Really Confused

Boxer World says to be suspicious of a breeder who "Allows, or asks you to take your puppy home before it is at least 7, and preferably 8, weeks old (note that 8 weeks is the legal minimum in many places). "

You might check your own jurisdiction to see if there are restrictions as to how soon a breeder can let a puppy go.

Please go to this web site and read up on boxers and boxer pups. Much of what they say about puppies is true about all breeds, but it is always nice to hear it about "your" breed. Because your puppy is so young, you will have to work extra hard (and extra carefully) to make sure your puppy learns all the doggy things he should learn (to be a dog, bite inhibition, play).

kjd

Take heart Cashes Mom getting your puppy at 4 weeks can be okay! I've done it twice now. Both times I just couldn't bear to leave the puppy in the conditions they were being subjected too. Our latest, Max is now 4 months old. We got him at 4 weeks.

At 4 weeks he really is too young to be away from his siblings. If you can talk the breeder into letting you bring the puppy back to it's litter for even short play visits it would help. Because your Cash is too young to get his shots you have to be very careful about letting him near other dogs.

After Max was old enough to get his kennel cough shot and worming treatments I was able to bring him to a local doggy daycare so he could play with other puppies. If you don't have the above two options than you get to be his littermate. You get to teach him how to play properly and there will be biting issues. Puppy teeth are annoyingly sharp. What worked for me on the anti-bite fight was to set Max up for a biting session by covering my hands and forearms with hot sauce. Then we played like normal and when I felt teeth I firmly said "no bite" he got a taste of the hot stuff (me ) and stopped. I set him up this way twice and now when I say no bite he stops immediately. For some people they make a "yelp" sound and stop playing with the puppy. Didn't work for me but has worked for others. Get everyone in your family to use the same 'stop biting' command as well. At his age his understanding of what you say is non-existent so you have to keep it simple.

Regarding crate training. I've crate trained all my dogs. Even 4 week old Max and when I got Buster at 4 weeks old. (The first few days I slept on the floor in a sleeping bag in front of the crate so they could see me at night.)

At Cash's young age he needs lots and lots of sleep. In my opinion it was easier training my 2 very young puppies to the crate than the older dogs I adopted. I put an old blanket folded over in the crate for Max to sleep on and gave him a fluffy stuffed dog toy to snuggle with. He did snuggle up to it. I also used a white noise machine in the room I had his crate. It seemed to help settle him. I've never met a dog that actually likes being in their crate at first. But you are the boss so they have to get used to it and they do. I just pick them up and put them in. I've had 6 dogs and all 6 were crate trained the same way. I also put the crate in a room where I can close the door because eventually your pup will decide that barking is what he should do to try and get out of the crate. I just close the door and let them bark. Then when they calm down I go in and reward them for being quiet and let him out for a little potty/play.

You can start potty training your 4 week old pup right away. After 1 week Max was going to the door when he had to poop. Urinating took longer and we still have an occasional lapse. Make sure when you are letting Cash out to pee that you are going out with him to make sure he does his business. My husband would try putting Max outside in the dog yard to potty alone. Max was more concerned about being left outside alone than he was about going potty so he wouldn't go (until he came back inside). Here's what a typical potty training day looked like for Max.

Wake up
potty
eat/drink
potty 10 min. after eating
play
drink
potty
nap

Repeat.

I bought one of those moveable dog fences/playyard things that I set up next to where I was in the house. If I was just hanging out or cleaning house I would put Max in there to nap so he could still be near me. If I was too busy to watch him at nap time I would put him in his crate. Since I am also potty training a 3 year old I did feel like my days were all about potty time

You asked about putting him right back in the crate after potty time. It would be better for him if you gave him some play time before he goes back in. It'll help you both bond with each other and it can be fun too! Max had a giant mouth and at 5 weeks old could carry a tennis ball in his mouth. It looked sooo funny. Still makes me chuckle thinking about it.

I also have a Spot Bot carpet cleaner ready and waiting for accidents. Makes the clean-up go a lot easier.

Good luck with Cash. Let us know how it progresses! You can do it, it's just a little more work for you.