Uhhh, my mom gave me a shorky...

First its NOT a breed - its a mutt - and a pricey one. Sad to say your mom was ripped off by the pet shop.

I do know that small breed dogs tend to take a lot longer for housetraining. You need a crate to keep the pup in till it can be trusted. I'm sure the pet shop was not good about shots, health, etc. Most pet shops get their animals from mills or backyard breeders with little socialization. Many have health problems.

I'd take the pup to the vet for a complete checkup, blood tests, and shots.

Oh Ack - I hope this has a happy ending. $425 is actually cheap for a designer mix of two toy breeds, especially one that only weighs 4 lbs. It looks like someone was trying to breed a "teacup" and didn't quite make it. Some of those dogs go for more than $1000 and the "teacups" are even mroe.

Baby shampoo is OK, dogs have a higher skin pH than humans so their skin is not as resiliant. Makes sense, since they have fur to protect them whereas we only have our skin.

My concern would be health problems. Not all breeders of designer mixes are jerks who are churning out the popular mix du jour without doing health testing and breeding healthy puppies. But if this little guy only cost $425, that is a bargain basement price and I wuold be suspicious as to why. I agree with GoldenKitty, get that pup to the vet pronto in case there is any bad news to be had.

It's usually not a good idea to train a dog to go inside at all, whether pee pads, litter box or whatever, since they almost always end up picking some other spot (or spots). They figure indoors is fair game so any place that smells or seems right becomes their toilet. If you make them go outdoors from the very beginning it is less confusing for them. I'd just watch it in this case because if he hasn't had his parvo shots yet and he gets near some other dog's poo, it could be deadly.

Good luck!!!

Time to educate your mother on puppy mills, pet shops and designer "breeds". Never ever buy an animal from a pet shop. I am not talking about the big stores like Pet Smart which feature local rescue shelters. But the kind at the mall with every breed imaginable.

You mom got him at a pet store and decided she didn't want him anymore I can't stand the fact that pet stores can sell dogs. They are a lot of the reason for the pet over population!!!

Good luck with the dog. I know I wouldn't want it!

i'll admit i didnt read all the responses, but the only thing i know about small dogs, is that they need the same amount of disciplin as a large dog, many people treat them like cats, which causes them to have obediance problems and become agressive

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Alright, piddle pad trained is a nightmare. He's been taught it's OK to go in the house. Work on getting him to use the piddle pad outside, then eventually just going outside.

Leash....coat it in bitter apple spray or something nasty tasting to work with him on that. At his size, I'd use a harness rather than a collar.

Nasty stuff from eyes.....what color is it? Some breeds have the classic "eye boogies" like my Izzy does....can you wipe it off with a warm wet cloth? (If not, he might need to be vet checked ASAP) Shih Tzus are well known for the "eye boogers" & they are a nightmare to keep clean, IMO.

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Shih- Tzus Eyes are terribe I have 2 of them..They have to be wiped clean every day to stay clean and they do smell bad when not clean. The guys are a terror to brush even though theyve been brushed since I got them at 9 weeks old. I keep my guys at a very short trim year around...to make things easier.

What an adorable little guy! We get just about every mix imaginable of yorkie, shih tzu, maltese, and poodle at the groomer were I work, so I've seen several of the same mix. They vary sooo much in how they turn out, though! Some have a coat that is a breeze to deal with, others seem to mat if you so much as look at them wrong. Some are high strung and insane, others are the sweetest things in the world. So I really can't tell you what to expect there!

I would recommend getting a dog shampoo and conditioner for regular use.. The baby shampoo is fine for occasional use, but the dog ones seem to be easier on the skin, and some of these little guys seem to be prone to dry skin (the ones around here, anyway). I use Earthbath and Biogroom now that our Petsmart carries them, but you wouldn't necessarily have to go that expensive.

I dont know whether to think he was priced right or wrong! He is a really good dog... I know where he was bred and raised, so I know its a puppy mill, and Im more of a cat kind of person so Ill have to wait and see how everything works out! I havn't had all 3 of my cats on the bed in months, and now that he is here and was in my bed, all of the cats were in there too which is nice because I can use the extra snuggles! He had his first play date today with a Bischon named Wilson (my gma's dog) and they got along wonderfully! They played all day! He was a pretty good boy through it all, and even got left there for a while so we could go out to eat. He's pretty tired right now which I understand since he played hard!

I couldn't understand my mom getting him and then later changing her mind either, but I understand why she didn't want to take him back there! When we first saw him there he was taking a poop and eating it, there was no food or water, or anything soft to lay on! Ive been taking him out every 2 hours so he learn to go outside, and then when he does good I praise him really well and he likes that!

The darn thing is just as cute as can be though... You look at his little face and your heart melts!

i would be careful of playdates if you dont know for sure about his shots, its a good way to get parvo, even if the older dog dont "have it" some dogs are carriers and can pass it to other dogs without ever getting sick themselves. Also they can get worms from other dogs if they have them. Please be carefull i learned tragically that just because someone says they gave the puppy its shots, dont mean a dang thing. I adopted a cute cockerspaniel from PAWS a few years ago. The lady swore up and down she had all her shots. Four days later she died of parvo. Even after the vet called her and again confurmed the pup had tested positive for parvo and had to be pts, she still swore the pup was uptodate and that i was lying to get out of the spay/neuter contract! I of course was totally heartbroken over the whole deal and extreamly furious that she had lied to me. She still hates me and i now refuse to have anything to do with PAWS.

I don't know, I *think* it's possible for a dog to be "up to date on shots" & still get parvo. Because one vet here only gives all adult dogs/puppies ONE distemper/parvo shot, no booster for a year. (He's also a MORON!)

Done hijacking!

Better safe than sorry when it comes to parvo. It is a killer and a nasty one.

Eating poop is one of those disgusting habits that dogs have. With 3 cats he may also decide that the litter box is the treat cabinet so be on guard. If its his own poop what sometimes works is putting a little pineapple in his food, some swear by a little meat tenderizer. Still others claim that dogs only eat poop if the food quality is not high enough.

When you take him outside, make sure you praise him in a really happy voice right after he finishes peeing and pooping. Maybe even give him a treat. This will go a long way in getting him housetrained.

Good luck.

He's doing well today, and I finally got the actual paperwork on his shots this morning!! So he got to have another playdate today! With the same dog of course, because I have seem Wilson's shot records and he if from some famous Bischon (his grandpa was one that won in some shows) and we know all of Wilsons background, Im more worried about Midnight giving Wilson something to tell you the truth! Since I know that Midnight was a puppy mill boy, he could have something thats not showing up on tests!

Midnight got a good beating by BooBoo today, and that was the first time I heard him bark! BooBoo doesn't even have any claws, but when he thumps you can hear it! Middy was trying to sniff BooBoo's butt, and BooBoo didn't approve! He also tried to nip at Jax today, thankfully I cought him, I think I disiplined him right but I dont know. I gave him a Stern NO NO and a little swat... I dont know how hard to swat though because he's so little!

My cats are in love with his dog food, and keep ripping the bag open! Im going to have to find a better place to hide it!

Oh yeah, whats a good kind of dog food for a Shorky?? Alls I have is the stuff I got him with which is Purina healthy Life Nutrition for puppys, and then Purinas small dog breed food and ceasar soft food (which I noticed had garlic in it... that okay??) So anyone know a better food let me know! My cats only have the best so I suppose the puppy should have the best too!

I like Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy. Cheap price, relatively good quality. Best part? Izzy refused anything but teensy tinsy kibble & this has it. It's smaller than Nutro cat kibble!

Ick just the word shorky makes me cringe. He is a cute little guy though. There is a 99% chance he came from a puppy mill. Please convince your mother that she should never buy another pet store puppy again because that is supporting puppy mills. As for dog food purina is crap.
Some ok dog foods that you can get at petsmart include
Authority, Nutro, royal canin, blue buffalo There are a couple others but most dog food out there is crap. Basically read the ingredients. If corn is in there it's crap and if there is some type of meat meal in there it's not good. The first ingredient should always be just a meat like chicken, lamb, beef.

Look at the ingredients of authority puppy no corn and looks pretty good.
Lamb Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Wheat, Wheat Germ Meal, Lamb, Rice Bran, Animal Fat Preserved with Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavors, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, D Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement.


Purina is pretty much a crappy food


Cesar is an ok dog food but it has all meat by products and no real meat.
Here are the ingredients:
Sufficient Water for Processing, Beef By-Products, Meat By-Products, Liver, Poultry By-Products, Beef, Peas, Carrots, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Caramel Coloring, Carrageenan, Dried Yam, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavors, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Erythorbic Acid, Guar Gum, Zinc Sulfate, Sodium Nitrite (for color retention), Vitamin A, D3, and E Supplements, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1).


Look at the ingredients for nutro max puppy canned food they are awesome. Real meat.
Chicken Broth, Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Chicken Liver, Cod, Beef Liver, Rice Bran, Lamb, Ground Rice, Guar Gum, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Carrageenan, Salt, Sodium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement.

Here is a list from a dog forum i'm on showing good food:
The Good
When you want the best money can buy….
ADVANCE
BALANCE DIET
The Food ADVANTAGE
CANINE CAVIAR PET FOODS
Cripple Creek Kennels
Natural Balance
FLINT RIVER RANCH
HAPPY PAWS
HOLISTIC BLEND
SOLID GOLD
LIFE'S ABUNDANCE
TENDER LOVING CARE
NATURE'S FINEST
MATRIX
OLD MOTHER HUBBARD
Sammy Snacks
TIMBERWOLF ORGANICS
ULTRA NATURAL PET FOODS
VeRUS Pet Foods
VITA-MAX PET FOODS
AZMIRA PET FOODS
BREEDERS CHOICE
CALIFORNIA NATURAL
INNOVA CANINE
PINNACLE
ROYAL CANIN SIZE (natural blend variety)
NATURALLY CANADIAN
CANIDAE PET
KIRKLAND (KIBBLE)
Far More
NATURAL BLEND


The Bad
Well, they aren’t BAD, they just don’t quite make the A grade cut. No-one should look down on you for feeding this to Fido and Spot, its good, just not the best. Dogs will do well on these.
BENCH & FIELD
THE PET PANTRY
DIAMOND BRAND
RIDE DOG FOOD
EAGLE PACK SUPER PREMIUM PET FOOD
NATURE'S RECIPE
INOVATIVE VETERNARY DIETS
ROYAL CANIN SIZE
NUTRO
NUTRO MAX
PRECISE PET FOOD
PET FIRST
SIRIUS PET FOODS
PHD, PERFECT HEALTH DIETS
WYSONG PROFESSIONAL DIETS
ANF Specialties
ANMAR
ANNAMAET PET FOODS
APD (ADVANCED PET DIETS)
ARDEN GRANGE
NUTRA NUGGETS
OWEN & MANDEVILLE PET PRODUCTS, INC.
"PAW" TICULARS
PET CHEF EXPRESS
Burns Pet Nutrition
PROPAC DOG FOODS
CANUSA PET FOOD
SPORTSMAN'S CHOICE
LAMB AND RICE FORMULA
Pronature
STURDY
DOCK'S PET FOOD
DYNAMITE ONLINE DYNAMITE SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
K9 Gourmet
MARTINS FORMULA
NOBLE DOG FOOD
NUTRIENCE PET FOOD
NUTRIENCE
AUTHORITY PET FOODS CO
QUALITY CARE PLUS (QC+)
REGAL PET FOODS
BLACKWOOD CORPORATION
Euro Premium
MAX DOG FOOD
NATURAL LIFE PET PRODUCTS, INC.
PETGUARD
PREMIUM EDGE
Petsmart Premier
TECHNI-CAL


The Ugly
Don’t feed your dog these under any circumstances!
PURINA PRESCRIPTION DIETS (ok, so sometimes you have to, but I would beg and threaten my vet for an alternative)
Alpo
MERA DOG
Petco.
NATIONAL DOG FOODS
SPORTMIX
Tuffy's Dog Food
WALTHAM
WAYNE
SHUR-GAIN
Bil-Jac
SCIENCE DIET
EUKANUBA
LAND O' LAKES
EXCEL
MUENSTER MILLING CO.
EXPERT CONDITIONING
JOY PET FOODS
Purina Beneful
IAMS
Nutripet
BUCKEYE PET FOODS
PROFESSIONAL PET FOODS
EARL MAY PREMIUM BLEND
Prominence
CORNUCOPIA PET FOODS, INC.
PRO PLAN
VETERINARY MEDICAL DIETS Select Care and Medi-Cal
Jappy
FORZA10
LINDQUIST FOODS
FROMM
MASTERY
MY-CHAMPS MICROBIAL STYLE DOG FOOD
GEREEN ENTERPRISES
KUMPI DOG FOOD
HAPPY DOG
High Hopes
ECONOMY LINE
ECONOUF
EXCEL
1st. CHOICE
Big Red
Black Gold Pet Foods, Inc.
BLUE SEAL PREMIUM FEEDS. LTD.
BACK TO BASICS
BLUE RIBBON BRAND DOG FOOD
CYCLE ADULT
PUREBRED COMPANY
PURINA O.N.E. Brand
OL' ROY BRAND
WALTHAM
PEDIGREE
PURINA BRAND DOG FOODS
THOMPSON'S PET PASTA PRODUCTS
GRAVY TRAIN
KASCO
KIBBLES 'N BITS
DR. BALLARD ORIGINAL VETERINARIAN RECIPES
The Robert Abady Dog Food Company, Ltd
MAXXIMUM NUTRITION
But the good costs so much!
Burger King is cheap too you know…
You have to realize that the higher quality the food, the less fillers and more actual nutrition. The portion sizes are much smaller, the food lasts longer, and you are spending less time picking up landmines all over the backyard. Everybody wins.
To add to this, dont play the helpless "oh but I cant find it at Walmart or Petsmart" card. Use google, look up the webpages, more than likely they will have a store locater for their distributers. Good food is worth the 5 seconds youll have to search on google for.

Originally Posted by Lindsey88

The Bad
Well, they arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t BAD, they just donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t quite make the A grade cut. No-one should look down on you for feeding this to Fido and Spot, its good, just not the best. Dogs will do well on these.
BENCH & FIELD
THE PET PANTRY
DIAMOND BRAND
RIDE DOG FOOD
EAGLE PACK SUPER PREMIUM PET FOOD
NATURE'S RECIPE
INOVATIVE VETERNARY DIETS
ROYAL CANIN SIZE
NUTRO
NUTRO MAX
PRECISE PET FOOD
PET FIRST
SIRIUS PET FOODS
PHD, PERFECT HEALTH DIETS
WYSONG PROFESSIONAL DIETS
ANF Specialties
ANMAR
ANNAMAET PET FOODS
APD (ADVANCED PET DIETS)
ARDEN GRANGE
NUTRA NUGGETS
OWEN & MANDEVILLE PET PRODUCTS, INC.
"PAW" TICULARS
PET CHEF EXPRESS
Burns Pet Nutrition
PROPAC DOG FOODS
CANUSA PET FOOD
SPORTSMAN'S CHOICE
LAMB AND RICE FORMULA
Pronature
STURDY
DOCK'S PET FOOD
DYNAMITE ONLINE DYNAMITE SPECIALTY PRODUCTS
K9 Gourmet
MARTINS FORMULA
NOBLE DOG FOOD
NUTRIENCE PET FOOD
NUTRIENCE
AUTHORITY PET FOODS CO
QUALITY CARE PLUS (QC+)
REGAL PET FOODS
BLACKWOOD CORPORATION
Euro Premium
MAX DOG FOOD
NATURAL LIFE PET PRODUCTS, INC.
PETGUARD
PREMIUM EDGE
Petsmart Premier
TECHNI-CAL


The Ugly
Donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t feed your dog these under any circumstances!
PURINA PRESCRIPTION DIETS (ok, so sometimes you have to, but I would beg and threaten my vet for an alternative)

SPORTMIX

PURINA O.N.E. Brand

To add to this, dont play the helpless "oh but I cant find it at Walmart or Petsmart" card. Use google, look up the webpages, more than likely they will have a store locater for their distributers. Good food is worth the 5 seconds youll have to search on google for.

Click to expand...

the brands i bolded are available at either Petsmart or Petco - i've seen them. underlined brands - well, the purina's not good [imo] but the Sportmix isn't terrible, depending on the variety...
Sportmix puppy ingredients: $9 for 16 pounds
Chicken Meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Ground Wheat, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Meat Meal, Fish Meal, Chicken Digest, Salt, Yeast Culture, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide.
Sportmix Premium Lamb & Rice ingredients: $28 for 30 pounds
Lamb Meal, Brewers Rice, Chicken Meal, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Salt, Yeast Culture, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Copper Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Oxide.
i've seen worse! info from petfooddirect.com.
the problem w/Sportmix is like that of Chicken Soup - rarely available at pet stores. i've seen it at the feed store where i get Chicken Soup...

It just has to be small enough for him to eat, and I dont want to be feeding him crap! I go to alot of trouble to make sure my cats get the best food out there so I want to do the same for my puppy! My cats eat Nutro Natural life for kittens because its UTI safe, and my 7 y.o. kitty has UTI's if I feed him anything else. Than they get there canned food at night which is NaturaLife which suprisingly has really good ingredients! I spend over 20 dollars on a 9lb bag of cat food for my cats, so I think I can handle getting him the good stuff also! Which on that list would be small enough for him to eat??

And there isn't a 99% chance he came from a puppy mill, its 100% chance! I know where he came from! I know the owners of the puppy mill, and unfortunatly they aren't the best on the planet! The dogs are caged in very small cages, fed bad food, and alot of the time pulled from their mothers too soon! I did get EEK (one of my kitties) from the pet shop here and I know he was a product of the same place also! They said he was 7 weeks old and when I took him to the vet he told me he was 3 weeks old MAX!!

Middy has his first vet appt tomarrow and he is getting a new set of shots, because the vet that sent the papers is unheard of! I know all the vets in this town and that isn't one of them! So after closely reading the paperwork, I decided better be safe that sorry and am just going to do a repeat of shots to be on the safe side! He is also getting Microchipped tomarrow!

When he was gotten he came with Nutro puppy food, and he couldn't eat it! It was free with the dog or whatever, but when I was looking at the bag for my mother (cuz it was her dog) I noticed the price was only 7 dollars for a 10lb bag and that sounds really cheap to me! I also dont have a Petco or Petsmart anywhere near here, but what I do have is TSC (tractor supply company) who caries food for any kind of dog, cheap food, expencive food any kind of food! They have some 6 eisles just for dog food! (they didn't even have on tiny little shelf for cat food, apparently in a farming community cats aren't important! Grrrr) If I can't find the food thats good for him there, Ill order it off the internet!

Is garlic good for dogs?? Because one of the cans of ceasar dog food had garlic in it! I know its not good for cats so I was just wondering!

Oh I got him use to his leash too! Which is very helpfull! He is a splendid little dog, although I dont agree with mixing the two breeds because it just creates overpopulation! I can't put him on his lead outside and just leave him alone in the backyard for even a couple minutes either! He keeps getting it stuck on stuff and last time nearly hung himself! I was gone all of 2 minutes tending to my screaming baby! So I wont do that again!

Anyone know if this dog is prone to any medical diseases??

Okay sorry that was so long

Basically if you can get it in a supermarket, it's probably not a good food. Cesar is not something I would feed to my dogs. The only supermarket canned that I personally would feed are newman's own or the Purina One, but I can get Chicken Soup for the Dog lover's soul and Canidae cheaper at the pet supply store and those are better brands.
Nutro is ok but not great. Around here WalMart carries it so that makes it easy to get. Keep your eye out for the words "small bites" - some brands have a smaller kibble size for small dogs. I am a fan of Canidae, the kibble size is small and you can get it in Chicken or Lamb. I also wouldn't worry about feeding her puppy food. The purpose of puppy food is to give them a calorie boost for growth, this little thing isn't going to grow very much so an all-life stages should be fine.
The Nutro Max has a kibble size like marbles, the 'natural choice' line hjad a smaller kibble size.
Hope that helps and good luck!