# Can you start training a puppy at 7 weeks?



## Coco23 (May 2, 2014)

I know this probably is a silly question, but i really would like to know if it is possible to start training a maltese puppy at 6-7 weeks? My puppy will be 7 weeks in 2 days pretty much, or is this too young?


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Yes, on pee pads, not outside. It may take awhile,You can take him to the pad first thing in the morning, right after naps, after play, after meals. They can't hold it too long being so young, so he/she will go often.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

I agree with Deb - pee pads ONLY. It's never to early to introduce the idea of a schedule, just be sure to have realistic expectations. Your baby is so very young, keep it fun and really just focus on lots of love, praise and building a trusting relationship. That will go a long way towards successful "training" down the road. Oh and don't forget to give 24/7 access to the pee pad - along with tons of access to food/water. Hypoglycemia and dehydration can occur VERY quickly with pups of this age.


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## Coco23 (May 2, 2014)

I am concerned, he does not go inside the house at all nor in his kennel, he does go outside when we take him otherwise he is always loose in the living room and does not go at all, he only had 2 accidents because of us not taking him right after his nap but other than that he holds it pretty long. Also, i want to make sure i am feeding him properly, how often would you recommend that my pup eat in one day? When i do feed him (i am feeding him the pureed food) he does eat a little but he barely eats a whole spoonful. At first i fed him caesar only once since i did not know how bad this was and (he did not eat the whole thing but he loved it and ate a good amount, the same day i threw it away and now feed him Blue) However, i noticed he did eat more the cesar food than the new food i am feeding him. How often should i feed him in a day? My husband and i are stationed in a very difficult place to find all the best puppy food/supplies most of the food here for dogs are the bad unhealthy kind like pedigree etc, so i was lucky to find a few cans of blue near me, otherwise is nearly impossible to find high quality food sadly the blue canned food i feed him it does not specify for puppy so i feed him in very small amounts, he eats less than a spoonful. I am trying so hard to get this right :blush: i will take all the advice i can get.


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

Where are you located?? You can get every best commercial dog food from Chewy.com. Puppies are not any different from little kids who would eat ice-cream and potato chips for all three meals if you let them. It is imperative you start on the best affordable diet for your pup. 

Taking him outside before all of his shots are done are predisposing him to some potential life threatening diseases such as parvo, distemper, etc. His immunity from his mom protects him for a little while but right about now there is not any protection and shots before this time are not recommended. It is NOT recommended to even give shots before 8 weeks of age and you never give multiple vaccinations at once. 

There are many threads in this forum where you do some research on vaccinations and some are marked special, with the information I am referring too. Also Dr Jean Dodds has the information and protocol I would follow. 

You are going to have to do everything you can for this little guy of yours as the breeder you got him from was not following protocol. That is nothing against you, you have brought a maltese home to love and care for and we are here to help you. 

Please post some pics! And keep asking questions, and please don't go outside with him!


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Not sure why your Puppy is away from his Mother at such a young age???


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## BeautifulMaltese (Dec 4, 2013)

That is so very young to be away from momma and littermates. Carol is right, you need to start the puppy on the best food you can afford. Caesar and Pedigree are, well, garbage to be blunt.

Please look on the threads here, so many knowledgeable members who have posted about food. Many of us use Fromm. Another I have used that I really like is Wellness.

Hope to see pictures soon!


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

He should eat 3 or 4 times a day.


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## Coco23 (May 2, 2014)

BeautifulMaltese said:


> That is so very young to be away from momma and littermates. Carol is right, you need to start the puppy on the best food you can afford. Caesar and Pedigree are, well, garbage to be blunt.
> 
> Please look on the threads here, so many knowledgeable members who have posted about food. Many of us use Fromm. Another I have used that I really like is Wellness.
> 
> Hope to see pictures soon!


We definitely understand he is really young and we are doing our best to keep him safe and healthy that is why i am here seeking advice and asking lots of questions. 
BeautifulMaltese, We do not have access to high quality food where we are located and many sellers do not ship to our location it is very very difficult to find specific products here, i was lucky to find very few products of blue here for our puppy. Thanks for the recommendations!

chardy: I will definitely check out the website you recommended and check to see if they ship to our location, we are located in a tiny island in the middle of the pacific (aka in the middle of nowhere lol) so its tough to find specific products.

Furbabies mom: Thanks so much i really appreciate your feedback, and are relieved since we are doing just that and we wanted to make sure we were on the right path thank you!


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## luvsmalts (Oct 21, 2008)

I know some members home cook for their babies. Maybe you could supplement his diet with some fresh protein, vegetables and rice. I would think you could do a search for homemade puppy food and find some recipes. It sounds divine to be located on a tiny island in the middle of no where. Can't wait to see pics.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Also when you change puppies food, transition slowly. Add a small amount of new food to the food that you're already feeding. Increase the amount slowly until it's a all the new food. If you just jump right in with the new food and don't transition it slowly your puppy may get diarrhea and vomit.


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## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

Chewy.com is not going to ship there. They don't ship to Alaska or Hawaii either.  

It is starting to make a little more sense now how you got your sweet baby at such an early age-- Here in the states, you could never get a maltese from a reputable breeder before 12 weeks. That is one of the reason why SM discourages BYB for that reason alone. So, you did the right thing by joining and getting everyone help. I am so glad you did, and let's see what we can do to help you with the journey of wanting to do everything right. I salute you.

As far as home cooking ..... it is imperative that a puppy has the proper calcium etc supplements to grow and flourish. I would discourage you from home cooking unless you had a nutritionist help you formulate a correct diet. Adding in supplements at this age is detrimental for proper growth etc. 

Maybe someone can ship you something from the states here to get your started.

BTW- pics are adorable!


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

New to a puppy, I started at around 11-12 weeks and found his attention was limited. I would suggest not working on training for more than 30 minutes. I found that at around 4.5-5 months his attention span was better and training easier--just my own experience and this is with professional training. Wee wee pad training was something that took a while, but I started earlier with that. If you get the ones that have the odor on it (Four Paws Training Pads), I found those helped more than plain ones! This helped speed up the process as did praise with a treat each time he went on the pad, no cookie if he didn't.


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Coco23 said:


> I am concerned, he does not go inside the house at all nor in his kennel, he does go outside when we take him otherwise he is always loose in the living room and does not go at all, he only had 2 accidents because of us not taking him right after his nap but other than that he holds it pretty long. Also, i want to make sure i am feeding him properly, how often would you recommend that my pup eat in one day? When i do feed him (i am feeding him the pureed food) he does eat a little but he barely eats a whole spoonful. At first i fed him caesar only once since i did not know how bad this was and (he did not eat the whole thing but he loved it and ate a good amount, the same day i threw it away and now feed him Blue) However, i noticed he did eat more the cesar food than the new food i am feeding him. How often should i feed him in a day? My husband and i are stationed in a very difficult place to find all the best puppy food/supplies most of the food here for dogs are the bad unhealthy kind like pedigree etc, so i was lucky to find a few cans of blue near me, otherwise is nearly impossible to find high quality food sadly the blue canned food i feed him it does not specify for puppy so i feed him in very small amounts, he eats less than a spoonful. I am trying so hard to get this right :blush: i will take all the advice i can get.


Absolutely you can begin training but at that age if you are going to do any one on one type of training I wouldn't try it for longer than 5 minutes at a time. You can do it several times a day but just short periods of time. If you are on facebook and want to learn some great stuff about dog training look up The Great Dog Adventure. The trainer does a podcast and the group is a lot of fun  I'm enjoying being there and learning more about training.

As far as potty training-try your best to be consistent. You are using puppy pads? I am not an expert on puppy pads but there are others here with lots of advise to share on them.

For dog food-Blue is great if that is what you can get. If all you can get are the supermarket brands that are hated on so much on forums-then that is all you can get. You make do with what you have available. If the blue becomes a problem and you want to discuss the other brands more, I will be happy to do that with you.

I do think a puppy that young should be free fed or fed several times a day as others have said.

If you want to home cook-I agree to find a nutritionist and or do all the reading you can. I have now a nice collection of books regarding home cooking. There is also www.balanceit.com where you can order a supplement and use their recipes to cook. Personally I am not comfortable home cooking for a puppy-I am afraid I would not get all their nutritional requirements into the recipe, in fact I'm not 100% comfortable feeding home cooked to an adult. 

I do, kibble, canned and some home cooked. Do what you are most comfortable with. My problem with home cooking is that bloodwork can show perfectly for years before an issue pops up. This is because the body will drain nutrients it needs from internal organs and bones first. I think it can be done right-I just am afraid of doing it wrong.

Do whatever you are comfortable with.  Welcome to the forum, and please share some pictures!


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

Because my guy hated all food (I tried many different types), I contacted a diplomat of ACVN who is a professor at UC Davis and she said to try Fresh Pet Select: Our Brands | Freshpet Select, Vital, Nature Select, and Dog Joy Treats

She said that puppies need a certain amount of vitamins and minerals that this food has.

He actually likes the Vital beef and bison, which is grain free, he didn't like the non-grain free and he likes the rolls.


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

kd1212 said:


> Because my guy hated all food (I tried many different types), I contacted a diplomat of ACVN who is a professor at UC Davis and she said to try Fresh Pet Select: Our Brands | Freshpet Select, Vital, Nature Select, and Dog Joy Treats
> 
> She said that puppies need a certain amount of vitamins and minerals that this food has.
> 
> He actually likes the Vital beef and bison, which is grain free, he didn't like the non-grain free and he likes the rolls.


:thumbsup: A GREAT food if its available. It can often be found in supermarkets.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

I do have to agree as well, that Blue Buffalo is a very good dog food and we have fed ours that as well. So, if that is what you can get, then I would stick to it for your little Puppy. There have been so many well intended posts since you posted so you can see every one has your best interest at hand regarding your little Puppy. The very best of luck to all of you.


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

The Vital is at Petsmart and Petco! The site shows where you can buy it!



shellbeme said:


> :thumbsup: A GREAT food if its available. It can often be found in supermarkets.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

Honestly I will give you a very unpopular opinion, but it is mine so I'll share it anyway  . I would not stress overly about the brand of dog food you are using. Many AMA breeders use brands that I would never have thought they would approve of. Anyway, find the best food for your budget that your pup likes and move forward until it is a bit older and more developed. When we got Bella (around 10 weeks of age) she was so picky that we and our Vet were struggling to get her to eat anything. It was terrifying and I cried so much with worry. In the end here's what worked: A bit of greek yogurt on our fingers and eventually to a spoon then to her plate. Peanut butter - just a bit, but she'd lick it off my husbands finger or a spoon. These 2 things seem to jump start her interest in food pretty quickly. We gave her these things in addition to the dog food we had chosen for her. Be careful with the yogurt - regular yogurt is pretty high in sugar and so we went with greek yogurt which is higher in protein. Folks recommend the plain not the flavored kind. My big concern is that your pup doesn't appear to be going potty very often. Did I read that correctly? Have you been to the Vet to have this checked out along with a blood panel work up?


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## Coco23 (May 2, 2014)

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all the great advice, he is eating a lot more now, i just started to introduce him to hard food (blue puppy food) and he loves it. As far as training, he has very short attention span, shellbeme you are so right 5 minutes at a time should help even though I do notice he is so much more alert now, but i'll wait until he is a little older to actually start teaching him. I also agree with you, I would not feel comfortable home cooking for him, i would worry he might not get enough nutrients as well. I am feeding him for now 4 times a day and his potty training seems to be going pretty great, I definitely noticed that when you control their eating habits it helps a ton with their potty training, yesterday we left the house for chores and left him in his kennel and he did really great did not go at all in his kennel we took him out as soon as we got back of course. Also, in the mornings when we let him out of his kennel he runs to the door to be let out to do his business, he is so cute.:wub: 

Again, you guys are great thanks so much for all the wonderful advice, we do try our best to feed him the best food and are lucky to have a few blue products available which am happy he loves it and is eating really well.

as far as training goes, our best choice would be to wait until he is a little older.


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