I don't know what she is but she sure is a cutie!

Very cute. After she has been cleared to go out - parvo and distemper are the big ones to be cleared. I suggest you find a puppy class in order to socialize her with other dogs. Also after she has been cleared by the vet you can start taking her on leash walks. Just a couple of doors down from your house and back. Right now until she has been cleared you can teach her to sit stay and down and most important Leave it. Natural Balance makes these meat sticks (about $9) they are great to use as training treats, dice them up toss em in a zip lock and throw them in the fridge til you want to train (PS a tired pup is easier to train so playtime first) I suggest putting a zip lock bag over the end of the cut meat stick (which has not yet been diced) dso it wont dry out. I use a rubber band and zip lock - those meat sticks last a long time and are very healthy for your dog.
You can teach her to play with her own toys by talking with her, if she is chewing on your slipper, bring her a toy, tell her drop it or leave it for the slipper and then show her the toy and say play with your toy, that way she knows what to do. Good luck sounds like you are on the right track.
PS again - No tug of war or rough housing with her - it will be a hard thing to break her of later.

Thank you so much, Sephia, we do think she is cute, and she seems so bright! Mazer all of your suggestions will be followed. We are not sure of the breed/mix she is though my sister has come up with Staffordshire Bull Terrier, but we may never know until she fully develops. Her chewing and gnawing is unstoppable but we have found that using her toys gets her in the right direction. Rough housing, oppps, we forgot NOT to do that! We will slow that down to a stop as soon as possible. (She is getting more and more energy every day) The tug of war is hard also because it is a BAD habit of ours on how to play with the puppy. Again, makes the most sense NOT to have them pulling for control.

We have taken her to the park, and I guess until her shots are effective (not knowing if she had the first set or not means we have to believe she did not) we will keep her to our yard. Which is plenty entertaining and should be enough of a playground until she is ready.

I will look for the meat stick, she will sit even for her puppy food, if fed pieces as treats. Though she sits, not sit on command.

Puppy classes to learn how to socialize is also a great idea, we will look into that in the next few weeks

Thank you again
Rosie

Very cute puppy! What's her name?

Good ideas above although I don't necessarily agree about the rough housing and tug of war. I think it very much depends on the personality of the dog whether these are problems or not. I have never had a dog become overly aggressive with these games, personally. Tug of war we simply don't allow the dog to win.

I definitely agree on the puppy classes and also keeping her home till she's through with shots.

Have fun, she's a cutie!

Thanks Prairie,

Her name is Lucy. My daughter (19 and going to college) named her and gifted her to my son (22 today ~ living at home with us - working until he has his shoulder surgery and then off to firefighting school)

With a big smile, after spending a day with "Lucy" we find out she named her Lucy, short for LUCIFER!! (she has left scratches (teeth marks) on everyone she has met! but all puppies have sharp teeth)

Lucy suits her very nicely.

The style of "play" needs to be toned down for the time being, and I do think we can add "tug of war" once she has adapted more to our style of life? She seems like the sweetest little pup, licking, big beautiful eyes looking up at you as she lays like she is a puddle and then ZOOM out of NOWHERE she is running and leaping and when she goes after something (ANYTHING) her little razor like teeth leave marks!

If she is a bull-terrier cross they tend to chew things and she definitely has that characteristic! It has helped already to just substitute a toy when she is "pulling out the lawn" or latching on to a toe-arm-hand-etc

We are definately enjoying having her, and really plan to spend the time now to create the proper enviroment!
*Our first dog, 24+ years ago, was such a treat yet we were the WORST when it came down to realizing what we were actually teaching her. TV and an episode of CHEERS was on and the person on TV rang a doorbell and Bandit Barked. Well we had taped that episode (really dating ourselves now) and we played it over and over again for friends and family and Bandit would bark and bark and bark. LITTLE did we realize as we had kids, and life goes on, she would continue to BARK LIKE MAD whenever our doorbell rang. Only do make mistakes like that once!

:o)
Rosie

What a doll, she is so cute. Sounds like everything is going really well. I agree starting the training early will be helpful once she has all her shots.

The natural balance meat rolls have sugar, salt, and some have wheat in them- so you may want to look into healthier treat options.

When she gets older, you could try raw beef bones (freeze first) which would help with the chewing and keep her teeth clean and white. Right now the nylabones would be a great alternative. Rawhide isn't good on the digestive system as most dogs tend to swallow it when it's really only meant to be chewed.

Nutro is an ok food, but it does contain Menadione Sodium Bisulfite, a synthetic form of vitamin k that studies have shone can be dangerous for dogs. Unfortunately it's a common ingredient that can be found in several dog food
brands and treats. However more companies are becoming aware of it and are taking it out of their foods and there are some good dog food brands that don't contain it.

Games that keep her mentally stimulated are good as well as the physical like hide a few pieces of her food in a room and let her sniff them out. Another more physical game that some dogs like is to chase a laser pointer. I agree that you probably will be able to play tug a war as long as you always win.

No advice, just comments from me...

Looks kind of like a Lab/Pit mix.

I smell puppy breath and popcorn feet:)

lucy is adorable! i skimmed through the replies so far so forgive me if this has already been mentioned but crate training is a great thing. once you have done so, and once she is trustworthy to be left alone, you can leave her for longer and longer periods of time but crate training is a wonderful thing if, for whatever reason, you find you have to be gone longer than usual and want to keep your little girl safe.

don't think of it as "jail", think of it as her own little comfort zone. good luck with her, she will bring you so much joy!

Love the touch of white on the toes. Is it all four?

Such a cute puppy. And sounds like she's got the puppy teeth to match!

They do make various toys, kongs, etc. that you put treats in that they can keep busy chewing and trying to get to the food. Though, I am sure you already know this. Have fun training your pup. The extra time you put in now will pay off so she will grow up and become a good companion dog.

I think she looks like a lab/terrier some sort mix, very pretty.
I have to disagree on the no roughhousing and tug o war stuff. All my dogs over the years have and there hasn't been any problems. They're very social, they know how to rough house with bigger and smaller dogs in the dog park. There's a possibility that denything the dog the chances to roughhouse with other dogs is going to make him defensive and uncomfortable at a dog park. They also love playing tug of war with other dogs over a piece of old stinky rope in the park, it's great fun for them and everyone enjoys it.

Cute pup!

A good teething toy is to take an old washcloth, get it wet and twist it into a stick shape, then pop it in the freezer until frozen. Monitor your pup when she chews it to make sure she doesn't eat the fabric, though.

Just like with babies, it helps soothe the pain of teething.

if she is 12-13lbs as an 8 week old, she is going to be a BIG GIRL, so I'm going with Lab/Pit mix as my guess.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!
Vet check is at 3:30 this afternoon, so we should have a better idea of her age. Great suggestions, and since we have not had a puppy for so long it really helps to GUIDE us!

We think she has some Lab in her, and maybe Pit?
Maybe? (And as above, the Boxer Terrier look is there too?) Yes, we are not sure, but we agree she is cute!

and we realize she can change so much as she grows also!

Love the wet facecloth/freezer idea. She pretty much sits on command (when I have treats) and other then her wanting to EAT/CHEW everything in the back yard she is always ready to play. Not Rough housing is hard, even just the simplest tug of war is getting down played until she is older. I have many plants... and love to garden and right now LUCY seems to like the plants too but it is to RIP the flowers (her way of deadheading I guess?) and chew the leaves. And YES we try to get her to "Leave it" immediately and get her a toy instead, but I tell you this pup LOVES everything in the grass, including the grass, dirt, rocks, wood chips, cement, cement cracks.... and the list can go on. I know it will tone down, and she is starting to have favourite toys, which helps.

Again, thank you everyone for the advice,
it will go to good use!

Rosie

rosie, you should also familiarize yourself with items, including some plants, that are poisonous to our critters. onions, grapes, sugarless gum, chocolate of course, among other things.

work on getting lucy used to having her paws handled so that nail trimming will become second nature to her.

good luck at the vet, she's sure to win over everybody's heart!

Again, Thanks for all the help.... we will need more I am sure!

Vet check went well, though he suggested we keep her to the yard until after her next booster shots. (One week after the shots so she is yard bound for 5 weeks) She weighed in at 15.4 pounds and he figures she is 8 weeks old. She was very well behaved, no scrambling to get off the table, and very tired after the actual shots. As for the Breed, he feels we will have to let her grow, too many choices, but all the girls in the office agreed on "CUTE"

Housefairy, all 4 of her paws have white, and one has only white on one middle toe. Very distinctive!

Ninaperarl, so far she is very passive if we touch her paws, play with her body. LOVES her tummy rubbed.

Thanks again everyone, I will post pictures in a month for more "Breed conversation" if that is ok!

New picture is a regular "Copy Paper Box" for size relevance.

o
oOo
Rosie (wanting a paw print!)

glad to hear everything went well and how could they NOT find her cute?? she is just so adorable and now that i see a size comparison, she is smaller than i thought. cute, cute, cute!!

if you plant to dremel her nails, now would be a great time to get her used to the sound and feel. even if you just plan to trim with nail trimmers, still...a good time to get her used to it.

can't wait to watch her grow! :)

Mikka - the dremel thig is a great idea, I use it on my dog, use the barrel sander - they are done in a second. Remember to introduce her to things, let her sniff them turn the dremel on let her hear it, then touch her nail with it. ALWAYS end on a positive note.
Careful with the plant eating thing, lots of them are not good for her - grass is fine as long as it is not treated. As for your son I hope his shoulder heals quickly and he is able to complete firefighter school without a problem. He might want to take advantage of his down time for his shoulder recovery to work on the other muscles in his body - I use to live with a firefighter and my other best friend is a firefighter - the first tests can be gruelling.
Thank you to him for being interested in serving his community by becoming a first responder. It can be a tough job but the rewards can be never ending (I was in law enforcement) If he does not get in (god forbid) he can always do ambulance work until his shoulder gets better. Good luck to you all and good luck with LUCYfer please keep posting, that little blocky head of hers is just too cute!!!

One thing I've always done with my pups is play with them daily in a dry bathtub so they get used to it. Then you can add a little water at one end after a week or so for them to splash etc.. You end up with a dog who doesn't mind hopping in the tub later on when you really really need him to.

Well once again THANK YOU everyone for all the helpful, supportive advice and comments!

The dry bathtub idea is great and the DREMEL has my dh smiling because he always wanted one to play with, now it will have a duel purpose!

Mazer you took Lucy's name to Lucyfer, and I think I am going to use LucyFUR!!! My daughter will be so pleased that the name is so well used! Though again, she is a darling puppy and really has an amazing disposition! Those little puppy bursts of energy just hit a minute or two before she sacks out for a snooze!

Roobear ~ are there any foods, puppy ones, that do not contain Menadione Sodium Bisulfite? I thought we were doing a healthy choice with the Nutro, Natural Choice which had Lamb meal, Rice Flour, Rice Bran and ground rice as the first 4 ingredients, compared to the puppy chow that starts with Ground yellow corn, poultry bi-product meal, corn gluten meal, and brewers rice? The puppy chow also has those aweful red 40 yellow 5 and blue 2 food colorings in it? Again, any suggestions are appreciated!

I will post her again in a few weeks, with some weight gain and changes in her features and we may just get her breed figured out! (Not that important to know, or we could get a dna test done, but just to see how she turns out will be fun!) **Lab/Pitt/Boxer/Terrier

You have all been so great, thanks again
:o)
Rosie

First time I even noticed this pet forum..I have to put in my 2 cents.
Your puppy looks like it has some Pit Bull. Very beautiful. Post pictures
when she gets big.

Mikka-North, Nurto is a better food compared to a lot of what's out there.

Yes there are a few foods that are menadione free and for puppies. Wellness, California Natural, Nature's Variety, Blue Buffalo, Flint River Ranch, and Innova are some foods you could look into. Some of these foods are "all life stages" which mean the food is meant for puppies, adults, and seniors. Most of these brands offer treats as well that will also be menadione free.

It's not only the ingredients of the food, but also the manufacturing practices, company, and quality of ingredients you should look at.

No matter what, the best food for your dog is the one they do the best on. Find two or three that work and rotate them for better nutritional variety.

Some Dog Food Info Website Links Below

Dog Food Reviews

Dog Food Ingredients Info.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Info.

Another Menadione article

Dog food manufacture information

I used the first link that roobear posted above when selecting a food for this dog (Dog Food Reviews). We decided on Taste of the Wild, but I don't think they make a puppy food. When Sawyer was a puppy we fed Wellness which is also ranked fairly high.

I have dog friends that feed Innova and they give it high marks as well.

If you rotate food, do it very gradually, otherwise you might end up with digestion issues. I have found the formula that works best for me is to start feeding the new food as follows: days one & two, 3/4 serving old food, 1/4 serving new food, days three and four, 1/2 and 1/2, days five and six 1/4 old food, 3/4 new food, day seven all new food. For my dog that seems to be gradual enough not to cause tummy upset. Your dog may need more or less time.

Love the name Lucy-fur. Very clever.

I may not have said this earlier, but

THANK YOU!!
THANK YOU!!
THANK YOU!!

EVERYONE!

Roobear I do appreciate the links, and when I have some time.... hopefully... one day soon??? I will have a closer look at the next bag we buy.

Cindy, we were pretty much mixing the food 1/2 and 1/2 to start, and now we are just at 3/4 1/4old and she seems to want to eat EVERYTHING!! We will mix then next new food in a bit slower, and having a couple choices for the dog seems like a bit of a treat too!

Again, everyone, you have been so helpful!
Thank you

:o)
Rosie

She appears to have some pit bull in her. Possibly boxer--if so do watch her temperment.