Mommy fed Vs. Bottle Fed

[woofus]

For those of you who might have missed it, I'm adopting a new puppy-child this Saturday.
Guess who's adopting...thread.

His mom was given to the wife in a divorce case. Pretty much SHE wanted the dog so her husband couldn't have it. (Insert "stupid human" remark here) :(

Promptly after getting custody of her, she dumped her on the side of the road. Unfortunately for her, she was also VERY pregnant. She got hit by a car, went into a field, had a littler of nine and died a day or so later. Out of 9, only three made it. (time for another expletive or two)

Lancelot (my soon to be new pup) was bottle fed, since mom wasn't there.

Ok.. now the question. Was at the vet with Mom this past weekend and talking to the vet about him. She told me "Be VERY careful with a bottle fed Rott. There's always a lot of aggression problems, turning on the owner, etc." She said something about them "thinking that they are humans" or something to that effect.

What does everyone think? I'd like to hear from the "knowledge pool" here. :D

Woofus!

[Judi W]

Many of the same problems that occur with singleton pups can also occur with motherless pups. That is why I recommended in another thread that a nursing mom be located to put the orphaned puppies with. There is more to raising a pup than providing nourishment and yes, the doggy mothering is very important.

[woofus]

Originally posted by Judi W
Many of the same problems that occur with singleton pups can also occur with motherless pups. That is why I recommended in another thread that a nursing mom be located to put the orphaned puppies with. There is more to raising a pup than providing nourishment and yes, the doggy mothering is very important.

Understandable... but now the little tyke is 12 weeks old. Is there anything "special" that I need to do, or look out for? or am I just being a "nervous new dad"? :)

Woofus!

[Judi W]

In particular I would say no pampering. His mother would have taught him some discipline especially during the weaning process. Hand raised pups do not receive that and in fact are often treated like human babies long after their mothers would have tossed them away from the nipple. Find him a dogs to associate with so that he learns boundaries within the doggy world. An older bitch that will let him know when he has crossed the line would be excellent.

That is a start. Remember - no pampering. No dog on the bed in this case (or furniture or lying on the floor and letting the pup look down on you or stand over you)................

[woofus]

Originally posted by Judi W
In particular I would say no pampering. His mother would have taught him some discipline especially during the weaning process. Hand raised pups do not receive that and in fact are often treated like human babies long after their mothers would have tossed them away from the nipple. Find him a dogs to associate with so that he learns boundaries within the doggy world. An older bitch that will let him know when he has crossed the line would be excellent.

That is a start. Remember - no pampering. No dog on the bed in this case (or furniture or lying on the floor and letting the pup look down on you or stand over you)................

Just so happens that he'll be moving in with me and Baby. She's a 4.5 y/o (Rott). :D I'm relying on her to teach him about the "doggy rules side" of the house.

Thanks for the great help and advice.... I'm sure I'll be back for more! :)

Woofus!

[brunie's mom]

[quote]Originally posted by woofus
[b]For those of you who might have missed it, I'm adopting a new puppy-child this Saturday."

You are not adopting a "puppy-child", you are adopting a DOG!!!!
Please treat it like a dog....this will really help to establish leadership.
Get into puppy classes right away for socialization and keep on taking classes with your pup.

Gina

[Judi W]

China,
Remember this is someone whose other dog is named Baby! ;) (no unkindness intended)

[DNeff]

Originally posted by woofus
She's a 4.5 y/o (Rott). :D I'm relying on her to teach him about the "doggy rules side" of the house.

Make sure she is not permissive with him. A puppy raised with a laid back dog, when they are lacking in early parenting can become a real bully.

I would recommend trying to find an appropriate bitch or dog that will NOT tolerate any obnoxious behavior, and will correct your puppy in an appropriate manner for any indiscretions. It helps to ask a skilled trainer to identify such a dog since it's not always obvious to novice dog owners.

Dawn + Osa
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[spidey]

I agree with all the advice so far. I'd also add that you'll need to do a LOT of dog socialization with this one - start looking for friendly dogs with good doggy manners to socialize this pup with, and do it regularly. Concerns about illnesses should be secondary (IMO) to socialization with a dog like this - obviously be careful (find vaccinated dogs, play in their yards), but the last thing a pup like this needs is to be quarantined. Personally, I'd rather have a sick puppy, even a very sick puppy, than deal with an undersocialized dog for ten years. I'd also be doing a form of NILIF with this one from day one.

[woofus]

[quote]Originally posted by brunie's mom
[b]

Originally posted by woofus
For those of you who might have missed it, I'm adopting a new puppy-child this Saturday."

You are not adopting a "puppy-child", you are adopting a DOG!!!!
Please treat it like a dog....this will really help to establish leadership.
Get into puppy classes right away for socialization and keep on taking classes with your pup.

Gina

Thanks for the suggestions, Gina. And yes, I am fully aware that he is a dog. He will be treated as such, just as I treat Baby.

Just to clarify, my Great Grandmother used to refer to just about everyone as "Honey Child". I pretty much refer to all dogs in my family as "Puppy-child" no matter what the age of the dog. :D It's a term of endearment more than anything.

And I did some research on NILIF and CTJ and realized that, that's pretty much how I've already been working with Baby. I guess some of this board has gone and rubbed off on me without me even knowing it! ;)

Thanks again for everybody's help.

Woofus!
(always learning)