9.5Weeks Bichon Frise Pup - Depression?

Hey everyone,
I have stumbled across this forum as I was doing my usual research for my new bichon frise pup.

After nearly 2 years of EXTENSIVE bichon frise research regarding everything, from breeders to grooming, I have finally found great breeders from my area (Auckland, New Zealand) (I have contacted many breeders before, but settled on this particular one). When I first went to see the litter, there were only two - three were born but one died shortly after birth which is normal, and I saw the mother and father (They were in GREAT shape) I fell in love with one of puppies who was pretty big boned but looked amazing! Anyway, long story short, he was the quieter one of the two pups and I decided to take the pup home and I did so yesterday around 5:30ish pm.

He did whine/cry a little on the way in the car but when we got home, I left him on the floor and he did his exploring and was pretty playful.. I played with him, fed him same food he was fed, went to loo (paper training) then we went to sleep (slept in my room in his playpen I bought him) he did wake up a lot during the night, whined not too much but I would just pat him from my bed and he'll be quiet.

Well this is my problem, when he woke up today, went to the loo then we played (not too much but we did play a bit) but after that for the rest of the day he has just been laying down on the floor or sleeping - NO barking or whinning and I am very very worried, this is depression? Can you guys please help me out, I want to give him the best life possible he is a great dog, I will try and post photos of him sometimes soon...

So sorry for talking A LOT but thought I should give you my story because I really need help.

Thank you all in advance!
Amal
P.S His name is "Chola"

 

Congrats on your new puppy!
Have you scheduled a vet appointment yet? If not, you probably should just to make sure that he is in good health.

Puppies do tend to sleep alot. Maybe its also a little depression from being in new, unfamiliar surroundings? If so, I'm sure he will get over it shortly. Natalie was pretty quiet for about the first 2 days I brought her home.....after that she was a maniac!
Keep us posted.

 

WELCOME to the board, and CONGRATS on your Bichon!!!

Sounds like you have a typical puppy on your hands! Like nern said, puppies do sleep A LOT, and I mean, A LOT! Also, you must realize that your puppy no longer has his litter mate, and on top of that, his surroundings have just changed drastically, so he is probably nervous and confused...which is normal. Just be sure to spend a lot of time with him, giving him lots of TLC...it may take a little while (every dog is different), but he will adjust!!!

Again, as nern mentioned, be sure to schedule a vet appt. soon to have him checked out. (I'm not implying there is anything wrong with her, but it is always a good idea to bring any new puppy/dog you get in for a checkup and shots.)

Can't wait to see pics of your furbaby!!! :y_the_best:

All the best!

 

Hey nern!
Thank you a lot for replying! Yes I have a scheduled vet appointment end of this week (for his second vaccination). I had him checked before taking him home by a family friend who works as a groomer (by no means is she close to a vet, but I figured that since he had his first vaccination at 8 weeks of each a vet wouldve checked him)

Anyway, he is sleepying in his playpen as we speak next to me, but he doesnt want distractions, I came close to him to pat him and he moved his head away. But when its feeding time, he wont eat only from my hand... he is confusing me. I hope he is fine like you said, I want the best for him.

Could it be the deworming pill I gave him this morning? The pet shop owner gave it to me (no name, no brand just gave me one single pill for free as I spent around 160$ on his products :? and told me to give him half the pill and the other half 2 weeks from now.. could it be that the deworming pill made him sick?

 

Hello.... and WELCOME to the Auspet board, Chola!

I agree with what they others have said... it sounds verrrrry typical for a puppy when they first come home, but you definitely need to get him checked by a vet to make sure it's not health reasons. You will need to get him vet-checked right away anyways....

My puppy did the same thing when he first came home.... he didn't "come out of his shell" for about 2-3 days. He hid under the furniture and was very very quiet.... I swear that he was missing his brothers and sisters! But, once he realized this was his new home and became more and more familiar with us, he did better.

 

Thank you for that! I never expected any replies so fast, you guys are great!

That is very true, we have invited the breeder (she lives close by), along with Chola's parents and naughty brother (His brother is honestly half the size.. Chola is pretty big compared to a normal bichon puppy) to come and visit Chola and she agreed. Thats why I think she is a wonderful breeder, she is very caring breeder - really loves her bichons

 

oops... i just realized you were replying when I was typing... so just wanted to say that I'm happy you took him to the vet and started vaccinations!

As far as behavior... it sounds like what we all said... he just misses his buddies and are unsure of things. Give him a couple of days

 

Yes I hope that is the case!
I promise I'll post pictures tomorrow when I topup my cellphone in the morning!

P.S I saw your little Bailey, he is so adorable!!

 

well thank you, chola.... I am a HUGE fan of bichon frise's so I can NOT wait to see your baby!

 

Chola~

I apologize for calling your baby a "she"...I just fixed my post!

WOW...that's great...how nice of her!!! :y_the_best: I'm sure they'll have a blast seeing one another! (I would have loved to do that with my two shih-poos, but unfortunately their breeder is 6 hrs. away! )

Great...glad you have one scheduled!

If I were you, I wouldn't give him anymore of the pills. I recommend you leave this up to your vet, and see what he/she says is best...you have to be really careful with what you give dogs!!! :y_the_best:

Best of luck with your new baby!

 

Hey again!
Quick update, I think I was just so overly worried before! my bichon frise's pup, Chola, woke up not long ago and I played A LOT with him - but he didnt move much from his spot, it was more like a chewing session! But I think he is adjusting more and more now, still very quiet!

I totally agree! I was just stupid. That was what made me even more worried today. But he's much better now.

Also, thought I'll let you all know that I just bought him "Frontline Plus" - I am glad I came to this forum because this is where I knew that "Frontline Plus" is the one that kills fleas of all stages not just adult fleas! I read that in one post here earlier today!

Anyway, I promise I'll post pictures tomorrow!
Thanks all VERY much, I feel much better now!

By the way, my name is Amal, Chola is my baby :wink:

 

Hi Amal~

Don't worry...been there, and done that myself!!! (That just comes with the territory of dog ownership...LOL! :wink: )

Fantastic...glad you're spending a lot of time with him! That'll definitely help him adjust a little easier, and most importantly, bond with you! :y_the_best:

GREAT stuff...I've used it on all my cats in the past, and use it now on my dogs, and it works wonderfully without a doubt!

I'm looking forward to those pics!

 

Yes will post them tomorrow! Most likey on a photo album somewhere, I dont know how to post pictures here.

Anyway, take back what I said about depression! That bichon frise has SO MUCH ENERGY!! Yes, he was sooo sad and depressed (or maybe just sleepy through the whole day till 6ish) when we had visitors whom had 3 kids, when the bichon frise saw the kids... boy did he get happy or what! His tail was down pretty much all the day, but when he started playing and chasing after the kids, he was wagging it around! And he barked for FIRST time, naughty guy, but hes great! Is this normal behaviour?

AND that paper training is really working! He actually would only go whenever there is newspaper on the floor! Just before I accidently had a small newspaper left on one side of my bedroom, he just went there and made his puddle! - Also, I bought this great "Pet Urine Absorber" for anyone who hasn't heard of it, you just sprinkle the powder on the puddle and it just absorbes it then all you need is either dust it off or vaccum it!

Ahh sorry guys I'm just so excited about Chola!!

Amal

 

One more thing before I go sleep :| I'm thinking about giving him his first bath tomorrow (he's never been fully bathed yet), what do you guys think?

He really seems to love water, I was semi-washing him today by wetting the towel and then scrubbing him, he really seems to enjoy it. Also I noticed that when he is in his playpen, nearly asleep, he would put his hand or whole face in the water bowl!

 

Hi! =P~

I know I'm jumping into this thread a bit late but I wanted to say welcome & congrats on your new puppy!!!

I'm happy that things are going well ~ you received some great advice from the other members!!

As far as the bath.. I don't think it's a problem, especially if he seems to like water. We gave Molly & Emma their first bath a couple of weeks ago (we've had them just 4 weeks) and although they didn't make any fuss, they were shaking like leaves! We felt so bad! They seemed pretty nervous but once they were all dry (we only towel dried them, didn't want to overdo it with a hairdryer) they were fine & playing again Can't wait to see pictures!!

 

Hello Amal...
I think giving him a bath is a good idea (if he hasn't had one since coming home from the breeder), but make sure you use a verrrrrry gentle PUPPY shampoo. One brand that a few of us highly recommend is called "Earth Bath".... it's very gentle (no soap).

As far as bathing Chola, they say you should NOT bathe your dog more than once a week, but you should try to stay around once every 2 weeks (even longer if you can). However, I always bathed my Bailey once a week and he did fine... it's up to you.... but again, make sure you are using a good shampoo (especially if you end up bathing him more often).

 

Hi again Amal~

Monster gave you some great advice above!

:y_the_best:

Sure, shouldn't be a problem! Make the bath time a positive experience for Chola, offer *small* treats when you first put him in the tub/sink, couple during, and one after the bath. It's always a good idea to make all grooming (nails, ears, baths, brushing - teeth and coat, etc.) a positive experience for a dog when they are just puppies. Doing so will help the dog to view such tasks as positive (and not scary or bad) experiences, and thus will make things easier on him/her and be more accepting of it. (However, like PooGirl mentioned of her shih-poos, for many puppies, the first couple of baths are a bit nerve-racking for them, and that's okay. Just do your best to make it a positive experience.)

My two shih-poos don't mind one single bit getting baths (and any other type of grooming) only b/c they know that they will get treats in return. Only one problem though, one of my shih-poos, Mickey, is SOOOOO relaxed during the bath that he starts to fall asleep, and therefore tries to lay down to sleep...that makes bathing him a bit of a challenge. :roll: But at least I know he doesn't mind getting a bath, and is thoroughly enjoying every minute of it! :lol: Baths are also very calming for my other shih-poo, Tigger, but for the most part, he is pretty good about staying awake (he only dozes off once and a while). It's just too funny (and interesting) to see just how calming baths are for them! Just had to share that!

Happy bathing!

 

Hey everyone!
I promised I'll post pictures once I topup my cellphone (I didnt top up my phone, but I used my brother's simcard instead )
Anyway the pictures are here: http://www.PictureTrail.com/cholabichonfrise


I'm going to post it here (just read how from this post http://www.auspet.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/000082.html heh this place is great!)




P.S When he was playing last night, he got a bit more than excited and was running around like mad (IN MY ROOM) but was barking a bit too, I didn't mind it much, but the other people in my place did They complain that he toilets everywhere when he ONLY does in MY room and on newspapers.. pffft

 

Oh my goodness, he's such a cutie!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for posting pictures!!!

 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh he is soooooooooo cute!!!!!! Like I said, I love those bichon frises!! Look at the face on him! I want him, I want him, I want him.... hehe

And mybabyshih:

That's hysterical!! I think a picture of that would be priceless!! *HINT-HINT!!* I'd love for Bailey to be that relaxed! he actually does really good.... he just stands there with this "hurry up" look on his face and the minute I grab the towel, he knows what THAT means and will jump up on the side of the bathtub. I can NOT imagine him falling asleep! As cute as that sounds, I agree... sounds like a challenge!!