Help just bought a maltese puppy 13 weeks old coming home with us on friday

[Deereemer]

Help! This is a much wanted pet and will be very much in the family forever, bought from a reputable registered breeder, met mum and all the pups it was great. Hes coming home in 2 or 3 days, any advice on a new puppy welcomed. Do i wear him in a doggy sling to bond? Buy a crate? Got the food ordered. He has already had his second vaccination so can we start going on day trips with him? Thank you!!

You do sound particularly clueless and like you have done next to no research other than start a mumsnet thread. I would like to think I was not as clueless as you, but I was a first time dog owner seven years ago, I booked a trainer for a home visit the day we collected the puppy. It was invaluable for us, could you do something like that?

@User0610134049

Sorry don’t want to derail but interesting about the car journey thing. Surely LOADS of people buy their puppies from more than 20 mins drive away so they have to do a longer journey when they first get them?

A one off journey when you're collecting your puppy is very different to a long journey for pleasure.

I found mine slept all the way home from the breeders (after crying a lot) but subsequent journeys were very different as he'd settled with us a bit more and wanted to bark, jump, look out of the window, chew his seatbelt and try and wee on everything

No to sling, maybe to crate (my puppy used his for a few months overnight so I could be sure he wasn’t wandering the house peeing), no to day trips. Plan for a few “boring” months with dog getting used to the normal routine. Short walk twice a day, getting longer as he gets older (but you’ll need to get him used to a collar and lead which takes time). Plenty of training at home. Toilet training can take time and means you need to focus on the dog a lot, take him out every 20 mins to start and learn his cues for toiletting. Basically it’s all about the dog for a few months until he learns the basics and you can start to really relax and enjoy him.

Eventually you end up with an easy member of the family if you put the work in up front.

I got my dog from a registered breeder and they had a socialisation plan. She came to me with a huge head start. It's a condition of registration and a fantastic policy. At 13 weeks the pup will be much more secure and hopefully will avoid separation anxiety.

I kept the pup in the kitchen unless supervised until fully house trained as I didn't want her trapped in a crate if she needed the loo. She's crate trained for the odd occasion we need it eg when a scared child is over rather than a regular thing

You need a bed, lead, harness, brushes, chewy things suitable for puppies, wee/poo cleaner, water and food bowls (continue to feed whatever the breeder does and gradually transition to what you want), register with bets for flea pills/vaccinations etc. I use a groomer to cut my dog's hair when it gets a bit long.

When puppies are uncontrollable they tend to be tired. It'll be a while before they can cope with full days out. They need lots of naps and short bursts of activity and training. Sniffing is really important so make time on a walk for them to do this.

Read some books and join puppy training so you can teach them what you need them to know. I used a positive training trainer that was all about reward. We got through a lot of dog pate which is an excellent training treat and can replace a meal.

It's a marathon not a sprint with a dog. Yes, the first bit is important but they develop all the time and you have a lifetime to tweak things where you need to. All is not lost with a 13week old puppy. They're a baby still

Great advice thanks so much all!

Im so excited I've taken everything on board, cancelled trip, got a puppy trainer coming to the house on Sunday. Still want that puppy papoose though!!

Slings are great for socialising pupies before jabs but no need now. I definitely would put a thread on The Doghouse topic as there are lots of knowledgeable people on there.

My 10 week old pup would have been toilet trained well enough for a 90 min journey so depends on what the breeder has done with the pups. Mine already knew to go to the back door for toilet when he arrived with us. He easily goes a couple of hours in the day and then about 8 or 9 at night. For our new pup the car would be an issue for that long but for our 1st pup he would have been fine if someone was sat with him.

It really depends on the puppy, I wouldn't be planning too much till you know his personality. Pup 1 will never sleep if there is stuff going on but pup 2 will just carry on as if he would at home and just sleep whenever.

We crated our first pup at night, he was only 2kg so we felt it was safer, new pup we don't and he's fine. It's definitely not good advice to leave them crying whether you crate them or not.

Training is really important, puppy classes are great, ignore what was said by pp as they are very controlled, 1:1 training also good for specific issues.

Oh we do have a carrier for our 1st pup, he's a pug and we thought he wouldn't want to do really long walks but so far he's never needed it, we have it just in case. New pup will eventually be able to walk miles so it may come in useful.

slings can be mega useful when they’re little. I always use them with pups because I’m walking other dogs at the same time which means I can carry them for most of the walk but they can still see the sites/ get used to stuff but only need to go on the ground for a short time to avoid damaging joint plates. What do other people do then? Leave pup home alone when they’re out with their other dogs?

We got our pup at 13 weeks. She was with her mother and litter mates up to that point. She was weaned from her mother and was socialised with her litter mates. Was also vaccinated, chipped and health checked.

I'm sorry but someone getting a "much wanted pet" would have done a shit tonne of research by now. Not left it until 2 days before and be this clueless. If you were planning on doing a 3 hour round trip just for a day out a week after getting it then you really have no idea what you're doing. You do realise at 13 weeks puppies should only have a 15 minute walk? Travelling 90 minutes for a 15 minute walk with a dog that's likely to have peed, pooed and puked sounds fun does it?

I doubt you'll still have this dog in a few months time when you realise how much work they actually are

what's your AIBU?
You do know there's an area for discussions about dogs?

@Querty123456

yes. I leave pups at home alone to get used to it, and with different combinations of my older dogs. All my dogs are trained to be left without other dogs for short periods. I have five, so I’ll alternate the combinations I walk together and leave at home together. When pups are older I walk the whole pack. When they are very young I start by walking them with “granny” or “grandpa”, one of my oldest dogs, because they are super calm, relaxed and teach pups excellent manners.

We used a sling for the first few weeks, and it was fine. We took our dog out in it before he had his second jabs, to get him.used to noise, cars, etc. We then used it for walks when he wasn't allowed more than 10-15 minutes. Not sure when he stopped, probably around 14 weeks.

I'm.glad you've cancelled the day out, but it does sound as though you are woefully unprepared for having a puppy. Please don't leave him to cry through the night. One of us slept with our puppy (he was in a crate) for the first 5 months until he went through the night. That's what he needed, so that's what we did

@Querty123456

slings can be mega useful when they’re little. I always use them with pups because I’m walking other dogs at the same time which means I can carry them for most of the walk but they can still see the sites/ get used to stuff but only need to go on the ground for a short time to avoid damaging joint plates. What do other people do then? Leave pup home alone when they’re out with their other dogs?

I would leave the puppy at home or tailor walks around the puppy's needs for a good few weeks - so, hire a dog walker for the older dogs, or ask someone to sit with the puppy, or go somewhere like the beach so the puppy can sniff and explore on soft ground and rest with me when it's tired while the bigger dogs sniff and play.

A sling is useful for short periods but getting one just "to bond" doesn't really work imo - dogs will bond with people who spend time interacting with them, you don't need to carry them about like a baby to achieve it!

Some PP have been a bit harsh I think. OP, did sound clueless re day trip (🤣), but at the end of the day she is looking for advice from experienced owners, and listening! OP, you have been very gracious despite some almost hostile and pompous posts. I hope your life is as blessed by your new family member, as ours was for almost 17 happy years 🐾

This makes me wish the new look site had a like button!

Whoops! Wrong thread!

I think people are hostile because they see posts like this all the time, and inevitably the OP comes back in several months saying they're struggling because the puppy is behaving like a puppy and they were totally unprepared for it.

I'm not saying that's what will happen with OP but I do understand the frustration. Many of us are animal professionals and end up picking up the pieces when people don't do their research as well.

Im really grateful for all the posts and advice definitely feel much readier!

@TenoringBehind you clearly know nothing about dogs.
Only the best breeders keep puppies with the mum for a minimum of twelve weeks to allow the mum to teach them all they need to know and for their physical health.
Shallow breeders will let puppies go at far too young an age,six to eight weeks,because all they are interested in is money.You can read any book on dogs to confirm it is best for pups to stay with the mum into the three month period.
Any breeder who says different is justifying their greed.

Respectfully, we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. I’ve had many dogs over the years, and consider myself an experienced and responsible dog owner, and that hasn’t been my experience at all.

It’s not nice to be singled out for saying something that others have said on the same thread. Different opinions are par for the course on MN but it’s always important to remember that there’s a person behind each post.

@KarmaStar Actually there's a lack of evidence around when is best for puppies to leave mum, but generally 8-12 weeks is the norm. 13 weeks is unusual, although I accept maybe not for toy breeds. But nothing OP has said reassures me that she understands any of this.

@Deereemer I know you're saying you've taken things on board and that's great, but you haven't answered any questions from people who may have had concerns. When did you decide to get the dog? How much research have you done? Do you work? Do you have a plan for who'll stay home with him? Do you have a plan for ongoing training? (Sleep/toilet/obedience

I would make sure I can budget the food and bills, my friend said his cat food has doubled in price

Sorry my post cut off, having issues with the new site. I want to add, totally appreciate you don't have to answer my questions. I used to be on some of the Puppy Survival threads on The Doghouse under a different username and I saw loads of new puppy owners who were overwhelmed and unprepared and had puppy regret. Hell I was overwhelmed and had puppy regret and I was super prepared!! Just trying to say it can be A Lot especially if you're not expecting the hard bits.

Also above poster has reminded me, yes make sure you're registered with a vet. Is breeder providing 4 weeks insurance?

Our vet recommended to get our new puppy between 8-10 weeks, the later the better but they recommended no later than 10. He is a large breed if that makes any difference?

I feel like people are being unfair on the OP, you can research all you like beforehand but nothing prepares you for it really, and there is nothing better than 1st hand information from current dog owners. We definitely bought different stuff this time round than we did first time round. The majority of the advice re toilet training online recommended puppy pads, personally I think this is the worst advice ever. We only use them to put under the beds or in the car seat to save the carpet/seats. Also do not believe the crate training info that says they wont wee where they sleep, no one I know in RL agrees with this. You need to accept you may have to get up several times in the night.