What Will We Need For Our New Puppy?

[~Aimee~]

We are picking up our new puppy tomorrow and are getting everything ready for when she comes home. What will we need to make sure she settles in easily? So far we have;

Food & water bowls

Collar and Lead

Name tag engraved with our contact details

Bed

Brush

puppy toys

Is there anything else you think we will need? Have we missed anything?

[LoremIpsum]

* Indestructable plastic covering for every single piece of furniture and knick knack you own. And just basically everything else in your entire house.

* And garden.

* New shoes for each household member.

* An appreciation of the smell and texture of runny poo on the kitchen floor.

* A heart of steel to be inserted in chest when night time crying ensues.

No, but seriously. Sounds like you're well set up. The one obvious thing that is missing is a crate. Are you not crate training? I didn't either, but since I found this forum I realise I probably should have. Everyone tells me it's not to late, but I don't seem to be getting around to it.

A hot water bottle and a robust yet cosy hot water bottle cover. A radio for where she sleeps — keep it on classic fm, very softly.

How old is your pup?

Oh, get a clicker! You want to start training "sit" the day after tomorrow. And use the clicker for her toilet training. It does make things easier. This site will explain what I mean by all that.

Um, a toy box. (We just have a plastic box with a lid.) Don't give your puppies all her toys at once. Put three out each day, or for a couple of days. That way they stay "fresh". You can't have enough toys. Get kids toys from op shops.

Don't put your newspapers out for recycling! You need to start collecting them.

One last thing! Plastic bags to pick up poos. (Get the biodegradable ones from a pet shop.)

I'm sure I've forgotten stuff but can't think what.

What are you feeding her?

What is she? Can we see her photo?

[~Aimee~]

Thanks for your reply. She is a cavalier king charles spaniel and she is 8 weeks old. We don't have any photos of her yet but I will post some when we pick her up tomorrow :rolleyes:

I love the idea of a hot water bottle and a radio. It will remind her of mum and keep her nice and warm.

We don't have a crate. What is crate training? I've never heard of a clicker either but I'll have a look at that link you posted.

Where is the best place for her to sleep initially? We have a bed set up in the laundry but will she need to be closer to us in the first few weeks? I imagine she will cry alot when she first comes home.

[LoremIpsum]

Thanks for your reply. She is a cavalier king charles spaniel and she is 8 weeks old. We don't have any photos of her yet but I will post some when we pick her up tomorrow :rolleyes:

Gorgeous! They make the cutest pups. I love all spaniels.

Before you do another thing you should download the eBook Before You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar. It will explain about crate training. Basically, you teach your puppy to love sleeping in her crate. She won't soil where she sleeps, so it will help you toilet train her.

Where is the best place for her to sleep initially? We have a bed set up in the laundry but will she need to be closer to us in the first few weeks? I imagine she will cry alot when she first comes home.

Our pup Martha slept in the laundry from the first night. She cried for about fifteen minutes, but has been perfectly happy in there every since, so not every puppy cries. Just make it as lovely and cosy as you can. Put newspaper all over the floor. You will need to get up during the night (possibly several times) to let her out for a piddle and/or poo. Hopefully she'll let you know when she needs to go by making a bit of noise, but I would set the alarm for 2 or 3am, take her then. Then get up very early and take her out again. You will get to learn how long she can hold on. Some people don't let their dogs have water in the evening. I tried this once but it didn't make any difference to the amount Martha needed to piddle and I don't like doing it so I stopped.

I think the best advice is to start as you mean to go on. DO NOT GO TO COMFORT HER WHEN SHE CRIES. This is painful, really painful — that's why I mentioned the steel heart. But relenting just one time can set back training for weeks. Remember, it will be stressful for her to move into a new home, to leave her mum and her brothers and sisters. But she'll survive, and she'll come to love the space you've created for her.

Also, start toilet training immediately. Take her outside after every nap, every playtime, every meal, and every hour or so even if you're not doing any of those things.

Above all, have fun with your little bundle of cuteness!

[Gretel]

<Where is the best place for her to sleep initially? We have a bed set up in the laundry but will she need to be closer to us in the first few weeks? I imagine she will cry alot when she first comes home. >

Hi Aimee,

Congratulations on your puppy! You must come in to the Cavalier thread and give us pics when you can :rolleyes: Yes the laundry is not ideal for sleeping a baby pup. I'd get a crate and snuggle her down in that. Ignore the cries. Where do you want her to end up sleeping? I have found that having a crate near my bed suits me with a pup. I can hear if they wake and need to go to the toilet and being close to me they don't feel so alone. Good luck!

[Bellatrix]

hey there and welcome

i am 3 weeks ahead of you there aimee My cavalier is 11 weeks old

They are seriously beautiful dogs and i doubt you will have much trouble with her.

You seem quite prepared, please visit us in the cavalier thread if you need any advice :D

this is the link: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=96578

goodluck picking up yur girl today, make sure you post pics asap!!!! :rolleyes:

[Bilbo_Baggins_Junior]

Thanks for your reply. She is a cavalier king charles spaniel and she is 8 weeks old. We don't have any photos of her yet but I will post some when we pick her up tomorrow

I love the idea of a hot water bottle and a radio. It will remind her of mum and keep her nice and warm.

We don't have a crate. What is crate training? I've never heard of a clicker either but I'll have a look at that link you posted.

Where is the best place for her to sleep initially? We have a bed set up in the laundry but will she need to be closer to us in the first few weeks? I imagine she will cry alot when she first comes home.

Great to see you did end up picking a cav! As the others have said we expect photos over in the cav thread :rolleyes: you know the way there, you have been there before! \

Congratulations BTW!

[Jed]

I would let her sleep in her own bed in the bedroom - where she can see you. Take a fluffy toy or a blanket with you when you collect her, and rub it on the other pups and mum, so it has familiar homey smells on it. Let her take that to bed with her. The familiar smells will give her comfort and a sense of her littermates and mother, so she will not feel so strange.

I am not a big fan of crate training. Used properly, they are good, but there seems to be a tendency to shut the pup in the crate when it should be out with the family, learning how to behave from a young age. However, a large crate in the bedroom for sleeping can help with toilet training, as the pup cannot have accidents in the bedroom.

Cavaliers are gentle little dogs, and deveted to their family, and they like to be with you.

I have an 11 week pup, who slept in the bedroom from the night she arived. The first week, she slept in her crate, but was clean, so was promoted to her own basket. She is now clean at night, and sleeps in her own basket - she hangs on overnight, after one last walk outside just prior to going to bed, and goes outside at about 7am. Not all pups are this good!! :p

In the beginning, a soft bristle brush is all she will need, but when she gets her junior coat, a slicker, or a pin bristle brush will be helpful for the longer coat.

You also need nail clippers, and wormers (see the vet about the wormers). the pup should be wormed every 2 weeks. Begin heartworm meds at 12 weeks, talk to the vet about that.

Hopefully your breeder will give you a diet sheet, and general instructions which will help.

If you mean to keep your puppy well groomed, you should get a snood and put it on her when she eats. It will save her ears. A snood is a little open ended cap which fits over the head and keeps the ears out of the food - if you decide when she is 6 - 8 months, she wont like the snood, but if you begin now, it will seem normal to her.

You can buy them, about $5 each, or make your own. too easy

[LuvMyCav]

Congratulations Aimee! Can't wait to see pics of your new pup. We've always had Charlie sleep in our bedroom in a crate. He never cried, just whimpered a tiny bit on the first night and I put my fingers through the bars to soothe him and that was it.

Hope you're enjoying your first day together. :p

Edited August 11, 2008 by LuvMyCav

[jr_inoz]

We are picking up our new puppy tomorrow and are getting everything ready for when she comes home. What will we need to make sure she settles in easily? So far we have;

Food & water bowls

Collar and Lead

Name tag engraved with our contact details

Bed

Brush

puppy toys

Is there anything else you think we will need? Have we missed anything?

Hope everything goes well tonight.

Do yourselves a big favour... She may cry during the night because she is lonely. DO NOT GET UP TO HER except to toilet her. You dont want to teach her that she gets attention when she cries. You may find it hard, but she'll survive and so will you.

Thankfully my breeder warned me. I had a crate (open) inside a puppy pen in my dining room for my puppy to sleep in when we came home. She cried a few times the first night, then each night after that she settled quite quickly.

Enjoy - puppy is the best time and it goes so quickly!

[luvsdogs]

Congratulations on your new puppy. How did her 1st night home go? What did you name her? Can't wait to see pics.

[~Aimee~]

Introducing "Ruby"

She is so gorgeous! I'm in so in love with her already! Her first night at home went really well. She cried for about 10 minutes when we first put her to bed and then was fine for the rest of the night. She woke up twice and we put her out to go to the toilet, then straight back to bed. Last night though, she woke up heaps more and just wanted to play! We have set her bed up in our ensuite so we can see her from our bed. We went out to bunnings today and bought a big wire pen (similiar to a crate). We'll set that up in the ensuite with her bed and newspaper on the floor tonight. It will be more confined so hopefully more comforting for her.

She hasn't eaten all that much really. How much are puppies of this age supposed to eat? We have her on an Advanced Puppy Formula. The same one as the breeder was giving her but she doesn't really seem that interested. We went out and got some puppy milk for her and she likes that. What is everyone else feeding their puppies? I'm thinking of cooking up a chicken breast and giving her some rice and vegies too. Will that be ok?

She is starting puppy preschool tomorrow! Very soon I know but they won't be having any other classes for the next 6 weeks and I want to start training her as soon as possible.

She is very cuddly and loves to sit on your lap and fall asleep. She is sleeping in her bed at my feet at the moment.

Edited August 13, 2008 by ~Aimee~