Hi there and welcome! I notice on your profile that you are from Alabama. Mind if I ask where? I was born and raised in Dothan, lived in Montgomery for 2 yrs., and went to college in Mobile and lived there a year after I got married. Also, a few questions about scotties. I have always loved the way scotties look. I think that are so regal and yet tough-looking. Several years ago when we got our dog I remember researching them and they were not recognized as a prime breed for families with small children and it said that they were usually one-person dogs. Also, being terriers they are active and get into mischief. What are your thoughts? What consistent traits have you seen in your scotties temperment, how often do they need to be groomed, what are the pros/cons, etc.? Any and all info appreciated! We decided on a mutt from a shelter last time and I don't like to get a purebred for purebred sake when there are so many lonely puppies out there for adoption. However, I did find a Scottie rescue group in the Mobile area where my parents and inlaws live, so that would be feasible for me. So...please tell me about Scotties.

P.S., Your DD is beautiful!

By Juliem on Sunday, February 15, 2004 - 09:45 pm:

Hello. Thanks for the compliment on my daughter. I sure think so, but don't all parents? I am from Gadsden originally, but have lived in B'ham since 1990. I have driven through Mobile, but have never visited. I have been to Gulf Shore numerous times. I love the beach. About the scotties, I think they are wonderful dogs. They are very active and mischievious, but I found this settled down around three years or so. My mother, sister and I have all had scotties, and they all had different personalities. I didn't find them to be one-person dogs. They are very loving and love attention. My first Scottie, Abigail, died a little less than a year ago. She was 13 and had bladder cancer. She also had a congenital defect called spinal stenosis and she had a hard time going down stairs and jumping, but I think this is rare. She had a really long back, not like most scotties, and I think this had a lot to do with it. They can sometimes have skin problems. My mother's did and she had a peculiar odor. Abigail was never around children, and she didn't like kids. She came to tolerate DD, but I never left them alone together. I got two puppies about 3 and a half months ago. They are five months old now, Axel and Ruby. Axel is wheaton and Ruby is black. Ruby was tortured by my DD, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with her now. If she walks toward her, Ruby starts barking. Axel and she play very well together. He is the most loving. Ruby is a little stand offish with everyone. My sister's scottie was this way also. She wants to come to you, but she'll take a couple of steps forward and then step back. I don't know if this is a common trait for scotties or not. Out of the five I have known, two of them were this way. Grooming is a bit of a personal preference. I keep them groomed from spring to summer and let them grow out during the winter. I usually groom them every three months. Anyone I have met that has a scottie really loves them. They have the most expressive faces. They look like they understand every word you are saying. I will probably always have one. They are the cutest dogs I have ever seen. Abigail got up to around 30 pounds, and I think Axel will be the same. Ruby is very petite. Her mother only weighed 16 pounds. Ruby is black, and Axel is wheaton. He was very white when I got him, but his back is starting to turn a little red. I am going to try to attach a picture, but I am not sure I know how. I probably gave you more info than you wanted to know, but I love to talk about my doggies! If I didn't answer a specific question, just let me know, and I will be GLAD to answer you!!!

By Kittycat_26 on Monday, February 16, 2004 - 08:27 am:

Didn't I also read that you have a boxer, Julie, or am I just imagining things?

The reason I ask is that we just brought a new boxer puppy home. She is 6 weeks old. She's dear but is definately not a sleeper at night. I was up more with her than I was when Timmy was born.

By Juliem on Monday, February 16, 2004 - 01:54 pm:

I do have a boxer. He will be year old in March. We named him Oscar, for Oscar Delahoya (sp?). I wanted to name him Sugar Ray, but I was overruled by the other two in my household. We never had problem with Oscar. We bought him a crate and put him in our basement. Some people think it's cruel, but he loves it. At night, I just say let's go to bed, and he heads right for the crate. Also helps with potty training! When we got the scotties, we did the same thing and not a whimper. I think the closed in space makes them feel safe. You might want to give it a try. Don't get a large crate though, just one big enough for them to turn around in, that way they won't use the bathroom in it hopefully! Good luck with your little pup. They are so precious.

By Kittycat_26 on Monday, February 16, 2004 - 03:01 pm:

I've decided to let the little girl live another day and try it again. :o) If you had asked me this morning, she was going to die at sun down.

Part of the problem is that she is just way to young. She will only be 6 weeks old on Wednesday. We though the breeder was doing us a favor and it turns out she probably didn't. Oh well, this too will end and she will adjust.

Timmy is not doing too badly with her but she is a bit more rambunctious than he is. He would like to approach her but she is just all over him.

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, February 16, 2004 - 07:11 pm:

Kittycat, the breeder was definitely not doing you a favor. Pups should not leave their mother before 8 weeks. My son used to work at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, and I asked him. In Pennsylvania neither pups nor kittens can be sold before they ae 7 weeks old, and 8-9 weeks is much better to be sure they are weaned. What you have is a puppy who is not weaned and definitely misses her mommy and sibs.

But, you have her. Scott suggests she probably needs a lot of cuddling for the contact. He suggests a warm relatively closed in space for sleeping, and maybe a teddy bear or two (make sure there are no buttons or stuff the pup could pull off and choke on). He suggests mixing canned puppy food (which has extra nutrients puppies need) with some whole milk to make a sort of "slurry". By this I think he means a babyfood type texture, so the dog can lap it up with it's tongue.

I remember as a kid when our dog had pups, we'd make a pablum mix and I'd dip a finger in and put my finger in the pup's mouth so it would get the taste, and keep doing that to get it to follow my finger. Eventually my finger was in the bowl and the pup learned that the food was in the bowl. Guk. I don't think I'd do that now. But, if I got a young pup, I guess I would.

As for Timmy, yes, pups play rough. And part of their play is chewing, nipping and biting. She will definitely be all over Timmy - he's the closest thing to her sibs that she can get at.
And she will climb on him, nibble on his hair, ears, nose and fingers - and clothes. And, until she is old enough to be trained, she may have accidents while she is climbing on him.I suggest you get a good book on how to handle this and other things with puppies - your vet can probably recommend some good books - so you can teach Timmy how to handle this when it happens. You don't want the pup chewing on your son, but you don't want your son hurting the pup by using discipline that might not be appropriate.

I have read of taking a windup clock (one that ticks), and wrapping it in a towel for cushioning and putting it in the sleeping box with the pup so the pup hears a sort of heartbeat. I've also read of taking something you or Timmy have worn, like a t-shirt, so it has your smell, and putting in the box where the pup sleeps so it has your smell for comfort.

But definitely, the breeder did not do you a favor.

By Kittycat_26 on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 08:17 am:

Thanks for checking on this, Ginny. I wish I had found this out before we brought the puppy home but like you said, it's too late now.

I do have a crate for her but I didn't know (or think) about the alarm clock or teddy bears. We were much better prepared last night. I got up with her twice but then she settled down and slept for almost 6 hours. I'm hoping that as she gets used to being around us that this will only improve but in the meantime, I guess I'll be getting out of bed and taking her outside.

If we ever get another puppy, I will be so much wiser about it. I just took the breeder at her advice that the puppy would get used to us as his family and was plenty old enough to come home. Partly my fault, I should have checked first.