New puppy thread, where new puppy owners can come for help and advice and hopefully clever people like minimu, midori et al will check regularly (please) to help us...

[Happymm]

Exactly what it says on the tin really. Kings idea, that we have a thread where we can all come and ask for help, advice, support or just to vent and that the much more experienced people will come and help us out :)

OK, minor gripe here: table manners! Or rather, water bowl manners. Whenever he goes for a drink, he slobbers and splashes water everywhere, gets his whole face wet, and then drips all over the kitchen floor.
Am I just going to have to get over it?

I've forgotten what your dog is, Clam. Mine's a springer and does the same. I've bought a new mop...

Cocker spaniel here and gets wet ears every time she drinks, which is then spread wherever she goes.

Never mopped the floor pre puppy - now its most days!

Clam I had my old springer for 16 years and she never got over getting the water everywhere.

Monty is settling in with us now I think, he's becoming a bit more puppified - he was so quiet when he first arrived I was starting to get worried that he could be ill, but he has tormented the kitten all day, has barked at the watering can and dug up one of my pepper plants in my veg patch so definitely getting bolder.

He came from a farm and I just don't think he was exposed to people that much - I think they would go in for an hour a day and feed the puppies and pet them and that was it, Monty just played with all his brothers and sisters. Also, he was kept in a huge concrete pen so he doesn't know what grass is which could explain why he would come in from outside to go to the toilet on the slate tiles in my dining room. Saying that (touch wood) it's a beautiful day and he's been outside all day and we've had no accidents inside. Me and the DCs have become obsessed with wee and poo and we all give him great praise. He did try to do a wee in the dining room this afternoon but I scooped him up and ran into the garden with him.

I don't think he's the brightest of puppies, my old springer was such a sharp cookie that it's a bit of a shock when Monty still doesn't know his name, never mind how to sit or fetch the ball. However the kitten is doing marvellously, comes back when called, chases the ball, sits in front of me and waits for a treat - one of them has obviously been paying attention to the training .

Can anyone tell me about Hills Science Food - is it any good? Being in France we don't have the variety of good dog foods that you all can get and the people who gave me Monty said he was eating Friskies complete biscuits, but I think it's making him drink a lot. The vets sell Hills Science Plan puppy food, can anyone recommend this?

I have a Monty too, and he's a golden cockapoo (19 weeks) so has those spaniel ears which get everywhere. Whiskery face and beard as well - all the better for holding water to drip!

Dunno about Science Plan - over here vets give you a sample bag and I somehow seem to have collected a few of these due to donations from friends. Kingsroadie is the expert on food . I still give mine Beta puppy food, which I gather isn't the best, but the good news is, a) he wolfs it down and, b) it leads to firm, dry poos which are easy to clear up!

Alicia, when I was in France last week I saw loads of Royal Canin in all the different varieties. They had it in Gamm Vert and Mr Bricolage if you have them near you?

hi, can I join you, I am getting a puppy next week. have had quite a few traumas finding a breeder but have now found and very thouroughy checked a breeder and we were recommended to them by the breeder of our border terrier. he is a working cocker spaniel called Eric, I have put a pic on my profile as I understand this is the entry cost for your thread think we are alll ready, spent hours on the phone to the breeder (she can natter as much as me), going to see him agan this week and then collecting him next week.

Thanks Pippi - I live in Mr Bricolage and Bricomarche - can't believe I haven't checked for dog food in there. I think it's the habit of buying the cat food from a supermarket. I'll check it out tomorrow.

Right guys. Who can advise what to do about nipping in an otherwise lovely lab pup. He's mainly nipping me and DCs in play, but starting to become harder. Iykwim.

Vera, have you looked at Ian Dunbar's stuff on bite inhibition. It's on his website? Seems to have worked really well for us so far. I'll be working on preventing mouthing next. He only nips now if trying to get clothing. Also need to work on that!

Well, have no idea if this is 'allowed' but I used to grab his nose and clamp it shut and say "NO" right at him. That was last resort as the yelping, arms folded, turning away and stopping the game didn't always work.

Vera, if I remember right, you're the brave lady with a chocolate lab? Well known to be much more loopy boisterous. :o

With our lab, we ended up having a behaviourist out as she was so bitey, with no signs of stopping. What he had us doing was having her on some form of lead at all times, within reach or in my hand if we were playing, with that I could either hold her at arms length and play with her, or I could grab it and give a gentle tug with a firm "no biting". When stroking her we also put a thumb through her collar, and again if-don't know why I said "if" there-when she bit, I could give a tug and a "no biting". If she went loopy with on and on biting then she was taken to another room, and tethered to a radiator or similar for a couple of minutes timeout.

With ours recent big time puppy play with other bitey puppies has helped too.

Good luck with it, it is quite honestly the worst part of puppyhood IMO.

And a big welcome Dita, Will check your entry fee....:o

Alicia: No probs. They had lots of great pet stuff in there too. Whereabouts are you? My parents live in Brittany.

Dita - Welcome to the madness! I am a fellow spaniel owner (springer) so have a particular soft spot for the floppy ears

Vera - when biting (the dog not you!) remain calm. With our pup any shouting, arm flinging etc would encourage behaviour more. I would do a firm 'no biting' and stop game or take pup to another room/area.

It takes a while and is a complete pain in the arse but it does stop eventually.

Hi, can I join too?

I've had a phone call this evening to say our new puppy is ready to be collected tomorrow. I was originally told it would be next weekend, so I am not as prepared as I should be!

I'm sure I have forgotton something. I have a crate, dishes, I will be given some food when I pick him up. I have a collar, lead and some toys. Got some poop bags, clicker ordered, and I have put up a stairgate.

Any idea what I have left out? Do you experienced people have any tips for the first day/night home?

We also have no name for him yet, how long do you think we can get away with just calling him 'doggie' lol

What you'll need at night depends entirely on how distressed he is, if at all. Mine was very upset, but I know lucky sods friends and people on here who didn't hear a peep out of theirs.
We tried a variety of things:
radio on quietly (Classic FM/Heart 106.2!)
soft lighting (under plinths in kitchen, although others say blackout!)
blanket rubbed on mother/litter siblings
Piece of your clothing (mine loved my towelling dressing gown/pile of dirty laundry by the machine!)
(Hot water bottle wrapped in blanket. Some people add a ticking clock) We didn't need to do this
Tiring him out before bed so he was ready to sleep
Setting a routine for bedtime, e.g. out for a wee, settle in basket/crate, stroke and soft voice, phrase he comes to associate with bed etc..

Also I had a nightmare over whether to leave him be all night or go down to visit him when he cried. I had so many people, including 2 vets, saying "don't give in" but it was excruciating! The second night he barked solidly for 4 hours!! I went down in the end, and he was beside himself, shaking etc... I was fairly dull and just soothed him and left again. That lasted a few nights until we decided he was perfectly adjusted to living with us and he just fancied a chat in the night, so we jacked it in. Then he was fine.

My 14 month old is rolling, in everything, there isn't enough dog shampoo or water in the country to get it off. Hints please!

Thanks, I am ridiculously excited and nervous

I have made up a bed in his crate, and will start searching for a clock that ticks (stupid question alert- does it need to be in the crate, or just in the room?)

I've just taken the collar I bought out of the pack. It is a puppy one from Pets at Home, but looks tiny. He is a springer spaniel pup, and about 9 weeks old. Does anyone know how big their necks usually are?

Luckily, our neighbours are away until thursday, so he wont disturb them if he cries at night for the first few days.

I can see myself ending up sleeping on the sofa to keep him company though

You might be lucky. My Springer 'slept through' from the first night, downstairs in his crate. (I feel fully entitled to be smug, as DD took till 20 months!). Congratulations! What colour?

He is brown and white and gorgeous

My youngest also didn't sleep through till late, so perhaps I will be lucky too

Do you remember what size collar yours had first?

Tooearly- oooohhhhh so exciting!

Pets at home collar will be fine - we've only just bought a new one and that's more because I wanted her to have a new one.

Clams list is pretty good on what to do. We didn't go back to our pup in the night. We left radio on (5 live for the talking) and covered it in a blanket. She howled all night the first night, poop in her cage from fright and covered herself in it. This (te poop) continued for a few nights but we made the crate spacious enough for her to get up and poop rather than do it in her bed.

By day three there was no howling and she settled down quicker each time. 8 weeks later she goes to bed no problems.

Our springer has now got all leggy and I already miss the cute little bundle (minus the razor teeth) she was!

I got one of those beige and cream 'puppy' range collars from Pets@Home for my cockapoo (similar size) and, despite it being adjustable, he'd grown out of it in a couple of weeks. But also, it got filthy. You need something quite soft initially, and to be able to fit 2 fingers between it and his neck. Make sure it's not too loose so he could slip it over his head. And put a tag on it!!

princess Many years ago I shared a house with a girl who had two dogs (giant schnauzer and a beagle) who used to roll in fox poo. Not unreasonably, she'd shower them, and they'd go straight out and do it again. Apparently, they didn't like the smell of the shampoo!
Don't know the answer though, sorry.