Puppies can become abandoned for a number of different reasons. The mother may have been hit by a car or gotten picked up by the pound as a stray. When this happens, you may want to take the puppy or litter into your home to care for him. Since puppies need to stay with their mother for at least eight weeks, any puppy younger than this will need extra care. Caring for a six-week-old puppy that has been abandoned involves knowing the feeding routine, grooming and bathroom habits of puppies of that age.
Things You'll Need
- Puppy bed
- Puppy formula
- Plastic bottle
- Leash
- Collar
- Stuffed animal
- Kennel or crate
- Puppy training pads
- Dry puppy food
- Chew toys
Instructions
Puppy Care Tips
Vaccinate the puppy. At six weeks, many puppies begin to receive their first vaccinations. A trip to the vet as early as possible is important for the puppy's health and well-being. The vet can also check him for any diseases or parasites such as parvo or worms. If you plan to keep the puppy, you may want to ask your vet about microchipping for security.
Make the puppy as comfortable as possible. The puppy may have anxiety from being abandoned and will require a lot of love and attention. Buy some chew toys to keep the puppy occupied; chew toys also come in handy because many puppies are losing their baby teeth around six weeks old. Sometimes, a stuffed animal to sleep with can help calm a puppy’s nerves and reduce whining.
Feed the puppy three times daily. The puppy may still require formula when first found. Puppy formula can be purchased at most pet stores and include the mixing directions. However, by six weeks old, puppies are beginning to be weaned by the mother in many cases. Offer the puppy some dry food that has been soaked in warm puppy formula as an alternative to the formula alone. You may have to add more milk than formula at first, but eventually you can cut down on the amount of formula mixed in.
Begin proper behavioral training with the puppy. At six weeks old, a puppy starts to be more playful, which includes nipping and biting people. The website The Puppy Place recommends that you stop this behavior before it becomes a problem. One way to keep puppies from nipping is to make a loud yipping sound when they bite. This mimics the distress yelp that other dogs make to stop aggressive play among each other and lets the puppy know not to bite. In addition, puppies should be properly socialized to other dogs as well as humans.
Start housebreaking. This process might be somewhat difficult, since puppies that young have minimal control over their bladder and bowels. You can begin housetraining by using puppy training pads and placing the puppy on the pad immediately after he's done eating or drinking; then in 10-minute intervals until he does his business. Reward the puppy with praise and puppy treats when he uses the pad for the bathroom. You can also try crate-training the puppy for short periods to teach him not to evacuate in his den; gradually expanding the open-access area as he gets older and can wait for longer periods of time between potty breaks.