Visiting some puppies tonight. Will be our first dog together , what Questions should we be asking?

accidentalglixch

So me and my husband have grown up around various pets. I had 3 dogs as a child to adult before I moved in with my husband and he's grown up around cats but is a dog person as well in fact.... he's the one who has been asking or leading the discussion in getting a dog . 

We've never had a pet to look after together and this will be the first pet that we are 100% responsible for (my dogs were mainly parents responsibility , I just walked them sometimes and played/cuddled) 

We're looking for a dog that is friendly, enjoys cuddling, easy-ish to train (don't mind some stubbornness) mainly because I have chronic pain and so need a dog that isn't going to be horrendous at walking or chewing or too boystrious... a little jumping and barking and excitedness is fine but also we work from home so can't have yapping dogs constantly. 

According to the sellers page, this is what it says ;;

Puppies have been bought up in our family home  around young children and are used to general everyday family noise. Mum and Sire are both Fox Red have grown up in family enviroment with beautiful soft temprament and calming nature. Labradors are known as a calming dog that can help with a varity of issue and make a wounderful family addition. They will be ready to go on 17th November. KC Registered , 5 weeks insurance and will leave with a puppy pack (puppy training pads, a toy, some food that they will have been weaned on, poo bags and a patch of a comfort blanket from the litter. All puppies will be wormed, vet health checked, microchipped and fully vaccinated. Deposit of £100 will be required

GBNI

17th November? Is that a typo? I have a labrador who is working strain and she is very boisterous and requires a lot of mental and physical exercise. People assume labradors are calm and easy to train but they really aren't. Although she does fit the cuddly and friendly narrative that you'd like!

accidentalglixch

GBNI said:

17th November? Is that a typo? I have a labrador who is working strain and she is very boisterous and requires a lot of mental and physical exercise. People assume labradors are calm and easy to train but they really aren't. Although she does fit the cuddly and friendly narrative that you'd like!

I accidentally missed this below information out:

"Ready now.. 7 remaining puppies Beautiful Fox Red Labrador puppies looking for there new happy loving home. Born on 22nd September 2021. 4x girls 7x Dogs"
.......
I'm okay with them not being easy to train and a little boystrious but it's when it is 24/7 extremely bad behaviour. 

We aren't active but we want to change our lazy lifestyle anyway and also ...we view dogs more as another person tha an animal so we 100% want to ensure it has a happy life, nice place to grow in and to be loved.



When choosing this new house  I specifically asked to look for places with a garden and also lots of green spaces for a dog. It's one of the big reasons we chose this new house. We have so many places for dogs to go for walks and run around 

Mojisola

accidentalglixch said:

We've never had a pet to look after together and this will be the first pet that we are 100% responsible for (my dogs were mainly parents responsibility , I just walked them sometimes and played/cuddled) 

We're looking for a dog that is friendly, enjoys cuddling, easy-ish to train (don't mind some stubbornness) mainly because I have chronic pain and so need a dog that isn't going to be horrendous at walking or chewing or too boystrious... a little jumping and barking and excitedness is fine but also we work from home so can't have yapping dogs constantly.

A puppy will be a lot of work.

Have you tried the local rehoming centres - as your first dog, an older dog which is house-trained and has developed their personality can be a better bet.  You will be able to see how boisterous, cuddly, noisy, etc, they are.

coffee_cake

I would also recommend an older rescue dog, and not a puppy.  They are lots of work, need lots of time and patience. A pup is going to be demanding attention, chew, and stubborn at the "teenager" stage.
Though saying that, we have two rescues.  One is as mad as a box of frogs, the other is chilled out

accidentalglixch

Mojisola said:

accidentalglixch said:

We've never had a pet to look after together and this will be the first pet that we are 100% responsible for (my dogs were mainly parents responsibility , I just walked them sometimes and played/cuddled) 

We're looking for a dog that is friendly, enjoys cuddling, easy-ish to train (don't mind some stubbornness) mainly because I have chronic pain and so need a dog that isn't going to be horrendous at walking or chewing or too boystrious... a little jumping and barking and excitedness is fine but also we work from home so can't have yapping dogs constantly.

A puppy will be a lot of work.

Have you tried the local rehoming centres - as your first dog, an older dog which is house-trained and has developed their personality can be a better bet.  You will be able to see how boisterous, cuddly, noisy, etc, they are.

I understand they will be alot of work, I can handle It. It's just I've had bad experience with a puppy that constantly jumped up, bitting your nose, scratching, bitting, barking 24/7 , jumping up when your trying trying walk it and just overall too extreme to manage. It was my ex boyfriends dog that his mum got but couldn't be bothered with it and treated it badly. I was the only one who made effort to start training. 

This is what I had meant by "horrendous at walking and boystrious" 

I am fine with jumping to say hello, cuddles, at playtime ect but not all the time when your trying trying walk by and it jumps up or walking it outside. noisy is fine again as long as its not all day , don't mind if it's barking at post man or bird's or next doors dog because that's just normal but if it's barking because of everyday actions We're doing then we'd have to train or find a way of stopping it. 

and it's not just me caring for it so I'm not without help.


We'd like a puppy over an older dog... we've discussed adopting dogs from homes however it's not our preference. 

alleycat`

Personally I'd speak to breed specific rescues.

Even if they don't have what you're looking for at the time they're much more likely to be able to place the right dog with the right person and, crucially, give you backup if things should go wrong.

They're also more likely to be honest with you about if the dog you're dreaming of is even the right kinds of dog for you.

Realistically a good seller should want to visit you, see your setup and decide whether or not you are a good fit for the dog.

If they are genuine breeders I'd expect, at a minimum, details of the breeding, why they breed, any hereditary history of illness and what backup they offer.

I've a friend who took pity on a lab (and he's a stunner) but he costs them more than my mortgage every month in health issues. 

tacticalbanjo

accidentalglixch said:

I understand they will be alot of work, I can handle It. It's just I've had bad experience with a puppy that constantly jumped up, bitting your nose, scratching, bitting, barking 24/7 , jumping up when your trying trying walk it and just overall too extreme to manage. It was my ex boyfriends dog that his mum got but couldn't be bothered with it and treated it badly. I was the only one who made effort to start training. 

But puppies do jump up, bite you, scratch and bark. You have to train them not to but it takes time, it's not an instant thing.

Puppies need to bite to learn bite inhibition which is why their teeth are razor sharp - they don't need to sink them in far to generate a reaction in their playmates and its the yelp from the bitten playmate that teaches puppy that they've gone too far. Slowly over time they learn how to be gentle with their teeth but it requires a heck of a lot of feedback. The alternative is to have a dog that has never learned how to modulate bite force.

Their little claws are sharp, there's no getting away from it. My pups were sharpest when they'd just been trimmed. Puppies get excited and jump up. Just like kids they don't always do what they are told. A lab is slow maturing so won't settle down for a good 2-3 years. 

Really think hard if a lab (well known as loony rubbish bins) is the right dog for you.

accidentalglixch

alleycat` said:

Personally I'd speak to breed specific rescues.

Even if they don't have what you're looking for at the time they're much more likely to be able to place the right dog with the right person and, crucially, give you backup if things should go wrong.

They're also more likely to be honest with you about if the dog you're dreaming of is even the right kinds of dog for you.

Realistically a good seller should want to visit you, see your setup and decide whether or not you are a good fit for the dog.

If they are genuine breeders I'd expect, at a minimum, details of the breeding, why they breed, any hereditary history of illness and what backup they offer.

I've a friend who took pity on a lab (and he's a stunner) but he costs them more than my mortgage every month in health issues. 

We really don't want a rescue dog , and we'd like one sooner than later.

Well, that's why we are visiting today to see if the dog is a good fit? We're not bliding going into buying a puppy. 

Ah I understand that, this is why I'm asking for questions to ask so we don't get caught out in any trouble 

I have a lot of questions to ask about their health so it's all good 

sheramber

Having a puppy is like having a new baby.

Broken nights, house training which means not letting the puppy out of your sight. Constantly watching for signs they need to go out. No leaving to roam the house unattended. 

You need to go out with the puppy and wait until it toilets then praise and reward in that place. That includes when it is raining, when it is snowing, in the middle of the night.

Puppies have shark like teeth that they are prone to use on hands, feet etc. They chew/eat - particularly labs- anything and everything so you need to be ultra tidy. If the puppy finds it it is your fault for not making sure it was  put away safely. 

Don't expect a puppy to lie quiet all day while your work. 

Despite all that we do love them and their puppy snuggles. 

Sophie4120

Make sure they are able to show you evidence of both parents hip/elbow scores - I understand this is pretty essential in labradors. If they don't have them, or have some excuse as to why they can't show you the certificates - walk away.