Shit, I have somehow acquired a puppy...

[Theoneandonlyitchymcitch]

Help!! She is a teeny tiny baby shitzu crossed with something equally obscure. She is slightly larger than my foot. I have zero experience with puppies. What do j need to do? I've made her up a bed with towels and puppy food in a dish near her. I got her a baby bottle to try and get her to drink milk (kitten milk!) from that. She is ignoring all my efforts and is snoring on my foot...

Ps what is that round toy thing he has? Chiara has a rope type cotton thing, and a squeaky sausage dog thing along with a chew toy that can be used for grooming (apparently)... She has her little basket and a padded cushion along with her blanket, but that crate looks so cosy!!!

By the way op it's never too early to start clicker training. Its worth looking into. The premise is that you train the dog to associate the clicker with praise by clicking and treating immediately then when the dog knows that the click means they've done a good thing then you can use it to start training them. for example you can use the clicker to train them to go to the toilet. When they do a wee or go outside then click while they're doing it and treat afterwards. The click marks the point at which they were doing something right. You can train them to do absolutely anything with a clicker. I've even managed to clicker train my stubborn cat. She will do anything to hear that click.

Gosh my heart just melted! Good old Alfie (great name btw) Strange, I never thought I was a particularly 'dog' person, if such a thing exists... But I am completely besotted now. Must keep a close eye on my socks... Actually, sod it, she can have all the socks she wants! Got to go out but don't want to leave her... Hand me a grip.

Thanks neon for the tip. Can I get a clicker from Amazon?

Yep thousands of the things in Amazon, maybe get 2 because they're easy to lose! If you have a pet shop nearby they will sell them too. Look it up on YouTube, there are some really helpful videos and it makes more sense if you see it :)

Yep thousands of the things in Amazon, maybe get 2 because they're easy to lose! If you have a pet shop nearby they will sell them too. Look it up on YouTube, there are some really helpful videos and it makes more sense if you see it :)

Oops sorry it told me it didn't post! If you want a good clicker training book Karen Pryer is the clicker guru and her books make sense and easy to follow

Brilliant. Thanks for the advice! Heading out now for an hour or so. Will check out the clicker stuff, and if her majesty is awake I will post another photo. She is currently snoozing away under her blanket.

Congratulations on the little one. So has she wee'd or poo'd at all? Seems a little odd. Is it worth rubbing her bottom with some warm cotton wool to encourage her like her mother might? I am probably making this up but have seen other baby animals having this done by vets nurses. ??

Theoneandonly - we have PetPlan insurance for our two dogs and for the cat, and I would highly recommend it.

Ddog2 had three knee operations last year - she ruptured the cruciate ligaments in both knees, so had operations on both of those, one after the other, then, just as she was getting back to a normal level of activity and stamina, she dislocated a kneecap and needed a third operation. She also developed a gastric ulcer, due to the anti-inflammatories she was given for the dislocation.

All this meant over a year of visits to the vet hospital, inpatient stays, medication, consultations - and the bill came to over £10,000 in total. PetPlan have paid up without a murmur, and have paid the vet hospital directly, rather than us having to pay the bill and claim it back. Not all vets will do this, but I suspect the bigger practices, and specialist vet hospitals will - and it certainly made life easier for us.

We've also had the renewal quote for her insurance, and we feared it would go up dramatically, but it actually hasn't gone up hugely.

Over the years, we've had PetPlan insurance for all our pets - four cats and two dogs - and between them they have had a number of vet visits, and we've never had a problem with getting payment from PetPlan.

Thanks, I will get it sorted pronto after the bank holiday. New flash - she just went for a wee outside!!!! So proud! now for a poo...

What magic words are you using when she does a wee? We used 'Be Quick' for ours - you wait until they go, say 'Be Quick' (or whatever) and reward.

We can now turf ours out onto the lawn and tell them to 'Be Quick' and they do their business.

I have petplan as well. They do a good level of cover that covers for life. I've never used it though and the premiums were extremely high when i didn't bother questioning the renewal... My bad. Keep an eye on that and they're pretty good. Beautiful puppy though good on you for taking her in and being so calm in the face of people berating you before you even gave any facts! You can get a clicker anywhere and yes karen pryor is good but she's breaks it down an awful lot and you may find your dog doesn't need a sit command broken into 10 different steps to get the hang of it. Treat held above the nose, until in order to keep her eyes on it she tilts back so far her butt touches the floor... Click and treat. Easy.

Puppy socialisation classes are a must but get recommendations from someone you trust. Never use punishment as the dog won't understand and always think of positive reinforcement. don't go training or socialisation anywhere that buys into pack hierarchy or manhandling the dogs. You don't need to lay a finger on a dog to train it so if they're doing alpha rolls (forcing a dog to lie down in order to show your dominance of it) then walk out.

Just said 'wee wees, wee wees' in a semi high pitched voice, and carried her round the garden for a bit. The neighbours now think I am certifiable... But it worked! Grabbing a quick shower now, then going to try again..

Thank you again neon my friend who I mentioned upthread has the same breed, and had puppy socialisation classes, hers is now a very well trained 3 year old, so will act on her recommendations. Despite my initial doubts, i am embracing this whole heartedly. She is such a sweetie.

Shi tzus are lovely dogs. One thing as she gets older keep an eye on her weight they tend to put on weight very easily.

Thanks for that, I shall make sure she doesn't get portly. Thinking of taking her for a walk later (carried, obviously...) or is that a silly idea?

Good idea get her out and about meeting people. If there is a pets at home near you you could take her in there i used to work there and and people would carry their puppies in all the time. Lots of people will fuss over her it's good for socialisation. Anywhere though is good for getting her out and used to sights and sounds.

It has just hammered down with rain here..keeps alternating between bright sunshine and massive showers... Could take her tucked into my rain coat?? Or shall I just leave her to sleep?

It might be worth having a phrase that means wees and poos, Theoneandonly - so when she does a wee or a poo, you say, "Be Quick - good girl to be quick" and reward her - so she learns 'Be Quick' (or whatever) means do a wee and/or a poo.

Good plan.does the same phrase work for the same outcome?? IYSWIM?!

We got our jack Russell at 8 weeks, he is now about 15 weeks and knows that 'toilet' means pee and or poo and will immediately crouch and go

Sounds like you're doing a great job

cunt () you are giving me hope!