new puppy

[Joslyn]

Hi Iam hoping someone can help me out.
my husband just bought me a rott puppy a little less than 1 week ago she was born aug 28 and is nearly 6 weeks old. The "owner" of the dog told my husband that all the puppies were "weened" on solid food and ready to leave their mom..
I just joinned this forum tonight actually and decided to try the live chat. I didnt know my husband was getting me a puppy it was a surprise i had been mentioning to him for awhile that i wanted one and he surprised me by bringing her home.. anyways i went into the live chat to get some info on rotts and meet some new people and a few people started flipping out on me when they found out that i got the puppy so young.. they told me i was going to have alot of problems with her and mentioned something about imprinting.
which i know nothing about. my husband found this puppy through the recycler. we are taking her to a vet tommorrow to have her looked at we own a reptile shop and work closely with a vet through our buisness so he agreed to check out Mindy "I should mention that my brother in law wanted a rott puppy as well especially when he saw mindy.. so my husband called the owner yesterday to see if he had any puppies left which he did so he went and picked up a second puppy last night... my puppy is eating solid food and is having no problems eliminating. (someone in the chatroom said she shouldnt be eating solids yet) if this is the case then what should i be feeding her?
i kind of thought that mindy might have been to young to leave her mom but as i stated above .. the "owner" told my husband that she was weened , on solid food and ready to leave mom.. also mindy was living outside with her mom and siblings but she seems to be adjusting fine..
iam soooooo totally new to this whole experience can anyone help me out. or direct me to someone who can help.. and PLEASE i only want people to respond who are going to be helpful ..
thank you Joslyn

[rottmommie]

Well, basically what is done is done.....
I was told I would have trouble too, he was only "*8" weeks when i got him, and found out later that he was closer to 7.....
He was too young....period. And there was not anything i could really do about it. I am sure the "owner" of these pups just wanted to get rid of em quick. In some states letting a pup go before 12 weeks is against the law, and I would report it if this is the case in your state.
My advice is to get the pup into puppy kindergarten as early as you can, make sure the shots are all up to date, Get some books on rottweilers and dont kick yourself too much, you will now know that next time you will buy from a reputable breeder. I got in trouble last time I posted what the type of person is that sold your dog to you, so i will refrain.....
Handle your dog a lot, rub ears check mouth, rub between paw pads, play with the toenails, (all feet, not jsut the front). Pet on the head, make the dog eat with you right there with your hands in the bowl, never allow food posseseiveness.
BOND......this is important. The book I recommend for new rottie owners in rottweilers for dummies. GET it, and read it thru and thru.
You cant change now the fact that the dog was too young. My dog is not a big problem to me. I have worked very hard to see that this is so. If he should ever become a problem, he will get extensive behavior training. HE is almost 2 years old now. PLEASE do not breed this dog! Get the dog fixed asap......there are enough dogs running around that were bred by unscrupulous breeders, and you have NO idea what this dog will have problems with in the future, as far as health and temperament go.
I would advise the other person that got a pup do exactly what I and others will tell you to do on this forum.
Dont let anyone beat you up over this......you cant fix it now. If you were to take the dogs back chances are they would be put out to the next taker tomorrow........at least you know you will do your best.

[rottmommie]

You may also want to ask your vet if there are any supplements your dog should be taking along with whatever you are feeding.....What ARE you feeding your pup?
You can try kibble if you add a little water to soften it.....Please give your dog a good high quality nutritious food, and not something off the grocers shelves......
look at the nutrition section of the forum for good food information.

[marianne]

Glad you posted! With pups that young you may have some problems...but that's not the issue now! They should be eatting a quality puppy kibble. Check out the archives in the nutrition and grooming forum. You should read some books about raising puppies. Your vet should be able to help . Keep your pup home as much as possible till he's at least 8 weeks old. Parvo is a very serious illness...make sure your vet explains what to look for. Good luck!!!! In live chat we get so many who just gets there kicks about starting trouble.....When you post to the forums we will all try to help you!;)

[K-9Girl]

I got Kodi when he was about 7 or 8 weeks old. I know that many people here think that that is too young, and it probably is.....But, I was in the same position that you are in now. What had been done was done.

Just so you know, Kodi is now 8 months old, full of energy and life. He is very healthy and I had NO problems with him from the time that I brought him home at 7 weeks until now at 8 months. I was sure to get him WELL socialized and started with puppy school at a young age and I think that that has made a lot of difference. I feed him a high quality food (Canidae) and give him plenty of exercise.

Get your pup to the vet and get the appropriate vaccs. and take proper precautions to keep your pup away from dangerous places (i.e. places where the pup could get parvo, etc.).

I just took it one day at a time and everything turned out fine!

Right now I can tell that you are in a little bit of shock! Just give it time and pretty soon you will think that your husband is the best man in the world for bringing you Rottie pup! They are great!!!! :D

[KATS]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Rottweilers. Bertha is also my first Rottweiler and I suppose she’s also my first puppy. Before Bertha, I really didn’t know much about Rottweilers (though I never bought into breed biases). I immediately bought a few books and read as much on line as possible.

I also brought Bertha home when she was 7 -8 weeks old. It use to be believed that when a puppy is “weaned” that the puppy is ready for a new home. Many people still believe that. However, many professional breeders insist that many social aspects are learned from the litter mates and from the mother after the puppies are weaned. Fortunately for me my older dog, Rand is fabulous with puppies & kittens.

I did want to reiterate the importance of touching her all over. You are in charge and you dictate when and how she plays, eats, lives. Parvo is a very real threat to Rottweilers, so please read up on it and get your puppy shots before risking its life.

[rottmommie]

Joslyn.....
I hope you are still with us.......
sorry you got scared away on the chat room.......

[Joslyn]

I want to thank everyone who posted a reply to me.
and No I havent been scared away from the chat room. And yes i was very upset when I posted last night. I dont appreciate being called a "plant" or something like that. As i tried to explain last night albeit very poorly. Had I have known my husband was going to surprise me with a rott puppy "before hand" I would have been reading every book and surfing the net endlessly researching all i could "before" getting a puppy. But as some of you said "what's done is done" now iam in the perdicament of trying to learn everything NOW and FAST! I would like to reiterate that my husband and I own a reptile shop we are both animal lovers and the moment I saw mindy I fell totally in love.
Iam aware of parvo and I have not taken her ANYWHERE and we (my husband and I) have agreed not to take her anywhere untill all her shots are complete we just dont want to take any chances. As of right now I havent read the nutrition section as recommended by some of you but as soon as I am done posting I will . so if I have her on the wrong food I will switch imediately as of right now she is on Eukanuba for "large breed " puppies and its kibble not the moist stuff and Mindy is doing just fine with eating and I have been making sure That I have been reaching my hand in while she is eating and touching her alot . but then again who could resist right?
I found this site because Iam proud of my new puppy and because I do have her best intersts at heart I want to learn all that I can about rotts and for future references I dont think some people should be so harsh and so QUICK to name call and judge others. I asume we are "all" here for a common goal. and its true their are "jerks" wherever you go.. I just think people should make sure they are dealing with "jerks" before they jump to conclusions about people..I would also like to say that i was very upset after I logged off last night that I imediately had my husband call our vet and we found out that it is not ilegal in our state to seperate and sell puppies before 8 weeks. he said that unless something is wrong ie mom mistreating pups etc its just "unethical"
anyways thanks for the advice
Joslyn

[marianne]

:) Your doing good girl!!! Thank you for stickin with us! Some will say change the food but I won't. Both of my bulldogs were feed that food as pups by the breeder. But I did feed my Rotties pups Pro-plan. Keep us posted on the pup!!Come on in chat anytime if their not nice to you let me know!!!!!marianne

[Keys]

Since the question posed is about nutrtion, this is where I am sending this thread, thanks

[godfreyc]

Joslyn, Let's put the imprinting thing aside for now. Many people would not have a rottie pup nursing at 6 weeks. I only scimmed through the other posts so if this has already been said forgive me. The longer large breed puppies with OUCH! very sharp teeth by 6 weeks nurse the harder it is on mom and I haven't seen many/any bitches who were willing to lie down for pups this old. I wouldn't worry about the age of your pup. Personally, I feel 6-8 weeks is fine.

[Lora Lee]

Hi Joslyn,
Stick it out, there's a lot of valuable information which can help any dog owner here. And it sure beats paying for a consultation! ;)

As for nutrition, I feed Canidae and some raw meats and marrow bones on the weekends. Marrow bones would be a wonderful, nutritious chew treat for your new pup, I highly recommend them.

Have you given your pup a crate to sleep in yet? They like the security it provides, and since your pup is so young, that would be my first priorty. He'll sleep often, so give him his own little box to do so. Make it comfy with a blanket, and this is where my dogs get the marrow bones.

With a pup your age what he would be learning from Mom and littermates is very important for his wellbeing throughout his entire life. So you'll need to pick up the slack, to make up the important lessons. May I suggest some reading, a book by Bruce Fogle called "A Dog's Mind, Understanding Your Dogs Behavior" (I think), but it's one of the best books I've read thus far about infant and young pup, and the effects of rearing.

And no, your pup would not still be nursing....not likely anyway. He'll be okay, just stick around here and learn. Your in the right place, disregard BS, and carry on.