Planning For New Pup

[Mohican]

Danois, I don't care whether you agree or not

Sorry dogon, no tips on the waiting here either, i was HOPELESS at waiting. It was agonising. We did visit every weekend which helped, and it does make the day extra special when you finally pick him/her up. We were glad to take photos too because he grew so much in 3 weeks. I hope your wait isn't as bad as mine.

[BigBen]

When I got Ben, I went for my regular vet (in the past) and asked about a crate for him... They said they didn't have any, and they were illegal here in Australia... I changed vets, after I got Ben...

My previous vet also over serviced, which I didn't like.

Enjoy your puppy!

ETA... Ben doesn't want to drink during the night... When I go to the toilet, I let him out of his crate to have a drink, but he just wants to go back to sleep...

Edited November 14, 2008 by BigBen

[Danois]

Danois, I don't care whether you agree or not

Its called having a discussion - setting outside different view points on the same topic so other people can consider what is being said...

[susief]

We also are waiting for our new pup a King Charles Cav which we pick up next weekend. Someone suggested to us to get a puppy toy for the breeder to place in with the litter so when we got the pup home it would be "hopefully" more settled. The breeder agreed to and the pup took to the toy straight away. Heres hoping it works next weekend! or we will be

[Nicole...]

I waited about 5 months for my cocker and thought it would never end but I'm happy to say that time flew and now it seems like a distant memory. No suggestions, just keep talking about your pup constantly so you feel like you're living it already (LOL your friends will love it ).

One thing to consider... We bought Lomani a stuffed toy that was the same colouring as her and I think she thought it was one of her siblings. It is the only soft toy that is still in pristine condition (with any other having it's limbs, eyes and all stuffing removed within 24 hours of being in her custody) and she is very attached to it. She still gets it when she is super excited like she wants to take it places with her, and hides it whenever someone/thing she doesn't like is around. I swear she thinks it's a litter mate and she seems to really appreciate snuggling with it still. I think that gave her a lot of comfort when she first arrived so perhaps you can add that to your list of things to look for.

[dogon]

I waited about 5 months for my cocker and thought it would never end but I'm happy to say that time flew and now it seems like a distant memory. No suggestions, just keep talking about your pup constantly so you feel like you're living it already (LOL your friends will love it ).

5 months

:D But, I guess in a way I've been waiting nearly a year since the decision to buy a pup came but then came the realisation that I needed long holidays which for me, being a teacher, comes Dec/Jan. However it wasn't really until I began the process of deciding on a breed and then contacting breeders that the excitement really set in. LOL-I have totally exhausted my option to talk with friends about puppy stuff.... having dangerously approached the glazed eyes stage with most of them :shakehead:

One thing to consider... We bought Lomani a stuffed toy that was the same colouring as her and I think she thought it was one of her siblings. It is the only soft toy that is still in pristine condition (with any other having it's limbs, eyes and all stuffing removed within 24 hours of being in her custody) and she is very attached to it. She still gets it when she is super excited like she wants to take it places with her, and hides it whenever someone/thing she doesn't like is around. I swear she thinks it's a litter mate and she seems to really appreciate snuggling with it still. I think that gave her a lot of comfort when she first arrived so perhaps you can add that to your list of things to look for.

hmmmm... would a little golden coloured stuffed dog help me get through this waiting thing?

Edited November 14, 2008 by dogon

[The Spotted Devil]

I waited for 2 years!

Funnily enough, the memories of Zig's puppy hood and what a devil he was are slowly beginning to fade......very dangerous :D

[Danois]

I waited for 2 years!

Funnily enough, the memories of Zig's puppy hood and what a devil he was are slowly beginning to fade......very dangerous

TSD - very very dangerous! Mine had faded and they have now all come flooding back!

[The Spotted Devil]

I waited for 2 years!

Funnily enough, the memories of Zig's puppy hood and what a devil he was are slowly beginning to fade......very dangerous

TSD - very very dangerous! Mine had faded and they have now all come flooding back!

Particularly dangerous when Zig's breeder has 2 litters due very shortly.......fortunately the timing is not right for me *phew!*

[Mohican]

That's what I'm taking heaps of photos - so I don't forget all of his 'moments', and mine, lol. I want to get another husky pup later so can't forget.

mntgood and SD - I can't believe how long you both waited you must be saints or just crazy

danois - if you're confused let me explain. I simply don't want to spoil this 'how do i prepare, can't wait to get my pup' gorgeous excitement with us debating over whether or not water is ok or not ok overnight. It's a gorgeous time and I didn't feel your first comment and tone was conducive to discussion - it was a one line statement totally contrary to mine as though there was no further discussion 'A dog should ALWAYS have water'. And after I explained and tried leaving it there saying it's working for us, you still wanted to discuss, which I felt was going to be more of a debate and I simply didn't want to give you anything else to go on about me. If someone really wanted to know about the water overnight thing they can research it like I have done for many other topics, and I gave them a book to start with, or if you want to explore for them and yourself you can start a new topic. Just from my own researches I can see how topics get spoiled with people not being able to put in there opinion and explanation if they don't agree and leave it for others to make up their mind and find out more. I've found it quite shocking some of the threads on here, but what made up for it was the really great ones that people did discuss without saying there was only one way, their way. You didn't even offer an explanation of why you thought 'a dog should ALWAYS have water' until I replied. And I also knew there are lots of other things that added to my decision that could take ages to explain but I wanted to keep it more on topic. Like Bigben commented, her pup doesn't want to drink, but wants to sleep. I feel it's important my pup gets quality sleep at night without a lot of interruptions he sometimes gets during the day, and if you knew my pup you'd know water is also the BEST thing to put his paws in and 'dig' like there's no tomorrow. Not much drinking would be going on at night anyway. Like I said, my pup's seen the vet, he's not dehydrated, he's healthy, a huge 10 kgs at 10 weeks and it's working for us fine.

Apologies to OH and everyone for getting a bit off-topic. Still excited for you on getting your pup! I was counting down the days on facebook and had a lot of my friends saying '7 days to go till what?'

Edited for spelling.

Edited November 15, 2008 by Mohican

[Spot.]

Hey dogon - welcome to dol

You do not need to be with your new puppy everyday for 6 weeks. The suggestion to cancel your holiday is just absurd. It is recommended you set a routine for your puppy the day you get him. If you spend all day with your puppy for 6 weeks, he will expect you to be there once you return to work and this can create all sorts of problems and issues. If you are going to be leaving the puppy alone from 8am-4pm 5 days a week, it is important you get the dog into this routine from the day you get him.

[Pointers Rule]

Mohican, just on the witholding water at night point- while your pup is doing fine at the moment and showing no signs of dehydration, please, once we are in the peak of summer and it is still hot in the middle of the night, please make sure he has access to water 24/7.

[Danois]

danois - if you're confused let me explain.

Thanks for the explanation - silly me on not knowing how to post on this forum.

One of us is always in the back with him, petting when loud noises or harleys go past to reassure him until he's more trusting.

OP, I would not recommend that you adopt this approach when introducing your new puppy to the car. This is teaching a puppy that it is okay to be scared/ frightening of such noises and you are condoning/ reinforcing the behaviour and rewarding it (pats/ praise etc). You will find that every dog trainer worth their salt will advise you that you completely ignore such noises etc and ignore any reaction the puppy has to it.

[Rebanne]

Please don't withold water from a pup overnight. It wouldn't take long on our hot Aussie nights for a pup to get dehydrated. If spilling of water is a concern you can give ice for a pup to lick, or drink as it thaws out.

Make sure you don't spend all your time with your pup, as hard as that will be. Those first two weeks will have taught the pup alone time is not so bad, don't undo all the good work by always being together for the next 6 weeks. Pups need to learn to be alone too.

Sort out where the pup will be staying once you are back at work and right from the time pup arrives home have that spot as the pups spot. Keeping in mind that as the puppy grows you might need a bigger area. I don't see anything wrong with a bathroom or laundry for a summer pup.

Don't start habits for a pup that you will not want to continue when he is full grown. I certainly wouldn't be sitting in the back seat of the car with him because one day there will be no one available to sit with him, then what? When he does something cute and funny but a little bit naughty, ask yourself if it will still be funny when the pup is full grown, if not then you need to deal with it now, i.e biting bare toes

Love him and have fun with him but remember pups very quickly become dogs.

[Mohican]

Hi PR (ETA) and Rabanne, I can understand your concern but you can rest assured there is no way I'd let my pup dehyrdrate. I've already said he's being monitored by myself and the vet. It doesn't mean except summer. Obviously if it were too hot he'd have water and scheduled toilet breaks. That's common sense and I'm not a masochist - I love my pup and would never hurt him and we're also doing pup training with K9Force for a well-adjusted pup. Why someone would even think I would baffles me. It's also common sense to know that very soon his bladder will be big enough to hold more water, and as he's growing he's learning to hold on more and has more control of his bowels. But I don't know about the digging in the water bowl, lol. I read you can put a heavy object in the middle to stop it so will try that. Since he's crate/kennel training, he'll be on scheduled toilets again at night but I'm pretty sure he'll hold on and rather sleep. I know about Kongsicles, they're great. Moh gets natural yogurt ones too and will have a puppy pool in summer he'll be monitored in.

Dogon, we've done the car training in the back on the first day we got Moh, and since weaned him off having someone in the back whilst we built up trust with him. He seemed reassured we were there, then quite happy on his own with a chew toy. With the loud noises, we adjusted our reassurance/trust factor depending on how he reacted. Our pup was great, didn't react much to loud noises, so when he looked back to us and didn't seem fearful at all we praised him heaps, saying it was a silly sound no big deal. When he was calm and behaving how we wanted in the car we treated him a little tiny bits of food the breeder had for us as she had delayed his meal to prevent car sickness. If he was a bit fearful, which was only over a big bump in the road once, we just checked his reaction and waited, and made out it was no big deal, just a usual bump. As you probably know tone and body language speak volumes. We're still doing loud noises etc - it's harder for us to 'socialise' the prey drive items like the broom, rake and vacuum!

Edited November 16, 2008 by Mohican

[Spot.]

Mohican - Is digging in his water bowl a breed trait? I know labs do it because it keeps them cool. It is not a good idea to remove his water bowl simply because he plays in it - he may be doing it for a reason

Car training - I put the puppy in her harness on the back seat or front seat, ignored her whinging and crying (she did that at first). Once we arrive at our destination she gets praise and it is all very fun for her. There was no praise for going over a speed bump etc, no resassurance that everything will be ok, there was no way I wanted to reinforce that behaviour. She has learnt to associate a car ride with somewhere fun or there is something in it for her. Eg. My dog knows that harness and her yellow toy means the beach and she can't get in the car fast enough! There is really no need to make something so simple so complicated when it isn't necessary.

Edited November 16, 2008 by spotty.spot.spot

[Mohican]

Mohican - Is digging in his water bowl a breed trait? I know labs do it because it keeps them cool. It is not a good idea to remove his water bowl simply because he plays in it - he may be doing it for a reason

I think it is a breed trait, but his littermate sister doesn't do it - but he just loves water. We're having their first littermate visit next Sunday - can't wait to see them together. He just loves getting wet then running in the sand I don't remove the water bowl during the day, I move it around as we go inside and outside to play etc, I'm like a moving watergirl, lol. Should probably get a couple of bowls (duh) or will get one of those dispensable water thingies when we have the yard finished. I think a big ice block in summer will be awesome - will need to leave it out for a minute so his tongue doesn't stick to it - imagine that! And I don't remove the bowl at night for the digging reason. There's a few posts back that has some info. In winter we're joining the Sleddog Assoc and will start going down to show him what it's all about. He can't start till he's at least 12 mths old for bone dev to finish. It will be so good to see him doing what his breed was bred to do, except it'll in the bush. Will have to find a dog friendly snow spot one day

poodlefan - great, thanks I'll check them out - was wondering what to do on longer trips in the car too

I love labs. Our family dog was a lab (not sure if he was a retriever x). I still miss him Prince was such a beautiful protecting dog (pic below). Didn't realise how much till we got Moh.

ETA With any training you get soft pups and stronger pups and in between. I really think it depends on the pup and if you as an owner feel it's a baby in a new pack and needs well thought out reassurance (not when it's showing a lot of fear obviously) for trust or not. Every dog is different like every owner is different. I don't feel it was complicated, it was pretty easy and he's only whimpered a couple of times the first time he was in the back alone. It's just different he can't get out yet as he hasn't had his vaccs and so I we carry him. We're also doing the K9 Force neutralisation and socialisation for pup with customised drive training so we want him on the more neutral 1-2 scale of excitement when entering and exiting the car. It's all relative to your pup and your situation.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Mohican

[poodlefan]

Covered water bowls like the K9 Cruiser are every water digging dog owners best friend - very handy for the car also. I can attest to the fact that only a bit of water comes out when you knock them over.

[Jed]

Hi, dogon and welcome to the forum.

I do wonder if those pups come to their owners completely traumatised by enclosed spaces. Anyway, just thought I'd mention it as an interesting encounter in that big wide world of puppy advice.

As long as the shop follows best practice, the pups seem to be ok - given variations due to their individuality. I often think problems ex pet shop pups have could be due to poor ancestry more than the way they were kept in the shop. They usually have siblings or other pups with them, and there is a wide variety of things to see and experience, although they are not in the middle of the action. And in the better shops, they are frequently handled and fussed over by staff.

I'm not a huge fan of crates, so I actually agree with what the PP employee told you (and that WOULD be a first), but it's a matter of choosing the system which works best for you and your pup.

mohican

I can understand your concern but you can rest assured there is no way I'd let my pup dehyrdrate.

How would you ascertain whether the pup was dehydrated or not?

[poodlefan]

Dogon:

He will definitely be an inside dog - a doggy door will be installed at a later date for him to choose as he gets older.

I would install this ASAP. An 8 week old pup can be trained to use a doggy door - a 10 week old one for sure. If you tie the flap up, you should be able to toilet train him to go outside pretty much as soon as you get him and certainly while you are on leave. You can work on mastering the flap as you go along.

Once he's got that weighed off, I'd be looking at giving him inside/outside access as soon as possible. If you don't want him toileting in the house, the sooner you train him to go outside, the better.

Edited November 17, 2008 by poodlefan