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Need tips on caring for, exercising, and training my puppy

3K views 50 replies 15 participants last post by  vivienne00 
#1 ·
I have a brand new Dobbie puppy named Athena, she is almost three months old. I am a first time owner of a Doberman though my husband has had a few Min Pins in his life and his mother has had several Dobermans. I know I need to feed Athena 3-4 cups of food a day and only portions of that ammount 3-5 times a day. I'm just not sure as to how much and what exercises I need to do with her and what would be a good way and time to start training her....
Any tips, suggestions and references would be appreciated.
:thanx:
 
#30 ·
unless your vet is a nutritionist, they probably won't have a clue other than "hill's science diet is good," and this information is incredibly incorrect. PLEASE take the time to educate YOURSELF on what is good and what isn't. you were given a very informative link regarding food on the first page of this thread, but in case you missed it, here it is: Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor
 
#36 ·
I second this. My vet told me to give Hill's Science Diet, which is what I originally did. Boy, was he wrong...I looked at the nutrition on the web site given, and it had a bunch of crap. But then again, they promote Science Diet at the vet's offices, so I'm assuming that that's the very first food they will recommend, even though it's not that good. Which is a damn shame, cause you are supposed to trust your vet, to provide you with the best for your pet...not always the case.
 
#31 ·
falnfenix- thank you for the tip... I'm looking at the site right now... I'm not sure if her vet is a nutritionist or not. we go in to meet Dr. Whitford next Thursday... Either way, if the doc is or is not a nutritionist at least we will know of a couple good dog foods to feed our little Athena... :) thank you

Has anyone heard of St. Bethlehem Animal Clinic in Clarksville, TN?? We are taking Athena there to get her ears cropped, and its where our breeder got her parents' ears done. He says that Dr. Whitford is great at cropping ears and is an exellent doctor... I havent found a whole lot of reviews in the past day or so due to my computer acting up (don't worry it does it all the time and will not hinder the finances... lol).

If anyone has heard of, or been to St. Bethlehem in Clarksville could you let me know what you think of the place and how the service and treatment of animals was?? thank you. :)
 
#32 ·
I'm thinking about switching my puppy's food over to Artimis Mix Maximum food which is 4 to 5 stars depending on the kind/ flavor. would it harm her if i mixed it with the rest of the puppy chow?? I don't want the puppy chow to go to waste. We have about ten pounds of the puppy chow left. (we got a big bag like this in the first place due to the deal on the price of the food and we thought it would be a good food for her [obviously we were miss informed/ uneducated on the world of dog food lol]). Would it effect her more if we just switched her straight out to the other food?? I have heard "yes" and "no" to this question and I just want to clarify... I don't want Athena to get sick or go through any unnessisary hardships...
 
#33 ·
No advice on the vet you've chosen to do her ears, but some on getting her registerd. You should have gotten the registration application when you picked her up. It is the breeder's responsibility to register the litter and give the individual application slips to the new owners. Conversely, it is up to the new owner to make sure that the breeder gives them the proper paperwork.

Now, a bit more information about registration. The only way she can be registered is if the litter was registered. The only way the litter can be registered is if both parents had full registration. If one or both parents has limited registration, she can't be registered.

So, you need to contact your breeder, and have them give you the registration application. If they can't give it to you, and you want to do stuff like obedience, rally CATs, and the like, you can always apply for a Purebred Aleternative Listing after she's been spayed.
 
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#37 ·
the problem is vets simply aren't nutrition specialists. i understand holistic vets are more likely to know a bit about nutrition, but still, they're not necessarily on top of what information is out there.

this is where personal responsibility comes in. same thing goes for doctors for people - you have a responsibility to educate yourself on things, rather than taking everything your doctor says at face value. Lclesceri is willing to self-educate, at least with food, so she's already on a great path. :)
 
#38 ·
I went to petsmart with Athena this morning and weighed her on the scale. She weighs 12.5lbs. she is 2 1/2 months old. Is she underweight?? The people there wouldn't tell me anything besides "her coat is healthy" and i would have had to pay $50 to get her even looked at by a vet there. I've been trying to find a weight chart or some sort of article or something to see if she is about normal but the only thing that I've found is a couple paragraphs on Puppy development of Dobermans that states that she should be around 10lbs by the time she is a month old and 17lbs at 1 1/2 months... should I be concerned??
 
#42 ·
She weighs 12.5lbs. she is 2 1/2 months old. Is she underweight??
My little girl is 10 weeks 5 days old, so very similar to your girl...And my baby is 18lbs already. She usually gains steady 2 lbs a week ( sometimes more, but usually a steady 2lbs per week ). Did your vet check her for worms? That's the first thing that came to my mind, as you said that she doesn't seem like she's gaining much weight. Keep us posted on your puppy's health and what the vet says...Good luck...:)
 
#40 ·
While I was at Petsmart I am proud to say that I found the only high rating dog food there. So I got Athena a couple cans of Nutro Ultra Large Breed Puppy food. Nurto Ultra has a four star rating. So yes I am using the advise given and I am doing my homework. :) I'm currently looking online for any place that sells dog food that isn't just the regular "puppy chow" stuff.
 
#49 ·
While I was at Petsmart I am proud to say that I found the only high rating dog food there. So I got Athena a couple cans of Nutro Ultra Large Breed Puppy food. Nurto Ultra has a four star rating. So yes I am using the advise given and I am doing my homework. :) I'm currently looking online for any place that sells dog food that isn't just the regular "puppy chow" stuff.
What do you mean that you bought her the "only" high rating food there? :confused: Petsmart carries Avoderm, Blue, Innova, Wellness, Castor & Pollux, and Simply Nourish, all of which are rated 4 or 5 stars on Dog Food Advisor.

Petco carries most of the same brands, plus some other 4 and 5 star foods that Petsmart doesn't.
 
#41 ·
I will post pictures of her here in about 30 minutes or so. she just got done eating so she looks a little fat at the moment because her belly is completely full. lol. She is eating well, it just doesn't look like she is gaining any weight... I'm hoping that this new food will have some sort of positive effect on her health and her weight, and that if she is underweight, the vet will figure out what is wrong with her tomorrow. Her appointment is at 7:15 pm tomorrow night.
 
#44 ·
I take her in to see the Vet tomorrow. I will explain to the doc what is going on and hopefully we can figure it out... They said that they will grab a stool sample from her and do a regular check up plus a little extra because it is her first time seeing them.... I'm really hoping that it's just the food, or if it is something like worms, that it's nothing life threatening or super serious... I don't want her to go through any harm or hardship at this young of an age...
Thanks for the good luck. :)
 
#48 ·
Tractor Supply has pretty good prices. Their 4Health is about $50 for a 30ish pound bag.
 
#47 ·
It's hard to say without pictures but I can tell you my Vizslas were both the smallest in their litters at 11 lbs at 8 weeks. I got my female Dobe at 10 weeks and she grew big fast and was 22 lbs.
 
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