I Have A Dog, Getting A Puppy - Any Advice?

[sharee123]

Hi everyone

I just have a couple of questions and i would love any suggestions... ( A little bit of a long post. Hopefully not to bad)

I currently have a 2yo Male German Shepherd who loves all dogs and has an amazing personality (his best friend is a dachshund ). In a couple of weeks im getting a new Cocker Spaniel girl puppy and i just have a couple of questions on what people would do in my situation.

1) Sleeping arrangements - I am thinking that i will let her sleep in the same room as my german shepherd. Do you think it would be better to put them in a smaller room or a larger room (rooms available - small bathroom or large laundry) Im just worried that if i put them in a bigger room that she will make more of a mess (or my german shepherd will join in), or the small room may not have enough room .... Trial and error? any suggestions

2a) Feeding - My german shepherd is a very polite eater, so do you think this is suitable for them to eat together (with supervision) ? (i would love her to eat in the same manner as him)

2b) I know that the breader will advise me on what she has been and should eat in the future.. I think i will feed her a mixture of fresh and dry. Can anyone provide details just so i can start thinking about it.?

2c) Im not sure if this is true but do Cocker Spaniels get eating problems..? Are they like labs with their eating?

3) When at work - Im thinking that throughout the day i will keep her locked inside just until she is a bit bigger, older and more comfortable. Yes or No? Am i worrying to much?

No doubt ill have more questions when i get her!

Thanks for reading my first post.. any suggestions will be greatley appreciated!

P.S what do you think of the name Willow?

[spottychick]

Hi Sharee!!

That's such a cute combination of dogs LOL I think it's great! I cant answer much of your post as I don't know a lot about either breed but I just want to congratulate you on wanting to get all the info you can and do this properly. This forum is a good place to find info - altho not everyone always agrees!!!

The only thing I would say to your questions is I think feeding a raw food diet - or at least partially raw - to your puppy (and your adult dog too) is a good idea. I raised a pup on a mix of raw meat, raw meaty bones and Vets All Natural Complete mix and she did brilliantly on it. It does take a bit of effort tho and you need to know a bit about it but there are people on this forum that can help with that too. I also took the puppy to my vet regularly to check on her progress while on that diet - just to be sure. The vet was amazed at how well she did!!

I will sometimes mix in good quality prepared food (eg Eagle Pack) and Nature's Gift tinned food but I try to stick to raw and fresh as much as possible including yoghurt, eggs (soft boiled) fish, cottage cheese and pulped green veggies.

Good luck!!! And I look forward to pics!!!

ETA - Yeah Willow's nice ;)

Edited August 6, 2010 by spottychick

[wuffles]

Hi there! I added a puppy to the family earlier this year when our existing dog was 5 years old. Like you there is a bit of a size difference between them - our boy is 36kg (GSD sized) and the puppy is now 20kg but was 8kg when she arrived here (Australian Shepherd)! It has been great fun but things have definitely changed around our house!!!

I do warn you that ours are now "double trouble" whereas previously our boy was a bit of an angel ;)

1) Sleeping arrangements

Have you thought about crate training your puppy? Our older dog has always slept in the lounge room on his bed, so we set up the puppy's crate also in the lounge room, across from his bed so that she could see him. This worked well as she didn't bug him or us during the night (except whinging when she wanted to get up)! She now has free run of the lounge/bedroom, which works fine, but we still occasionally get woken up by the two dogs playing at 6am

2a) Feeding

I think it is fine to feed them together as long as neither of them exhibit resource guarding or feel like they have to compete for food. It's hard to predict what the older dog will do with a new body in the house even if he's previously been fine... all of a sudden there is someone else there that may eat faster than him and then try and eat his as well! Teach them to eat from their own bowls only - you will probably find the puppy realllllly wants to eat out of the older dog's bowl but it is very bad manners and may get her in trouble Our girl learned very early not to eat from the big boy's bowl (just warning growls) and she doesn't go near his food anymore. I don't give bones or any high value treats together as it is just asking for trouble

2b) I feed mainly kibble as it's easier. We throw in mainly chicken bones (frames, wings, maryland) or sardines. There are a lot of posts on here about feeding a raw diet which is a great way to go if you want to put in the effort

2c) I have met some pretty chunky cockers However, dogs don't get overweight by themselves, it is all about how much they get fed which is controlled the owner. Make sure you can always feel the dog's ribs with the palm of your hand, adjust the amount of food accordingly, and you will be fine.

3) When at work

It is probably a good idea to set up a play pen with toys and water while she is still little, and also until she is big enough to not be at risk of getting squashed or hurt by the older dog

And the name Willow is lovely!

[sharee123]

Hi spottychick

Thanks for replying! I'm so excited. I just want everything to go smooth when i get her!

With the fresh food diet, do you just add in the yoghurt, eggs (soft boiled) fish, cottage cheese or pulped green veggies with the raw meat? (obviously one at a time?)Do you get the meat and freeze it and take out and let defrost when needed? What do you think is the best meat to feed?

With the soft boiled eggs i've heard that people feed the shell? What do you think is the best yougurt to feed ?

Thanks for your help and support!

[sharee123]

Hi there! I added a puppy to the family earlier this year when our existing dog was 5 years old. Like you there is a bit of a size difference between them - our boy is 36kg (GSD sized) and the puppy is now 20kg but was 8kg when she arrived here (Australian Shepherd)! It has been great fun but things have definitely changed around our house!!!

I do warn you that ours are now "double trouble" whereas previously our boy was a bit of an angel

1) Sleeping arrangements

Have you thought about crate training your puppy? Our older dog has always slept in the lounge room on his bed, so we set up the puppy's crate also in the lounge room, across from his bed so that she could see him. This worked well as she didn't bug him or us during the night (except whinging when she wanted to get up)! She now has free run of the lounge/bedroom, which works fine, but we still occasionally get woken up by the two dogs playing at 6am

2a) Feeding

I think it is fine to feed them together as long as neither of them exhibit resource guarding or feel like they have to compete for food. It's hard to predict what the older dog will do with a new body in the house even if he's previously been fine... all of a sudden there is someone else there that may eat faster than him and then try and eat his as well! Teach them to eat from their own bowls only - you will probably find the puppy realllllly wants to eat out of the older dog's bowl but it is very bad manners and may get her in trouble Our girl learned very early not to eat from the big boy's bowl (just warning growls) and she doesn't go near his food anymore. I don't give bones or any high value treats together as it is just asking for trouble

2b) I feed mainly kibble as it's easier. We throw in mainly chicken bones (frames, wings, maryland) or sardines. There are a lot of posts on here about feeding a raw diet which is a great way to go if you want to put in the effort

2c) I have met some pretty chunky cockers ;) However, dogs don't get overweight by themselves, it is all about how much they get fed which is controlled the owner. Make sure you can always feel the dog's ribs with the palm of your hand, adjust the amount of food accordingly, and you will be fine.

3) When at work

It is probably a good idea to set up a play pen with toys and water while she is still little, and also until she is big enough to not be at risk of getting squashed or hurt by the older dog

And the name Willow is lovely! ;)

Hi Wuffles

Thanks so much for all of your help!

With the play pen would you recommend that i set it up inside?.. I did this with my 2yo we had him inside for a bit then thought he liked to be outside.. We knew he was big enough for the whole back yard when he could break out of it.. LOL

Do you think it would be a bad idea to make her a pen outside? Do you think that he will try and break his way in to play with her?

With food I plan to do both fresh and kibble .. Do you have any recommended kibble brands that you like?

Thanks again!!! :D

[Red Fox]

1) Sleeping arrangements - I am thinking that i will let her sleep in the same room as my german shepherd. Do you think it would be better to put them in a smaller room or a larger room (rooms available - small bathroom or large laundry) Im just worried that if i put them in a bigger room that she will make more of a mess (or my german shepherd will join in), or the small room may not have enough room .... Trial and error? any suggestions

I wouldn't worry about rooms and instead crate train the puppy and pop the crate next to the older dogs bed. Where does the older dog normally sleep?

2a) Feeding - My german shepherd is a very polite eater, so do you think this is suitable for them to eat together (with supervision) ? (i would love her to eat in the same manner as him)

2b) I know that the breader will advise me on what she has been and should eat in the future.. I think i will feed her a mixture of fresh and dry. Can anyone provide details just so i can start thinking about it.?

2c) Im not sure if this is true but do Cocker Spaniels get eating problems..? Are they like labs with their eating?

Dont know about this one. Personally I think that it's better to feed dogs seperate regardless of whether they are polite or not. You could try feeding the pup inside her pen while the older dog eats on the other side..

Raw food? Do a search here, also google BARF, raw feeding, prey model diet, etc.

If you dont over feed and under excercise your dog she wont get fat

3) When at work - Im thinking that throughout the day i will keep her locked inside just until she is a bit bigger, older and more comfortable. Yes or No? Am i worrying to much?

Seperating the dogs while she is a baby is a good idea

With the fresh food diet, do you just add in the yoghurt, eggs (soft boiled) fish, cottage cheese or pulped green veggies with the raw meat? (obviously one at a time?)Do you get the meat and freeze it and take out and let defrost when needed? What do you think is the best meat to feed?

With the soft boiled eggs i've heard that people feed the shell? What do you think is the best yougurt to feed ?

There are lots of different ways to do it. If you are really interested the Ian Billinghurst books are a good place to start.

I feed raw eggs, sometimes with shell (blend it all up in one of those rocket wizz things) and occasionally cooked scrambled eggs when it's cold.

Any plain natural yogurt is fine. Jalna biodynamic organic is a nice one though.

With the play pen would you recommend that i set it up inside?.. I did this with my 2yo we had him inside for a bit then thought he liked to be outside.. We knew he was big enough for the whole back yard when he could break out of it.. LOL

Do you think it would be a bad idea to make her a pen outside? Do you think that he will try and break his way in to play with her?

The pen will be safer inside and better protected

With food I plan to do both fresh and kibble .. Do you have any recommended kibble brands that you like?

Whatever you dog does well on. Go on the recommendation of te breeder to start with.

Dry food brands? Any of the premium brands - Royal Canin, Eagle pack (holistics select now?), Nutrience, Artemis, Nutro, etc. are all fine.

[sharee123]

1) Sleeping arrangements - I am thinking that i will let her sleep in the same room as my german shepherd. Do you think it would be better to put them in a smaller room or a larger room (rooms available - small bathroom or large laundry) Im just worried that if i put them in a bigger room that she will make more of a mess (or my german shepherd will join in), or the small room may not have enough room .... Trial and error? any suggestions

I wouldn't worry about rooms and instead crate train the puppy and pop the crate next to the older dogs bed. Where does the older dog normally sleep?

2a) Feeding - My german shepherd is a very polite eater, so do you think this is suitable for them to eat together (with supervision) ? (i would love her to eat in the same manner as him)

2b) I know that the breader will advise me on what she has been and should eat in the future.. I think i will feed her a mixture of fresh and dry. Can anyone provide details just so i can start thinking about it.?

2c) Im not sure if this is true but do Cocker Spaniels get eating problems..? Are they like labs with their eating?

Dont know about this one. Personally I think that it's better to feed dogs seperate regardless of whether they are polite or not. You could try feeding the pup inside her pen while the older dog eats on the other side..

Raw food? Do a search here, also google BARF, raw feeding, prey model diet, etc.

If you dont over feed and under excercise your dog she wont get fat :D

3) When at work - Im thinking that throughout the day i will keep her locked inside just until she is a bit bigger, older and more comfortable. Yes or No? Am i worrying to much?

Seperating the dogs while she is a baby is a good idea

With the fresh food diet, do you just add in the yoghurt, eggs (soft boiled) fish, cottage cheese or pulped green veggies with the raw meat? (obviously one at a time?)Do you get the meat and freeze it and take out and let defrost when needed? What do you think is the best meat to feed?

With the soft boiled eggs i've heard that people feed the shell? What do you think is the best yougurt to feed ?

There are lots of different ways to do it. If you are really interested the Ian Billinghurst books are a good place to start.

I feed raw eggs, sometimes with shell (blend it all up in one of those rocket wizz things) and occasionally cooked scrambled eggs when it's cold.

Any plain natural yogurt is fine. Jalna biodynamic organic is a nice one though.

With the play pen would you recommend that i set it up inside?.. I did this with my 2yo we had him inside for a bit then thought he liked to be outside.. We knew he was big enough for the whole back yard when he could break out of it.. LOL

Do you think it would be a bad idea to make her a pen outside? Do you think that he will try and break his way in to play with her?

The pen will be safer inside and better protected ;)

With food I plan to do both fresh and kibble .. Do you have any recommended kibble brands that you like?

Whatever you dog does well on. Go on the recommendation of te breeder to start with.

Dry food brands? Any of the premium brands - Royal Canin, Eagle pack (holistics select now?), Nutrience, Artemis, Nutro, etc. are all fine.

Thanks for the advice SecretKei.

My dog currently sleeps in a passage way. Im planning on re-locating him to the laundry when we get the new puppy.

Yeah i thought the pen would be safer inside.. I could imagin my dog trying to break her out so they could play

Thanks heaps for the advice.. I have a lot to think about

[Whippetsmum]

Hi Sharee,

I can't say I know the answers, but this is my experience:

Having done this earlier in the year, I have good and bad news for you.....you could end up with 2 "puppies". Our boy has been fantastic with our girl, but having said that, he has been more boistrous than when he had his first puppy hood. There was no regeression in toilet training or destructive beaviours in the adult, just a lot crazier in play. Our boy dotes on his baby girl, it was love at first sight, and there have been some fantastic moments that we have really enjoyed, eg: the first time he presented all his toys to her, one by one, dropping them at her feet!

I personally decided to feed seperately, as things can get out of hand quickly. Neither the pup or adult exhibit resource guarding. From previous experience when our now adult was a pup, you can get some unpredictable behaviour, eg: what we refer to as the mashed potato incident (bomb proof geriatric Whippet + Pup + generous serve of mashed potato = Torn ear) the other problem is maintaining portion control, with ours, the pup is a faster eater and the adult wouldn't get a look in if they were fed together.

Sleeping has been an issue with our 2, they have one huge bed, and get along most of the time, but the pup can be annoying and the adult gets up and cries halfway through the night when the pup steals the blankets, or takes the best spot, or the adult can't stretch out because the pup won't move. We have a second bed available so if one gets fed up, they have somewhere else to sleep. They had a week where tehy refused to sleep together, but have gone back to sharing as their preference.

With play, ours played unsupervised after the first 2 weeks, but we did have a very bruised pup on one occasion. The puppy growls and play fights get very real, and occasionally, even though it's good natured, stuff can happen, even with ours being the same breed (so a good match). If you can find a video of what play fights and growls can look like, you may be better prepared than we were, we really watched our 2 and had to learn what the signals were, and learned not to intervene. From what we have seen, they have never had a real fight.

With food, we stuck with what our breeder recommended and managed to change our adult to the same brand as we were getting such good results with the pup. Ours are fed Kibble, but also get chicken wings.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

[megan_]

I always physically seperate mine and they are both well mannered and the same size (ie one isn't at a big disadantage if something happened). I would never feed mine together. I know families that have ahd dogs that have lived together for years and then suddenly a brawl errupts over food. Not worth the risk IMO. Dogs should be able to eat their food in peace without the risk of another trying to get it. I don't think supervision would do much good because a fight can errupt before you can even react.

The same applies to bedding - they each have their own beds and crates.

I also think that the pup needs a seperate play pen or crate where they can get some down time. The GSD may want a bit of peace too!

[sharee123]

Thanks so much Whippetsmum for the reply!! I love to hear about peoples experiences so that i dont freak out if it happens to me!

I could so imagine my boy acting like a puppy again.. Even though i think he already thinks he's still a puppy!!

Aww your boy sounds sooooo gorgeous !!

With feeding seperately do you feed one at a time or one inside one outside? etc

Oh I have heard of dogs doing that.. My parent had two Jack Russells (the boy recently passed away at 18years of age ;) ) and he use to howl when the girl dog wouldn't move over and drove my parents nuts because there was plenty of room !!! and they would have to get up in the middle of the night and show him where to go... LOL Ill be sure to make sure they have plenty of room to try and prevent this

With playing my boy loves to grab a toy and get the other one to chase him.. Whether its around the couch inside or around the tree's outside that is his favourite thing to do... But i think the best thing is having a mini dachshund as a friend which has thought him to be gentle because when they use to play tug of war he use to lift the dachshund up not realising he was so little!! and now he has learnt not to, so this should be good for when the pup comes a long!!

I think i just have to find out as much as i can and just take it as it comes

Thanks again

[spottychick]

Hi spottychick

Thanks for replying! I'm so excited. I just want everything to go smooth when i get her!

With the fresh food diet, do you just add in the yoghurt, eggs (soft boiled) fish, cottage cheese or pulped green veggies with the raw meat? (obviously one at a time?)Do you get the meat and freeze it and take out and let defrost when needed? What do you think is the best meat to feed?

With the soft boiled eggs i've heard that people feed the shell? What do you think is the best yougurt to feed ?

Thanks for your help and support!

Hey sharee

I just add in the yoghurt etc with the raw meat. The veggies get mixed in everytime while the other stuff they get regularly mixed in. Except the fish which I would use instead of meat and sometimes I also give them cottage cheese and/or egg separately - depending on what I've got in the fridge . If I run out of meat etc eggs are a good standby!

I buy raw meat in bulk, break it up into smaller amounts to freeze and then have some in the fridge to last a few days. A friend of mine - who is much more organised - makes up two weeks worth of meals (minced meat, lamb shank and veggies) in separate individual containers, freezes them then has a routine where she brings one out of the freezer each day and gives her dog the one thats thawed from the day before. LOL I don't think I could be that organised and find it just as easy to make it up each night or maybe two days worth at once and then mix in the veggies etc on the night.

The best meat is really what works for your dog. I give mine chicken but that's because they're dalmatians and they shouldn't really eat beef. But for other dogs beef should be fine. As long as it's good quality - human grade if you can afford it.

I dry and crush (to powder) the shells of free range eggs and chuck some in their food occassionally - they have been known to steal eggs from under bushes and eat the whole thing with no ill effects tho.

As for yoghurt - any decent plain yoghurt. Look for good acidopholous levels as the point of yoghurt is to give them a good source of probiotics.