life is free' very easy for all ages to use and get him on schedule.

 

[Cbrugs]

Welcome! Christine has you covered!

 

[Dollys Owner]

Hello All,

We now have a bulldog puppy (Male, 12 weeks old) in our family and was hoping to go over a few questions and concerns if I may ...

I noticed when reading over previous puppy threads some advice to not give string tugs or rawhides and wanted to find out the reason for this (aggression, digestion, both)?

I read the suggestion of martingale collar and wanted to get more information as to why that is preferred. I currently have harness type.

Also, was hoping to get advice for our current issues ...

- puppy is being crate trained but still pees inside (sometimes even 30-45 minutes from last going outside)

- he attacks hands with play biting, i switch out to a chew toy, but when playing again later same result. He has caught me a few times and broke skin. I don't see any aggression but of course would like tips to stop this now. I notice he will start of with kisses then start the chewing/nipping. Night time is when he is in full time "attack" play mode.

- He has tear stains around eyes and in one wrinkle (maybe two but its darker coloring), I clean every night with wipes and also go inside his ears and get wax every time (is that normal?). Current food is Taste of the Wild Puppy Pacific Stream with tablespoon of ground meat and rice as a topper, sometimes chicken broth or both.

- Does not like to walk, it will turn into dragging which we won't do so I have to carry him. If he has already done both types of business, he will attack my sneakers and bottom of shorts the rest of the way home. Is this just the way it is?

Thanks for any advice!!!

12 weeks is when allergies can begin to develop, so keep an eye out for ear problems or licking paws as signs of possible food allergies. Taste of the wild puppy pacific stream is not my favourite since it just says "salmon", so it's probably farmed salmon. Other good brands include fromm heartland grain free puppy, orijen puppy or even switch to frozen raw if you can, since it's least allergenic. Try to clean the wrinkles once or twice a day - can use various methods eg.
1) witch hazel on a round cosmetic pad with no drying, or 2) baby wipe then dry with a round cosmetic pad, 3)a bit of chlorhexidine/ketoconazole shampoo on a wet cosmetic pad then another wet cosmetic pad then a dry cosmetic pad. Can follow with zinc oxide ointment or gold bond powder if wrinkles are inflamed. Also clean and dry tail pocket daily if your dog has one.

 

[Dollys Owner]

And for ears, can clean out ears daily with an unscented diaper wipe if they are itchy and dog is scratching at them. In that case once a week clean them out with a solution of 25% apple cider vinegar and 75% witch hazel which is either wiped in on a round cosmetic pad, or sprayed in and wiped out. If dog has no issues with ears then a once a month cleaning is enough.

 

[cefe13]

Great advice above. Remember that he's just a baby and it will take two months or so until he's fully potty trained. Take him out often and if you can, don't leave him alone but watch over him.

If you need to leave him, I suppose a crate is a safe place - although lockign up a dog in a crate is against the law in Sweden so clearly not something you need to do - here people who have to leave pups unattended will keep them in eg the kitchen.

We carried Castor a lot when he was a pup. He would walk very willingly and then suddenly decide not to walk. That actually still happens (now he's 5, so I don't carry him anymore). I'm quite sure this is something that can be trained, but in your case I would just go with the flow and let the little guy develop step by step.

 

[Shipwreck]

Thanks everyone for the tips!

1) He is doing better with crate training and starting to hold it longer. I also make sure to take him out right after eating which was one of the main problems. I was taking him out every 2 hours regardless of eating schedule, so some times it lined up, some times he went inside. ... He's 3 months old now, and can hold about 3 hours when not right after a meal.

2) the play biting and attack mode is getting slightly better, but not much. I can sit with him now for at least a few minutes before he tries to gnaw a hand or clothes. Also, he will occasionally start to lick my hand when I say no to biting, but only sometimes. He will go to timeout if he does that play attack pounce biting. He gets his head and front paws real low with his hind legs still upright, and then jumps on my hand. I stop this game because he seems to get in a frenzy with it. Am I making a mistake here?

3) I might change his food to Fromm Heartland and see if it helps with the tear stains. Should I get Fromm Heartland Puppy Large breed or just regular?

4) Walking is improving slightly as well. I noticed if we walk in a group/pack he will follow the family for a nice walk. However, when it's just me and he's done his business, he still tries to chew bottom of my shorts and latch on.

BONUS - When eating and drinking, puppy leaves quite the mess. He pushes half of the food out of the bowl while eating and then drops kibble around the house that must have been stuck in his mouth. When drinking, he gets most of the water on his neck and a few pieces of kibble he just ate will drop out and end up in the bottom of his bowl. Also, when he's done drinking, a good bit of water will just drip down his chin and neck and all over the floor. His fur is getting pink around his chin and neck (where all of this water ends up). He is drinking bottled water. Is this leftover kibble messiness and inability to get water in mouth instead of on neck normal or should I keep an eye on this?

Once again, appreciate all the help. If all of this is normal, that's fine with me. I'd just like to get myself on the right track and doing things properly as soon as possible.

Thanks!

 

[Cbrugs]

As far as the eating and drinking go, because they are so messy, I always try to wipe Louie’s face after eating and drinking. This will help prevent chin acne and yeast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hceril]

Welcome!!
Get ready for some laughs with your new addition!
And pictures, pictures, pictures please!!

 

[2BullyMama]

Thanks everyone for the tips!

1) He is doing better with crate training and starting to hold it longer. I also make sure to take him out right after eating which was one of the main problems. I was taking him out every 2 hours regardless of eating schedule, so some times it lined up, some times he went inside. ... He's 3 months old now, and can hold about 3 hours when not right after a meal.

2) the play biting and attack mode is getting slightly better, but not much. I can sit with him now for at least a few minutes before he tries to gnaw a hand or clothes. Also, he will occasionally start to lick my hand when I say no to biting, but only sometimes. He will go to timeout if he does that play attack pounce biting. He gets his head and front paws real low with his hind legs still upright, and then jumps on my hand. I stop this game because he seems to get in a frenzy with it. Am I making a mistake here?

3) I might change his food to Fromm Heartland and see if it helps with the tear stains. Should I get Fromm Heartland Puppy Large breed or just regular?

4) Walking is improving slightly as well. I noticed if we walk in a group/pack he will follow the family for a nice walk. However, when it's just me and he's done his business, he still tries to chew bottom of my shorts and latch on.

BONUS - When eating and drinking, puppy leaves quite the mess. He pushes half of the food out of the bowl while eating and then drops kibble around the house that must have been stuck in his mouth. When drinking, he gets most of the water on his neck and a few pieces of kibble he just ate will drop out and end up in the bottom of his bowl. Also, when he's done drinking, a good bit of water will just drip down his chin and neck and all over the floor. His fur is getting pink around his chin and neck (where all of this water ends up). He is drinking bottled water. Is this leftover kibble messiness and inability to get water in mouth instead of on neck normal or should I keep an eye on this?

Once again, appreciate all the help. If all of this is normal, that's fine with me. I'd just like to get myself on the right track and doing things properly as soon as possible.

Thanks!

2. Head down front paws out and butt in air... is a perfect ‘play-bow’... he is inviting you to play it is dog language fir ‘let’s play’

3. Regular puppy is fine... Fromm is a great choice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk