Rescue pup arriving tomorrow afternoon. Do I have everything I need.....?

[WTFwasthat]

12 week old lab x, we have food, harness, collar, lead, Kong toys, treats for Kong toys, Crate, bedding, lots and lots and lots and lots of chew toys, poo bags, bowl, water bowl, balls. Anything else?

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Insurance
Vets details
i/d tags - by law these have to have your name, post code and phone number on, it's not a good idea to put his name on for potential theft reasons.

Good luck. I'm sure it will go great. So happy you found your pup in the end.

[pimmsgalore]

to calm your nerves after the excitement fades and you realise the gorgeous ball of fluff isn't going anywhere else

Good luck I am sure you will be great

[Rhinestone]

The pet odour spray that completely removes the smell of the accidents he/she WILL have, antibacterial spray, lots of kitchen roll, puppy pads if you want to use them, lots of hand soap as you're going to be washing your hands A LOT (at least I hope you will be!), dog brush as grooming is a nice way of bonding, puppy safe doggy shampoo, a doggy towel or any old towel you don't mind using on the dog and a camera to take photos so we can see your pup!

Good luck.

[shockers]

The phone no for a puppy socialisation class!

Good luck [hsmile]

[tabulahrasa]

Soft toys - they're my puppy's favourites, well apart from plastic bottles and cardboard boxes

[HoneyDragon]

Squeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LadyTurmoil]

make sure you update with lots of photos tomorrow! He looks like a lovely, lovely puppy and I wish you so much good luck tomorrow!

[Jenda]

oooooh!! no advice but good luck, how exciting!

[HoneyDragon]

Happy Dog Day to you
Happy Dog Day to you
Happy Dog Day dear WTF
Happy Dog Day to yooooooou!

[WTFwasthat]

thakn you all . So what can I expect today? Hei s being driven from Wales so will be pretty shellshocked id imagine. The children are v excited but i don't want to overwhlem him so what advice can you offer. Also what can i expect tonight?

[tabulahrasa]

I put mine in his crate and we just sat near it, he didn't come out for a few hours, but he was sat just inside it talking to us, he just wasn't quite brave enough to come and explore yet.

When he did finally venture out I wasn't quite quick enough to stop one of the cats attacking him (it wasn't the one I was watching for doing it) but then I rescued him from the scary thing so I was the best person ever, lol.

By the time he'd been here about 4 hours he was fine, yours might be braver than mine though and he's older than mine was (though mine is a bit of a wuss in general, lol).

Mine really only cried for about ten minutes the first night, then for another two nights and that was that. He was crate trained already though.

[chipsandpeas]

when i got my dog from the dogs trust at 13 weeks he wanted company and to explore - he would start crying when i left him even to go and pee
he loved his crate it was his own personal space he could go to when he wanted and slept in it - also i think it helped with the toilet training - he soon realised peeing where he slept wasnt a good idea so would let us know when he needed out (ok at first he would try to pee on the floor but soon got the hang of it)

[SecretNutellaFix]

How old are the children?

Make sure all shoes and slippers are put away, make sure the lid is firmly on the laundry bin and remind the DC that toys will be chewed if not put away tidily.

Tonight, expect a lot of whining when he's left alone. At that sort of age he's about a 2 year old child in terms of development, so a 2/3-year old will try to put off bedtime, so will puppy :)

[WTFwasthat]

thank you all. I've only really done cats before so not sure about puppies! Am feeling unreasonably anxious now! I'll start a thread for some hand holding

[tabulahrasa]

Having a puppy isn't massively different to having a kitten, not immediately anyway - the big difference is that puppies are willing to learn stuff where kittens pretty much do as they like, lol

[Rikalaily]

If you can get hold of one an Adaptil plug in/spray/collar to help him settle in, it calms them and will help with bonfire night too. I think Pets at home sell them, some vets do too. You can get the refills on Amazon. Stag bars are fab chews and most dogs go mad for them, you can get those at pets at home too. Avoid rawhides as they can swallow chunks and it doesn't digest well.

Get a supply of peanut butter, cheese spread, grated apple etc to fill the kongs, keeps them busy for a while and you can freeze it too to make it last even longer. Frozen Kongs are brill for when you leave them alone as a distraction.

Congrats on your puppy

[WTFwasthat]

thanks - great info. Are hotdog sausages good for training/treats too? And a clicker? thinking of getting one of those for training

[Rhinestone]

As far as all more dogs are concerned, nothing beats freshly roasted chicken! Get some nice chicken breast and once cooked, cut into small cubes. Cheaper, tastier and healthier than crap dog treats which are the Fruitloops of the canine world.

[Floralnomad]

The one thing I'd say is start as you mean to go on with regards to where the pup is allowed to go . Our dog is not allowed upstairs unless he is specifically taken up for a reason. Don't be tempted to take him to bed tonight unless you want him there permanently. Both my DCs wanted him in their rooms so we decided it was fairer if he slept downstairs. Also , IMO don't put paper or puppy pads down it just gives them mixed messages about where to poo/ wee and don't get up in the night to let them out . Whilst house training go to bed later and get up earlier then gradually extend it to your norm , you don't want to give them the idea that someone is coming down to let them out at 3am , unless of course you always get up at 3 am! Good luck with him , have you decided what you're doing about his name yet? We kept our rescues name as one of his middle names( he has 3 names in total ) .

[LadyTurmoil]

Remind kids that v important that when pup's asleep in his crate, they shouldn't wake him up or disturb him. Pups need their sleep and crate should be their quiet refuge. Also, remind them not to leave doors (especially front door!) open, for example, if you've decided that front room is out of bounds because pup not house trained and you've got carpet there, everyone in family has to stick to rules you've set. Also, no climbing stairs for pup as not good for them when they're young. Advice about putting shoes away etc is very good!

[digerd]

12 weeks lab, still small enough to pick up in your arms, to carry outside as soon as he comes out of his crate. My pups never did a wee in my arms at 8 weeks old. After sleeping will need to go pretty sharpish, and pooh after each meal. With the latter, they tend to take a while circling before crouching, so you get warning. The wees are much more often and there is no warning time
And always praise when they have done it outside. Never hit a puppy or adult dog for that matter. It will very much depend on the personality. Excited tearing around puppies drink more and wee more. If yours is on the shy side at first, talk very lovingly and calmly, never shout at it if he has an accident.

[digerd]

Just remembered, at 3 months they begin to teethe, and need to chew proper dog chewing toys to avoid them chewing inappropriate things. It is a difficult time but only lasts 3 months. By 6 months puppies usually have all their adult teeth.
Good luck