Collecting Springer Puppy tomorrow - What tips do I need to know?

[alp]

Hello Wise MNetters and Doggy Owners

We are collecting our puppy tomorrow and this is our first family puppy so we are all very excited but as the slight control freak/organiser/planner that I am would like to ask you all for your tips for those first few weeks/days.

I have looked at threads and we have a cage/crate, puppy kongs, blankets, toys, a quiet area for the dog to go in, loads of newspaper and a bunch of wee-mopping-up-equipment so I think I am covered on that front but any other little tips that you wish you knew at the beginning would be fab!

Thank you so much!

[ellangirl]

I wish I knew how much noise they can make on the first few nights!

How old will your pup be? I'm not sure that newspaper training is strictly necessary, really I didn't use it with ours (springer cross now nearly 15 weeks). They shouldn't pee/poo in the crate in theory, and other than that you just take them out, a lot! and loads of praise etc when they do their business!

To get mine used to the crate I would play with her, and make sure she was really tired and had done pees and poos, then put her in to have a sleep- to begin with only up to 1 hour, then as they get older you can increase the time. That's when you can leave the house/have a shower/cook dinner etc! I would try not to let puppy out of the crate when they are whining/scratching, so I tried to get her out as soon as she woke or just after a set amount of time, so that she had no chance to get stressed about it. She can't wait to get into crate now, when she sees me walking towards it with a stuffed kong she dives in quite willingly!

Good luck, and have fun!

[d0gFace]

We didnt bother with the newspaper thing either, put him in the garden from day one for toilet. The first day was messy.

Good luck!

[Lizcat]

We didn't bother with newspaper with mobile mop. I am however, also a planner control freak so you could start planning all your different length walks for your baby's stages of development.
You also start to plan training, mobile mop was booked on his first agility course within 4 weeks of arriving in our home. He may never be a great agility dog, but I know which show I can first get him measured at and which is the first local show he can enter.
Once you have your baby you can also spend time just taking pleasure in it (sits stroking mobile mops head).

[alp]

Thanks for messages!

Pup will be coming up to 9 weeks when we collect her on Saturday. Will brace myself for the amount of noise she will make and hope my two kids don't increase their noise levels too.

Good to know that taking pup out (lots) will stop the need for paper training.

Have already booked on to puppy training class

One more sleep!

[alp]

One other quick question. Is it OK to leave pup in crate for a short period whilst I go on school run etc within the first few days? DH will be around for morning school run but the afternoon I'll need to leave her.

[Happymm]

We have had our lab for a week now. She's 9wks. We spent a lot of the first few days getting used to crate, so that yes, I was able to manage to leave her in it for the school run.

I just make sure she's had a big run around and a wee/poo, then pop her in. By the time we leave she's so so so grateful that the DCs are leaving and she can kip, that she has taken herself in the last few mornings so I just shut the door after her :o

[Happymm]

Oh, and we didn't do paper training either, just took her outside after sleeps, food, play 30mins etc. She'll need loads of sleep which I didn't appreciate at first, cue one very over tired rambunctious puppy :o

Minimu says at night, just leave them. Make their crate space small and they shouldn't pee in it. They very quickly get used to the fact that you're not going down till a reasonable time. Cover the crate completely so it's dark and we (meaning the royal we of kings roadie, spamspamspam and I have found that 3 meals at 7,12,5 with a small snack at 9 seems to help too.

Happy times, excited for you :)

[alp]

What great advice! Thanks so much! Will try and make crate space smaller and glad to hear that some crate time is OK. Good to hear on feeding times too - I hadn't thought too much about that

DH is away tonight so coming back in AM so we can drive to collect her He is under strict instructions not to be late or be suffering from the after effects of a night out - I don't think I can contain the kids (and mine) excitement all day!

[clam]

Thing is, that you won't know what you need to know until she arrives.
We're here waiting with horror stories advice tomorrow. Probably around 1am when she's shrieking the place down.

[Happymm]

Also, how old are your DC? Mine are quite young, so our crocodile puppy thinks of them as fair game. Have had to put stair gates back up to protect their play space. Also had to spend some time with DC explaining that if she chased after them, bit etc they were to stand still with hands tucked into their armpits, and say NO!

And never go to her and let her out of crate or through gate for whining/barking-makes it worse!

You'll get loads of great advice and support on here. I post begging for help every day :o

[alp]

DCs are 8 and 19 months. The 19month-er was not a good sleeper so the thought of sleepless nights makes my heart sink. But I think I could be more 'hard-core' with a dog and ignore if needed. But it's easy to say that now....

We won't be home until Sunday as puppy is a bit of a drive. The breeders also have a B&B so we are staying there Sat PM and then coming back Sunday. So wkend away and puppy collecting in one!

[ellangirl]

Let us know how the puppy is when you get back alp What you need is ear plugs for the night time. We realised though that only one of us could wear them in case we needed to hear our DS (also 19 months). At least one person could get a good nights sleep though!

[Spamspamspam]

Alp, how exciting, please post some piccies when you have time

They make a LOT of noise and make you waiver any plans you might have but I can honestly say that if you can zone out for the first few nights and just ignore the crying it will make your life a lot easier in the long run. She might unsettle the DC's a bit with the crying - the first three/four days we had Maggie my daughter was exhausted as she was being woken up, but she managed to zone her out in the end and of course the puppy stopped doing it so things are much better.

Crate - during the day we take all the blankets off and at the start had it every room we were in with her bed in it, we would put treats in it, make it warm and snuggly and she used to take herself in there, didn't shut the door for a few days. After a few days we would shut the door but be around her and ignore any crying as soon as she settles, we would open the door. We then progressed to shutting door and going out of the room for a few minutes and then progressed to going outside and gradually increased the time we left her. Eventually after 11 days or so we had to leave her for a couple of hours, but we were only over the road so one of us popped back every half and hour. We never looked at her or gave her any attention but everytime we came in she was asleep. Mine loves her crate, hard to get her out of it, in fact I just had to entice her out to come and have a cuddle on the sofa whilst we watched a movie!

We didn't do paper or pads either - straight out the door after meals etc and I try to allways take her out or if she goes out of her own accord I follow her, makes sure she has done something and then praise.

Mistake I made was leaving way too much water in the bowl in the crate, when puppy was crying and getting upset at night she managed to keep tipping water out of the bowl and into her bed and even managed to tip the bowl out of it's holder. Lots of people don't give water to their puppies at night, however I took water away for a few days and once she was sleeping through I put some back in but a lot less.

Socialisation is key so take your puppy out in your arms from day one, take her out for quick trip in the car etc.

[alp]

So we are home! At the moment puppy is having a bit of crate/utility room time. And she is howling! It isn't helping that my DS is peaking at her through the stair gate on the door.

She has already peed on the kitchen floor and despite being taken outside each hour is yet to pee in the garden!

8 year old DD is loving every moment of having a puppy!

What shall tonight bring?!?!!

[Madsometimes]

Your next very important job is to take some photos and share them here.

[alp]

I will post pics ASAP! DD (8) has snuggle pup up and put her unto crate asleep!

Last pee was on kitchen floor as I was putting coat on to take her out!

[Happymm]

Maybe try taking her out every 20-30mins instead? Though I can't say anything as our puppy has just pee'd right next to an open patio door

[ellangirl]

Forget the coat! You have to be so quick at getting them out if you catch them sniffing the floor etc. I agree with happy- every 20-30 minutes or so to start with. The best time to take them out if after they have been in the crate, because they're bound to go within a couple of minutes of being let out, then you can praise like mad and give them a treat so that they can start to connect doing a poo/pee outside with good things happening.