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Original poster

Dos and don'ts of having a puppy

55 replies

teafortwo · 15/09/2009 09:31

We have put a reservation on a beautiful little four day old Cocker Spaniel puppy !

So in just under three months we are going to have a bouncing puppy as a new member of our family!!!

I am really interested to know - what are the real dos and don'ts of owning and training a puppy?

(We live in an apartment - Any specific advice on apartment living with a dog will be interesting but I am hoping all you lovely mners have lots of things to tell me about all sorts of very useful doggy things!)

  • Thank you very much, any ideas mean a lot!
OP posts:
Original poster
teafortwo · 21/09/2009 23:31

Thanks so much or all your support.

kerarzicvilin.chiens-de-france.com/site_eleveur/index.php?rub=portees&page=detail&ID_ELEVEUR=5393&ID SITE=5763&IDPORTEE=46611&avenir=0

Loooook - my litle lovelies is really growing now. She is feeding by herself and is getting so big and strong!

Sadly, completely unexpected one of her sisters, the biggest srongest one just died. The breeder is beside herself. She really loves her dogs and we relly feel for her...

MmeLindt - Like you I like 'old fashioned names'. I was particularly keen on Enid... but dh sounded a bit daft saying it - it was a bit too much of a girls choice. Eccles sort of sounds nice to us all so we are set on it .

We are going to fit a little gate to our kitchen so Eccles can stay there when we are out and we have decided to have a dogsitter not where we live but near where I work so I can walk Eccles to my work and back again as two of her daily walks(I have a paricular women in mind, who is a caretaker, so has to stay around her place as part of her job and who loves dogs but I just need to ask her).

What with work and school pick ups plus actual dog walks we have timetabled three to five proper walks a day working around our current life....

Soooo.... Watcha fink???

Does this sound good so far???

Oh... and I keep nearly crying because I am so excited about having a puppy!!!

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FitOfBun · 21/09/2009 23:39

I like the It's Me Or The Dog book, and I've also got the Puppies For Dummies...

Awwwww- she looks lovely!

Original poster
teafortwo · 21/09/2009 23:43

thanks fitofbun!!!

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Original poster
teafortwo · 21/09/2009 23:50

I found this on one of our bookshelves and am getting quite involved....

www.amazon.co.uk/Truth-About-Dogs-Conventions-familiaris/dp/075381322X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qi d=1253573071&sr=1-1

... and I am also planning a book shopping trip asap!!! So will cerainly look out for those titles.

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PrimroseHall · 22/09/2009 00:27

Aww, she's adorable. Lucky, lucky you. I'm extremely jealous happy for you

Sorry to hear about Big Sis

I've been offline for a few weeks so haven't updated my thread about dogs in flats. Not that I've got any news anyway.

So, do you have a 'ready' date yet? Eccles is a great name by the way.

MmeLindt · 22/09/2009 08:48

Oh, she is growing big already. What a shame about her sister.

I think your dog walking schedule sounds fine. Don't forget that she will need a while to get used to walking distances and walking on a lead. You may have to carry her at first when you are going to work.

You don't need a wee bag to carry her in do you? Ours is just sitting there, mocking me for being so stupid as to spend 50eu on it.

Original poster
teafortwo · 22/09/2009 09:30

Primrose - Oh wow!!! Great to 'see you'! You must keep us updated when you make a choice in terms of breed and dog! At the weekend we stopped to say hello to a British Bulldog. He was only two but looked like an old old man. It really made me feel sad and I was glad we didn't go down that breed route. What are your leanings today?

MmeLindt - Thank you for thinking of us... I am really touched. We haven't bought a little bag yet... but it is on our lists of must have things to get because Eccles is sure to be a big metro rider... if you really are just tripping over yours we should organise something... I'll e-mail you.

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MmeLindt · 22/09/2009 09:37

Oh, look at that I thought it was 50eu but it must have been cheaper. Maybe it was 50chf including postage.

Anyway, you are welcome to have it if you want it, I don't want anythign for it. DH will be glad to get rid of it.

I can nip over to France to post it so it should not be too expensive.

Original poster
teafortwo · 22/09/2009 18:22

MmeLindt - Well that is really lovely of you. I will e-mail you to tell you my address please e-mail me to tell me how much the p&p was and your address so I can start stalking you because I am-- really a weird internet guy send money to cover costs.

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MmeLindt · 23/09/2009 08:07

I knew that whole Paris story was just a massive ruse and that T42 is a hairy trucker from Swindon.

LOL at little DD/Eccles.

Original poster
teafortwo · 23/09/2009 09:37
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MarmadukeScarlet · 23/09/2009 09:44

Country bump makes some great suggestions, I would like to add to that list a ride on a bus, train, a visit to see larger animals (cows, horses, sheep), beach or large area of water etc several visits to the school gates if allowed.

We took our pup on a steam train (all day, poor love) when she was 16 weeks. She was a bit jumpy with the noise, crowd and steam on the platform at first but after several shunts up and down she was fine.

Original poster
teafortwo · 23/09/2009 10:01

MarmadukeScarlet - Thanks - actually during the week if my plan goes right she will be riding on the metro everyday - so I think all your points are particularly important for her life as a city dog!

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PrimroseHall · 24/09/2009 23:36

Teafortwo, we've still not made a decision. I've been looking into Cocker's and they seem like a good choice, but I'm put off by their high grooming needs.

We've had to rule out so many dogs because of our circumstances, that there's not many left.

We're looking for:

No known hip dysplasia in the breed (due to having to ascend/descend stairs)
Reputation for being tolerant of young children (because of the shared garden)
Easy - moderate grooming needs
Moderate exercise needs (because it can only be in the garden when DP or I are supervising)

There are a few breeds that fit, but we're not keen and it's silly to compromise so much that we end up with a dog that we don't really like.

Have you decided how you're going to house train Eccles yet? I thought we could use a toileting box, but I've been told that it's not a good idea unless you're happy for the dog to always go in the house - which, really, I'm not! This makes things difficult for me, because there's nowhere close by to use as a toiletting area. My neighbours would (understandably) be unimpressed with us if we let the dog wee and poo in the garden, even though I would clear up afterwards.

Original poster
teafortwo · 25/09/2009 09:50

Hello Primrose - We are very much in favour of training Eccles to go outside and to take her walking as much as possible. The town we live in has a bag and bin policy. You just take the bags from posts in town and bin it.

We have a tiny weedy area I tried to pretty up little courtyard area - but my dd and a couple of other children use it to play in - so going to the toilet there will be very naughty indeed!

But... having said ALL of this. I really feel it is going to be, in many ways just like child birth - all the best plans in the world are likely to go straight out the window once we are in the thick of it!

By the way all dog lovers on this thread? Have you seen the film - Dean Spanley - it is a delicious movie about a man who remembers his past life as a dog - I highly recommend it. It is completely outstanding and very special for anyone who loves dogs!!!

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PrimroseHall · 27/09/2009 19:48

Yep, you're probably right T42. I guess we'll just muddle along too.

I think we might have found the ideal dog for us at last. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The health problems are a bit of a worry, but apart from that they seem ideal. DP would prefer a bigger dog, but he's willing to compromise for a Cavvy. Now just have to find a breeder that will sell to us.

Original poster
teafortwo · 27/09/2009 20:15

aaaawwww - Great plan - Cvvy's are very very cute!!!

This might help in your breeder search...

www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/psar/Default.aspx?breed=Cavalier+King+Charles+Spaniel

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vickiadele · 28/09/2009 19:17

i dont know if someone has already suggested this, but having a dog crate for when you go out is a must, my dog who is nearly 6yrs old now ate my carpet and sofa bed when he was a pup, i had only been out for an hour, good luck and have fun

Original poster
teafortwo · 29/09/2009 08:40

Vicki - My Mum keeps saying that to us too... the thing is... to us they look a litle like the Child Catcher's cage in 'Chity Chitty Bang Bang' and our hearts won't let us buy one... maybe after a week of being puppy owners we will be at the petshop begging for one and offering any money they please!!!

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amazonianwoman · 29/09/2009 09:35

All dog owners I know recommend crates

We've got one covered in a blanket with a vetbed inside - it looks very cosy. Two weeks to go...

vickiadele · 29/09/2009 20:33

I do understand your point, they can look mean, but as amazonianwoman says you can get them to be lovely, and sometimes the pup appreciates having there own space

SoupDragon · 30/09/2009 18:50

Don't wait til the puppy has had all their jabs before taking them out socialising - carry them instead. That way you don't miss out on vital socialisation time. Dill came on the school run after his first jabs but his feet never touched the ground He was quite the star at school pick up time.

He has a playpen rather than a crate. I had a Babydan baby den from when the children were smaller and he has a small section of the kitchen with his bed and food in it plus some floorspace. He goes in it when he needs to calm down and when we are eating.

He has been left for up to 2 hours due to school runs and necessary trips. I hide dog biscuits/puppy treats in corners and in cardboard boxes to help keep him occupied and ensure he has been in the garden beforehand.

House training is a fecking nightmare.

He is very very nippy and his preferred chew toy is trouser legs or body parts.

He is utterly adorable (12 weeks old now - will find more up to date photo)

SoupDragon · 30/09/2009 18:54

Dill and frisbee. He looks like a miniture Cocker now rather than a puppy [sigh]

I'm intrigued by the "high grooming needs" of a cocker spaniel though. what on earth are they?? I grew up with one and he required nothing more than a bath if utterly filthy, an occasional brush and sometimes a small trim. Oh, and his ears needed washing in a jug to get the food out of the fur at the bottom!

MmeLindt · 30/09/2009 18:55

Soupy
You should have heard my DD go Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww when I opened that photo of Dill. God, he is cute.

She wants more photos now.

T42
We do have a crate but have never used it as I felt really bad putting her in there. Saying that, she was never a chewer so we have had no damage to anything in the house. We had a meal in a restaurant recently and the owners had a St Bernhards puppy, just 3 months old. He was chewing the table legs while we sat eating our meal.

MmeLindt · 30/09/2009 18:57

XP
DD is happy to have seen another pic of Dill.

We had a Springer when we were kids, they are such fab dogs.