Advice for first time puppy owners - Updated :)

becca0417

catkins wrote: »

That's the same as my puppy so it should make it easy for you to get pup to use it as it's not a new scary thing.

I bet you can't wait to get him - has he got a name yet? I can't believe my pup is now 11 months and is so big. He was quite tiny when we got him at 9 weeks.

Thanks that's what I thought too.

We can't wait...6 weeks tomorrow! We're going back to see them next weekend to decide which one we definitely want (we put a deposit down and narrowed it down to 2). So when we make a final choice we will give him a name then! Although the kids in my class are desperate to choose.....

niandsa

We have a 13 month old labradoodle and she is great! We made sure that we chose a breeder who had done hip and eye checks on the parents and where we could see both Mum and Dad.

Check out the labradoodle forum for loads of advice. It's a very friendly forum.

louzi

You sound like you're already on the right track and some other people have posted very good tips!

Read and research as much as you can!

Things you will need:
- Puppy treats for house training and basic commands in the first couple of weeks. You have to be careful I've found with treats as they can easily upset their stomachs (but I have a GSD puppy which are well known for their dodgy tums!)
- Crate if you deicde to crate train (We bought one that would fit our German SHepherd fully grown. We placed a plastic box at the back to close 1/2 of it off to discourage him to toilet in there. If the crate is too big for them they will use one half of it as a toilet)
- Find a forum and sign up to it. Any queries you have you can search for answers or even ask yourself!
- Research into food. Some food contains a lot of addictives and not all food agrees with all dogs. Remember to slowly change over if you do decide to change what they were on before to avoid an upset stomach.
- Research vets - We didn't ask around before deciding on our vets and regret it now! Get vaccinations booked in 1-2 weeks before you pick pup up
- Chew toys! - Very sharp puppy teeth on your hands is not good! You can buy toys a lot cheaper on amazon than pet shops. Old flannels and tea towels are great soaked and frzon on their gums
- Training - Start looking around now at training classes. We went to about 5 before we found the perfect one. You can ask to come along to watch and the trainers usually would have no problem with that. Also some vets hold puppy parties which is a great event for socialsation. There are plently of youtube videos which will help you teach basic commands such as sit and down.
- Recall and leave - 2 of the most important things to teach! Practice recall early as it will make life easier in the long run. Run backwards quickly calling "[Puppy] come!" in a squeaky voice and treat. Leave is a bit more of a challenge but very important as there are some people out there who will leave sausages with nails through them in the hope that a dog will eat it! If there is anything that you want them to leave just command them to leave and treat when they look away or stop showing interest.

Waffled on a bit but I've learnt so much in the past 6 months we've had pupster I thought I would share!

Just remember to enjoy the puppy as much as you can as they grow up almost instantly. And it always gets easier!

becca0417

Thank you! All very very helpful advice!!

ohreally

As others have said get him in a crate from day one (says somone whos Schnauzer sleeps on the bed), plenty walks and fun games.

Never shout at it, no matter what it has done, and never yank his lead - I see this regularly.

becca0417

A quick crate question... We want him to sleep in our bedroom at night but will obviously need the crate downstairs during the day. Should we have 2 separate crates or is it ok to move his crate at bed time?

ohreally

becca0417 wrote: »

A quick crate question... We want him to sleep in our bedroom at night but will obviously need the crate downstairs during the day. Should we have 2 separate crates or is it ok to move his crate at bed time?

I would think carefully about sleeping in the bedroom. Its a short jump from bedroom crate, to letting him up on the bed - trust me, it becomes his bed very quickly after this point.

becca0417

ohreally wrote: »

I would think carefully about sleeping in the bedroom. Its a short jump from bedroom crate, to letting him up on the bed - trust me, it becomes his bed very quickly after this point.

We're pretty strict about no dogs on bed ever. My parents dog sleeps in our room but on its own bed.

Raksha

Get yourselves signed up with a GOOD puppy class. Gwen Bailey's Puppy School is the best IHMO, but whatever one you go to, make sure you visit and watch a class first and that you are happy with how the trainer handles both puppy AND clients, and that means all members of the family. Especially if you dont have children, because meeting happy relaxed children who know how to handle a pup will be a great start to socialisation.
Additionally, get yourselves a copy of Ian Dunbars Before and after you get your puppy. Loads of real world hints and tips

becca0417

Thanks for all the advice. I brought the Gwen Bailey book and read it cover to cover. Registered him with our vets and have started looking at training classes (going to visit a few to see which are best for us)
We picked out our pup at the weekend, here he is: