Hi, i got a black & tan miniature pinscher yesterday that i put a deposit on time ago from a lady that was having problems with lack of mothers milk and was weening them at already 3 weeks . She wasn't coping too well, so she asked me ( having experience with little pups) as i already own a miniature pinscher, if i could take the pup sooner and so i did. So no problems up to now, but the only thing is that she seems ( in some moments ) to cry non stop, even when i pick her up and re assure her, feed her, give her water and make sure she is evacuating and urinating with no problem at all. I thought it might be ( i am sure ) she is missing her siblings and of course her mum, yet yesterday, she seemed so calm and sweet and she didn't behave like she is doing this morning. oh, and she jolts at any noise and growls and barks!! Is she gonna have a terrible character as an adult? Can i do more for her than i'm already doing? Her brother from an other litter is so sweet and calm...is this problem just momentary? Should i pick her up all the time? Thank you All. Marisa
4 weeks old is far too young to be away from mum and bros/sisters my little girl was being chucked arond from 3/4 weeks by her mum - i waited till just under 6 weeks to get her - wayyy to young.....even then - (technically) i have been lucky with her thouegh - shes like my shadow in the house but not clingy - if i could have left her for another 2 weeks i would have.... as for your post i dont know,,,, but tbh i would not be impressed with this 'breeder' tbh....
Hi Marisa I am not going to lecture you on how unwise it is to remove a puppy of that age from the litter as you already have the puppy. For me the correct thing for the breeder to have done would have been to keep the litter together and to wean early. I would talk to your vet about early vaccination, having been removed early from the dam the puppy will have depleted acquired immunity from the dams milk and may be susceptible to infection. Make sure she is warm enough, puppies are not easily able to control their body temperature, a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel (not too hot) will be comforting and make up for the loss of body heat from siblings.I would buy some small furry cuddly toys to act as sibling substitutes (make sure they are 'baby proof' with eyes that can't be removed and chewed and that they are not not filed with beans). When you pick her up make sure she is held firmly with two hands front and back so she feels secure and lift her slowly and gently talking softly to her . One problem you could encounter is your puppy will lack socialization with other puppies (and of course valuable lessons she would learn from her dam) so she may have a problem 'reading' and communicating with other dogs as she grows up. As soon as she is safely vaccinated I would try to find a puppy class/ some other puppies/gentle adult dogs for her to meet and play with Good luck ..
I agree.. 4 weeks is far to young..8 to 9 weeks is what I would say is the best time. Pups learn alot from there mothers and siblings... And it helps to shapes them to become a well adjusted dog, that knows how to interact with other dogs and can communicate with them and understand dog etticate. How else do pups learn to be dogs?...from other dogs, ie mother and siblings. This is a very important stage in there life, and I would say they need to be with there mum and litter mates...or you may regret it in the future. Just my opinon, Good luck to you
a ticking clock will also help - apparantly its like themothers heartbeat (obv wrapped ina towel...)!! the baby is probably really scared right now... just be quiet n gentle... millie needed reassuring when she was little too
TBH the breeder should of held on to her, at any age to be re-homed is stressful, but at 4 week's it is only asking for bother, everything is unfamiliar for her, I understand the breeder was having problems with milk, but that shouldn't have stopped her hand feeding and weaning her properly, your smell is diffrent to what she is used to, she needs her momma. I know you will do your damdest but im sorry it was the breeder's place and responsiblity.
No lecture from me either. But as for the breeder, I'd be far from impressed. I have hand-reared many orphanes, and carryed them down my bra at a very young age. But I think the breeder should have her with her siblings, and you could help out there with bottle feeding....if she is near enough Sorry thats my opinion .
4 weeks is far too early poor pup. The problems associated with being removed too early are socialisation issues, as pups are 'put in their place' by Mum, when they step over the line and also often just general behaviour with other dogs, ie siblings ! I've known of quite a few rehomed at this age, and all but one had serious socialisation issues and separation anxiety problems, I hope your pup doesn't have these problems, but by reassuring her every time she cries, could turn her into an attention seeker. Also I disagree about vaccinating earlier ! Most vets will only Parvo jab at 6 weeks the earliest and the rest at 8 weeks, because the mother's own immunity will have been given to the pups, and often the vaccination at even 8 weeks is cancelled out by this ! I would vacinate at the normal time, but make sure she isn't subjected to any dangerous places, and if taking her out in a few weeks, dont put her on the ground. As for the so called breeder who sold her to you, I'll shut my mouth before verbally abusive diarrhoea sets in !
As all the others have said - it is far too early and she will be missing out on some very valuable life lessons from her mum and the rest of litter, including learning how ot coap with being frustrated and bite inhibition. She will need to learn all of this from you. If i were you i would be tempted to contact the APDT or APBC and get some advice on how you can try to teach her the things that she would be learning from her mother.
Thank-you all. I forgot to tell you and miscalculated her week which are 5 ( still too few any way) but at 6 ill' do her first injections. I was saying...that i own a 5 year old female pinscher that is willing to play with her ( as long as she doesn't attempt the " suckle" game again!!) But at the moment i'm not letting them together because of the lack of her protection ( jabs ). Is that ok? Or will there be no harm leaving them together? Is it best to wait a bit longer? Thanks..
I would speak to your vet about that as i think it is a good question - weighing up physical danger with the long term danger of her being under socialized and not able to cope with frustration. Maybe give the vets a ring, maybe as long as your dog has had all its jabs then it would be fine for them to meet each other. if your dog is well rounded then i would thought it would let the pup know that she wasn't to suckle from her - just like the mother would once she had decided it was time to stop.
I agree with this too. I think pup needs to sicialize and what better than with yours, but check with the vets first, re jabs etc., Not only that it will help your adult too, getting to know you and all that.....pals for life
Hi Marisia If your dog is fully vaccinated it should be ok from that aspect, however as your dog is going in and out it could carry infections like Parvo Virus back to the puppy on its feet/body as can you on your shoes. I don't know how prevalent Parvo is in Italy, I would be scrupulously clean with such a young unprotected puppy making people remove their shoes before entering the house and wash hands before touching the puppy.. As I said previously best have a chat with your vet .
It was very irresponsible of the breeder to let the puppy go at such a young age, the puppies learn so much from the dam and their siblings and I feel hat this puppy will have missed out on so much of this early education. Take the bite inhibition for example: Puppies often want to play. If they bite too hard, the bitten puppy yelps in pain and stops playing. The puppy then realises play was stopped because he was overzealous and bit too hard. When play starts again he doesn’t bite so hard and thus learns to inhibit the force of his bite over the course of time. I realise you are not to blame for the puppy being taken away from its dam and siblings and I do wish you every success with your new puppy.
