Today I’m bringing a 1-month-old shih tzu pup to my home. How should I take care of it?
4 weeks old is too young. At 8 weeks you should feed them every 6 hours and let the dry puppy food soak in a little hot water to make it soft first for 15 or 20 minutes. Then when it’s not too hot, you can give it to the puppy. You should use the same food that it was getting from the breeder. Any changes will cause diarrhea. Changes of food have to be gradual…over 7 - 10 days, by at first adding just a little of the new food. Then the next day, slightly more, etc. After 3 months old, you can start feeding 3 times daily. At 6 months, you can change to twice daily. Shitzus and other small breeds seem to often vomit yellow bile when their stomach is empty, then they don’t feel well. If yours does that, then avoid too long between feedings. A little snack, or smaller amounts more often is the solution for that.They always need water available. To potty train it, you must do a lot of work. Take it to the place you want it to do its business after every feeding - they usually poop within 5 minutes or so after eating. Also when they first wake up from sleeping, they will usually pee immediately. If they do their business outdoors or on a potty pad or newspapers you have placed for that purpose - praise them..make a big deal of it… That way they will catch on quickly. Don't scold them when they fail - it won't do any good … puppies don't have a lot of control. I also keep a close watch on my pups… if I notice them starting to wander off to a corner or start circling, I grab them up quickly and take them out. If you do the work they will catch on quickly, but if you are not able to be consistent or around all the time, then sometimes they are still not trained at one year. Dogs and most pups instinctively don't pee or poop where they sleep, so crate training (a cage at night) works best until they are potty trained.Puppies need rest time, play time, cuddle time, food and water.