Hello from Leslie and Dirk!

[LesNDirk]

Hi everyone!! I just got a new puppy! Yay! However, we have no idea what he is. I am thinking some sort of Shephard Mix!! If anyone out there could help that would be great!! Oh and this website is awesome!!

Love,
Leslie and Dirk

[mintyduck]

I don't know what he is, but he's precious! Welcome to you both, Leslie and Dirk, from another newbie.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

How old is Dirk? It's very hard to tell what breeds might be in his mix when he is this tiny, curled up in a ball, sleeping. He is adorable though.

Welcome to the Daily Puppy from Oliver & Henry, and their Mum, in London, Ontario.

[Kristen&Bailey]

It's impossible to tell what mixes could be in Dirk at this age. The most you could really make a guess on would be from coat color, however many breeds share coat colors so that is never a strong identifier. Dogs change so much over the course of their first year. As he gets a little older, you may start seeing some breeds, but usually you can't get a true feel based on appearance of what breeds are in the mix until they are an adult.

Whatever he is, he is cute. How old is he?

[LesNDirk]

Thanks for posting all!

We are not sure how old he is. He was found by a friend who was gonna take him to the pound...and I couldn't let that happen!! We go to the vet tomorrow so hopefully I will find out more! He is sleeping alot which is making me nervous! Is this normal puppy behavior??!!?? He does play and chew and of course whine! But then he sleeps about every hour or so. He is doing great with going outside and not inside. He slept with us last night and we didn't have any accidents I tried to put him in kennel but he screamed for ten minutes and I gave in! I will try again tonight!! I even put the shirt I was wearing in with him and his chew toy. Wish me luck!!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

He looks very young to me, so hopefully your Vet can be helpful with determining his age.

Most puppies sleep about 22 hours out of 24. It's the other 2 hours of mayhem and housetraining that keep us on our toes. Very young pups will eat, play for a bit, and sleep. That is normal. They become "busier" around 10 to 12 weeks of age, and often appear to have set backs in house training, when in fact, it's just that the humans haven't caught up to the pup's new schedule.

Young pups have no ability or concept of bladder or bowel control. While it's fantastic that he is already doing everything outside where he should, continue to praise, praise, praise that behaviour and if he has an accident, remember it is YOUR fault. Clean it up quietly and without any fuss.

Please post tomorrow after your Vet visit. We will all be interested to hear what the Vet has to say.

[LesNDirk]

Hey everyone!
We had a very successful visit to the Vet. It turns out he had round worms So, he got some meds for that and his first shots. Dr. Mike stated he could see German Shephard and maybe Chow or Huskie, but that we won't know for sure his breed mix for awhile! The vets office fell in love with him, just like I did. I learned alot about kennel training while I was there also! It is gonna be a rough few weeks cause he screams in his kennel at night and I just give in in the middle of the night and put him in the bed with me. I also am gonna try to put him in during the day which I am doing right now and it is breaking my heart! I put an old ticking clock wrapped up in one of his daddy's shirts and am hopeing that will help. Ug..this is sooo tough! But, I am exhausted and Dr. Mike said that unless I am watching him 100% he should be in his kennel.

Thanks everyone and wish me luck!

Dirk's Mom,
Les

[DixieDoodle]

This might ease your heart break.. by keeping your young puppy in a kennel you are preventing him from getting into anything they could cause him harm. Some people have locked their pups in bathrooms thinking it would be a safe place and come home and find a sick puppy from getting into the chemicals. You wouldn't let a human baby run loose in your home, and puppies are exactly that. Just keep remembering that it is for your pups safety and hopefully that will help you

In the behavior section there is a great topic that offers advice on house training and kennel training. Here is the link:
http://www.dailypuppy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6565

Dirk is adorable! I hope you can get more photos of him to share.

Welcome to DP from Amy and Dixie

[LesNDirk]

Thanks Dixie Doodle! It was rough! I am gonna have to get him some good treats!

Here are a few more pics for you guys!!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

He is a darling, and thanks for updating us on the Vet visit. Did Dr. Mike mention how old he thought Dirk might be?

There are some excellent threads in the Behaviour Section as Dixie Doodle already indicated. Crate training takes time, and patience. The guidelines on how to start the process are outlined, as are many tips on general house training in that Section. The rule of thumb is one can't expect their puppy to be 100% reliably house trained until 1 year of age. However, most of us figure out schedules, patterns and signals by about six months. It's two steps forward and one step back.

The pictures you posted are so sweet. Both Oliver and Henry enjoy snuggling up to my sheepskin slippers when I'm on the computer. Dirk will probably always want to snuggle your feet. That way, he can sleep safely knowing that if you move, he'll know about it. That's loving.

[sly85]

Welcome Leslie and Dirk from another newbie! I've gotten a lot of great information from this website, and I hope you do too.

Dirk is SOOO cute!! I love the pics, especially the one with Dirk asleep on your feet. It reminds me of Maya when I first brought her home. For the first few months, she would sleep right next to me -- her paws had to be touching some part of me so she would know if I got up. But she's a big girl now (or so she thinks) and doesn't do that anymore. Like right now she's asleep on the other end of the couch -- even if she doesn't feel me move, she'll feel the couch move. Silly puppy.

-Sylvia