Quote:
Originally Posted by aldelgreco  ...I know that the worst thing you can do is buy from one of these guys... |
Yet you bought a puppy from "one of those guys." Clearly, you didn't lurk for nearly enough time on RDN.
I
wish you hadn't brought Miss Precious and taken her home.
I fully understand your desire to remove her from the situation. I've been involved in Rottie rescue going on 10 years and have seen plenty.
However, what you did--buying a puppy form a puppy producer is completely wrong.
Doubtless you gave Miss Precious' breeder money for her.
To you, it may not have been alot, but to Miss Precious' breeder it was enough to reward them for breeding their dogs. You buying Miss Precious--and the other soft hearted, compassionate people who will do just what you did--just stop to look at the puppies--only to end up buying one (or two) may well encourage them to breed the bitch again. That's how puppy producers like Miss Precious' operate--they keep breeding until they can no longer sell their product.
Over the years, my rescue group has been contacted by people who bred a litter of puppies to make money who then found out they can't sell the puppies. They want us to take the puppies.
We'll do that--on the condition they let us pay for spaying their bitch. If they have a male, we pay for his neutering, too.
I can only hope that other lurkers are more rationale than you.
In answer to your questions:
1. Puppies playing together is fine, but you are going to have to take Miss Precious to class and get her focused on you and your GF. Dogs are inherently more interesting to each other than people are to do dogs. If you let Charles and Miss Precious play morning, noon, and night, Miss Precious is going to grow up focused on her dog buddy and will care two pins about you.
I suggest taking Charles to class, too.
2. The food you're feeding is inferior. Read thru the postings in Nutrition and Grooming to learn about what foods we like and why we like them.
3. Yes, her crate needs to be where you can hear her when she fusses. The rule of thumb is puppies have bladder and bowel control for 1 hour/4 weeks of age + 1 hour.
4 & 5. Your puppy is seven weeks old. Puppies have the attention span of a gnat.
My kennel club holds puppy K classes for puppies between 8-16 weeks of age.