i got a 6 week old maltese from a pet shop. agressive temperament, unhealthy, timid of strangers.etc. HELP ME!

Question

i got my maltese from the pet store when she was 6 weeks old - she cost me $800, dropped from $1600. she is now 8 weeks old. she has a very snappy temerament and always growls and bites me when i try to pick her up or feed her. when i got her, she was in a cage with 3 other maltese girls in it that all had a problem with their eyes. my girl had an eye infection, kennel cough and fleas when i got her. i was given some flea meds for her and and a $15 gift voucher for their store. they were feeding her science diet large breed adult food so they gave me a 3lb bag of that. she always hides in her crate, cries everynight, is not affectionate, is very aggressive towards strangers and other dogs. i cant even take her for a walk. she is afraid of loud noises and big people (luckily im only 5'1). i dont know what to do! can someone please give me advice? she is a nightmare to live with! i need serious answers only. she also shakes a lot when in her crate, and she somtimes vomits after meals.

the shop i purchased my dog from told me that i should use their vet because he has been a certified vet for 30+ years and is very experienced with problems in maltese puppies like mine.

the person that worked there told me not to change her food from Science Diet - LARGE Breed food for ADULT dogs because maltese dogs can digest this type of food better than small breed puppy food. they said it was better for her teeth and could aid in digestion.
she has vomitted twice since i got her home.
when she vomitted for the 2nd time, i went to the pet shop and asked why she was doing this. they said that maltese dogs have bad digestion and this is very common. i told them that a worker said to feed her *****SCIENCE DIET - LARGE BREED - ADULT FOOD******* so it can aid her digestion and he said that the food wont kick in for another week.
i feel like such an idiot but i am very worried. i have got hardly any money to spend at any other vet. their vet charges me $20 per visit.

i enrolled her into obedience classes last tuesday. the first class was on saturday and went for 2 hours including a 45 minute socialization class and went for 6 weeks. it started at 5pm. My puppy did very well in the obedience part and was very eager to get treats for doing what she was told. when it came to socilization, she got in a FIGHT with a 13 week old male Pug. she scratched the Pug near the rib cage and i had to pay the owner of the pug $120 for half a vet bill and i was KICKED OUT of the puppy classes and was given HALF my money back as a refund. the lady told me that my maltese had terrible behavioral issues and that i needed to go and enroll her into another class because she wouldnt accept such a bad tempered dog.

ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE PET SHOP:

They asked me to ONLY use their vet and if i did, i would get a $200 voucher for their shop, a free dog crate, some free dog food (SCIENCE DIET - LARGE BREED - DULT FOOD) and their vet would only charge me $20 per visit, not including medication. it seemed like a good idea because my local vet charges $70 per visit and i get nothing except a puppy pack valued at $20 from them. the pet shop asked me to sign an agreement saying i would use their vet for a minimum of 4 months and if i break the contract, they will SUE me.

The pup is not covered for genetic problems, only for health issues that occured while the puppy is with them, any problems caused by the sire and dam are not under the warrantee. if i took her back, I could only get $150 back.

When i went into the pet store, i was only looking at the rabbits as i was going to buy one for my neice for her birthday. I went to look at the puppies and fell inlove with her instantly! when i went to see her, there were several (around 5) children tapping on the glass and 2 girls asked a worker to hold the pup and the worker agreed. The worker left the Maltese (the Maltese i purchased) unattended for around 15 minutes. The girls kept holding her up in the air and patting her belly etc.

yes i purchased her on instict. i didnt think i had over $1000 in my bank so i went back a few days to see if she was still there and she was. I saw the price had dropped so i baught her.

she definetly went through a lot when she was at the shop. her sister was limping a lot and the person that let me hold her told me that a worker had accindetly dropped her while he was socilizing her (handling her)

Answer 1

Why did you buy from a pet store.
That was your first mistake.
Pet stores have too many puppy mill dogs.
(The owner just breeds to make profit and doesnt' care about the well being of a dog.)
Sigh...Take her to the vet to get her checked out.
I hope you do some research on dogs before you get a new one.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

I raised Boston Terriers for 10 years. Take my word when I tell you that a lot of the problems you are having is due to the puppy coming from a pet store. Your first sign of a problem should have been when you saw that all the pups were sick. (eye infections) The second thing that is wrong with this is that you don't feed puppies adult food. It's too rich and this could have something to do with why the pup is throwing up after she eats. Put her on Purina Puppy Chow and keep her on it until she is 12 months old. It has all the stuff she needs to make her good and healthy. Another reason for the throwing up could be that the pup has worms. Go to Walmart or Kmart and pick up some wormer called Dransit. I'm not sure if that's spelled right, but most places that sell pet supplies sell it. Follow the directions closely. Give her a dose now and again at 12-14 weeks. It tells you on the bottle. This gets rid of several different worms. (Whip, tape, and round if I'm not mistaken) The biting is just a habit. When she tries to bite you, grab her mussle, holding her mouth shut and in a stern voice tell her "no". Don't yell, it will only make her worse. The crying will deminish after she's been there a bit. Get her a chew toy made of vinyl, not plastic.(preferably a tug toy) From what you say about the pup being affraid of large people and loud noises, it sounds like someone had mistreated the puppy and yelled or made a lot of loud noises around her.Also try closing her out of her crate while she is not sleeping. Make her stay out of the crate unless she is sleeping or your not home. Try these and you might want to try taking her to a vet as soon as you can afford it and have her checked out. I'm sorry for your mishap. People do go and get pups at the pet store and sometimes they get lucky and sometimes they don't. These pet stores do get a great deal of their animals, especially puppies from puppy mills and these puppy mill animals have been enbread so much that it sometimes ruins the temperment of the animals. Good luck. If you need to talk to someone about this, you can write me at [e-mail]

Answer 3

a 6 week old dog!

Most websites I've read and some breeders that I've called looking for dogs won't sell their dogs until their at least 8 weeks old.

If you can, try to get a refund.

Else, you have to be very patient and be very caring for the dog. It's probably fearful from being ripped away from it's mother at such a young age.

In regards to the vet, I'd avoid anything the pet shop recommends. They're obviously trying to make the money and I would question the reputation of the vet the seedy pet shop would recommend.

Find another vet... PetSmart has a clinic.

Also, PetSmart has puppy training classes. I think that would help too. Also, at a reputable vet they can recommend professional trainers and animal behaviorist.

If you're town has a TV consumer reporter, I'd say contact them and try to get it on the air. I'm sure the pet shop wouldn't like the negative publicity. Also, contact the local ASPCA to see if they have any suggestions.

Also, what can they sue you for? If you have the gumption, let them sue and you can counter-sue for the dog having problems.

Try to find your local consumer reporter. They'll eat this stuff up.

Good Luck with your pup.... Give it lot's of love...

Answer 4

First of all, why the hell did you buy a pet store/puppy mill dog? And at 8 weeks even that should of told you something right there.

You are in for the ride of your life at the vets office I can assure you of that. If it were me I would take the pup back but I am sure it's to late for that.

Get her off that crappy science diet.. You don't give large breed to a tiny pup.. You give small breed...Try Eukanuba small breed.

She is the way she is because she was probably kept in a cage with other puppies and never held or cuddled so she is terrified.. You can overcome this with persistence and patience.

She is way to YOUNG for obedience classes, she needs to have all of her shots before you start taking her to public places.

If it were me I would be demanding my money back and be buying from a reputable breeder. I really wish they would make it a federal law for pet stores not to be able to sell puppies and kittens!

I just don't get why you would buy an 6 week old puppy with an eye infection and fleas.. I am sorry, but you are going to have A LOT of health problems with the pup for the rest of her life.

As far as being aggressive, she is only 8 weeks old.. put a stop to it now, she is probably scared, probably been neglected and abused.. She may get better, she may not...
******
After reading your add on's it is clear to me that they found out she had some aggression issues and dropped her price to get her out of there ASAP!

If it were me, i would SUE THEM! You are going to have to pay the extra money and go to another vet cus their vet is not going to back you up!

Answer 5

So you bought a badly bred dog that was taken away from her dam and littermates too young. Behavioral problems are sometimes genetic. Puppies learn how to socialize with other dogs from 5-9 weeks. When they do not get that, they tend to develop behavioral problems and have no idea how to interact with others, I have seen it over and over.

But now you have her, and I hope you will do things differently next time. It is probably too late to take her back. Take her to a different school, not stupid, 'furbaby' classes like they have at Petsmart and Petco. That 'trainer' should not have turned away someone who is having trouble with their dog, they are the people that need help. Look for a place where they are used to dealing with problem dogs, use different techniques for different dogs. A good indication of 'real' trainers is if they show their own dogs in obedience trials. Try an obedience or Kennel club.

Do not wait, she is still young enough to change, but it will not happen without help.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Answer 6

Take her back! Years ago my friend bought a cocker spanial from a pet store and she was in for vet bills for that dog throughout his whole life! I told her what i thought about pet stores but she would not listen..They are over priced and most of the time come from puppy mills..not healthy..and no one to call like you would have if you bought from a breeder incase you have questions. Tell the pet store you are unhappy with the dog, she is not healthy and aggressive..most times they will take them back if you have a note from the vet saying their problems. If they refuse tell them you will take them to court and i bet they will refund your money on the spot.

The best advice i can give you is never buy from a pet store again, find a breed you like, find a good breeder get a puppy after you get to see the mom and dad (A GOOD BREEDER WILL ALLOW YOU TO SEE THE PARENTS) you will have a health guarantee and someone to call throughout the dogs life if you have any questions or concerns, and you will likely pay less from a breeder rather than at a pet store.

Its crazy to go to a store and pay them a crazy amount of money for a pup that is not purebred (if it is not registered it is not considered purebred even if they tell you the parents are both purbreds) i have seem them charge 1600.00 for a mixed breed like a "MALTI-POO" or a "Puggle"---these are NOT a new kind of purbred dog..they are a mixed breed. You can go to a shelter and rescue a dog that really needs a home for a small adoption fee. When you buy from a store you are supporting puppy mills.

Good luck, and the sooner you go back to the store and confront them the better chance you will have at being able to return her.

Answer 7

The best advise anyone can give you. Take her back to the pet store where you purchased her from. She has some serious issues, unless you are prepared to deal with them, physically and financially. Take her back. She and her litter mates are probably the product of a Puppy Mill. You could either pick out another puppy if you dare, better yet get your money back.
Then before picking out another puppy, research a reputable breeder either in your area or call the American Kennel Club.
Try to stay away from Pet Stores.

Answer 8

The puppy is 6 weeks old. From a pet store. And you're surprised you're having trouble? If she was 6 weeks old when you got her, and she'd already been "marked down" in price, how old was she when she left her mom? 4 weeks? 5? Who in the world subjects puppies to that sort of treatment??

This dog screams "puppy mill", both because of the health problems and the temperament issues.

::sigh:: I'm sorry that you are enduring this, I'm sorry that the puppies are enduring this, and I'm sorry that you're not only supporting the puppy mill industry and giving them money, but you're also sujpporting this pet store that buys from puppy mills and shills them off onto others like you. If it were me, I would never set foot in that pet store ever again. (Then again, I wouldn't have gone in there in the first place - I refuse to patronize stores that sell puppies, because of the puppy mill problem)

Screw them, screw their vet, and screw their advice. Talk to a maltese breeder in your area, or a maltese breed rescue for a recommendation of a good veterinarian, find someone who has the INTERESTS OF THE DOG at heart, and not the interests of their pocketbook.

Yes, it will cost you money. But you got this dog voluntarily and voluntarily took on the problems. You should have done more research before you bought, instead of impulse buying a "good bargain". But since it's too late to change that, you now have a RESPONSIBILITY to this dog to do what is necessary to give it a healthy life.

I'm afraid you're in for a long haul.

Answer 9

Your 1st mistake was buying from a pet store. They have no idea what kind of breeding stock the pups they sell came from or if they are in fact purebred dogs!

Bring her back to the pet store, get your money back and find a reputable breeder that can show you what the temperment of sire and dam as well as the health of them and their puppies.

So if you bring her back, they'll only refund a minimal portion of what you paid for her? BS... demand a full refund. There is such a thing as a "Lemon Law", and it does include puppies/dogs. You've been ripped off royally!

Answer 10

That is horrible! She sounds to young to be going through such a thing like that. It seems first of all that the pet shop did not take good care of her (and some pet shops don't) but it seems that maybe young children were frightening her, shaking her crate. The food you are giving her does not sound good since it is for large breed dogs and she is still yet a baby. Just feed her Purina food for younger dogs. I've had dogs all my life and Purina is what I've feed them. My Mom has a Maltese who was abused when she got her and he stayed to himself for a couple of weeks but finally came around so it may take a little bit of time for the dog to get use to it's surroundings.

Answer 11

You need to contact your local animal rescue and report this pet shop. DO NOT use their vet.

She needs medical care ASAP. Considering the fact that she's probably from a puppy mill, her health may never be perfect. But again, DO NOT use the vet the store referred you to.

Now that you've experienced how puppy mills and pet shops affect lives of animals and humans that buy them, let everyone where you live know and discourage them from purchasing ANYTHING from the pet store.

By the way, what was the name of the store and where is it located?