4 weeks into this....

[UtahBelle]

I introduced my Lola Bear awhile ago and love this site! I have never had a dog before so this is all new to me and my family.
Lola is about 3 1/2 months old and some things are driving me crazy.
First of all, I am so scared to give her anything but the science diet food she is on. I see some people say yogurt, peanut butter in their kongs, chicken, rice, all this stuff that I didn't know they could have. I did buy her some greenies and puppy treats for when she goes potty outside, what else is good for her?
Second, she is obsessed with poop! She just wants to go outside so she can find some and eat it! Hello! I am dying about that one. My kids keep it picked up the best they can, but she can sniff it out in seconds. What does this mean?
Next, she is obviously a female, but there is this one stuff animal that she humps! It's crazy. Is this normal for a female?
She is really funny with her greenie bones. We give her one and she goes and finds a place to bury it. It's usually a blanket but she digs and digs and digs then uses her nose like she is putting dirt on the hole. It is so funny to watch! She is very protective of it and will growl if we go near the "buried" bone.
Does she sound pretty normal? This is so new to us. Also, how old were your babies when you got them groomed for the first time? How do you know when it is time? She has a very thin coat, but it sticks out everywhere like a poof ball. Is it too early?? THANKS!!

[TLC]

Originally Posted by UtahBelle

I introduced my Lola Bear awhile ago and love this site! I have never had a dog before so this is all new to me and my family.
Lola is about 3 1/2 months old and some things are driving me crazy.
First of all, I am so scared to give her anything but the science diet food she is on. I see some people say yogurt, peanut butter in their kongs, chicken, rice, all this stuff that I didn't know they could have. I did buy her some greenies and puppy treats for when she goes potty outside, what else is good for her?
Second, she is obsessed with poop! She just wants to go outside so she can find some and eat it! Hello! I am dying about that one. My kids keep it picked up the best they can, but she can sniff it out in seconds. What does this mean?
Next, she is obviously a female, but there is this one stuff animal that she humps! It's crazy. Is this normal for a female?
She is really funny with her greenie bones. We give her one and she goes and finds a place to bury it. It's usually a blanket but she digs and digs and digs then uses her nose like she is putting dirt on the hole. It is so funny to watch! She is very protective of it and will growl if we go near the "buried" bone.
Does she sound pretty normal? This is so new to us. Also, how old were your babies when you got them groomed for the first time? How do you know when it is time? She has a very thin coat, but it sticks out everywhere like a poof ball. Is it too early?? THANKS!!

Hi and Welcome! Sounds like you've got a Yorkie

I don't care for SD - it contains corn and by-products, and I just don't care to feed those things to my dogs. I feel there are 'better' dog foods out there than SD

Greenies are debateable. They are NOT 100% digestible and have caused serious harm to dogs. IMO - they should go into the garbage - IMO Bully Sticks are a better choice for a chew treat

Poop Eating - the BEST thing to do is get it before she does. Mine did and still do on occasion and YES it drives me crazy too! There are products and remedies out there and I have tried them all to no avail. For mine, the ONLY thing that seems to work is Positive Praise for good potty and a special treat for poop and me getting to flush the poop. I got Peanut Butter chips from the baking isle and they get 1 chip every time they poop and we flush it

Grooming. Mine were first groomed at about 7 months.

Best of Luck! It takes time, but soon you'll figure it all out, plus YT will be here to help

[BaileyGates]

Hahaha she sounds like my Bailey, He is a little imp!! Any treats he goes to hide and i keep finding them around my house when i am cleaning. Over christmas i gave him a bit of sausage roll chopped up and next min i am finding it all over my living room LOL where he tried to hide it. He also moves his nose like he is putting dirt over it even if its on my kitchen floor and nothing there to cover it with, he looks at me thinking how come i can still see it, yes its very funny hehe. Bailey has never ate his poop so i cant help you there, but i am sure she will grow out of that :P Bailey also humps toys even tho he has been fixed haha i think its a sign thet they are the boss, i dunno its strange. haha xxx

[TeresaM]

Hi! Welcome!

Congrats on your new addition. 3 1/2 months, they are so stinking cute at this age!! You don't need to give her anything else if you don't feel comfortable. I give Cheerios, apples, carrots besides a couple of different dog treats. I try to not over do it, but DH doesn't seem to be on the same page when it comes to 'food' for the kids. Just introduce things gradually to see if something might not agree with her tummy. There's a list posted somewhere on here with foods to stay away from. Grapes, onions, chocolate are three that come to mind.

The humping and growling to protect her greenie are dominance displays and of the 2 the growling is the one I'd address. If she wants to be boss over her toys that's ok, just be sure she never does it to a person. If she does she need to be stopped immediately. As for the growling, it shouldn't be allowed. She's telling you it's hers and you better stay away. The fact is she needs to know, Mommy giveth and Mommy can take it away. You should be able to take away any treat, toy or food at any time without her growling. It sounds like she sees herself as the boss right now. You may want to contact a behaviorist about how to over come this, because it could lead to biting. For myself, I've had dogs all my life, I'm not worried about getting a bite or two if I'm teaching submission. But I can understand were someone new to dogs might be. I'm sure you'll get a lot of good advice here, just use some common sense when apply that advice for your specific situation and you'll be just fine.

[Tanjay]

from the Buddy household, its scary getting your first dog or your second, each one is so different, but this site is fantastic for information and it has helped me a great deal.

Any treats he goes to hide and i keep finding them around my house when i am cleaning. Over christmas i gave him a bit of sausage roll chopped up and next min i am finding it all over my living room LOL where he tried to hide it.

Glad Buddy is not the only one to do this