New Bichon puppy, but I've never had a puppy before. Questions

Discussion in 'Bichon Frise' started by Globalastro, Jun 24, 2017.

  1. Globalastro

    Globalastro New Member

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    New Bichon puppy, but I've never had a puppy before.

    Our last Bichon passed away a few years ago and my hubby was devistated, He was an adopted 12 year old bichon, and a great dog and hubby's best friend.

    Yesterday, I get a text message while at work, and there's a puppy in my living room. A 14 month old Bichon, yet to be named, laying there on the floor. An adorable pile of fluff.

    But alas, I did not know he was purchasing a puppy, and I have never cared for a puppy before that was this young and I have some concerns.


    First of all, how long can it take for a puppy to get acclimated to it's new home? He is not eating, barely urinating (never outside when I take him before and after naps/sleep/etc). He does not seem to have much energy, and just wants to lay next to someone constantly, or just plops down on the ground when you try to walk him. I believe he is teething because he kept going after my watch band and when he plops his butt down outside, he literally picks flowers. No eating of the flowers, just bite, pull, spit.

    The seller also gave us the dog food he was eating while in their care, but he won't touch it right now. I've done the dry dog food they provided, after refusal to eat that all day, added a tiny bit of wet dog food on top to see if that would help, and eventually stuck a treat in it to try to entice him more, but he took the treat and a bite of the wet dog food, spit out the dog food and gnawed away on the treat.

    According to his paperwork, he has his 8 and 12 month shots, and they noticed he was itching at his ears a lot, so they/we have him on precautionary ear mite treatment, but he is also just generally itching all over. I have seen no sign of fleas and his skin does not look dry, but I plan to take him to the vet this week just as a precautionary measure to verify the seller's information and get a second opinion on his general health.


    Unfortunately, he seems to have some separation anxiety due to whining unless he's touching someone and I do not know how to humanely take care of it, because I don't want him freaking out because I refuse to give in to the anxiety, but I don't know how to deal with it.

    Personally, I love dogs, I want/ed another dog, but feel Hubby jumped the gun and purchased this one pre-maturely and I know I am going to be the one taking the most care of it, and I refuse to say "You bought him, he's your problem" because I love dogs too much, but any tips and assistance would be helpful.
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  3. Janet

    Janet Member

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    Hi Tim - welcome to you and your new dog. Look forward to hearing his name when you choose it!

    I'm a bit confused about his age. You mention teething, but that he is 14 months old.

    But anyway, if he only arrived at your new home yesterday, he's bound to need a few days to settle. If he is 14 months old, do you know his history? When you take him to the vet, he/she will be able to comment on the itchiness.

    As you know, Bichons are gorgeous little dogs, and I am sure that very soon you will be pleased he is a member of your family!
  4. Chris B

    Chris B Member

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    He's not a puppy. At 14 months he is fully mature, but he is very confused right now and obviously feeling insecure. It's been a major upheaval for him which time and patience will help with.

    He does need a vet check to see what is going on with him. The itchy ears may be an indication of an ear infection or more generally allergy, but your vet should be able to advise on that front.

    Give him a couple of weeks to settle in and in the meantime try to relax. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed he will be and that will enable him to settle in better.

    Good luck with him x
  5. Globalastro

    Globalastro New Member

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    whoops, typo, meant 14 weeks, so sorry, was half asleep while typing it between keeping an eye on him and trying to get him outside every 10-20 minutes
  6. Janet

    Janet Member

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    Ah, now it makes sense!

    He's very much a baby then, and feeling very overwhelmed and missing his mum and siblings. He'll probably gain confidence and settle down very quickly.
  7. Malka

    Malka Member

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    Poor bubba - not only has he been parted from his Momma and siblings, but sort of just dumped in a strange place with a strange person coming in to greet him.

    Give him a bit of time, give him a lot of love, and a lot of patience to find out what he likes to eat. And an unwashed shirt of yours to cuddle up to so he learns who you are.

    Oh, and give him a cuddle from me please.
  8. Globalastro

    Globalastro New Member

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    thanks, we do have a free vet exam scheduled for a few hours from now just to go over shots and everything, as I was not with him when the puppy was purchased and he is hard of hearing and will agree to almost anything without hearing it. Unfortunately, it's at Banfield (in petsmart), but after we figure out what their verdict is, we will start taking him to our previous vet which was amazing to us during the last few weeks of ou
    he doesn't need an unwashed shirt of mine yet, i've been napping on the recliner and he either lays on my tummy or on my head, but come to find out, Hubby has been using one of my sweat jackets as a cushion for him to lay on in the pet smart shopping cart or in the car. (It's easier for me to take naps through the night to try to get him to potty than it is for me to nap in bed, when he sleeps without me (which is about 70% of the time, he is in his own bed though.)

    I've been giving him plenty enough cuddles to go around.
  9. Innocence

    Innocence Member

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    Hello,

    Lol I was a bit confused when I read 14 months! Yes, he is teething so maybe get him a puppy kong, there nice and hard to chew. (I'll give you the link at the bottom.)

    Aww poor baby. He must be missing his mama and siblings a lot, glad to hear he is getting a lot of cuddles. :grin: Being off his food is a totally normal thing Harper my ESS was the same for the first couple of days. Its just a big change for the little thing, also are you planning on weaning him onto another food or are you sticking to the breeder's?

    :005:Typical of a new puppy "sitting on its bum when on a walk" he's like saying I ain't going anywhere. Keep the encouragement going walks will be a big thing and at the moment he does not like his old routine being interrupted. They do start to enjoy walks after a while. Remember if he is scared pick him up and walk him past it showing him its safe.

    The whining isn't typically separation anxiety it's most likely to just be, he's used to having someone next to him all the time like another brother or sister. (It does stop)Having a puppy for the first time is extremely hard and I don't think anyone on the forum will disagree with me. ;) Patience is a big thing and the hard work does pay off when you have a loving and well-behaved dog.

    Hope this helps,
    Jane
    xx

    PUPPY KONG
    http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/..._kong/139220?gclid=CIWuu-rh2NQCFaS77Qod7zoFvw

    You don't have to get it from this website it was just the first one I saw. This toy (apart from teething) is also beneficial because you can put treats and food inside it creating a nice little puzzle.
  10. Globalastro

    Globalastro New Member

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    well, Come to find out from the vet visit, he has Coccidia and a pretty bad yeast ear infection in both ears. That explains a lot of the whining. This morning, he had much more energy, still had an accident on the carpet, but his potty times are anything but normal for a puppy. in 48 hours, he has peed once and has not pooed at all.

    I've tried pheromone sprays and scented potty pads to try to at least get him to pee in areas we can control inside, and to attempt to get him to pee outside, but no luck. Went for a half hour 'walk' this morning and sprayed down a couple trees and sign posts and got him to sniff, but no luck. He is starting to show more energy at times but is still a lazy little fuffybutt.

    Put the tiniest dab of kong PB on his coccidia pill this morning and took it with absolutely no problems, and have been watching veternary videos of how to properly clean his ears with the medication and flush we were given. Not looking forward to this one, because I'm always afraid of causing him more pain, but it looks simpler than I'm giving myself credit for.

    If anyone has any more tips, I'd love to hear them. Current biggest goal is crate training. I plan to spend a few hours with him and the crate tonight.
  11. GsdSlave

    GsdSlave Member

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    I never used puppy pads or newspaper as they can confuse the situation.

    For the first few weeks I always had mine in big cardboard box beside my bed, and alarm set for every 2 hours for first week, then every 3 hours, working time up till they would whimper if they wanted to go.

    Some puppies take longer than others so it’s a case of patience and consistence.
  12. Globalastro

    Globalastro New Member

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    Mari7 likes this.
    Out of nowhere today, he started whimpering on my lap so i set him down for a moment and he ran to the sliding glass door and started attacking it. His first poo here, and he made sure to let me know that he had to go outside! and he has officially started his Bichon Blitz around the house! I'm so excited. I also managed to get him to start going into his crate on his own (typically for no longer than a minute or two at the moment) but now it's on his own!

    We never thought to try a box next to the bed, we had him on the recliner with me Friday night and in the bed with us during some naps and all night last night, no accidents like we were expecting, but it gave him time to explore us and get familiar with us without us having to bug him.
  13. Innocence

    Innocence Member

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    Hello again,

    Glad he's getting on well. I never bothered with puppy pads or newspaper like Vee, just took Harper out of every 2 hours and gradually did it a longer and longer wait and it worked for us. Looks as if whatever method you are using is working. Well done! ;)

    To make you feel proud of yourself I once knew someone who had a 2 year old Dachshund that was still not toilet-trained. This is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome and your already half way there.

    Jane
    xx

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