Hello everyone! This is Archer, he is about 2 and a half months old. He is super chill and all-around a very good pup. He and Nikita are getting along very well and I think we made a good decision. 

He does have some dandruff that I think was caused by the fact that he had a lot of fleas when my friend got him. He had two baths in pretty quick succession. He is also on Purina Puppy Chow and I know that's not good food. He has about half a bag left of it, should I just keep him on it until it's done, or just go ahead and switch it to what I have Nikita on?

One other thing, when he and Nikita play, she puts her mouth around his neck. He's never whimpered or anything, but is it something I should let her do or should I stop it? She also chases him and has to be right beside him when he's up and moving around. She did the same thing when we first got her to our other dog. I think it will stop as the "new" wears off, but is there anything I can do to further that along?

cheywhite wrote:

He is also on Purina Puppy Chow and I know that's not good food. He has about half a bag left of it, should I just keep him on it until it's done, or just go ahead and switch it to what I have Nikita on?

While Purina isn't the best of foods, it's not the worst either.  My Alaskan prefers the Dog Chow to the Fromms I feed the other two ... what can I say?  Actually Sky tends to eat both his Purina and her own Fromms ... blasted dogs!! Finish off what you have and then switch ...

cheywhite wrote:

One other thing, when he and Nikita play, she puts her mouth around his neck. He's never whimpered or anything, but is it something I should let her do or should I stop it? She also chases him and has to be right beside him when he's up and moving around. She did the same thing when we first got her to our other dog. I think it will stop as the "new" wears off, but is there anything I can do to further that along?

As far as having a mouthful of neck, if Nikita accepts it as play - let it go.  Some dogs are more mouthy in play than others.  As long as there's no objection by Nikita - let 'em play.  Ditto the 'tagging along' - they're pack animals and he's her pack ...

His coat doesn't seem very healthy at the moment, I don't know if it's from the fleas and then the baths, or from the food. I'll keep him on it until I run out and then switch him to Nikita's. I get hers from the feed store down the road from where I work, so it will be easier to get than the Purina. 

Thanks for the insight on the playing. I've never had dogs that really played with each other, so I wasn't sure if it was normal or something I should stop. Glad to know that it's just playing! There's been a few instances where Archer has whimpered, mostly from her accidentally laying on him and then choosing not move until we tell her. But they're getting along wonderfully!

Some dogs do great on foods we deem "not great" and others don't. Depending on how much food is left in the current bag would be what I would go off of. If he isn't having adverse reactions to the chow (loose stools, extreme itching) then I would wait until there's about 5 pounds of food left and then start the transition. Going from grain inclusive to grain exclusive and visa versa can sometimes be a process if that is what you will be doing. So a few runny poops and gas isn't out of the normal if you are moving to grain free. It tends to be far worse going the other way though(grain-free back to grain-inclusive).

He sure is a cutie!

Hey there puppy doggo!

Beautiful new pup! Purina isn't the best but as another person said it isn't the worst either. I personally have always used Victor and have been happy with it.

As far as when Nikita and Archer play I wouldn't worry about this to much. I've seen may dogs play this way. You may want to keep an eye on them while they are still getting to know each other though.