puppy coming home

and some more patience...

I will suggest Natures Variety Prairie or Innova Large Breed Puppy for your puppy to eat. Also be sure to get the pup into a good vet for a wellness check immediately after you bring her home. Now about house breaking, you will need to take the pup out after she wakes up, after meals and, if a boy, ever 20/30 waking minutes, a girl, a little less. If a puppy pees or poops in the house, it is not because they have some secret vendetta against you or to get even for something. A puppy messes in the house because YOU didnt get it outside in time, simple as that. Mess in house equals your fault and no one elses and certainly not a baby puppy. Patience will be tested many times but it does get better. Remember, keep your eyes on the ball...errr...puppy at all times or you will regret it. NO SPANKING, use praise and redirection, treats and put on 30 second ignore for biting. That, too, will pass, after your arms are a bloody mess! :laughing:

After I entered that last post, it hit me that my vet made the statement that vaccines today are strong enough to override the mothers immunity. I didnt know whether to believe him or not and still dont. Perhaps this would be a good question to ask your vet. I do know it was thought the mothers immunity wore off about two weeks after the last time the puppy nursed, then the vaccination would take. CH4sure, while I understand what you are saying, you really dont have to wait till all shots are done at 4 months. You really do need to get the puppy out to start socializing him before 4 months as there is a window at around 3 months when you need to get him out to experience life and all that goes on around them. OP, try putting in Stages of Puppy Development into the DT search on here or your search engine. It is an excellent article to read and understand what is going on in your pups head.

Linda thanks for the advice but both my vet and breeder suggested I do not bring her out and about until her next set of shots, which is in nine days, Where I live Parvo is rampant so we have to take extra precautions. I rather we be safe than sorry, I read alot of articles on socialization and the various puppy stages, I find I am always reading, lol, I'm just afraid of getting her this far and then having a set back. She has been playing with my other three dogs and shes seen her brother twice, and we take her for car rides or walks just to the mailbox and we are constantly interacting with her, so I think she will be ok, shes not nervous or skittish and has a great temperment but to give credit where credit is due, that all goes to her breeder who did a fabulous time socializing her and loving her. It shows whenever she sees her, our puppy absolutely freaks out with joy, the puppy hugs her and its almost like she doesn't want to let go, she definately remembers her first home thats for sure. I'm counting down now these last nine days because after that, the world is going to open up for her, I'll never leave her home.lol.