Please help this is my first dog i own

These links will help you choose a food

Label information 101 - [linkhttp://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=labelinfo101]http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=labelinfo101[/link]

Identifying better products - [linkhttp://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=betterproducts]http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=betterproducts[/link]

Ingredients to avoid - [linkhttp://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients]http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients[/link]

A list of better foods - [linkhttp://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#TopDry]http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#TopDry[/link]

Housebreaking 101 as posted by a former member

The best way to do house training is to use a crate that is just large enough for the pup to stand up, turn around, and lay down. The pup stays in the crate unless it can be very closely supervised -or- is being taken outside (or to potty pads) to potty/play.

Take the pup to potty as frequently as you can (once an hour if possible). Don't let the pup be on the floor in places that he shouldn't pee except right after he has already peed. The fewer mistakes the pup makes the faster he will be house trained.

The rule of thumb is that the pup can hold it (in hours) for its age in months, plus one. The pup should be taken out at least that often during the day and whenever the pup wakes up and whimpers at night. If the pup doesn't whimper and soils his crate at night, you may have to set an alarm. At night the pup should do his business and be put back in the crate - no playing.

Crating the pup for longer than it can hold it is cruel, so if the pup needs to be left for longer than that set up a restricted area (e.g. in a bathroom or in a x-pen in the kitchen). The area should have the crate, plus puppy pads (in a doggie litter box - helps with aim). Teach the pup to go in the litter box - as well as going outside (if feasible). [Larger breeds will outgrow the litter box, but small breeds can continue to use one as adults - if you wish them to do so.]

When the pup does potty where you want him to, "throw a party" - praise him, give him treats, and make a big deal about it. Convince your neighbors that you are completely crazy. Whenever possible, let the pup play for a few minutes afterwards so the pup will want to immediately do its business.

Never ever yell at or punish the pup for peeing. You will just teach the pup to hide to pee. Don't even let the pup see you clean up because some pups think it is a game to make their owners get down on the floor.

The first area of freedom for a pup should be a restricted area (like above). When the puppy is reliable there and you do allow the pup more freedom in the home, keep the area small and then slowly expand it. Watch closely, have a towel handy and scoop the pup up if it shows any sign of soiling. Feeding the pup in the new areas will help develop a prohibition against soiling there.

As the pup starts being more reliable, some people use a leash to attach the pup to their waist as they move around the house. That allows the owner to interrupt the pup before it soils and teaches the pup to stay with the owner in the home. Close proximity also helps with teaching the pup to chew only on appropriate items.

Be sure to clean all pee spots in an area with a good enzyme cleaner or the pup will be attracted by the smell (even if you can't smell it). A lot of places sell small black lights for detecting urine.

Hope that helps some! [sm=happy.gif]

Look here:http://www.dogwise.com/Features/SubCatList.cfm?SubCat=RAISEPUPPY

And here:http://www.clickertrainusa.com/

for training help.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Please know that whoever gave you this puppy gave him to you way too young.. 6 weeks is too young to be away from mama. They should be weaned by 6 weeks but what his littermates could have taught him, no human will ever be able to do the same. Also as for house breaking don#%92t dream about it until hes about 10-12 weeks old. At this stage his is just too young to be understand what you want and he isn#%92t able to hold it so he will go in the first place where he feels the need. You shouldn#%92t have him around other dogs as he has not yet had his shots and is very vulnerable to disease. Please be very careful with him, I bet he is SO tiny at this stage that anything could hurt him!
 
I would personally feed him a high quality puppy food, canned or kibble, but if it is kibble you will need to be moisten it a bit because I doubt he able to eat it dry. I personally feed Exclusive puppy food but that#%92s whats available in my area, and for the price of Exclusive you can get a bag of say Canidae, which is highly recommend here! All in all its up to you!
 
By the way, yes we all do love our dogs very very much, which is why we are here so we can learn from eachother! I have a 5 month old Collie named Lizzie and she is #2 in my list. Baby is #1 but DH and Lizzie share the #2 spot, but don#%92t ever tell DH that or he will flip! J

thank you very much for this info sooner and lizzie.  this is really good stuff, this will be a good start thanks again   sergio

Definitely socialize him like heck!  That's pretty high up on the most frequently made mistake of new dog owners - not getting their puppies used to the world, people, and other dogs.  Without socialization, a puppy can end up barky, growly, and difficult to take out in public.  As soon as your pup has all his shots so that he can be in public safely (talk to your vet about that one), I would bring him everywhere with you.  Let him meet as many people and as many dogs (make sure they're friendly first) as possible.  I made this mistake with both my dogs and while they've been getting better with a lot of work and time, they can both be growly towards other dogs and it's pretty embarassing because I know it's my fault.
 
Another thing you might want to watch out for is dominant behavior.  A lot of smaller dogs like Chihuahuas and Pomeranians tend to get a little dominant because people don't realize they're just as much dogs as the bigger guys.  They get so used to being carried around everywhere and cuddled and living "the good life" with not enough structure in their pack that they sometimes get behavior problems because of it.  Just make sure you don't untintentionally let him get what he wants whenever he wants and you should be fine.  You can start doing small rituals now to help enforce your role as pack leader such as walking through doors first, making sure he realizes you're the one in control of his food, and that kind of thing.  If you search Google for dogs and dominance you'll get some good websites tthat can help you with that kind of thing.  You might not even need it, some dogs are more dominant than others.
 
I don't mean to scare you with all that stuff, just want to point out some common mistakes people make that can be costly later on in the dog's life.  Enjoy your new little pup, you will most certainly be amazed at the joy he will bring to your life!

Find a good vet that you trust and take him to get a puppy check! Also, do you have a vaccination schedule? A puppy is not fully vaccinated until it is 4 months old...until then, he should not come into contact with the outside world/other dogs! My vet did not allow us to take Marley anywhere until he had every last vaccination (except puppy kindergarten).

Also, you might want to look into heartgard and something like Frontline Plus for fleas!!! You'll get a lot o good advice here...so stick with us!