Five weeks old. Two more and we can take her home

Make sure you take lots of pics. They get so big, so quickly, that you are going to be amazed when you look back! Enjoy the ride.

Like Mark said, they do grow up quickly! Considering all the hassles that puppies can put a person through, I think that's a good thing - can anyone imagine "puppyhood" for 3 years? Three years of cute, yeh; three years of puddles, I'd be tempted to kill!

Just a comment, 7 weeks is about the youngest you should bring him home and it would be better for him and you (later on) if you could give him another couple of weeks with momma and siblings. They learn so much about how to be a well behaved dog during that 8-10 weeks of age and they learn it best from their siblings.

aljones wrote:

Like Mark said, they do grow up quickly!  Considering all the hassles that puppies can put a person through, I think that's a good thing - can anyone imagine "puppyhood" for 3 years?  Three years of cute, yeh; three years of puddles, I'd be tempted to kill!

Just a comment, 7 weeks is about the youngest you should bring him home and it would be better for him and you (later on) if you could give him another couple of weeks with momma and siblings.  They learn so much about how to be a well behaved dog during that 8-10 weeks of age and they learn it best from their siblings.

Awesome information thank you. I will ask about holding off an extra week or so.

Welcome! ! Like the posters above said take loads of photos I have about 15 of Cora in that really cute stage between 8 and 10 weeks and I wish I had more!

Doug, since you're around and reading, I'll comment that the two main things they learn then is bite control - that's how hard they can bite when they're playing and it's really to your benefit to have her learn that when playing with the siblings than to have her learn it on your hand.  The other is simply socialization - learning how a dog behaves around another dog, what they can do in play and what's acceptable to other dogs.  
A dog who hasn't had the opportunity to be properly socialized is apt to:

• Hide every time another dog comes around (or when strange people come around, for that matter)
  
• Growl and try to attack when the other dog really just wants to play.

You cannot teach these things as well as another dog can - you're not a dog, you can't teach them the way another dog is going to.

If you look at the problems people have with dogs biting their owners - even in play - 90% of them came home early.
(( and now I'll get off my soapbox ... ))

Awesome info guys!!! I took your advice and waited the 8 weeks. Just brought her home today. A few of my neighbors have small puppies and we spent about 10 minutes today playing with the other one. She is loving her new toys but after a long day she is sound asleep in her crate. She loves her tennis ball and is REALLY trying to pick it up.



Here she is in the car.

Thanks again guys for all the help so far!!! I am sure I will have a million more questions and I know this will be the first place I go.

Cheers all.

aljones wrote:

Doug, since you're around and reading, I'll comment that the two main things they learn then is bite control - that's how hard they can bite when they're playing and it's really to your benefit to have her learn that when playing with the siblings than to have her learn it on your hand.  The other is simply socialization - learning how a dog behaves around another dog, what they can do in play and what's acceptable to other dogs.  
A dog who hasn't had the opportunity to be properly socialized is apt to:

• Hide every time another dog comes around (or when strange people come around, for that matter)
  
• Growl and try to attack when the other dog really just wants to play.
  

You cannot teach these things as well as another dog can - you're not a dog, you can't teach them the way another dog is going to.

If you look at the problems people have with dogs biting their owners - even in play - 90% of them came home early.
(( and now I'll get off my soapbox ... ))

Awesome info!! Thank you so much. I took her home at 8 weeks. There is a local dog meeting at the Pet co where on the weekends people bring their dogs and they play for an hour. Would this help her with her socialization?

She found the ocean today

She's beautiful!

DougM wrote:

Awesome info!! Thank you so much. I took her home at 8 weeks. There is a local dog meeting at the Pet co where on the weekends people bring their dogs and they play for an hour. Would this help her with her socialization?

After she's had her last set of shots - which should be at 10 weeks? - that's an excellent idea. The more she's allowed to get out and interact with other dogs who have been socialized, the better it will be for everyone. She'll learn what she's allowed to do and not do and what she should be afraid of (cars!) and that even when some thing unusual happens (someone slamming a car door right next to her) that you're going to be there to take care of her. Healthy exposure is the second best thing in the world.

aljones wrote:

DougM wrote:

Awesome info!! Thank you so much. I took her home at 8 weeks. There is a local dog meeting at the Pet co where on the weekends people bring their dogs and they play for an hour. Would this help her with her socialization?

After she's had her last set of shots - which should be at 10 weeks? - that's an excellent idea.  The more she's allowed to get out and interact with other dogs who have been socialized, the better it will be for everyone.  She'll learn what she's allowed to do and not do and what she should be afraid of (cars!) and that even when some thing unusual happens (someone slamming a car door right next to her) that you're going to be there to take care of her.  Healthy exposure is the second best thing in the world.  

Last set of shots is more at about 16 weeks and you really don't want to take a puppy to a pet store before then. It's even advised that one waits 2 weeks or so after its final set of shots before exposing them to places like pet stores and such.

Juneau is adorable!

aljones wrote:

After she's had her last set of shots - which should be at 10 weeks? - that's an excellent idea.

Arctic_Wind wrote:

Last set of shots is more at about 16 weeks and you really don't want to take a puppy to a pet store before then. It's even advised that one waits 2 weeks or so after its final set of shots before exposing them to places like pet stores and such.

Can either of you tell me more about puppy shots? I've always been led to believe that a puppy only needs three sets of shots starting at 6 weeks and ending at 10 weeks when they get the last set. My experience with vets is they'll tell you the ones given by the breeder "don't count" or that the puppy needs to receive shots every four weeks until they're 16 weeks old (which is what happened most recently with Suka). Are either of those right? I'm honestly getting to the point that I don't trust vets when it comes to vaccinating my animals. I've made the decision to buy vaccines from Fleet Farm from now on and only let the vet do the rabies shot.

I love the photo of Juneau by the water!

@whitehusky3...I don't remember the exact schedule or which vaccinations are given each time, and it will vary by vet, and even by location. With mine I seem to remember each time I went, it was a combination of vaccinations given at the same time, but I'm not absolutely positive on that. I'd have to get out my paperwork to be absolutely positive on everything but I know they get vaccinated at 6-8 weeks, usually by the breeder, then again at 10-12 weeks, and I think I went again at about 12 weeks or so. I do know for sure that I went twice myself after I got my two, and the breeder did hers before I got them. I'll get out my paperwork later on and if I was wrong on anything I just posted, I will update it.

and, given the question mark behind "ten weeks?" I honestly don't know what should be given when; I've done adult rescues for the last 20 - 30 years so even if I did know, it's out of date.

Thank you Jimmy for you comments and I'm sure someone will chime in with "correct" information ("correct, as Jimmy says, can vary widely by vet and area)

We went on an overnight backpacking trip in the White Mountain National Forest and after lots of discussion ended up taking the girl with us. We were very cautious on the amount of walking she did throughout the trip and made sure she was consistently drinking water. As it was backpacking and not a camp ground, we had to setup for the night on the side of the trail. SHE LOVED THE TENT! We use a bivy so it's very small, about two feet high at our head and about 6 inches at our feet while being just wide enough for two sleeping bags. She curled up at our feet each night with her tennis ball and only woke up once to let us know she had to go to the bathroom. She had a blast playing in the rivers and couldn't get over how many sticks she could chew on .

A few days later we did three days in Acadia National Park where she learned A LOT about herself. We did a lot of technical climbs which we thought would require a huge amount of carrying. We couldn't have been more wrong. She was having a blast trying to find paths up the mountain.. we would wait for her to make a move and once she managed to climb a boulder or two, she would stand up at the top with her tail wagging barking for us to hurry up.

Here are a couple pictures from the two trips.. have a lot more but these were my favorites.


The girl with all the gear while we stopped to filter drinking water


A rainy evening


A failed attempt at catching little fish in a stream


Looking at her mom as she tries to get the leaf out of her mouth (notice the paws after deciding the mud route was best)


With mom after a 1500 foot climb


We took turns carrying her when she got tired


Learning the art of fishing


Watching as I made my way across the stream


One of the million sticks she HAD to have


Settling in to watch the sunset after a long fun filled day of hiking

Oh and I am so jealous!!!  That look like it was quite an adventure for the young one (well, really, all concerned!)

My only comment - when I was 'car camping' what you had for gear looks about right; that looks like quite a bit to be backpacking in.  Give the little one a year and maybe she can 'help' with a backpack of her own.

I Know from the Parks down here that the 'terms and conditions' have changed a lot since I did most of my camping.  We were able to use local wood for fires and that's forbidden (here) now because there isn't enough 'squaw wood' available for everyone.  'Pack it in and pack it out!' with which I heartily agree is 'new' to me (as a term) since most of my camping was under the older 'Burn it or bury it' but again that's just not feasible with the number of people in the campgrounds / wilderness areas today. I think I normally carried out as much weight as I carried in - picking up after others, but I was a firm believer in 'leave it as you found it' or better.  I'm on a roll, so I'll quit before I get too carried away.

aljones wrote:

Oh and I am so jealous!!!  That look like it was quite an adventure for the young one (well, really, all concerned!)

My only comment - when I was 'car camping' what you had for gear looks about right; that looks like quite a bit to be backpacking in.  Give the little one a year and maybe she can 'help' with a backpack of her own.

I Know from the Parks down here that the 'terms and conditions' have changed a lot since I did most of my camping.  We were able to use local wood for fires and that's forbidden (here) now because there isn't enough 'squaw wood' available for everyone.  'Pack it in and pack it out!' with which I heartily agree is 'new' to me (as a term) since most of my camping was under the older 'Burn it or bury it' but again that's just not feasible with the number of people in the campgrounds / wilderness areas today. I think I normally carried out as much weight as I carried in - picking up after others, but I was a firm believer in 'leave it as you found it' or better.  I'm on a roll, so I'll quit before I get too carried away.

Yeah.. it looks like more than it is because her pack was just a day pack so we ended up having to fill up a sea to summit bag (orange) and attaching it to her pack. Storms in the white mountains are no joke and it was a 80% chance of rain so we had to pack a little extra gear for us and the pup.

When she is older she will be carrying her own gear Dad and mom can't handle it for that much longer haha.

OH my gosh, Juneau is such a cute little ball of fluff!! Your camping trip looks like it was a blast, I'm sure she loved all the new sights and smells. The picture of her and mom at the top of the climb is beautiful!

Wonderful trip - I was born in Maine, extended family still lives up there. Fond memories of Acadia and surrounds.

Is your little guy perhaps a wooly? Or just still a baby fluff butt

amymeme wrote:

Wonderful trip - I was born in Maine, extended family still lives up there.  Fond memories of Acadia and surrounds.

Is your little guy perhaps a wooly?  Or just still a baby fluff butt

We weren't given any information on it when she joined our family but as time goes on I am beginning to think she is. She isn't growing into the fluff, the fluff is growing with her.

That looks like a fun trip. Makes me antsy for vacation to get here.

I love these pics, Juneau is just too cute and he looks like he was thoroughly enjoying every minute of his time there. Especially love the pic where he failed to catch a fish

DougM wrote:

amymeme wrote:

Wonderful trip - I was born in Maine, extended family still lives up there.  Fond memories of Acadia and surrounds.

Is your little guy perhaps a wooly?  Or just still a baby fluff butt

We weren't given any information on it when she joined our family but as time goes on I am beginning to think she is. She isn't growing into the fluff, the fluff is growing with her.

In that case...get her used to grooming ASAP. Do not, ever, let even the smallest tangle grow. Search daily for knots, seeds, burdocks, twigs. Especially behind the ears, the arm pits, the pants and look underneath the surface pants, matts can build up here and you won't even know they're there unless you really go looking for them.

amymeme wrote:

DougM wrote:

amymeme wrote:

Wonderful trip - I was born in Maine, extended family still lives up there.  Fond memories of Acadia and surrounds.

Is your little guy perhaps a wooly?  Or just still a baby fluff butt

We weren't given any information on it when she joined our family but as time goes on I am beginning to think she is. She isn't growing into the fluff, the fluff is growing with her.

In that case...get her used to grooming ASAP.  Do not, ever, let even the smallest tangle grow.  Search daily for knots, seeds, burdocks, twigs.  Especially behind the ears, the arm pits, the pants and look underneath the surface pants, matts can build up here and you won't even know they're there unless you really go looking for them.

Awesome info.. will work on it once a day. Thanks!