What to buy for new puppy?

picklepick

Sarabe is right, you dont want to tell the puppy thats it's OK to go in the house and then all of a sudden tell it that it's wrong and that they have to go outside. They'll be mighty confused and it'll take an age to re-train them.

I agree with another poster that a crate is a better buy than a bed. You can crate train if you want to, you can go out safe in the knowledge that the puppy is in a safe place, and when its older it will always have its 'safe place'.

Fire_Fox

kittiej wrote: »

I'm sorry but unless I could be 100% certain that she wouldn't pick something up, indoors she will roam until she has had her injections.

I lived next to someone whos puppy was allowed into their garden and it picked up parvo so I aint risking it.

Anyway I wasn't after training advice, I will get that from an actual human dog trainer and not a computer when the time comes

No I wanted opinions about products available to buy on the market that are either good or not worth the bother.

How rude!! :eek:

If you had bothered to read through the many puppy threads on the board you'd know that Sarabe knows her stuff inside and out and back to front, we are very lucky to have such a great free resource.

With regards to the free insurance, this may be a false economy if you aren't intending to remain with the same insurer. Anything you take the puppy to the vets for in this time, from a sniffle to an upset tummy, will mean blanket exclusions when you finally do take out a long-term policy with another insurer.

kittiej

Yep rude, that's me.

If that's the type of advice then I don't want to hear it thanks.

I shall wait for the vet to give me instruction and guidance.

Oh and by the way if my pup picked up something nasty from going outside do you consider the insurance will pay out?

I think not.

I don't want advice about puppy rearing/medical issues, not from a forum on a computer thank you very much.

Now what products can you recommend? None I expect you just want to argue.

foreign_correspondent

kittiej wrote: »

Now what products can you recommend?

As for products, I would not recommend puppy pads, or letting the dog pee in the house at all - it makes life unneccesarily difficult for the dog and the owner.

I would also leave her with the breeder till eight weeks, as a lot of imortant learning and socialisation happens in those two weeks - missing out on this can cause problems later.

You need a bed and/or a cage, two bowls for food and water, dog food (whatever she is on at the breeders) , wormers, frontline or similar for fleas (not bob martins or anything like that - ask your vet). You need a collar and lead, a dog tag with your address and phone number on it, home and mobile (as if the dog disappears you are likely to be out looking for it, not sitting in by the phone)

Insurance - see insurance thread for lots of useful info.

You will also want some puppy safe dog toys, working breeds get bored very easily and need a lot of stimulation - toys can also help in play and training - I take it you are at home most of the time, at least whilst the pup is young? Are you planning on working him?

ClutterNutter_2

I found dog chews really useful when I first got my dog! But then again, she liked to bite my feet and fingers, so it was either give her a chew of end up fingerless/toeless! Also when she was teething a raw carrot put into the freezer seemed to help, and now she loves raw carrot as a treat!

The only things I found a waste of time were soft toys because she ripped them apart within a few minutes, especially the ones with squeeks in. Oh and also squeeky toys just because they were so annoying!

woody01

kittiej wrote: »

Yep rude, that's me.

If that's the type of advice then I don't want to hear it thanks.

I shall wait for the vet to give me instruction and guidance.

Oh and by the way if my pup picked up something nasty from going outside do you consider the insurance will pay out?

I think not.

I don't want advice about puppy rearing/medical issues, not from a forum on a computer thank you very much.

Now what products can you recommend? None I expect you just want to argue.

How ignorant!
You come for advice and dismiss it.

Are you getting a puppy so at least 1 thing in your house has manners and intelligence?

Errata

Now what products can you recommend?

A cardboard box, a towel it's been sleeping on at the breeders, a pair of well worn leather boots, a stack of newspaper and plenty of attention, patience and love.

Becles

I'm getting a new puppy at the weekend too. You should re-read this thread as the tips you've been given are really good and people haven't been rude to you.

I've been around dogs since birth, and I've always trained pups to go outside from the start. It does make it easier for you as retraining a behaviour is a lot harder than basic training. I do have puppy pads to put in his crate overnight and when I'm out, but they are just for ease of cleaning until he learns to hold it overnight or while I'm out. When I'm home during the day, he'll be out in the garden regular until he gets the hang of it.

Are you sure she's ready to leave her mother? 6 weeks is a little young and you need to be sure she is properly weaned. I visited my puppy at 6 weeks old and jokingly said I could just take him away now, but the lady said she refuses to let any puppy go until they are over 8 weeks old. I'm hoping to pick him up at the weekend when he'll be 8 weeks and 3 days, but I have to ring her on Thursday or Friday as she won't let him go if she doesn't think he is ready.

Find out what food she is on and buy some of that. You can't just swap brands as it can lead to tummy upsets. Also check what she is drinking. My puppy is on goats milk, so I'll have to buy some of that. The lady said goats milk is more similar to dog milk than cows milk. Something to do with the level of fats I think she said. Make sure you get a diet sheet so you can continue with the current meal times which will help puppy settle in.

Find out what wormer she has been given and when she is due the next dose. She probably won't have been given a flea treatment so you'll need some of that too. I think you can use Frontline from 12 weeks, but I'm going to check that with my vet when I go for the first injections as I can't remember! Preventative flea treatments are worth it, as it's a nightmare treating your dog and your home once they catch fleas and fleas can bite humans - yuk!

Buy plenty of chewing toys but don't give old shoes/slippers etc. Shoes/slippers can be dangerous as they are not designed to be chewed, and bits can come off that can cut the mouth or will harm your dog if they are eaten. It also teaches the dog that it's ok to chew shoes, and then it doesn't understand why it's in trouble for eating your best Jimmy Choos! If you have proper dog toys, they are safe for the dog but do inspect them and remove when they wear. When the dog does go to chew something she shouldn't, you can remove the offending item and give her one of her toys and tell her she is good for chewing it. She'll soon learn she is only allowed to chew her own things. My current collie Bob was brilliant using this method and he never really chewed anything belonging to us. I've bought a puppy Nylabone, a rope toy, a ball and we've already got plenty of rubber toys and sterilised bones that Bob might share with him!

I've bought him a soft toy, but that's more a comfort cuddly thing for his first few nights and I don't expect it to last.

Do take an old towel with you and rub it all over the mother so the towel has plenty of her scent on. That will be comforting for the puppy, especially at night time, until she settles in.

kittiej

Woody if you'd bothered to ingest what I was looking for then you would know I didin't want training advice.

After consulting with the local dog warden today he was actually horrified that anyone would suggest taking a puppy outside anywhere around this area BEFORE it had had it's full injections. He advised me to take her to see him at 3 months and he will chip her for free.

Most strays around here aren't even wormed never mind vaccinated, so I think it's my choice not to allow my pup outside until it's safe to do so. This is also why I don't want advice from someone outside the area regarding this as they won't understand the neighbourhood.

Also yes the dog will be the one with the best manners, and yes I am very coarse and very rude da-dee-da-dee da. This can be the problem with MSE, people don't understand the original questions and start digressing normally to suit their own ends . Never mind.

Fortunately others have given me exactly what I was looking for, thankyou and I shall take your ideas on board. The rest shall be forgotten about, sorry binned since I am so rude lol.

I have found that there is a local dog club that does puppy socialisation, working trials training, flyball etc so I will get in touch with them.

The only trouble with asking her to do the working training is that she is from a pet background and might have lost a bit of the instinct, I shall have to see.

I didn't badger the breeder to let her go at 6 weeks, he said I could pick her up then since the owners of the stud dog were taking their pick of the litter then.

Errata

I think you may have misunderstood. I don't think anyone was advising you to take the puppy out on public footways, roads or grassed areas, but suggesting you take it out into your garden when it wants to do its business.