What do we need for new puppy in 2 weeks' time??

[amazonianwoman]

I'm seeing the puppy and breeder again next week, but thought I'd ask you all for a shopping list

This is all we have so far:

• dog crate for house
• 2 pieces of vetbed to fit the crate
• a puppy Kong and some treat things to stuff in it (flipping expensive!)
• lead (looks big enough to walk a great dane, never mind a mini schnauzer, but he'll grow into it)
• collar - ditto too big so will have to get a smaller one
• a Nylabone
• ordered a dog tag with name/address etc
• already have a couple of metal cat bowls he can use (cats not interested in them)
• breeder is ordering some puppy food for me
• have plenty of nappy bags for poop scooping
• 2nd hand copy of the Perfect Puppy
• getting some chicken wire from a friend to reinforce a couple of weak points in the garden

Might have to get a second crate to keep in the back of our estate car otherwise he may get squashed by the pushchair/other crap rolling around in the boot?

Which toys are good/safe to leave with puppy while I'm taking kids to swimming/ballet etc?

Should I get a house/training lead/line?

Which are good treats to give for training?

Grooming brush - any recommendations?

What else???

[evaangel2]

Our new pup is 10 weeks, we have had her two weeks
dh got training pads and placed them in litter tray, works at times

[thesunshinesbrightly]

pads for training him/her to go to the toilet.

[thesunshinesbrightly]

find out where your puppy classes are.

[thesunshinesbrightly]

make sure everything worth value is out of the puppie's reach.

with my dog's i didn't use treat's, just her ball, she wouldnt eat treats for training outside

[Romanarama]

stair gate if you have stairs, or for dcs room/playroom so she doesn't eat the lego etc

I would get or borrow a box for the car - it's less scary for a puppy

[amazonianwoman]

Cheers all

Got the stairgate, already booked puppy classes.

Won't lots of newspaper do instead of buying training pads?

Good idea re box for back of car

[thesunshinesbrightly]

it will, but i find pads are alot cleaner and doesnt smell, but try newspaper it might work for you and have fun and rememember they grow out of the puppy stage

[claricebeansmum]

Training pads

Insurance

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

A sense of humour and a few people you know who speak "dog" lined up to help with the inevitable bits that go wrong, so you feel you have back up to cope with the bits that inevitably go wrong and to reassure you that things are going OK.

[amazonianwoman]

OK - training pads - check

Insurance - check

Sense of humour & dog speakers - relying on you lot

What's the best thing to use to clean up accidents?

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

I have another but it's not a what you need. A bit of training and managing expectations for your DC's, depending on their age. Make sure that they do understand that puppies need their sleep etc and how they differ to cats eg if you've brought them up to back off from the cats when their tail wags, then explain that dogs are the other way round and when they wag their tails they are happy etc. Be prepared for some jostling for position in the family and a little bit of jealousy potentially.

Can you tell that I am on day 4 of puppy ownership?!

[gegs73]

Some of the disinfectant for cleaning up messes which doesn't have amonia(?) in it. You can buy it from pet shops. I just had this and a whole load of kitchen roll.

Dried pigs ears which are really nice for them to chew and help them with teething. Cheapest I have found are from Tesco, about £1.70 for 4.

Our dog had puppy socialisation classes which started before his 2nd lot of jabs at the local vet which were really helpful. We had a couple we paid for, then found a vets where they were free if you registered your puppy there so it might be worth ringing around.

[minimu]

Can I butt in. Don't buy puppie pads and don't put down newspaper it will make house training take forever. Decide a place in yuor garden where you want he/her to poo take the dog out ever hour and after they have eaten. Within a few days they will be trained.

If the pup sleeps in a cage at night take them out last thing and early morning 6.00ish for a week or two and most pups will not poo in their cage. House trained in a week!!!

Can I be really harsh - if the pup wees etc in the house it is because the owner did not pay enough attention to the pup.

If you train them on paper or pads you confuse the dog and then have retrain them. Actually Pup no you can't wee indoors but you now have to wee outside and so house training takes much longer.

Lucky you have fun with your new pup

[minimu]

Just thought of a dog I was called in to train that was casuing its owners some concern. It suddenly started to wee on the Sunday Times when her OH left the room although the dog was now 6. It had remembered from puupy days that weeing on paper was fine - it did not realise that her OH was still reading it!!!

[tibni]

We will have had our puppy 2 weeks tomorrow .

We have done the outside training and I have to say I have been so pleased how well it has worked. We were told he would need to wee after his journey home so to take him straight out to the garden and not take him to the house until he has been. We have left the door to the garden open and initially kept putting alfie out. Every wee was praised like mad and we have had very few accidents. Paper in crate at night but again he has been clean - just will start barking at 6am to go out - which I think is brilliant.

We have insisted that his toileting area is concrete so we just hose down. Much better than grass which you can never fully clean. Initially we only let him on the grass after he had "been" and he soon understood. Again odd accident but not many.

Enjoy your pup

[amazonianwoman]

Minimu/tibni - thanks, that's what I thought was the latest advice on house training I did think it would be confusing to teach him to wee on a pad, then to retrain him to wee outside.

I haven't had a chance to talk much yet to the breeder (going next week with huge list of Qs) but the first thing he did say is to take puppy out to the same part of the patio every hour without fail, take him out last thing at night, don't feed him after 7pm, and you can train very quickly & easily. I was just thinking of leaving some newspaper on the kitchen floor outside his crate at night just in case; although I'm also planning on setting alarm for 3am-ish as well to see if he needs a wee? Yay or nay?

Just been to Petsathome with DCs to socialise them with some puppies (there were at least 5 ) - DD 5.3 is great, DS 2.7 still getting a bit excited so I'm going to have to be careful with him...

Have also lined up a couple of friends who have vaccinated dogs so he can meet them before 12 weeks - that's OK to do isn't it??

[minimu]

I personally would shut the door to the cage and not put paper outside. Not sure I would set my alarm for 3.00am but then I am lazy! I would let them out at 11.00ish and then about 6.00ish in the morning. Most pups would be ok with that timing - lets hope your is.

With the DC again the locked crate is a great idea. (for the pup not for the DC's!) It is not cruel at all. The pup will have a quiet place where he can sleep and get away from the normal household noises. The DC's can learn that when pup is in the cage he is not to be disturbed at all. Do make sure that you feed the pup in the crate and put in treats into the crate so when he goes in there it is always a good experience. If he goes in on his own always always treat him.

When I get a new pup I get out the crate and my older dogs all try to squeeze into the crate at once they all love it!

[tibni]

Our puppy is fed 4 times a day, the last feed is at 10pm. We put him out after but he doesn't usually do anything. 6am if we are not up he will whine to be let out.

We were told to ignore him if he made a fuss at night so not to establish a habit that if he calls we run.

My neighbour got a dog a few days after us and sends her dh down each night to sing to the dog!

We shut the crate when we are out and at night and Alfie will take himself off into it when he feel like it in the day. Dc's are not allowed to try and get him out of the crate - it is his space and they know to leave him alone when he is in there.

We were advised to buy a clock with a tick for night use - that was a waste of money!

We have only had Alfie 2 weeks and he is already so much part of the family. We are strict with rules - so he is not allowed on furniture or to jump up people - he will be a big dog and it is important to be consistent with him.

We were told not to allow Alfie with dogs until after his vaccinations - although I have seen books that suggest to socialise them earlier - other dogs can carry illness, even if they are vaccinated. Our vet vaccinates at 8 and 10 weeks old.

[amazonianwoman]

Thanks again

So do I not leave any drink in his crate at all overnight?

And lock him in at night from day 1?

[tibni]

We leave a dish of water in with him - which he often sits in or knocks over!

Our crate is a good size, he has his bed in one end then paper and bowl the other, he has plenty of space to wander about if he wants. We have shut the crate at night right from the beginning.

Never having had a dog before I was a bit worried about the whole concept of crate but it really works for us and the dog. My house isn't chewed and Alfie has his own place to escape and seems to feel very secure in there. We have never fed him in his crate or given him food treats and he still loves going in.

[minimu]

Yes leave water you can get bowls that attach to the side of the crate so the pup does not knock it over so much.

I would lock them in from day one.

Next time you go to the breeders take an old towel or t shirt and leave it with them. Let the pup sleep on it and then when pup comes home with you he has a nice smelly blankie to remind him of home and he will be much more chilled in his new home.

[amazonianwoman]

Yes, have seen those bowls, will order a couple.

Breeder suggested bringing a blanket/t-shirt, I'm off to see him next week. Can't wait

[spugs]

My pup would not have been able to hold her bladder all night. I used puppy pads till she was ready to go in the kitchen (have a dog flap) with my other dog. Shes still not house trained (4 months old) but she has a bladder the size of a pea .

The treats to stuff in the kong - dont buy the ones that are expensive and supposed to go in it. I put bits of chicken, liver,cheese,cheap dog treats,peanut butter and spready cheese in mine and then freeze them. They are great. Might take pup a while to get used to it so sometimes its easier to put less treats in so they fall out quicker and the dog gets the idea quicker.

Have you got any grooming equipment? Its worth starting from day one so they get used to it. A comb and some nail clippers is more then enough.

New puppies are so exciting

[amazonianwoman]

Good idea re grooming stuff.

Didn't realise I was going to have to start cooking meals for a puppy too DH and 2 DCs are enough. Might stick with the spready cheese, cheese & treats...

What puppy do you have spugs??

[amazonianwoman]

Just remembered, you already told me - bichon x mini schnauzer

Hoping our mini will have a maxi bladder.