First puppy but worried that all its siblings have died

[AvonleaAnne]

I'm just hoping that somebody can give me some advice please. We are supposed to be getting our first puppy in December and we were very excited about it but since the litter was born, about two weeks ago, all the puppies but one have died.

It is very sad and I feel terrible for the owner of the mother. We still want to have the puppy but I am wondering whether we should be worried about health issues given all the other puppies have died. Is there anything I need to check? The owners are not professional dog breeders they just wanted their dog to have puppies as she is such a lovely, good natured animal.

I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks for your help.

My pup came from a litter of 9 and we still went thru the horrible biting stage so having litter mates didn't help that way. She'll grow out of it soon then its the even worse teenage stage.

The last pup that died had a heart problem. Dpup was the only girl so maybe that is why she didn't have the condition.

She does have teething toys and she is happy to chew those. I get her to sit and stay now while I put my slippers on and off and that stops her chewing them but I worry a bit that I am relying on giving her a piece of kibble every time I do it. I don't reward her for very sit but I do for every sit when we her putting shoes on and off. Is that ok? It is from her meal allowance.

Sorry for typing nonsense.

She's very little still - there's plenty of time to phase out treats every time you ask her to do something

One of ddog's friends was an only pup as all her siblings were stillborn. She's a lovely little thing - very friendly with people - bit aloof with other dogs so she tolerates my dog bouncing around alongside her but doesn't actively engage in play with other dogs (loves playing with humans though)

Well you're right about sprockers being a long established breed. Years ago there was no differentiation between springers and cockers. This article explains how the different puppies were called, according to mere size, cockers, springers and sussex, in the same litter. Then in later years the bigger springers were bred with the smaller cockers and the breed was recognised by the Kennel Club as the Working Cocker over a hundred years ago.

This is what my old boy was. He was a fantastic dog. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Aww, gorgeous!

Is what I meant to start with.

There's snithercthread in the Doghouse about tips for puppies. There might have been something in there about nipping? Basically it's perfectly normal because that's how puppies play and explore, with their mouths. There's different theories on how you deal with it.

Please tell us the pup's mum is being spayed? The thought of more pups being born to her is actually distressing. I'm sorry but I would think of them as backstreet breeders - chatting to vets and other breeders doesn't change that "Oh our dog is lovely - let's make baby dogs!" is very irresponsible. All that suffering of all those puppies is truly appalling... I hope they never breed from that poor girl again.

Many pups do the biting thing - some more than others - but the early socialisation with littermates is the crucial thing in developing bite inhibition sooner rather than later. There is a huge difference in the relationship between a mother dog and her pup and a pup and its littermates and they learn different things from each. Play with other pups is very different to play with adult dogs in terms of what pup learns.

A lone pup could be more likely to be reactive to other dogs, or shy of them in later life. Given the circs, it was arguably highly irresponsible of these people to sell a dog with that start in life to an inexperienced owner. Many experienced dog people on this thread would have run a mile, which tells you something.

Puppy socialisation classes will help, as you say. My 15 week old pup just finished a course of 4 classes. She came from a rescue that had followed the Kennel Club Puppy Socialisation Plan so came to us already at 9 weeks having been introduced to various things and people and dogs. If your breeder is a good one they will no doubt have followed this or similar. The window of opportunity is fairly narrow - upto 16 weeks so as soon as you safely can, I'd get out and about with pup and put a shedload of groundwork into socialisation. The plan might be useful - it's online here:

www.thepuppyplan.com/

Don't mean to be negative. I think it's time irresponsible breeders were regulated - and this is a good example of why.

Gorgeous pup.

I'm glad you've taken on the pup, despite whst has happened it still needs a good home and it sounds like you are doing all the right things now.

I recommend clicker training to deal with the nipping issue, try kikopup's youtube video on biting. It helped deal with the worst of it....the mad over excited biting takes time to settle down but thankfully only comes in fits and starts.

Oh and take loads of photos they grow so quickly.

I think they are the very definition of back street breeders, and should never put their bitch in that position again, and their advice to hit the pup on the head with a rolled up newspaper!!! I'm glad I don't know who they are, I'd be getting the authorities involved

We have a 3 year old dog who was found abandoned at about 5-6 weeks, and although we are very experienced dog owners (I've had dogs all my life) and he grew up with our older dogs he is still extremely nervous in lots of situations and I don't think that will ever change.

So much heartache could have been avoided all round, if these people had been responsible

I do understand. I agree that they shouldn't have done and I expect that they wish they hadn't. But the puppy is here now. She is a lovely little girl and learning quickly. She comes on the school run every day, which is a walk through a park (pup carried obviously) so I am chatting to other dog owners and letting her meet all the children at the school gates. We are going to puppy classes after Christmas. We have been using a clicker. I know that socialisation is important, when I was a child we had a rescue dog that was terrified of men in hats, cows (we lived in the middle of the countryside so cows and sheep constantly up and down the lane), horses and bicycles and it made walks very eventful.

I know it isn't ideal. I know that it is going to be hard work. We have agonised over whether to take her or not. But now we have made our decision I am doing EVERYTHING I can to try and do a good job with her. I am so glad I have found this forum as some of the posts have been so helpful and supportive. She is still a young puppy so surely I can make this right?

If you only read one book, make it The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Nailey, a very good and useful book for first time puppy owning.

I want to come snaffle her, looks gorgeous!

My last dog came from a very well known breeder/trainer (no longer with us) whose advice to me was to discipline my beautiful, gentle, sweet natured little girl with a tap on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.

Needless to say I never did. And she neer needed it.

She was 2 when we got her and the best dog I have ever had. But nervy and jumpy despite being showered with love every second of her life, ever after. Because of that breeder and her 'training' methods. At the same time I had another dog of exactly the same age that we had raised from 8 weeks with positive training (sometimes using a clicker). And he didn't have a nervous bone in his body.

Thanks Adara, our puppy trainer also recommended that book and I read it before we got DPup. It's just trying to recall the right tips and facts at the right time!

Just picking up on the "running with your dog" part.

I have a cocker and a weimaraner. I run with each of them individually - the Weim off leash is a speed merchant, and with me he's barely lolloping along. But he's not great with crowds of people, so it's the cocker who accompanies me on parkruns and Waggy Races. And she loves all that.

Don't start running until the pup is over 12 months old, as her bones wont be fully formed before then.

Thanks for the running advice Melanie. I thought I might take her to watch some park runs to get her used to runners in large numbers.

I wonder, given the small window of opportunity you have for dog-on-dog socialisation, whether your vet would recommend that she is introduced to selected vaccinated dogs in a home environment at this stage, before she is vaccinated. The sooner she learns about dog behaviour the better I would think?

I'm training my whippet to run with me, he's only 6 months but we're talking very short 100m dashes but the positioning is the thing that I'm hoping to get right before we do any great distance....he absolutely loves when we run together.
I didn't find the perfect puppy by gwen bailey very useful, a breeder recommended it to me as well, maybe it's too general. Life skills for puppies is excellent really gives you something to think about and I find this forum and facebook very useful too.

I'd do as much reading into "singleton pups" as you can do, there are associated issues with being a singleton (especially if the breeder is not experienced and has not put a lot of extra work in whilst the puppy was still with them) that you will need to work harder than usual to avoid.

This is a quite a good, short article that gives a brief overview of the potential issues and things that can be done to avoid them.

I've not had a singleton but I have had a puppy that was removed from her littermates to early. We believe she was only just five weeks old when we brought her home (the rescue swore blind she was 7 weeks ) and despite all our efforts she still has ongoing issues now as an adult which are likely caused by missing out on those vital weeks with her siblings. Her bite inhibition isn't brilliant, she still occasionally forgets herself and uses her teeth a bit too eagerly. She's never bitten anyone but it's not unusual for her to mouth a bit harder than we'd like during play. She's anxious, prone to developing obsessive behaviours, touch sensitive and has attachment issues. Just to add to the fun her parents weren't health tested and she developed hereditary cataracts before she was even a year old. She's been very hard work. She's still very hard work and she turns 7 years old next February.

Avonlea I saw this today and thought of you.

My malchi dog mated with my teacup chuahau mum had a terrible labour pup was born feet first but was still born then mum had another pup at the vets they said it was still born mums giong through a hard time crying not giong out she's carrying her toy everywhere thinking its a puppy vet gave a btl of sedatives for me to give her ive change her vet who gave her hormon medicine that's for dogs that have fake pregnancy anyone else had this problem any advice thanks

OK. Well sometimes there are perfectly unpreventable, non-genetic reasons why all but one of a litter dies. Things can go very wrong, very quickly, and an inexperienced breeder might not spot the warning signs. Fading puppy syndrome is a thing, as well as contracting illnesses from the environment. The experienced breeder will know how to do the best for a singleton puppy to make up for the experience of not having littermates.

Crossbreed designer dogs are not healthier than their pedigree parents. Has the breeder had genetic tests done before breeding? "My vet said it is fine" gives you nothing.

What does it say in their puppy contract you will both be signing about the health of the dog, who will pay if there are issues, will the breeder take the dog back, will you get your money back etc?

From what you are saying, the breeder isn't going to be able to give a good answer to any of the above and I'd walk. Fast.

There are the occasional home breeder who have one-off litter and pull all the stops out, do it conscientiously with the dogs welfare at the front and create wonderful dogs with the best chance of thriving for the next 15 years. Just a shame about all the shitty, careless, selfish sods who haven't got the slightest idea what they are doing who cause heartache and pain to the pups and their future families. Don't encourage them by giving them money.

This thread was started in 2014, so fingers crossed puppy had a long and healthy life in the end.

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