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Cockerpoo Puppy arriving in 10 days - help

321 replies

ShallallalAa · 17/04/2020 04:17

Posting for traffic and advice thanking you all ever so much - we put our names down for a cockapoo puppy from a registered breeder months ago and the puppy will be ready for collection in 2 weeks. We are confident the breeder is reputable and have had personal recommendations for them which we trust. I work from home 80 percent of the time now so confident we can look after the puppy properly long term.
I have never owned a dog before but DP has always had dogs and I am feeling very out of my depth, especially with the arrival during lockdown.
We have visited the breeder and met the parents before the lockdown but we have not met the puppy before lockdown. We have been sent regular videos and all looks lovely and I trust that that the puppy is well and healthy.
DP will pick up puppy by physically distancing from the breeder at handover, taking all the precautions and the breeder is about 5 miles away - I think this would be classed as essential travel wouldnt it?
We are going to pick up essentials from Pets At Home in the next couple of days - crate, toys, bed, pads, food. Anything else? The puppy is on a raw meat diet I understand should we continue this?

What are your top puppy /cockerpoo puppy tips?

What will we do about puppy socialisation?

The puppy arrives microchipped (breeder does it) with first vaccines but we do the next ones - need to find a vet we like I am guessing?

I don't like the sound of crating though - is rhis really the only way?

Our house is quite small - where should the puppy have its own space ideally?

Should I get a shark pet hoover to deal with the hairs?

Thank you!!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
14
Veterinari · 17/04/2020 09:03

@Booboostwo

I can't see anywhere that posters have suggested leaving a puppy alone to become distressed....

Blondiney · 17/04/2020 09:04

YABVU to buy from a breeder instead of adopting from a shelter.

BreatheAndFocus · 17/04/2020 09:05

Well bred cocker spaniels and poodles are each tested for several genetic diseases, but this rarely, if ever, happens with cockerxpoodles

There are plenty of cockapoo breeders who do the required tests for each parents. As with any dog, pedigree or not, you have to choose a breeder very carefully. Pedigree pups can have bad breeders too.

Cockapoo breeders can be licensed by the local council and/or be on approved lists kept by the cockapoo or whatever crossbreed society.

OP, you sound like you’ve given this a lot of thought and are committed to getting everything ready to look after your pup. People have recommended books above and I think that’s a good idea - a puppy book, a general dog health book and a training book are all useful. You can dip into them as you need and refer to them over the early days.

Enjoy your puppy!

Floatyboat · 17/04/2020 09:07

Do you really want a dog at the moment? Your kids will be playing in the garden where you will be training it to poo. You can't walk it much and it is possible things will be locked down further.

I'd cancel if I were you.

Boysnme · 17/04/2020 09:12

Haven’t read all posts so may duplicate here but this is our experience with our cockapoo:

Firstly, do not underestimate how hard the first few months will be. Puppies are hyper, cry and bite/nip. All are normal and in our experience did pass.

We crate trained from day one because we weren’t comfortable we could keep him safe 100% of the time with free reign of the house if he wasn’t being supervised. We agreed from the beginning that we did not want the pup sharing our bed and having a nervous child we do not allow him upstairs. We’ve therefore got a gate on the bottom stair.

We took ours out through the night to let him pee and popped him straight back in the crate. It did not take long for him to be able to go through the night and he stopped whining at nights after a few nights.

Children - we have two boys, one who was the driving force behind the dog in the first place and the other who while he liked the idea of it was scared of dogs. He loved our pup from day one but because he jumped and nipped he didn’t want to be with him. This is why a crate was essential for us, we needed to know we had somewhere safe to put the pup when our younger boy was about. It did not take long for them to bond and him to be fine, they are now best friends but that only happened once puppy teeth fell out and he stopped nipping. The confidence my younger son has with him now is amazing.

Children also leave stuff lying about the house. No matter how often I tell them not to leave food lying around, they are 10 & 8 and do forget so we do have to always be alert as to where the dog is and what he’s after. We often find him in their playroom sniffing for dropped food, we’ve also found him in their rooms choosing which of their stuffed toys he wants for his after someone has left the gate open (in fairness he never destroys them!).

Make sure you have plenty toys and chews for him. Always have one to hand so if he starts chewing on you, you can swap your hand out for a chew! We also got puppy chews like beef pizzle that he loved and kept him quiet for hours!

Socialisation - this one will be tough for you but just get him in your arms when you are doing your daily walk (if you are doing a daily walk) and get him used to roads and noise. We also played sounds through Alexa to get him used to other noises.

Training - we went to puppy training classes, you may need to substitute that for online advise. Get the whole family involved so pup listens to everyone. Make sure you are consistent with it. We use dried food and after a while we stopped feeding at regular intervals and now measure out his daily allowance and use food to train. If he wants food he works for it to make it rewarding for him and to make training easier ( eg rather than breakfast he’ll spend 20 mins doing sit, down, stay etc and get the equivalent food as a reward). I get the kids involved in this and make it fun for us all. This has also made feeding much easier as Cockapoos are known for fussy eating and before that we spent ages getting him to eat anyway.

With regards to your breeder, whilst only 5 miles away, the guidance is that they bring the pup to you. If it was me I’d be doing that rather than going to get him but that’s your call on what you are comfortable with. If you are in any doubt at collection over the breeder walk away.

There are lots of Facebook pages for Cockapoos. The British Cockapoo Society is one that is good and depending on where in the country you are there may be a local one. I’m in Scotland and there’s a great local one.

Grooming - make sure you have a good slicker brush and metal comb and brush lots. Try to avoid matts if you can - you should be ok without a groomer just now and hopefully by the time you need one they will be back open.

Sure there is lots more I could tell you, but over all our dog is amazing and our family love him to bits, we’d not be without him so enjoy your pup and accept that the first few months will be tough!

Duvetday8 · 17/04/2020 09:14

How are you going to successfully socialise your puppy in lockdown? Sounds like a recipe for disaster

gingersausage · 17/04/2020 09:18

@Veterinari what a load of crap. I take it your post is sponsored by Iams 😂🙄

PinkFlamingo888 · 17/04/2020 09:19

Sorry if it’s already been said but in terms of buying your supplies from Pets at Home or any pet shop I would do this quite quickly. Our local Pets at Home is only open for collections by appointment at the moment so we’ve just ordered some supplies online to collect next however they seem to have quite low stock. You need to order everything now if the puppy will he coming home within the next two weeks to account for delays and things not being available.

I agree with others’ advice about trying to let the puppy have some time alone in the house without you if you intend to be leaving it alone once the lockdown has finished. I personally would use a crate but that’s completely up to you. We don’t use one anymore for our 18 month dog but it was so useful in the beginning, especially when we took him away with us and it gets them used to it incase they ever have to spend a while at the vets.

Good luck!

Boysnme · 17/04/2020 09:19

Oh and one more thing, if you haven’t already, get yourself familiar with human food that dogs can’t eat. We were quite naive on this one and had no idea what was bad for them.

gingersausage · 17/04/2020 09:19

The one about raw feeding I meant.

TheLadyAnneNeville · 17/04/2020 09:19

OP, it’s five miles away. No, not essential travel but you’re committed and you’re doing a full social distancing handover. If you’d said it 40 miles away I’d have had a different feeling about the travel.

Here’s a story for you...
My son has autism. We’d been on a list for an autism assistance dog for years. He “outgrew” each list. We sourced our own. Four years ago, we picked up the puppy and I posted on here within days, so overwhelmed was I. The dog, was packed up, ready to return, within the week. My mum talked me into keeping her. “One day, she’ll be such a comfort to you”. My son, can take or leave the dog. My husband (who didn’t want the dog) loves her more than me. That’s more than he loves ME 😊. My mum died just before Christmas. She was right, this dog I didn’t want and “couldn’t cope with” is now SUCH a comfort to me. To all of us. She’s four now. I am so so glad we kept her. She follows me everywhere and is very in tune with our feelings. She’s very hairy (cockerpoos don’t shed that much). Some people might think a puppy is irresponsible at a time like this. Personally I don’t think so.

With regard to feeding, I think I’d introduce kibble. I say this because we (our business is pet food delivery) find it easier. Try raw, but see how you feel about it. As a vegetarian I’d find it difficult. Spring/summer is a great time in terms of housetraining a puppy. Yes, you’ll need a trip to the vets for inoculations but they will have strict handover regulations in place.

Here’s my dog...

Whatever you decide, good luck. Remember, this lockdown isn’t forever. Puppy can’t go out for weeks yet, anyway.

TheLadyAnneNeville · 17/04/2020 09:21

Forgot pic of the “unwanted” dog...

Cockerpoo Puppy arriving in 10 days - help
Cockerpoo Puppy arriving in 10 days - help
TheLadyAnneNeville · 17/04/2020 09:21

Ahhh... sorry, won’t load. Maybe you have to subscribe to MN now, to post a pic.

Booboostwo · 17/04/2020 09:25

Veterinari if you have any studies that show that puppies that spend all their early weeks with their human families develop separation anxiety, feel free to share them. Until then the claim that the lockdown will cause separation anxiety is rubbish. And you misunderstood what I said. I did say that for most puppies being left alone, when they are ready, will be a perfectly calm experience. It is perfectly possible to do this during lockdown, depending on the age and temperament of the puppy you can leave them alone in a room or other safe place, you don’t need to be 20 miles away.

TheLadyAnneNeville · 17/04/2020 09:25

Oh... they posted!!! Now I look like a crazy dog lady with ALL those photos 😂

Lefkosia · 17/04/2020 09:28

My local pets at home is not selling anything other than food and cat litter at the moment OP so I'd check out what your local store is doing quite quickly.

I second joining the Facebook group recommended above, Dog training advice and support. There's so much on there for new puppy owners, and if you still need advice after you've read all their units, you can post and a behaviourist will help guide you

Veterinari · 17/04/2020 09:28

@gingersausage

Which part of the scientific literature or public health England advice do you specifically have a problem with?

www.liverpool.ac.uk/infection-and-global-health/research/pet-health/raw-pet-food/

www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/10/four-stec-infections-one-person-dead-after-exposure-to-raw-pet-food/

veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/182/2/50

If your only counter argument is to slander me then that's not exactly a glowing endorsement of your critical thinking ability is it?

Cockerpoo Puppy arriving in 10 days - help
Veterinari · 17/04/2020 09:30

@Booboostwo
You seem to be using extreme examples to make a (non-existent) point. Where has anyone suggested that leaving a puppy alone whilst you drive 20 miles away is a normal part of socialisation?

The APBC is the UK's premier association of animal behaviourists - if you think you know better than them I'd love to see your credentials

thethoughtfox · 17/04/2020 09:31

Better check your vet still does puppy checks before you take ownership. You would be insane not to get your own health check. We got a kitten from a small reputable breeder. The kitten's father was a champion, all paper work was there (all confirmed as legit by our vet) including screenings for everything, had been seen by a vet and had all injections and microchipped, and the kitten check we did showed that he had ear mites which is easily treated but could have caused a lot of discomfort if we didn't know.

ShallallalAa · 17/04/2020 09:32

Thanks all for the brilliant advice.

The breeder told us all genetic tests had been done

Any advice on dog slings? Worth using and any recommended brands?

OP posts:
vanillandhoney · 17/04/2020 09:32

Posting for traffic and advice thanking you all ever so much - we put our names down for a cockapoo puppy from a registered breeder months ago and the puppy will be ready for collection in 2 weeks.

Can you clarify what you mean by registered breeder?

Cockapoo breeders aren't recognised by the Kennel Club, so who is this breeder registered with?

ShallallalAa · 17/04/2020 09:33

The council as said upthread

OP posts:
Floatyboat · 17/04/2020 09:34

Probably worth checking what tests and what the results were. That sounds very vague.

vanillandhoney · 17/04/2020 09:37

The council as said upthread

Not really a good thing - that means they're breeding multiple litters each year.

TheRealMrsHopper · 17/04/2020 09:37

Remember to organise Pet Insurance and get details of his worming schedule from the breeder. Pup will need wormed and tick/flee treated regularly, your Vet will the best to advise you on this.

Good luck and enjoy your pup, best thing we ever did x

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