New Update #22 -Another puppy thread....any small dog owners? Or transported rescue?

[robinsmommy]

Like so many others, we are likely getting a Covid dog, which will be our first dog. It seems like they fly out of the shelters as fast as disinfecting wipes off the store shelves....so you sort of end up with one that meets most of your wants and you manage to get on a list for quickly enough.

We are currently on the list for a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix. Given that they are already 6+ pounds at 3-4 months old, they seem bigger than most Chihuahuas, likely more small-terrier sized. We are looking at the biggest in the litter of 3 (2 girls, one boy - boy is already homed), a girl. She would be a transport dog, driven up to us in the PNW with a bunch of others from Texas. So we can't meet her in advance.

Anyone have experience with a transport dog? Anything you learned or wish you had done differently?

And anyone have experience with that mix or those breeds?

I spoke briefly with pups' foster mom - she says they don't bark, just growl/talk a bit when they play together, which surprises me given the breeds. They don't chew on things other than toys so far. Potty training is a work in progress. They are being crate trained. Both girls are snugglers - the other, littler one, is probably smaller than we want, and has short legs. Our girlie is a little more fearless and curious than her sister, which may go with her size. They sound easy and sweet based on her comments.

We had always pictured a dog that was a little larger, but there is appeal to a small dog, esp since our kids are older (17 and 13). I'd rather go smaller than bigger, given the choice.

Any other advice is appreciated!

[AngB]

No experience with these breeds but good luck!

[wencit]

I love my small dog (Havanese)! Easy to pick up, fits perfectly in my lap, easy to transport, and the best part . . . small poops!

Congrats on your new dog, and be sure to update with pictures when you get her.

[twowhat?]

How exciting!!

Know that personalities may not stay exactly like the foster describes - your home is new, puppy will be away from her littermates, she's still growing/developing, etc. Once she has adjusted you may find that there have been changes!

The one big thing I would encourage you to do is to figure out a plan for socialization. This is more likely to be a challenge during COVID...but the puppy needs to be exposed to many different types of people, other dogs (big and small), places, car rides, etc. The more you can do, the better. Focus on making all of these things positive experiences. There are a couple of windows of opportunity, development-wise, that you want to make sure your puppy gets exposure so that she is well-adjusted. With COVID, your dog is going to be around you a lot, and you might like to take the dog with you if you do road trips for vacation, etc.

I say this as someone who just adopted a 7-year-old shelter dog who missed all windows of opportunity. He was dumped outside the rescue facility about 2-3 months of age with his littermates, and they were all starved, ribs showing. He was the thinnest of the litter (and now I know why - he is not an assertive dog so whenever food was available, he probably was outcompeted by his littermates for the food). He went unadopted all this time, probably because he was shy, so did not "present well" at adoption days. This rescue is amazing but they are located outdoors in in the country, and so his exposure to people (particularly men, as most of the rescue employees were women) and indoor spaces was limited to his several trips to adoption days, which are stressful for most dogs as they are in PetSmart type locations. The one thing he is GREAT with is other dogs, all kinds, which 100% makes sense based on his early exposure.

Anyway, I would describe him as somewhat mentally damaged. He is terrified of DH and terrified of certain rooms in the house (kitchen and laundry - we think it's all the reflective surfaces). He loves kids, probably because they are small and non-threatening to him, and he is GLUED to me. We are making progress with him but it is slow and methodical. He is an amazing dog - very affectionate and with a very gentle spirit. But it makes me realize how much I wish the rescue had the resources to socialize him as a puppy - it probably would have also improved his adoption chances earlier on.

GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN!!!

[ang79]

No experience with those breeds or transport dogs but good luck! Keep in mind the 3 days/3 weeks/3 months adjustment period for the dog (google it - lots of trainers and shelters have been sharing a graphic about those time frames and what to expect from a new dog). We adopted our first dog in May, a 15 lb. Pekingese mix, 2-3 yrs. old. She was crate and potty trained when we got her but she did have a few accidents in the house the first week (and we quickly invested in baby gates to keep her in the main living area with us) and the first few weeks were rough with her getting used to being in her crate at night (we have the crate in our kitchen/dining area). But those were all just adjustment wrinkles that we got through. We absolutely adore her now and she has adjusted pretty well to our normal routines and expectations (though we are still working on her chasing our one cat.....) I love her size - small enough to pick up if we need to, loves to cuddle on the couch next to us or on our laps). When she does zoomies around the house I can't imagine having a bigger dog, lol! She is great with the girls and I, but still wary of my husband and other dogs (does not like hearing dogs in the neighborhood bark, she makes a beeline home if she hears other dogs out). So we are working on the socializing, though we don't really know anyone with calm dogs to socialize her with (neighbor has a dog but it is a yippy mini schnauzer who barks and jumps anytime she sees our dog and goes crazy, which then spooks our dog). I purchased a membership to Tilleo.com to try out their dog training series. There is a lot of info on puppies (biting, house training, etc.), but other stuff is useful for older dogs too and the trainer is easy to follow. Figured it was worth the $10 bucks to try since we can't do the training classes at the local pet stores right now (everything has been canceled due to Covid).

When you are looking for equipment, chewy.com has awesome, fast shipping and their prices on crates, gear, etc. are way better than at Petco or Pet Smart. Their pricing on flea and hearworm meds are also better than the vet's. Homegoods and TJ Maxx are good places to look for discounts on toys, bedding, food bowls, etc. The toy sections at our stores are pretty large, the other stuff is always hit or miss.

Good luck, I hope everything works out well for you! We always thought we were cat people, but now are totally OK with dogs too (at least with our own, lol!)

[hellokitty]

How is housetraining going? I'd ask the breeder on what, if anything they have done with that and try to continue with that training if they started it. When we adopted our small breed mix (dorkie = yorkie + doxie), he was 16 weeks old, we had no history, but it appeared that he had not been housetrained. I had to do it, I have experience with it, but be prepared to wake up in the middle of the night to take her out, definitely crate train. Keep her on a schedule, use gates/boxes to keep her in a tiled/vinyl flooring room, so accidents are easy to clean up. Buy dog enzyme spray, there was a long thread within the last year about it, so do a search. If you are really diligent with potty training, it will only take a few months. I think it took us about 3 months to be confident that our puppy was potty trained. Since your kids are older, I trust that they will be gentle with a little pup, make sure you get her used to a leash. My bil ditched his dog on us, who was 3 years old at the time and he obviously was not used to a leash and always chewed on it when we tried to take him on a leash. I was very annoyed, it took a lot to break him of that habit, and basically it came down to using bitter apple spray and turning around when he started to do it and he lost his chance to go on a walk, before he finally understood that was not acceptable.

Buy tiny treats for positive reinforcement training, for potty training and for basic obedience training. All dogs love treats, so it is an easy and less frustrating way to train them. Good luck, she sounds like a cutie. Enjoy her!

[ellies mom]

We have a Boston Terrier. Our last dog was an overweight pit bull. The Boston is definitely easier on the lap but still takes up more room on the bed than you would think.


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[robinsmommy]

So puppy is temporarily on hold, until they answer questions on the contract and payment. They want payment within 24 hours, but don't answer questions in that same time frame......

And they want to use PayPal friends and family, which raises a big red flag. They should, theoretically, already get a discount from PayPal if they prove up 501c3 status, which they claim to have. And they could simply charge more to cover fees. But it takes away any recourse for us. What if they swapped out dogs or didn't deliver at all? We'd be out the money, and too bad.

So I really appreciate the advice, and hope we get to use it, but not sure where things are going from here. My hackles are up a bit.

[AngB]

So puppy is temporarily on hold, until they answer questions on the contract and payment. They want payment within 24 hours, but don't answer questions in that same time frame......

And they want to use PayPal friends and family, which raises a big red flag. They should, theoretically, already get a discount from PayPal if they prove up 501c3 status, which they claim to have. And they could simply charge more to cover fees. But it takes away any recourse for us. What if they swapped out dogs or didn't deliver at all? We'd be out the money, and too bad.

So I really appreciate the advice, and hope we get to use it, but not sure where things are going from here. My hackles are up a bit.

That definitely seems sketchy. The breeder we got our puppy from had us pay the deposit through PayPal (not friends and fam) with an invoice. I would expect the same from a rescue for sure!

[MSWR0319]

So puppy is temporarily on hold, until they answer questions on the contract and payment. They want payment within 24 hours, but don't answer questions in that same time frame......

And they want to use PayPal friends and family, which raises a big red flag. They should, theoretically, already get a discount from PayPal if they prove up 501c3 status, which they claim to have. And they could simply charge more to cover fees. But it takes away any recourse for us. What if they swapped out dogs or didn't deliver at all? We'd be out the money, and too bad.

So I really appreciate the advice, and hope we get to use it, but not sure where things are going from here. My hackles are up a bit.

Definitely sounds sketchy!