1. im a cat person.i have 2 cats, a 3 years old and a 2 year old.
2. i went buying sodas and on my way home i found a puppy.
3. it's fricking december, she's really tiny, [maybe a month old? what do i know?]
4. i gave her a bath. and confined her to an enclosed balcony with a blanket,a toy, water, improvised shelter box.
5. my cats thought it's the end of the world though they're currently bigger than her >.> getting them to accept her will take some time. this is NOT my main worry.
6. she seems to be a mix of german shepard and mutt. lol
7. her fur is shiny,eyes are clear, she wants to play, i think she's healthy. too late now for a vet visit.

questions:

1. how to teach her where to pee? is it a fast process?
2. how about biting/gnawing stuff?
3. i dont want her to be clingy and to cry when im away.

any ideas? help please? PING me, or i may not see replies. thanks.

Will she be warm enough on the enclosed balcony based on where you live?

I'm so glad you rescued her! ❤

the balcony i put her in was the one to the kitchen. other than the door it also had a window. i let the window open bu it was still pretty cold. so i decided to let her stay in the kitchen. there is a heater there. she has access to the balcony. i want her to go potty there, and i think she pretty much got it? lol but yes, she is warm enough now. i need to take her to the vet, but i need more cash first -.-

i guess im just scared the tone of my voice is not right. my cats completely ignore me if i scream/use a firm voice/yell. they only understand the good parts, lol. and i know dogs are different. .-.

Maybe a hot water bottle or a pillow filled with raw rice or raw beans and heated would be good for your puppy during cold nights? Just make sure there are no leaks! There are also plushies that simulate a mother's heartbeat available at pet shops. Some people also wrap a ticking clock in a towel to soothe puppies at night.

You should get to the vet asap (maybe ask if you can make a down payment and pay off the bills in installments?) because she'll need to be vaccinated pretty early on in life to avoid canine diseases!

Even if you can't pay for full vet amenities yet, you should make a phone call anyway for advice (what kind of milk formula the puppy needs, bathroom habits, sleeping habits, general nutrition and behavior, etc).

1. Take her out often to where she needs to pee. Keep a schedule of when she eats and drinks, and set a timer (about a half hour) to take her out after she's done. When she pees or poos in the desired area give her lots of praise. Do this often and consistently. Her being a puppy she probably doesn't have the best control of her bladder so expect plenty of mistakes. Crate training is common for dogs, and is usually effective as dogs don't like to pee where they sleep, but her being so young, it's a bit hard to tell at the moment.

2. If she's biting you, one method is to stick your finger in the back of the throat so that she gags and finds the overall experience unpleasant (it'll probably be unpleasant for you too :P) another is to yell as she bites to startle her, once again, to make it an unpleasant experience. Annnd another is to just ignore her, hide your hands. As for objects, I suggest lots of chew toys (she'll probably like those soft toys intended for teething puppies) and keeping chords tucked away and anything hazardous just plain out of reach. If you must, keep her out of certain rooms. Always keep the floor tidy, hide your shoes/socks/other clothes. If you spot her chewing on something she shouldn't be, give a firm "no" take the object away and divert her to one of her toys.

3. Tough love is important here, make sure not to coddle her. Don't tell her, "It'll be okay!" honestly, don't say a word. One thing is to avoid being emotional when you leave, and making sure she's comfortable when you're gone. I've also heard it's good not to sleep in bed with the dog, since that creates even more dependence upon you. You could leave her toys and give her treats right before you leave. Don't be overly affectionate in your interactions with her, and if she whines when you're there, don't pet her or anything -- try your best not to reward or "praise" the whiny behaviour.

This is all the advice I can give x: Sorry it's not much. Maybe if you have the time and money you can take her to a training class and get advice there. c:

1. Depending on how old she is, the general rule of thumb (as I've found/been told) is that a puppy can hold its bladder for roughly one hour, per every month of age. So one month, about one hour, but I'd stay closer to the half hour mark. To teach her to go outside, anytime she eats or drinks, set a timer for 20 minutes (on the safe side) and take her to the place you want her to go, and tell her "Go potty/go pee/etc"; don't play with her or interact with her too much, just get her to do her business. Once she has, praise her HEAVILY, and/or give her a treat. One mistake you can make this young, is to discipline her for going inside. Puppies that young lack bladder control, and really don't understand what they are doing, so should you discipline her too soon she'll mistake your discipline for going inside, for going in general. This can lead to her being afraid to go in front of you at all, and instead just going various places and hiding it. As she gets older, she'll be able to control herself better, but should you catch her going inside, just make a loud noise to startle her, take her outside and let her go. You can try a crate as well, and this does definitely help.

2. As far as biting and gnawing, puppies that young may still be teething (my puppy was at 5-6 weeks) so she's really trying to alleviate her discomfort. If she's biting at YOU, nip it in the bud soon. I've tried two different approaches, the first: When she bites at you, make a noise like a yelp that she would recognize as a painful sound, even if it doesn't hurt. That worked for a while with my puppy, then as he got older, I would incorporate discipline. I'd close his mouth and say "No biting," if he'd continue to try I would repeat myself and ignore him. Dogs really don't like being excluded from a "pack" environment, so if you associate an undesirable behavior with isolation and seclusion, she'll eventually understand that doing the behavior causes you to withhold affection and attention. As far as biting the cats.. I also have two cats and a 4 month old puppy. My cats would let me clip their claws, so I clipped them enough to not hurt the puppy should they scratch him, but it would still startle him. Now I don't have to as they really don't bother one another too much anymore.

Just make sure you keep things off the floor, and floors clean in general, as puppies that age will pick up ANYTHING off the ground.

3. As far as being clingy, puppies want to feel safe, and if she feels safe with you and you leave, she'll whine. Heck, I'll leave the room for 20 seconds and my puppy will whine the entire time. Make the shelter you made for her more "cave like" so that it becomes a safe place for her, and that will help a bit. Other than that, she'll learn to self soothe, put her in "her area" when you want to leave, and leave. Don't be too emotional and if she cries or whines, ignore her. Puppies whine or act out for attention, and they have to learn that they can't do it whenever they want. In this case, it really is like a child learning to self soothe; it'll be a little difficult at first, but it will get better!

I also saw you said something about tone of voice.. Sometimes octave really doesn't matter, but just a level, firm tone is what does matter. My cats would jump on top of the bookcases/fridge/table anytime I'd get worked up and yell at the puppy, but I found that just using a level but firm tone, and speaking slower helped.

Sorry I can't give too much advice, I've been playing it by ear with my puppy, but these things have helped me! As for a vet though, is there a Humane Society near you? I live in Atlanta, and the Humane Societies near me offer low cost exams and vaccinations. I know a general exam is $30 at the locations near me, it might be the same for you. :]

you guys, thank you so much for the advice :D [wasnt able to be online these past few days, so i only saw your posts now] i have good news: she's NOT crying when i leave her alone. YAY. and so far she only barked at me/my toes because i wouldnt let her bite/play with them. She started to somewhat understand the command "let go" when she tries to bite my clothes/feet. [she has the cutest voice when she barks, haha, but loud, of course] because she has a designated areas to go potty there are only few accidents happening. im curently teaching her to walk in a leash so she wouldnt embarrass me when we go out. i know many dogs hate it the first few times. my problem is that she walks between my legs at the moment, >..> we'll get over this too. the cats became interested in getting to know her, but there's still a long way. so far i see good things happening. :)

I'm glad she's doing better! Usually when dogs walk between your legs like that, they're staying close to you because they feel safe; it'll pass as she becomes a little more adventurous. At this age, make sure you praise her heavily when she does something good, as she's still a little too young to fully grasp negative reinforcements just yet. One thing that I've done that helps with training, instead of relying solely on treats, just praise and pet the dog. I've seen several dogs that will do every treat they know before a single command is given when treats are brought out. But when you give them positive reinforcements, they work more to please you, which also makes your bond with your dog stronger. I'm not saying you should never use treats, but you can try both methods when you start teaching her tricks (or even just when she doesn't bite your toes, or goes outside) as opposed to giving her a treat, praise and pet her for a solid 30-60 seconds straight. Your hands will get tired before she is, but just see how she responds to you. ; I hope she continues to do well, and if you'd like anymore advice feel free to private message me. c:

ooh, she has so much energy, lol. i feel im too old for this madness, haha. she ADORES being pet. go figure, haha. and yes, i'm trying to combine lots of praise/petting with treats for the good deeds. i figured she must feel safe between my legs. she dosnt know this yet, but im really scared i might step on her... plus i almost fell once u.u i assume you're familiar.

my oldest cat got down from the table where i was feeding him only to realize he was kissing her. he wasnt happy with the situation, but his confused face was priceless. he thought it was the other cat [the 2nd cat and the puppy have similar colors and size. it happened to me too to confuse them lmao] will sure smail you if i have more questions

It took a solid 3 weeks before my cats were comfortable being in the same room with my puppy. Even now, they get tired of being around him, and hide from him but they don't attack him anymore. W

hen we brought Tanner home at 7 weeks, he only weighed 6 pounds and did the same thing by staying close to me. You kind of get in this awkward "puppy shuffle" to scoot them around without stepping on them. but before you know it they're huge. As for her energy.. It'll dwindle around the time shes 12-14 weeks. One of the best things I did, was actually start designating nap times for my dogs; like now my border collie is asleep on the couch next to me. He gets up with me around 8:00-8:30, plays until around noon-12:30 and then will nap for about an hour or so. Creating a schedule is the best thing you can do so they fall into a pattern (including her bathroom schedule) and you'll feel more sane!

I'd play with Tanner for half an hour to 45 minutes prior to the time I wanted him to nap, and then put him in his crate. Here we are seven weeks later, and he still naps every day at this time. It definitely keeps your frustration levels down.

oooh, great idea! many people skip mentioning the schedule for sleep! they only underline the poop time one :D i gotta go see her, i ignored her for a long time now u.u im such a bad parent,