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How to raise an orphan puppy to avoid future behavior problems?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

I am raising a 3 week old orphan pitbull. Is there anything I should be doing to avoid behavior problems in the future since she doesn’t have her mom or littermates?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 6th, 2020

Hello. It is never too early to start some very basic training & advocating for good manners in a puppy. Discourage any chewing or rough play using hands or feet. Gentle reminders & plenty or other things to chew on are the key. If your pup is already on a solid, but soft diet, then do not let her charge over & eat her food in seconds. Make her sit as quiet as possible for 10-15 seconds before allowing her to eat. Begin some basic obedience with her. Sit, stay, shake a paw are all possible for her to begin to understand at this age. While you can not take her out to associate with others, as soon as she has had all of her puppy shots, begin to socialize her with other pets & people ( as long as it is safe to do so with this pandemic ). If you treat her well, with a firm kindness, she should respond well to you. We will just have to wait & see how things progress with this virus, but the more professional training help you can get, the better a canine citizen your pup will be. Chances are she will do just fine. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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