# I have a weird question about puppies!



## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

We brought home two six week old puppies yesterday that were orphaned at two weeks. They've been bottle fed. Now they are wanting to nurse our adult dogs, who do not appreciate their efforts! 

Would puppies take a pacifier? I'm thinking about getting these pups a pacifier each. 

Would it work? :shrug:


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I think pacifiers would frustrate them. At this age, assuming they are otherwise being fed, they are looking for love. I think if you offer them a bottle in between regular meals, they may get enough sucking. I would also keep the puppies behind a baby gate or in playpen so they can't get to the older dogs, but can see them. A few days of this and the behavior may extingquish.


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## Reptyle (Jul 28, 2005)

I'd be more worried about their socialization if I were you...If memory serves, most believe that a puppy should not leave its mother or siblings until at least 8 weeks of age in order to give their abilities to adapt and socialize more time to develop...Additionally, some believe that raising two puppies together will cause them to bond more with each other than with you, unless you plan on spending countless hours with them day and night...Most owners want their pets to focus on them primarily and all others secondary.


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## longshadowfarms (Nov 27, 2002)

As Reptyle said, they need to learn pack behavior and what is or is not acceptable. It must be a lot instinctive if they have been bottle fed for so long! When we had pups many years ago they would go after any dog that came in range  They had to learn which dogs were acceptable to pester and which were not. In your case there are none that are acceptable! I would put them together with dogs that will correct them without hurting them too much and let them find out that this behavior is not ok.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Socialization is important- but only with littermates and dogs they have already been exposed to at home until they have had thier parvo and distemper vaccinations. At 6 weeks, my mom's are not wanting to have much to do with thier babies as they have tired of those teeth! It is important to keep the puppies together until 10 weeks so thier littermate can teach them bite inhabition and otherwise needed social skills. At about 14-16 weeks, you will want to keep the puppies separated or at least supervised when together for most of the day as this is the age they may start bickering and fighting for rank. They should also be sleeping separately. I will usually keep 2 pups to grow out in a litter and I can tell you I have NEVER had an issue with puppies bonding more to thier littermate than me, though it may be because I do as I outlined above as soon as I see thier sweetness towards each other turning to battles.
Yes, at this age the babies are a pest to all other dogs- it is best to just supervise while they are with them for short periods of time- not to let them run together for risk of a puppy getting stepped on in thier efforts to nurse or snapped at. 



Reptyle said:


> I'd be more worried about their socialization if I were you...If memory serves, most believe that a puppy should not leave its mother or siblings until at least 8 weeks of age in order to give their abilities to adapt and socialize more time to develop...Additionally, some believe that raising two puppies together will cause them to bond more with each other than with you, unless you plan on spending countless hours with them day and night...Most owners want their pets to focus on them primarily and all others secondary.


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## NightmareRanch (Dec 24, 2006)

Give them soft toys to chew on, they will eventually stop looking to nurse and chew on the toys. They should be getting supervised interaction with tolerant adult dogs, since they have not had the benefit of mom's discipline; this will teach them how to act towards older dogs, what is acceptable behavior and what is not. They will leave off the nursing behavior once they figure out it's not acceptable. You don't want to prolong it by providing a pacifier. The nursing behavior is normal, it's not a side effect of being bottle fed. Most young puppies will try to nurse on any adult dogs they meet if they have not been completely weaned.

Pups raised together will only bond more closely to each other than to humans if you don't pay any attention to them. If they get sufficient 'human time' they will bond just fine with people. I have raised up several pups at a time and had no problems with their ability to bond with me. In fact, I prefer to raise more than one pup at a time. Another pup provides a playmate that doesn't get tired as quickly as I do Since these pups were bottle-raised, they are already very closely bonded with humans.

Jess


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

I would also be afraid of giving them a pacifer --they may chew it and get chocked.. We have raised dogs w/ their dame and w/ bottles many times before and they all have hard times when it weaning time! It's like most breast fed baby--it soothing and they have time to be loved (a dogs bathe, clean and lick their young while nursing). I would be careful of them around older -larger dogs.. But even the mother (while weaning them) will bite them hard enough to make them yelp... Good luck.. Queen Bee


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Lots to think about! We are keeping them in the downstairs bathroom with the door open and a baby gate across it. That way the other dogs can check on them without being able to hurt them. None of the adult dogs have been overly agressive...we have good, tolerant dogs who are used to newcomers! They do have lots of soft toys to play with also. Of course, we would not allow unsupervised mingling right now...these two puppies are just so tiny! And I can assure you, they'll get tons of attention in this house! Hubby and I are never sitting down without a dog in our laps.


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## Reptyle (Jul 28, 2005)

Willowynd said:


> Socialization is important- but only with littermates and dogs they have already been exposed to at home until they have had thier parvo and distemper vaccinations. At 6 weeks, my mom's are not wanting to have much to do with thier babies as they have tired of those teeth! It is important to keep the puppies together until 10 weeks so thier littermate can teach them bite inhabition and otherwise needed social skills. At about 14-16 weeks, you will want to keep the puppies separated or at least supervised when together for most of the day as this is the age they may start bickering and fighting for rank. They should also be sleeping separately. I will usually keep 2 pups to grow out in a litter and I can tell you I have NEVER had an issue with puppies bonding more to thier littermate than me, though it may be because I do as I outlined above as soon as I see thier sweetness towards each other turning to battles.
> Yes, at this age the babies are a pest to all other dogs- it is best to just supervise while they are with them for short periods of time- not to let them run together for risk of a puppy getting stepped on in thier efforts to nurse or snapped at.


Ok...OP, you can relax...I heard everything wrong...Disregard my unsolicited info.


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## airotciv (Mar 6, 2005)

Ravenlost said:


> We brought home two six week old puppies yesterday that were orphaned at two weeks. They've been bottle fed. Now they are wanting to nurse our adult dogs, who do not appreciate their efforts!
> 
> Would puppies take a pacifier? I'm thinking about getting these pups a pacifier each.
> 
> Would it work? :shrug:



I will just reply to the pacifier. When my son was a year old, we got a Great Dane puppy, I would find her sucking on the sons pacifier all the time. She never chewed on them, just sucked. She gave them up at about 3 months of age and went to the chew toys, so did the son. :shrug: They shared everything. I did worry about the chewing, But she never did. The son also would share his bottle with her, she never chewed on it. She gave up sharing his bottle at about a year.


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