my puppy is only 4 weeks old... what to do?

Puppy shots usually start at six weeks, and it's a combo-shot, so just one needle.

If he's drinking from a bowl, then throw the bottle away. In about two weeks, start giving him small amounts of food ( wet or dry, or mix them). If he tolerates this well, then give him about a quarter of a cup in morning and again in afternoon. Then again about an hour before bedtime.

the peanut butter is okay, but don't over-do it. He should learn to come out of loyalty or obedience, not because you taste like a giant treat. In obedience, you may start by giving a treat when you get the behavior you want from him, then you go with praise and affection to teach the dog to WANT to please you.

YES, start training now. If his mother was there, she would start to take him to the right place to pee & poop. The dribbling may be due to an under-developed bladder ( he will out-grow that), excitement, or he is already marking territory ( a little young for that, though). Just a word of advice from someone who has tried many potty-training methods: if you use puppy pads as the main source of potty-training, you are telling your dog that it is okay to go in your house. After feeding/water, take him outside in 10-15 minutes and tell him "potty" or "take care of business" or whatever phrase you want to use. When he does go, praise him lavishly. He will learn that this is the way to get your affection.

ALSO, make sure you and your wife use the same commands and training techniques so you don't confuse him.

Good luck and lots of joy on your new "best friend"!

At four weeks old, you can make a mush out of whatever puppy food you will be feeding him. You can either mix it with water but since you already have esbilac, I'd mix some of that in. You can warm it and pour it over the kibble, let it sit a minute and then mush it up with a fork. Make it pretty thin at first and thicken it a bit each day.Be careful about putting food up to the mouth or putting the pup's nose on the food as you can cause the pup to inhale it and that can be dangerous with a little pup. I would save the peanut butter until the pup is at least a few mos. old. Make small amounts of the mush at first. If you are giving him canned food, thin it with the warmed esbilac mixture. Your pup will need to eat this mixture about four times a day, possibly more according to size, amounts it eats to start etc. It should not have to bottle feed any more. Keep a shallow water bowl filled so your pup can drink water as desired.

As far as shots go, talk to your Vet about when to start the series as they will judge how to start this, when and what according to the size, breed type etc. Some Vet's do start pups at six weeks, especially if weaned from the mother at the age yours is. If you take your pup in to the Vet, put him in a box covered with a towel so he isn't exposed to animals there that might be sick. Or- put him in a kennel cab and cover it. You won't want to take your puppy around town or to neighbors or out on the street until it has had its first three sets of shots. Parvo is a highly contagious disease and when dogs that carry that virus go to the bathroom they shed the virus in their stool. The virus residue may be something you can't see but the dog can lick and/or sniff the area and come in contact with the virus. But you can pick a safer area to go to regularly to start teaching the pup to "take a break" or whatever you will say when you take him to go potty. Get a book and read articles on potty training. There are many good articles already written here that you can find by typing the subject into the search bar at the top. At pup can only hold their bladder for about an hour for each month of age. But don't expect a four week old to do that. They won't. It takes more time to train a pup and a lot of consistency.

Avoid treats for now, at least until the pup is eating normally on it's own and then you can get puppy chew toys and biscuits for pups that help them exercise their little teeth. Peanut butter is something dogs love, but I'd wait on that for a few more months.

Those tiny spots of pee all over are normal because this is a new puppy that is very young and has very recently been cared for by the mother who would've licked the pup clean for that first month. The mother isn't doing that anymore so the pup just goes. If the pup might be younger, it will need more assistance, but four weeks it should be fine. Your Vet can do an exam and tell you what the pup may need and what follow up care best suits his needs. Congrats. on your new pup.

I'd start to potty train at six weeks but not expect much at first.

1) Make sure you keep him warm like with a heating pad under some blankets but make sure it's not too hot!

2) He's going to need three puppy shots of distemper but make sure you vet does it bc every vet is differnet (some don't even do 3 they just do one depending on what brand it is)

Rabies is administered at 6 months (along with getting them fixed)

Bordetella (kennel cough)

3) you must rub the puppies belly until it goes number 2 and do it for them to tinkle too. The reason he tinkles when you pick him up is because you are applying pressure that he needs inorder to pee if you leave him lay there for a long time he could get a bladder and kidney infection without releasing him. The mother at that age will like the belly stimulating the colon and then eats the feces to keep it away from the puppy (don't recommend this haha)

4) for feeding I am not sure how often and it depends on what brand but get a mother milk stiulation for a bottle and feed him that.

Anymore questions ill be happy to help!

I have been bottle feeding 7 puppies since they were 5 days old. They are now 4 weeks old and eating solid food. Soak a good quality puppy chow in either puppy replacer milk ( can be purchased at your vet or a pet store or you can even give it goats milk( not cows milk) gradually soak the food with less liquid so it will eventually eat it dry. Ask your vet how often since puppies require feeding more often than adult dogs of course in much smaller portions. Most important take it to the vet to be examined ask your vet, about deworming, and what age he reccommends vaccines to be given.Be well informed beforehand.

These are questions you should be asking the vet. This pup is already at a huge disadvantage being separated from his mother so early so it is all the more important that you have some professional input on his care, especially since it doesn't seem like you've hand-raised a puppy before. He also definitely needs a physical exam and is probably due for a deworming.

1. Shots: No shots needed yet. Check with your vet on recommendations for starting shots. Current wisdom seems to favor later for shots. He should be seen by a vet, and you can get some pro advice.

2. Feeding: I once raised a litter of pups whose mom was unable to feed them from about 4 weeks on. We gave them Royal Canin Babydog and formula, mixed. They did well. Just let the food soak until he has enough teeth to crunch it up.

3. No treats are necessary. He will naturally want to be with you. Don't take a chance with non-dog food.

4. Potty. Stroke him on the belly and genitals with a warm, wet washcloth to stimulate urination and bowel movement. this is essential and should be done every couple hours. The mom would do this often, especially at feeding time. without it he may have serious problems.

5. Good point below about the heater. Puppies beds need to be about 80 degrees for their digestion to work properly. give him zones where he can get warmer or cooler.

Puppy love is talking to his/herself again!

Doesn't matter if mom is gone, the pup needs to stay with the litter and whoever accepted responsibility for it. If they didn't want to, then they should have said NO

PUPPY LOVE SAID IT RIGHT

ADD: PUPPY LOVE HOPE YOUR BABY IS SAFE TOO!!