new puppy!-At what age should you crate your maltese

2495 Views 16 Replies 12 Participants Last post by llf060787, May 28, 2010

zoemom

Discussion Starter · May 25, 2010

Hi, I purchased a Maltese from a couple who lied and said she was 8 weeks old. She turned out to be only 4 weeks when I took her to the vet. I know I should have done my research but I feel as though I've saved her from a horrible home anyways. This was by accident and I couldn't leave her when I met her.

The thing is I don't know what age she should start crate training. She's now about 7 weeks and HATES the crate. when we're at work we keep her in the bath tub with half bedding and one pee pad in which she uses since we dont want her to have to hold it.. we come home to feed her and take her to her pad for lunch.. when we're home, we take her upstairs and she gets rewarded for using the pee pad which she is getting much better at now. she stays in the tub overnight and uses the pad as well but we want her to start sleeping overnigh in the crate so she can sleep closer to us but she won't stop crying and we don't want her to hold it too long so we let her have her pad in the tub.

Any suggestions on when she'll be able to start crate training and hold her pee overnight?

Oh and anothr thing.. we've been giving her a treat(really her kibble) when she pees on her pad.. she's been getting really good at it but she's starting to get smart and fake squat for a treat! the only bad thing is she likes to try to sit on her pad or lay there waiting for a treat as well.. we dont want her to stop peeing and pooing on the pad but we're not sure how to tell her not to lay or sit in it!

Thanks!

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uniquelovdolce

· #2 · May 25, 2010

wow she is a small baby , i dont know much about puppies at that age but u will most definitely get information on this forum.. for how long is she alone ? i think shes still too young to hold thru the nite. good luck with her oo n welcome to sm!

The A Team

· #3 · May 25, 2010

You can purchase an excercise pen on line or petsmart or petco....most any pet supply store I guess. - or even a real baby's pack n play playpen would do, although they are a bit smaller.

They are large enough to accomodate a bed, food and water bowls and a pee pee pad at the other end. And some toys too.

Is she sleeping all night? If not another alternative is a baby's pack n play playpen right next to your bed so you can put your hand down to comfort her.

I got Abbey when she was just about 8 weeks old so it is doable. Give her all the attention that you can - I still believe Abbey is fear agressive to this day because she was taken from her mother too young.

Good luck, I hope everything works out for you and the new baby.

oh....Welcome to Spoiled Maltese :thumbsup:

zoemom

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 25, 2010

Thanks! she is in the tub at night until 7am.. and then we feed her and play with her for an hour.. she's back there untl 11-12 during our lunch our and then we're home by 5:30 until 11-midnight when its time for bed again.

she still cries when we put her in the tub but it will only last about 10 minutes..

we're still not sure if we want to pee pad train her since we live upstairs or if we want to gradually move her to release outside.

almitra

· #5 · May 26, 2010

Don't move to outdoor potty training til 16 wks and all shots complete tho--Parvo is a REAL danger.

Kitkat

· #6 · May 26, 2010

Oh my. I got mine at 7 wks so really, really little too b/c of ignorant - not mean - but ignorant nonetheless, "accidental" breeders - and I've learned a lot here so keep checking.

I bought an Ex Pen on E-bay and it was the best thing ever - you can set up food/water, crate and wee-wee pads in there and still give it enough independence to walk around - it's a real good solution if you're not able to have someone be with the puppy the whole day.

Oh, they're still nursing at that age? What are you giving it for milk? I was originally feeding it the formula until I found out that it was involved in a toxic scare - something I was made aware of by one of the very knowledgable members here - having too much copper in its ingredients and then another wonderful SM member reminded me of the health benefits of goats milk. I gave my puppy that and he loved it. It's expensive but a little goes a long way.

Also, you're feeding your puppy kibble? My pup couldn't eat that at 7 wks - couldn't chew it so I would wet it and mix a bit in with canned slowly changing to canned exclusively. He can now crunch on the kibble so I'm making it available to him but he's almost 11 wks old now.

Anyway, I feel for you but this site contains a wealth of good info and people on here are almost always willing to help instead of criticize which is very important especially when you know you haven't gotten off to the best of beginings.

Wish you well!

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Kitkat

· #7 · May 26, 2010 (Edited)

BTW - sorry, I went back and re-read your post and noticed your saying that your puppy is 7 wks NOW. I had misread, thinking he's still 4 wks - Still 7 wks - which is when I got mine - is still very young BUT good news is that mine absolutely adored his crate at 7wks - from the minute we got him. - I made it very appealing though - so it's totally doable worth investing in if you want to get him out of the tub.
You can put the crate in the ex-pen if you have the room in your house and voila'. I'm no expert though and I'm sure other SM'ers will have better suggestions for you. But yes, at 7wks they should technically still be nursing somewhat, among other things - so the goat's milk, for me, was a big help. He was eating a bit of canned and kibble (not exclusively milk in other words) as that's what the breeder was doing but I made sure he had the milk too. I think it did him a lot of good. I would serve it a bit warmer than room temp...trying to mimick the temp his mother's milk would have been at. I still give it to him and he loves it and does well on it.

Again, hope all works out for you.

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moshi melo

· #8 · May 26, 2010 (Edited)

Hi!! So glad you joined SM!!

Zoe is precious!! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard the rule about puppies being able to hold their pee being correlated to their age. Meaning if she is 1 month, then they can hold for 1 hour, 2 months for 2 hours, etc.

Kitkat

· #9 · May 26, 2010

moshi melo said:
Hi!! So glad you joined SM!! Zoe is precious!! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard the rule about puppies being able to hold their pee being correlated to their age. Meaning if she is 1 month, then they can hold for 1 hour, 2 months for 2 hours, etc.

And please correct me, anyone, if I'm wrong....but yes, I heard the same rule of thumb - (someone actually posted it in response to something I had posted but I can't find it now) - except I think I remember it being "1 hour MORE than their age in months" - i.e. if they're 1 month old then they can hold it for 2 hours, if they're 2 months old, they can hold it for 3 hours, etc. - but I may be remembering wrong. But then of course, you have to account for their small bladder and so on. And then also, they go and throw you off by holding it almost all night....I guess at night it's a bit different though, since they're most likely not drinking.

moshi melo

· #10 · May 26, 2010

Kitkat said:
And please correct me, anyone, if I'm wrong....but yes, I heard the same rule of thumb - (someone actually posted it in response to something I had posted but I can't find it now) - except I think I remember it being "1 hour MORE than their age in months" - i.e. if they're 1 month old then they can hold it for 2 hours, if they're 2 months old, they can hold it for 3 hours, etc. - but I may be remembering wrong. But then of course, you have to account for their small bladder and so on. And then also, they go and throw you off by holding it almost all night....I guess at night it's a bit different though, since they're most likely not drinking.

Actually Kitkat, what you said sounds more like it! Thanks for the correction.

Silkmalteselover

· #11 · May 27, 2010

:faint: WOW To get a 4 week old puppy thinking it is older.. amazing.. and sad that a breeder would do such a thing.. Even 8 weeks old (to me) is too young for a puppy to leave it's momma. Better at 12 weeks or more. But your post made me laugh imagining your baby "fake" peeing for a treat. So smart!! We all will enjoy hearing about your sweet baby as she grows up. Please keep us updated. Such a young puppy needs to be watched closely for low blood sugar.. have your vet explain that one. Having nutrical on hand is good. :Welcome 2: Jeanne

Chalex

· #12 · May 27, 2010

You can start crate training right away but you'd have to keep the crate by your bed and take the pup out when he needs to go potty. Since he's so small you'd most likely get woken up a few times, but it will get better. Preston LOVES the crate. Make sure the crate is just large enough for him to stand up comfortably and turn around in. If it's too big he'll find a potty area which will defeat the purpose. Good luck with your new pup!!!

poochie2

· #13 · May 27, 2010

I do not think putting the puppy in the bath tub is safe and it doesn't sound appropriate. I think there was a comment about putting the crate in the x-pen. That is a great idea.
I got mine at 6 weeks. I purchased a product called "Summer toddler playyard" very similar to an x-pen. I put her crate, her toys and a pee pad in that playyard. It worked out fabulous. I also kept the gate open on the crate and the playyard was closed at certain times. I kept nice and cozy blankets in her crate and she loved it and adapted very well.

The trio

· #14 · May 28, 2010

probably depends on how large your tub is...my tub seats three people (and no its never been tested

...but its quite obvious when you look at it). I have never used it as a pen, but the thought did cross my mind.
As it turns out, Piper was doing very well in the bathroom and her crate at night. But if she were that tiny I might try the tub....that is so very little!
Good luck to you

Kitkat

· #15 · May 28, 2010

poochie2 said:
I do not think putting the puppy in the bath tub is safe and it doesn't sound appropriate. I think there was a comment about putting the crate in the x-pen. That is a great idea.
I got mine at 6 weeks. I purchased a product called "Summer toddler playyard" very similar to an x-pen. I put her crate, her toys and a pee pad in that playyard. It worked out fabulous. I also kept the gate open on the crate and the playyard was closed at certain times. I kept nice and cozy blankets in her crate and she loved it and adapted very well.

:goodpost:

This is EXACTLY what I did (except my Xpen is different) but Yes, I kept the door to the crate open - actually, when the crate was in the Xpen, I would take out the door of the crate completely so as to not have any unintentional accidents with a swinging door. Anyway, yes, he loved this set up and it helped me to keep going with the potty training. I think it's one of the best options for a young pup.

malts4tina

· #16 · May 28, 2010

Hello:

Ten years ago, the lady who bred Kiko had me come pick her up at 5 weeks old!!! We used a baby play pen, and it worked great. So I think any type of pen will work for you as recommended by everyone here.

I think your baby is lucky to have found great parents and a loving home. We often say we paid to rescue Kiko because of the conditions in which she lived and the young age at which she was taken from her mother.

Good luck, and keep us posted!!!

llf060787

· #17 · May 28, 2010

zoemom said:
when we're at work we keep her in the bath tub with half bedding and one pee pad in which she uses since we dont want her to have to hold it.. we come home to feed her and take her to her pad for lunch.. when we're home, we take her upstairs and she gets rewarded for using the pee pad which she is getting much better at now. she stays in the tub overnight and uses the pad as well but we want her to start sleeping overnigh in the crate so she can sleep closer to us but she won't stop crying and we don't want her to hold it too long so we let her have her pad in the tub.Thanks!

Hi and welcome to SM! You mentioned that when you're home you take Zoe from the tub and take her upstairs, where you live. Is the tub not in your apartment? Is this tub outdoors?

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