# Meet Malcolm



## Ruin (Nov 9, 2011)

That's Captain Malcolm Reynolds actually (I really hope someone gets this)...

My V boy who will be home in about a week! We're very excited here and can't wait for his arrival. I'm practically giddy with excitement. The pics of him are at about 6 weeks, they're a week old. We're hoping on more soon.



Click here for the really freaking cute picture. No idea why ImageShack decided to break this one's thumbnail...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Just thought I'd share with the V community.  Any advice, tips, pointers for the first day or week?


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

He is SO cute! You won't be getting much sleep the first week, that's for sure.  I recommend potty breaks every 15 minutes while he's running around and don't put him in the crate for more than 3 hours at a time.


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

Cute as a button.

You won't know until you get him about the sleep. Most need out frequently at night but Nitro (my new guy) has been sleeping through.

What ever you do, be consistent.


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## CopperPenny (Jan 5, 2012)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

He is soooo cute! When I first got my Vizsla, she was so smart & so trainable but like the last person suggested, be ready to take your puppy outside for frequent potty breaks. My Vizsla would pee every fifteen to twenty minutes for the first couple of weeks. She went so often I made a special trip to the Vet to see if she was okay. Not sure if that is typical for a Vizsla but that was my experience. She finally outgrew it & she is the best dog ever. Also, don't skimp on a dog food, get a good quality food. Oh and I got my Vizsla when she was 9wks old. She slept 7hrs the first night & 8 or more after that. So I didn't have any issues w/getting up during the night, but all puppies are different.


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## kiminboonton (Nov 22, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

Adorable! 

I don’t want to gloat, but Tesla probably only had 2 accidents as a puppy. Take them out after ever nap and if they have an accident don’t scold, just scoop them up and take them out. I also used the word ‘hurry up’ when I was asking for her to pee outside and gave lavish praises when she did go. Now she basically can pee on command when I say hurry up. 
Another thing I learned raising a puppy is the less they get into the less they learn they can get away with as an adult. If she looked at food on the counter or even took a sniff, I could make a loud noise like a buzzer “EEEHHH!” as soon as she stepped away, praise, praise, praise! Now I can leave a pile of food on the coffee table and not even think about it if I am out of the room. Same goes for garbage, counters, and shoes. 
Keep their free area restricted and under constant supervision. Again, the less they get into as a pup, the better they will be with troublesome behavior. Every pair of shoes she ate as a puppy was because we left them unsupervised in an area she was able to get to. 
Chewing- buy nylon bones, chew toys, antlers, anything you can to start the habit of your pup having something besides your shoes, socks or furnature to chew, it also teaches them to occupy themselves by chewing. 
My most frusterating time training tesla was her crazy moments when she got a little older and she would just go bonkers and try and jump at me, bite my sleeves, and want to play very rough. I was told by so many people to Alpha roll her, and that was a huge mistake. She saw this as a wrestling move and it would make her even crazier and she would just go bonkers! I can’t tell you how many sweaters have holes in the sleeves from her jumping up and grabbing my sleeves. The best suggestion I have for this stage is to step on the leash so its short and put your back to them until they calm down. Ignoring is what the pack would do if they didn’t like certain behaviors. 

This is such a fun time, take lots of picture and videos, because the time goes by so quickly!
Kim


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

One thing I've done in the past and am doing with Nitro is to "settle" him. It's easy to roll him on his back, place the palm of my hand gently on his belly and say settle. I keep my hand there until he calms down and then of course lavish praise. 

I did this when I dropped him off at the neighbor's this a.m. Two of their dogs were in his face and barking at him, but he settled down immediately ... and this with 6 days in our home.

When they get older you won't be rolling them on their back , but you can use the command to calm them down.


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

First off, I love the Firefly reference. That was one of my favorite shows! So sad it didn't get more of a chance... Malcolm is a fantastic name.

Second...adorable! I'm always so amused by how wrinkly V pups can be. What a handsome boy.

Don't be afraid to start training immediately. Jasper learned sit his first day home--he learned it in the living room, the bedroom, and the laundry room across the hall. Practice tricks in lots of different places--inside, outside, at the park, at the pet store, etc. They don't generalize well at all, which is why you'll hear people say, "When we're at home, he's perfect!" It's because they were only ever trained at home. That's not necessarily something that's do or die in the first week, but keep it in mind.

Get ready to be tired! Take a ridiculous amount of pictures. Know that it won't be very long at all before you can no longer hold him with one arm. And don't do what I did--lock myself out of the apartment on our first potty break. Whoops! Had to carry him three blocks so I could pick up my spare set of keys from a friend.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

Ruin, your Malcom is just BEAUTIFUL!! Do you know how lucky you are?? I'm sitting here wishing I could hold him on my lap for a good snuggle. 

When he comes to his new home in about a week, your life will change dramatically, and for the better (but be prepared to be tired).


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## Ruin (Nov 9, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

Thanks for the great replies everyone! We are very excited to get him, can't wait any longer, it's driving me crazy.

We went to PetCo and such places yesterday. Mal is all setup with a divided crate, an assortment of chewables, a variety of treats, a little pillow bed, a stuffed bone pillow, some blankets, and of course a leash and collar. The only thing I need to work on is food. Right now he's on puppy chow so that's what I got him, but I want to move him to something healthier and maybe even holistic.

Just a few questions for you all...

I've been reading that stairs for a young pup is a bad plan. But, I've also been reading that when taking him to his potty area I should walk him with me so her learns the trail. I live on the second floor and only have concrete stairs going down... any advice? I'm thinking of having him walk there maybe twice a day on his own (during wakeup and before bed to give plenty of rest time) and carrying him in between for the first couple of weeks. Thoughts?

Also, with the crating... if I try to crate him at regular intervals for a while, I should encourage him in the crate, not force him in... right? I don't want to stuff him in it against his will, but the routine can easily go the wayside if he's not ready to get in his crate yet.

Chewables... what are some does and don'ts? Rawhide ok? Should I fill the kong at night when I crate him or just leave it empty? I'm thinking about house training when asking this. When does teething begin and end? How long does it last?


Alright, this has gotten too long for now. Thanks again everyone!


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## tanners_mama (Sep 22, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

I'll answer a few...

I'm against rawhides completely. Get him a couple of different nylabones, they last forever and very safe for your pup. Bully sticks are also wonderful, but nylabones are truly one of a few things I feel safe leaving Tanner with unattended.

Kongs are great, but I would try and reserve them for active time during the day. You can have one ready and on hand if he wakes in the middle of the night needing something to engage his mind, but I wouldn't start with that right away.


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

Here are my thoughts on the stairs. For the first three or so weeks, I carried Jasper out to potty. If I didn't, he'd inevitably go potty in the hallway or in the entryway. He picked up on not going potty in the apartment itself very fast, but the hallway and entryway were still "outside" so he'd just go! After that I let him walk. I have a garden level, so he had to go up three steps and down two steps. He was on leash, and I made him walk up them slowly and walk down the slowly--launching himself off the second-to-last step was a no-no. You have a full flight of concrete steps...that might be harder on his joints than the softer material steps of my building. I don't have a lot of advice there--I'd never even heard of not letting pups navigate steps until Jasper was already too big for me to easily carry. Perhaps others will have more thoughts on that subject. That said, I don't think carrying Mal back and forth to go potty is going to prevent him from learning the trail to the potty place.

You should try to make the crate a fun experience, but...well...sometimes life calls. If once in a great while you have to put puppy in the crate yourself, it won't ruin him on it. I think the biggest thing you don't want to do is stuff puppy in there right away, before he's had a chance to explore it a little bit on his own (like right after he first comes home, or something). Make sure there are treats hidden in his bedding, don't be rushed, angry, or loud when you do it, and make up for it by practicing crate games even more. No lie, as many crate games as I played with Jasper, he's still not a huge fan of the crate. He doesn't resist or anything, he just looks very resigned when he has to go in it for the day.

Jasper didn't get any chewies when he was crated at night. There was a soft toy in there (squeaker-less), as well as a previously-worn shirt of mine and the bit of blanket the breeder sent home that smelled like his litter (well, until two nights in when he threw up all over it...). He was fine--he'd wake up once or twice, then settle in and go right back to sleep. I slept with the crate right next to my bed, so he settled for the evening very easily. Could maybe be a different story if the crate isn't in your room.

Jasper was allowed to have rawhides for awhile, then when he started teething he could plow through a big one in about five minutes. I stopped giving him then. Since then he's had Nylabones, real bones, and elk antlers to fulfill his chewing needs. Every chewie has its pros and cons--you'll have to decide what you do and don't want to deal with. For example, with the bones, I have to make sure Jasper doesn't get a splinter off of one of them. When he does, I have to dig it out of his mouth before he swallows. He's also managed to break off bits of his Nylabones, which I also don't want him to swallow. This doesn't seem to happen with the elk antler, but they are pretty expensive (though they do last quite a while).


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## Ruin (Nov 9, 2011)

*Re: Meet Malcom*

Thanks again for all the advice so far. 

We've got some raw hide sticks I think I'll just keep bagged up for use in a few months. Sounds like a bit too much for his little puppy self.

I'll give him a test run on the stairs and see how he manages, that's probably the best way to do it. If it looks like a lot of impact then I'll do some carrying for a while. But if he seems to handle it well, I think a couple times a day should work just fine. There's a door out the back of my apartment that leads to the steps and is maybe 60 feet from what will be his potty spot. I'm hoping we can handle it, haha.

As soon as I know when exactly I'm getting him that afternoon and evening will be centered around house breaking, crate introductions and fun/loving time. Just spend hours doing all three... and eating and drinking of course. 

The breeder hasn't told me yet if he's sending a blanket or anything with him. I'll check and see. I've heard this, plus my shirt, being used also. Sounds like a good idea since they're so tied to smells. Just gotta find a shirt I don't mind throwing away if something happens haha.

Thanks for the tip on the antlers. I didn't realize that they could splinter. I'll need to keep an eye on him with those when the time comes! I'm trying to stick to soft chew toys for now while his mouth is still developing.


Great advice so far everyone! I keep getting more and more anxious for Malcom's arrival. I can't wait. 

Anyone else?


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