New to Board

[Conner'smom]

Hello-
I am new to the board and although I have always had Doxies when I was little Conner will be my first as an adult. I am getting him from a lady who had a litter of them. I knew he had to be mine when I saw him when he was about 5 weeks old. My question is how old should he be before I pick him up? Also should he be totally weaned before I bring him home. I have a cat at home that will be totally jealous when we get him so I am unsure how to handle the transition. Your advice will be appreciated.

[Shay]

Congrats on your new pupper, 8 weeks is the accepted age to pick him up, and yes he should be completely weaned by then. If you are buying him from a breeder they will wait until he is at least 8 weeks old. If it's an individual whose dog had pups, they may be willing to let it go earlier, but that is not always the best for the puppy. I got my puppy at 5 weeks, and feel i did the right thing for her although that was quite early. I had to supplement her diet with puppy formula for a month, and she had two types of worms, so was really skinny, showing backbone........now at almost 6 months she is still a very small mini and generally healthy. She does have an eye problem that is probably genetic, but other than that is healthy. Ours get along great with our cat, the cat let them know right away, she runs the house and that is the way it is. She actually took care of Ginger for us, she had a kitten the same age, and let her snuggle up with them the first few nites she was home. So she never whined at nite. She still cleans her sometimes, that is so funny, this big cat holding down this wild little puppy to clean her. Be careful in the beginning, especially if the cat is not used to being around dogs, introduce them slowly, and don't be surprised if the first meeting doesn't go so well. They will probably get along fine. Good Luck and welcome to being owned by a doxie!!!! Shay

[Rusty's mom]

Hi and welcome to the board. You're pupper should be weaned by the time you get it and the cat should adjust in time. Like Shay we also have a cat that is the head of the pack. Shay - that was too funny hearing about how your cat washes down your little one. Our cat does that too and Rusty just loves it. Every morning he gets up from under the covers (my side of the bed) and down to the end of the bed he trots. He'll lick the cat a couple of times and then lay down on his back for his bath. It's just too funny to watch. We'll actually just lay and watch the two of them - it's better than t.v. This can go on for at least 10 - 15 min. and Rusty just thinks he gone to heaven. The cat will do it to our little Duffer too but he doesn't seem to enjoy it the way Rusty does. It's great to know that we're not the only ones who get to watch this amazing sight. Friends come over and just can't believe it.

kathy