Just got a new puppy?

Question

We just got a 2 1/2 month old boston terrier puppy. What are the best ways to care for her? Is it OK to let her sleep in bed with us? Is there anything special you have to do with a puppy? First time puppy owner!!

Sorry Clammy S-I didn't mean to give you a thumbs down and now I don't know how to change it! Sorry!!!

Answer 1

No problem with her sleeping in bed with you.....I have 4 in my house. Just be patient with her, housetrain her, and give her lots of attention. Bring her to the vet....make sure her shots stay up to date and make sure she gets on heartworm medication, either the once a day or the once a month (even inside house).....whatever you prefer. I also recommend putting her on a premium dog food, like Science Diet or Iams. It's more expensive, but it's actually cheaper in the longrun. They'll eat less because it fills them up more, and since the body uses more of the food, when the puppy poos.....it's not a mess and it doesn't stink as much. It's got all the vitamins that a puppy would need. So think about all this........best of luck with your puppy.

Answer 2

Hmm. Sounds like you are in for an adventure, but that can be a very good thing! Routine and regular vet care is very important. Puppy food the first 8-12 months is also important, because their nutritional needs are different than adults. Patience is critical, and so is having consistency with training and discipline. They don't understand English, so yelling doesn't always work in the way you think it does. They know you are growling at them and that is about all. Firm repitition works, and so does a word or two. They can learn simple words and commands, but don't make them complex. Dogs don't understand phrases as well. You should love your puppy to its heart's content, but don't spoil too much because that can cause a bad habit and she won't understand why the rules suddenly changed. It is ok to let her sleep wherever you choose, but make it the same safe place every night. Again, she won't understand why you changed it. You should notice little things that are different, as you would a child, and should have a healhy relationship. Just don't expect them to always react like a child because they are still an animal.

Answer 3

You should never let the dog sleep in bed with you. First, there is always the chance that you will roll over and hurt her as boston terriers are smaller dogs. But more importantly, allowing a dog to sleep in bed with you gives it the same level in the "pack" as you. In nature, the pack leaders get the best "beds", and the followers get second choice. So to avoid any confusion over who is leader, you need to get the dog its own bed.

There are lots to know about caring for puppies. First, they will need to go to the vet about once a month for their shots until they are about 6 months. This is very important. Your vet will give you the schedule at your fist visit.

You should crate train the pup to help it potty train. There are lots of other posts about how to do that on here, so you can just do a search for that. The rule of thumb is that they can hold it for their age in months plus one and that is the number of hours the animal can hold their bladder.

Remember that positive training works best. Reward the animal as soon as it does something you like and ignore things it does that you don't.

Also, get it into contact with as many people and places as you can. The better socialized they can be at a young age, the better adapted and behaved they will be as adults!

Feed it puppy food until it is 1 year old. Anything with Corn Meal, Ground Corn, or Meat byproducts as the first ingredient is CRAP. Avoid these foods at all costs. Look for food that has a real food as the first ingredient...I personnaly like Natural Balance, but you can look and see what your pet store has. Dry food is the best...wet food stink and is a mess to clean up and may give your dog diarrhea.

i would advise just getting a book at your local pet store on puppy care as any info you will get here will just be a basic overview of pet care and not a complete covering of all you need to know.

Answer 4

i remember when my boston terrior was a puppy! i let him sleep in bed w/ me, but as small as he is, he can b a total bed hog still and he will not leave. u might want 2 get it a cage 4 house breaking purposes and 4 when u leave the house. chew toys r key 4 when they chew on anything and everything. don't let him sleep 2 much during the day, then he'll b insanely wild when u want to sleep and relax. b sure 2 take him 2 the vet 2 get vaccinated and all the medical stuff. when he's home alone, keep him in his cage so he isn't poking around 2 much. puppy's can be messy and misbehaved w/o ur watchful eye. u also want 2 get ur dog a collar and id, tho that's pretty obvious.

Answer 5

First and foremost make sure you have a vet that you know/trust. There are going to be frequent trips to the vet for vaccinations and boosters.

Second if you are a first time puppy owner. Enroll in puppy obedience classes. These classes teach YOU how to properly train the puppy. They explain how to get the behavior that you want and what to do about behavior that you don't want. By the end of the 6-10 week class, your puppy will probably be taught the basic commands (sit, down, stay, come, etc). These basic commands make everything easier for you in the years to come.

As far a letting your puppy sleep in bed--that is entirely a personal preference. My Yorkie and Jack Russell sleep in our bed. The German Shephard doesn't. Basically the shephard is too big--and we are out of room as it is. :o) But if you don't intend on letting the dog sleep in bed for the rest of his life, then don't let him get used to it now. Start crate training and let him sleep in his crate at night. It is a lot easier to get a puppy to sleep happily in a crate now than trying to break an adult dog of jumping up in bed with you later. (Trust me)

Answer 6

I would suggest crate training during the potty training phase, before you allow new puppy to sleep in your bed. We always use crates at nite and during the day when we are gone, until puppy is completely potty trained. Usually, around 4-5 months, puppy can make it thru the nite without needing to go. When our puppy just came home, even tho crated at nite time, I still had to get up once in the middle of the nite to take her out to potty. Their little bladders can't always make it thru the nite. But I only took her out to do her business, then returned her to her crate--no extra attention or play time as she might get the idea that getting out at nite involved this... not a good habit to have puppy get into.

Answer 7

I wouldn't suggest letting her share your bed unless you know that you
1. Will not roll over on her
2. Are willing to share the bed with her no matter what.

I suggest getting her a bed of her own. Your puppy will need a warm, comfortable place to sleep. A crate provides a den for your puppy when you are not home. Crates usually come in one of two types: a portable, enclosed, plastic crate with handles; or a wire crate. Your puppy's crate should be large enough for him to stand up, turn around and lie down and should have adequate ventilation. If you buy an adult-sized crate, purchase partitions or place a cardboard box in the back to provide a cozy space for your puppy. You may want to have a separate sleeping bed for him when you are at home. Make sure you buy a puppy-sized bed rather than an adult-sized bed, so your puppy will feel safe and snug.

Begin housebreaking as soon as the puppy arrives in your home.

Feed a high quality diet designed for puppies.Puppies are usually fed 3 times daily when between 6 and 12 weeks old, 2 times daily when 12 weeks to 6 months old, and may be fed 1 or 2 times daily when older than 6 months.

You will want to have your new puppy examined by a veterinarian to ensure that it has no major health problems and is started on a program of preventive care. Your puppy's health care plan includes a series of vaccinations against distemper, parvovirus and coronavirus (gastrointestinal diseases), infectious hepatitis, and respiratory infections (adenovirus, parainfluenza, and bordetella). Vaccination protocols are designed on the basis of your puppy's risk of infection and may vary depending upon your puppy's age, breed, and environmental exposures (eg, in certain locales, vaccinations for Lyme disease and leptospirosis may be considered standard parts of the protocol). Vaccinations are usually given at 3 week intervals from 6 to 16 weeks of age. At 15 to 16 weeks of age, the puppy receives its first rabies vaccination. Puppies should be checked for intestinal parasites (usually 2 stool samples 3 weeks apart), fleas, and heartworm disease (depending on age), and appropriate treatment or preventatives administered.

Regular brushing, bathing, and nail care are essential.

Spay or neuter your puppy

Answer 8

I let our 12 week old bulldog sleep in our bed, no complaints here. Make sure you take it to the vet for an exam and shots. Feed high quality puppy food, not nessesarily high-cost, just high quality. Give lots of chew toys and exercise by walking for at least 1 hour every day, usually 30 min in the morning and 30 min at night. Good luck with your little bundle of joy!

Answer 9

Congratulations on your new puppy! If you let your puppy sleep with you now, she'll always want to sleep with you. If that's ok with you, no problem. If you think it might make a problem down the road, establish where her bed is. Puppies are like little children -- you have to watch them all the time to make sure that they stay out of trouble. They're really cute when they're little. Just remember that anything you let her do now will be a habit that you'll have to live with for the rest of her life. Establish a routine for her. Make sure she has a high quality pet food, vet care, regular exercise, good socialization skills and, most importantly, lots of love. Take lots of pictures....they grow fast.
Enjoy!

Answer 10

once you let the dog on the bed, you cant NOT have the dog on the bed! But boston's are smallish, so it might be oK.
Tips for first time puppy owner are gonna be too much to type here, so my suggestion is to go get the breed-specific book at Petsmart or Petco and read that.