Why are my 4-week-old puppies crying and trying to escape? Can I clean them with baby wipes?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Crying at night, trying to escape from the box, crying for no reason is a common behaviour in puppies at their age. As long as they feed well, pass urine and stools regularly, put on weight and are active there is nothing to worry about. Watery nasal discharge and sneezing is probably a result of upper airways viral infection. If the discharge is watery, you just need to to clean their noses with clean tissue (baby wipes will be fine). However, if the discharge turns green/yellow or they start to be lethargic, you should get them checked by your local vets.

Puppies cry when they want something like to eat or attention, or possibly to go outside. They are a little young to know how to be properly potty trained. I would make sure the mom is nursing then properly and everyone is properly gaining weight. I would make sure there isn't another reason they could be crying. With them being so young, I would be careful letting them spend too much time in the environment because they are at high risk for different illnesses since their immune system is weak and they haven't had their shots. I hope this helps. If it doesn't directly answer what you need to know, please write back with a more specific question. Thank you!

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recently raised a litter of puppies from a dog I adopted, & at about the same age, 1 of the puppies became very shy & scared. If you picked her up, she would sometimes scream like she was being murdered. With extra attention, over the next 4 weeks, she became much calmer & less anxious. She was never as assured as her litter mates, and all I can hope is she continues to mature & do well. All animals have different personalities, & at this young age, you cannot say how one will turn out. Give him as much of your attention as possible, & when it comes time to place him ( if you decide to ), it might be best to find someone with some experience raising dogs ( not a first-time dog owner ), & is possibly willing to put a little extra time in to train & socialize this pup. Take care.

Hello there! Yes you can give your young puppies a bath. I would recommend using a gentle puppy shampoo and take extra precautions, even thought it is summer time, to make sure they stay warm. Just dry them off well and keep them close by so you can monitor them after the bath. Do not submerge them in water and I wouldn't recommend getting their heads and faces fully wet. Just use a wet cloth to wipe down their heads. I hope this information is helpful to you. I wish you and Daisy and all the rest of the puppies all the best. Dr. Angela Hinton

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, personally I think you can. That is part of training. As long as you can sleep that is what I would do if he was mine. But since he is only 6 weeks old he may not be able to hold it all night. So set your alarm to get up twice overnight to take him out and to check on him. If he starts chewing up the blankets or pee pads then you will have to take them out. Part of house training is getting up overnight until they can hold it that long. Most people remove the water before bedtime to prevent urinating overnight. I wish you the best!

Congrats on your new puppies! First thing you need to do is stop taking them to the dog park. They will not be fully vaccinated at six weeks of age, and it is not safe at all to take Oscar and Harper places where many dogs can frequently. They can contract parvo or distemper, both of which are horrible and fatal diseases. They should not be taken outside your backyard until they are fully vaccinated. They need their first round of shots now, and then will need two additional series of vaccines four weeks apart. Ten days after they receive their final round of vaccines, then it will be safe for them to go to the dog park. As for their behavior when you leave, it sounds like they may be suffering from separation anxiety. I would recommend crating them in separate crates when you are gone. The crate will provide them a small space where they can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train them to get used to a crate. Start putting them in it when you are home and sitting nearby so they doesn't think you are abandoning them, and slowly increase the time they are in it. They can have toys in their crates, and puzzle toys with treats in it that they have to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to them in their crates. That will keep them occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor baby! I would have Billy dewormed and a stool checked for parasites. At 7-8 weeks you need to start his puppy vaccines (DHPP). At this time he should eat canned puppy food and you can add puppy formula for a week or 2. I do not think he needs to be bottle fed at 4 weeks. Good luck