Hello again! I'm wondering what you all do to entertain your puppies. I almost feel as if I need to constantly be playing with him. I feel so guilty if I have to do anything else, and have to leave him be for a bit. I am a nurse, and I have a four year old daughter and an eight year old stepdaughter with us on the weekends so we are fairly busy. We do go out for walks, but he is only 8 weeks old, so tires out fairly quickly. We also do playdates with my moms older dog, just to get him out of the house some days. He has loads of toys and will sit and play with them on his own sometimes, but other times he just wanders and whines. It makes me so sad! How do I find some sort of balance between him and getting all my things done?! Thanks!
Hi there An 8 week old puppy doesn't need walks - and plus, his vaccinations won't be finished yet? So that's a big consideration. Just set out a routine, and stick to it. Plan out the pup's time - playtimes, toilet break time, training time, kong time, snooze time and so on, puppies love routine, then just get on with your stuff. Little puppies are quite time consuming though. They do need a lot of interaction and attention. If the puppy has trouble settling, or being alone for a bit, then that's a priority for training.
Good to know about the walks! He's our first experience with having a dog of our own, so lots to learn
Yes, you need to ensure that he has finished all of his vaccinations before he is allowed on the ground outside, anywhere where dogs or foxes could have been, because parvovirus can live one the ground for a very long time, and it can be very serious for puppies. Your vet should have told you this when you took him for his check up - I assume he'll have had his first lot of vaccinations as he's 8 weeks old. When they're this young, you don't get as much of your own stuff done as usual. Be prepared for a bit of a messier house and get your partner to help out a bit more with chores. It's only for a short while, until the toilet training is over and the pup is in a bit more of a routine. I found my pups weren't really interested in playing much individually, and always searched out interaction for playing. Do you have any kongs for him? If not, buy some and start getting him introduced to them. Once he learns how fabulous they are, they're a great help for giving yourself some time away form him.
The person we got him from had his first set of shots done, so I didn't actually get to speak with the vet. He does have a checkup booked for next week, so I can see when he needs another set and ensure he's doing well. Do you stuff the kongs with anything? He does have one, but so far I haven't really known what to put in them!
You can soak his kibble and put that in there. Maybe with a bit of tinned tuna or sardine. Or canned dog food. At this age, you don't want to give him too much variety of foods, because it can upset his stomach. There's a huge thread in the stickies about what you can stuff them with, given time. Start off smelly and easy, and gradually make it more challenging by freezing them.
Remember not to put him down outside (apart from dog and fox free gardens) until the vet says he's clear to go down. ...
I'm so happy someone mentioned this, as I didn't know he wasn't able to go down! We will keep in our backyard for now, until we speak with his vet and he has all his vaccinations!
But it's an good idea to carry him to many places, to see many people and different m-odes of transport. The younger they experience them., the less likely they are to be nervous later on.
You very well may find out your vet wants to repeat the two sets of vaccinations. If vaccinations are done too early, the maternal anti-bodies interfere, and they are not effective. I didn't keep either of my puppies inside even though there are foxes in my garden. I just felt it was too restrictive to do so, and exercise on natural surfaces is important for puppies under 3 months. So both my pups explored and played in my garden while waiting for vaccinations to be effective. To tire out a small pup, start some basic training. Clicker training is good - lots of articles on the main site. If you reinforce the right behaviours when they are puppies - stay on a mat, recall, calm behaviours and so on - it is very much worth it later.
