# 3 month old puppy w/ odd behavior issues



## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Water should be given freely all day and picked up at about 8 pm every evening until he's reliably housebroken. 

Change to feeding 3x per day... try 7 am, 1 pm, 6 pm. What are you feeding? How much per day?

Take the puppy outside after napping, after eating, and playing. If he doesn't go, put him in his crate for 10 minutes and try again. Repeat until he goes outside. When he does go outside, give lavish praise and extra special treats. 

Has this puppy been to a vet yet? If not, make an appointment TODAY. Take a stool sample with you. He could have parasites that are causing the diarrhea.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I hope that he has water available to him throughout the day, in addition to the 2 cups you are giving him with his meals. Without adequate water, he can dehydrate and it is hard to digest food properly as well.

Do you know what his living conditions were before you bought him? He may not be used to snow and the cold, and that will just take time. Did you change his food? Sudden changes in food and water can also cause this problem

I would take him to the vet for a fecal exam now, assuming you have not yet done so. Worms, coccidia and giardia can all cause severe diarhhea. Consistent, liquid diarrhea in a young puppy is very serious and should be treated immediately.

Do you have vet records from the previous owner? Was he having this issue before you bought him? And just a note-he should not have any vaccinations while he is sick. You should wait until you know what is wrong with him, and he is being treated, before vaccinating.

Fingers crossed he is not very ill.


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## LBrooks18 (Mar 4, 2011)

thank you for responding. 

We've talked to different people and most of them said he might have coccidia. 

We feed him Purina Puppy chow twice a day, 1 1/2 cups each time with 1 cup of water on the side.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> We feed him Purina Puppy chow twice a day, 1 1/2 cups each time with 1 cup of water on the side.


A puppy should only be getting 1 cup tops per feeding. And that does go into the 3X a day feeding schedule that most people follow. 

Water should ALWAYS be left out for your puppy. Water goes through their systems very quickly. They can become dehydrated and very ill, especially if they also have diarrhea. 

If your puppy has diarrhea, he should be drinking even _more_ water...


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## LBrooks18 (Mar 4, 2011)

Well, his living conditions were the same (he came from about 10 min away) and he was living with a bunch of other dogs as he came from a breeder. She fed him the same food and she never mentioned anything about him having diarrhea. 

We wouldn't have known if he was sick or not because we're so new to this.


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## CAGK71 (Oct 22, 2010)

First of all, welcome to the GRF! I'm sorry I have never had a puppy so I don't have any advise per se for you but I do agree with having water available for your pup during the day.

Pups like humans need water as needed so if he isn't getting the water when he is feeling dehydrated, it might make them sick.

I am a new owner of a dog too and this forum has been so great with info and I've learned alot here.

When you get a chance, we'd love to see pics of your 'baby'.

good luck!

:wavey:


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

If you are overfeeding him, that can certainly contribute to diarrhea. How much was the breeder feeding him?

Different puppies need different amounts of food, depending on age, size and activity level, plus just differences between puppies.

What does the bag say in terms of what he should be eating? The instructions on the bag are usually very generous and often more than the dog should be eating 

I would imagine he is licking the snow because he is thirsty.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I too want to welcome you to GRF. 

You said you just got him and he is 3 months? If he is new, the change in his life could be upsetting his digestive tract. That is not uncommon. However if you have not had the pup to the vet, you should go just to have him checked out in general. Coccidia is common in pups, and can be serious if not treated. Face it, diarrhea can be. 

Yes optimally you should be feeding a puppy 3 times a day until they are 6 months old unless that truly can't be done. I would also space the meals more regularly. Example (I have awful hours) 6AM breakfast, noon lunch, 6PM dinner and try really hard to adhere to a regular schedule at the beginning. 

Now to settle a tummy, you can feed boiled meat (beef or chicken) into small pieces and rice. That is the usual suggestion for soothing a tummy. Also perhaps have some pumpkin you can add a tablespoon or two to his food. That helps too. HOWEVER you want pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. 

My now 5 month old pup Gabby had diarrhea off and on for her first few months with me. We treated her twice for coccidia (Panacur from the vet), we also put her on metronidazole (from the vet) and Forta Flora (a probiotic) Knock on wood we have not had an incident in over a month. Please get your pup to a vet for an exam. Just to be sure all is ok.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

PS.... Dogs like to eat snow. My two youngest are trying to eat all the ice and snow in our back yard, or better yet... bring it in the house. He can be thirsty but mostly they do it because it is there. They have been known to eat dirt too... oh and poop... Nice huh. 

See what you get to enjoy  Puppies are fun, diarrhea is not normal, but most stuff they do is. Enjoy your pup, and look at the world through his eyes. It is a lot of fun to see their wonderment.


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the Forum .

I was wondering with the house training, are you going outside with your puppy when he goes outside to potty? You will need to go outside with him every time, armed with a small tasty treat and praise like heck when he performs outside. If he is outside alone and you are all inside in the warm, I don't blame him for wanting to come back in.

I hope the upset tum is just as a result of a change of environment, but the vet should be able to help you with this if it persists.

As others have said, you need to split his daily food amount into three meals, and feed them well spaced apart. Also, especially if it is dry kibble, fresh water must be available at all times.

Good luck & I can't wait to see pictures...


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Please have fresh water available to your puppy at all times. 

Puppies can become dehydrated quickly if they have diarrhea so this is very important. 

If you haven't had a vet check your puppy over, I'd get an appointment ASAP. 

Welcome to the Forum and we love to see pics!!


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Talk to your vet. Lots of young puppies have parasites which cause the problems you are having. There are tests and meds to help.


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## boomers_dawn (Sep 20, 2009)

How's your puppy doing? 
Is it possible the diarrhea is from a change in diet or different water? Like changing from tap water to well water? 
I think a trip to the vet sounds like a good idea.


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## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

How often are you taking ur pup out to potty? It's helpful to keep a log of what time he wakes up, eats, pees, poos, sleep etc. That way you'll be able to see a pattern and can take him out to potty. While he's eliminating, say a word like 'potty' so that he will associate the action with the word. Only when he's done, then praise him lavishly and give him a treat. That's how I trained mine and he pick it up within 1 week.


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## Mikem943 (Sep 26, 2011)

Many things can cause diarreah in puppies. Water should be available at all times. However, purina puppy chow is a very low quality food, and could be the source of your puppies problems. Many natural brands such as Wellness puppy food may benefit your puppy greatly. Being a golden retriever your pup will be prone to certain types of allergies (mostly skin infections and during pollen season) and foods that have ingredients such as corn may contribute to allergies. Make sure the first ingredient is meat such as deboned chicken. Also puppies love to explore their surroundings with their nose, aswell as there teeth. Many puppies sucumb to secondary collitus, as a result of eating multiple things off the ground (50% of puppy diarreah is caused by collitus). In addition Golden retrievers are highly intelligent, eager to please there masters, and as a result VERY easy to train as apose to a breed such as the Siberian husky. I would consult a trainer since this is your first dog, and golden retrievers average around 75 pounds (or more depending on if american or english breed) and the last thing you will want is a big strong dog, that is untrained wreaking havoc in your home. Goodluck


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I wish OP had come back updated us, this was originally posted in March.


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## bond007 (Jan 31, 2012)

Hi i am considereing getting a 3 month old golden retriver puppy what might be some of the issues i might face with the puppy early on. Fianancial, time, etc??


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

bond007 - Im thinking you should start your own thread ...so your post on this one doesnt get lost...


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