I'm about to carry home a mixed Shih Tzu & poodle puppy , how do i prepare?

Question

I have two Akitas, 7 yrs Male & 4yrs *****, they don't come inside unattended, How do I prepare to have a new dog in my home. Irealyy don't know much aboy small dogs.

Answer 1

We have a Shih Tzu & Maltese mix that we bought about five years ago. Your new pup will be a great addition to your home!

When we first got him, we kept him in his carrier except for (closely watched!) play times and to let him outside. Dogs rarely mess in their carriers, so housebreaking didn't take very long at all. We never did the newspapers on the floor thing. I don't think we had more than one or two "accidents" in the house before he figured it all out. He still sleeps in his carrier every night.

I don't know what you feed your Akitas, but of course you'll need some kind of puppy chow for a while, and then a dog food that comes in smaller chunks. We started him out on Iams Lamb puppy chow and now he eats Beneful Healthy Weight. It's not hard to over-feed an indoor dog since they often don't get a lot of exercise. We also take our dog for about a 15-20 minute walk around the block most mornings.

I doubt that your dog will shed very much at all, but you will have to have him clipped and cleaned on a regular basis -- or do it yourself.

One final thing: Don't let your Akitas eat him. ;-)

Answer 2

First of all, I am sure you know the power of your dogs (I have an Akita also) so make sure they don't get exited and grab your new puppy. They could hurt him, even if it is unintentionally. I would buy a crate if you don't have one already. Crate training is very helpful with a new puppy. Start off with small periods of time in the crate - don't stick puppy in there for long periods of time. It may turn him or her against the crate. Small breed puppies need to be fed more often than larger breeds - feed at least 4 meals a day. They need to go out more often to relieve themselves, also. You can buy puppy training pads, but I don't recommend those - I know some people who could not train their pups to go outside only after training them to pads. Unless you don't mind using them permanently, avoid those. Other than that, it is about the same as raising any puppy. Check out Dog Fancy Magazine's site for more info on raising puppies. Good luck and enjoy your new friend!

Answer 3

On somoe level, dogs are dogs. You would do all the prep for your mutt as you do for the akitas. The only difference is that grooming will be very important for the new pup. Teach him early that he should enjoy getting brushed.

Also I assume your Akitas are yard ornaments and you want this one to be a family dog? You'll want to buy a crate and keep the pup in the crate during housebreaking. He comes out of the crate OFTEN, but only when you are actively watching him. Know that he will pee everytime he comes down from the highs of excitement when you play or when you come home from work. He'll also pee when he wakes up and need to go out 20 minutes after eating or drinking.

Answer 4

congrats!! here's a list for u

---food and water dish....I prefer stainless steel but ceramic is ok for a puppy. With akita's around I would just go with steel since ceramic can break. (also if it snows where you live...use a plastic bowl outside so your dog's tongues can't get stuck)

---Slicker/pin brush. Shih tzus have long thick hair and poodles curly so you will probably end up with wavy long fur that needs brushing every day.

---trimmers. If you don't plan on going to a groomer...I suggest you clip the hair between the toes. It can matt or cause your dog to lose grip of things.

---a crate if the dog will be sleeping inside

---collar and leash with ID

I can't give you much more because I dont know what you have or what your dog looks like

Answer 5

let the other dogs get to know the puppy,buy puppy pads,puppy food and your good to go.