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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Is there a new puppy thread?

330 replies

FiveHoursSleep · 16/09/2012 18:42

If not, could this be one, please?
We have just agreed to offer a home to a 6 week old GSD x collie? pup whose mum was rescued from an Irish dog pound.
We pick him up in a couple of weeks. Time to drag out the crate and chew toys...
He's living in a kennel atm with his mum and siblings so we''l be starting from the top when it comes to toilet training too.
Who else has new puppies and what stage are you up to with them?

OP posts:
Fuddymunster · 16/09/2012 19:06

Hello!

We have just said yes to a nearly 8 week old hungarian vizsla puppy! I'm going to collect her on Wednesday> I've ordered a travel kennel which should come tomorrow and a friend of mine has given me her XL crate. We had dogs as children but this is our first dog with our own family.

I've also bought a small collar and lead, chews, bowls but am not sure what bedding to get. Do you have any advice? Would you buy a padded square mattresses to go in the crate with a fleecy blanket?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated, especially with regard to toilet training.

So exciting!

lunareef · 16/09/2012 19:15

Hello...We are getting our puppy next week at 7 weeks old! So excited too. We have decided to keep her in an enclosed area in our bay window area (using old baby play pen fence/gate...most useful thing bought) have a box with blanket in atm will upgrage to square matress later. She is a labrador BTW. Have you thought about food? We have been trying to decide but cost and availability has proven a problem. We are going to try Arden Grange.

The last pup I owned was 12 weeks old and toilet trained within a week so will have a different experience this time round. Bring on child no. 3

fanoftheinvisibleman · 16/09/2012 19:51

Hello all.

We are collecting our Border Terrier puppy in just over a week when he'll be 8 weeks old.

We have spent the last week preparing things. The crate arrived last week and I've set it up already because I couldn't wait! We've got some vetbed for the bottom of the crate on the breeders advice. I've got a 30" crate which is huge for the teeny pup so I'm planning on splitting the space between bedding and paper. I got a piece of vet bed on ebay for £12 that I can cut into four so plenty for washing.

I tried googling foods the other day and found it all very confusing. He's being fed Eukanuba at the moment so we'll stick with this in the short term to limit the changes all at once but would appreciate advice in this area.

I'm excited and nervous all at once, I feel like I did with my pfb!

MNhoneydragonHQ · 16/09/2012 19:52

5 month old Lab here. Currently a puppy of mass destruction.

Original poster
FiveHoursSleep · 16/09/2012 20:01

Our older dog eats Burns, so will put pup on that supplemented with Naturediet, which is what he's on atm.
Have look at this website for information on whats in your dogfood. It's quite an eye opener!
For bedding we will go with old towels/blankets/duvets over some vet bed. Ours looks like a chewer so we'll just go with a cardboard box and old stuff for now.
I rate Gwen Bailey's The perfect Puppy, so I must read through that again.
I'm not sure I'm ready for this as our other dog proved crate untrainable and wasn't toilet trained until she was 12 months!

OP posts:
Fuddymunster · 16/09/2012 20:44

Hello again,

Congrats to everyone on their new puppies!! My Mum said the amount of time I spend talking about getting a puppy over the past few months, anyone would think I was having baby no. 3!!

Thanks for the advice on bedding etc. We have plenty of old towels/blankets so will definitely dig those out. Will also google vetbed as not sure what that is but sounds like that would be ideal at the bottom of the crate.

The other thing I wanted to ask was should I buy a few toys for the puppy as a comforter? My friend suggested I give it one of the kids old teddies but I'm a little worried that the puppy may chew through to the stuffing.

Original poster
FiveHoursSleep · 16/09/2012 21:22

Puppies need dog toys, not kids toys. We have kongs, nylabones, balls, a string of sausages and soft toys in a toy box and rotate them every few days.
See if you can get an old towel or something smelling of mum from the breeder for the first night or so.

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Fuddymunster · 16/09/2012 22:30

Yes that's what I thought, that they may choke on the stuffing. I will stock up on some toys from the pet shop. Thanks FiveHoursSleep.

The breeder has said she will give us something for the puppy to sleep with from her mum so hopefully that will help her to settle down.

LST · 16/09/2012 22:57

Hello hello!

We are the proud owners of 11wo border collie puppy.

He's just going through the little git stage! But we can take him out in walks now and the change we've seen in the past 24 hours is incredible!

Original poster
FiveHoursSleep · 17/09/2012 09:48

I love border collies but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to ever own a pure bred one. I suspect they are more intelligent than I am and this is never a good combination!

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Fuddymunster · 17/09/2012 09:51

Can anyone offer some advice on the crate training. Will have an 8 week old puppy and an XL crate that my friend has given us. I read that you should not have a crate too big for the puppy otherwise they will not toilet train as easily. However it doesn't have an partitions with it. Any ideas? Or should I just go and buy a smaller crate. Thanks!

ZombieBelle · 17/09/2012 10:25

Oh can I join? I just booked my sprocker puppy bitch yesterday, i get to take her home in the first weekend in October :) she's beautiful but i think i'm going to have my hands full!

madoldbird · 17/09/2012 11:33

Can I join too? We pick up our cocker spaniel pup on 30th sept. I am ridiciously excited - far more so than when my DCs were due, i think! Blush

JellyTedd · 17/09/2012 11:33

Can I join too, I picked up my 10wo American cockerpoo yesterday!!

She is really settling in well, a real little live wire. We had a good first night, she was used to being crated at night with the breeder. So we sectioned it with half for her bed and half with a puppy pad in a medium size crate. This was on advice of the breeder as we were going to section off the crate to make it half size with no area for toileting. But the breeder said she can not hold all night at moment so give her a couple of weeks before doing that.

She came with a bag of pro plan puppy food which will last her a couple of weeks so I will keep her on this for now.

Exciting times for all those expecting their new arrivals in the next few weeks.

hattifattner · 17/09/2012 11:49

hello, we have a golden retriever puppy, 11wo. She's settled OK, although still cries a bit when we first put her down at night. not crate training - don't know much about it to be honest, but starting to think about getting one in order to house train.

Started taking her for walks and she is a darling on the lead and off. Loves being outside! However, after first trip outside in the field she stood in a nettle patch...poor baby, we had to break out the piriton and the anti-histamine cream for her :(

We have her on royal canin junior, plus I cook pet mince and add that for extra protein. Previous doggie was on james wellbeloved, but it messed up her skin, and she went back onto IAMS at the end.

feelinghopeful · 17/09/2012 12:47

We have a new puppy too! She's an 11 week old miniature schnauzer and has been with us for 5 days. She's settled in brilliantly with lots of poos and wees in the garden, and some in the kitchen.

But does anyone else's puppy quiver when they eat? Is it just excitement??

She's having her first vaccination today so the vet can check her over too.

feelinghopeful · 17/09/2012 13:10

We have a new puppy too! She's an 11 week old miniature schnauzer and has been with us for 5 days. She's settled in brilliantly with lots of poos and wees in the garden, and some in the kitchen.

But does anyone else's puppy quiver when they eat? Is it just excitement??

She's having her first vaccination today so the vet can check her over too.

Also just booked her onto puppy classes- cant wait!

Sushiqueen · 17/09/2012 13:52

We have just got a 10 week old Cocker Spaniel. So far not too bad although she doesn't like being left alone at night.
Probably harder as she had never been in a house before, the breeders dogs are all outside as they run kennels as well.
Just stopped following us around everywhere we go. Not eating brilliantly, but am off to the vets later (she has conjunctivitus in one eye) so will see what he thinks. Need to book the vaccinations as well.

Fuddymunster · 17/09/2012 21:07

Another congratulations on everyone's new puppies. The whole family is beyond excited to be getting a puppy and as my daughter said tonight "only 2 sleeps to go!"

feelinghopeful · 17/09/2012 21:09

My puppy was so excited to see me just now she weed on me. :( Any suggestions??

hattifattner · 17/09/2012 22:13

how old? little puppies are like toddlers - they have no bladder control.

FreddoBaggyMac · 18/09/2012 06:56

Feelinghopeful, I have this problem every morning! Puppy is an 11 week old lab cross and she's so excited to see me when I come downstairs each morning that she wees without fail!!

Original poster
FiveHoursSleep · 18/09/2012 08:16

Excitement urination is very different from inappropriate toileting. Don't tell her off, it'll improve as she gets older and her bladder control improves.
The key is not to get her too excited. If it happens when you come into the room or house, then make sure you ignore her for a few minutes and let her calm down when you come in. The less excited she gets, the less likely she will be to wee.
I say she, because this is more common in girls.

OP posts:
hattifattner · 18/09/2012 09:02

at what age will she be able to go overnight without weeing? She is in a room in an annex, where my DD sleeps, and DD is tired of puddles......

Im thinking she needs to be about 14/15 weeks before we can reliably have a dry night?

Also, anyone want to tell me about crate training - is it cruel? DO they really like the crate?

JellyTedd · 18/09/2012 16:19

We are using a crate for our 10 wo pup. So far she has gone in it at night ok, just a few whimpers then nothing until we get up and let her out. This morning she hadn't even done a wee on the puppy pad.

But when I crate her while I take a shower or go out for a short time she cries. Will this improve? Should I be putting a treat in with her when I crate her in the day? I have ordered a konk, do i need to put something in it such as chopped chicken?

Hatti my parents have a miniature schnauzer which loves her crate, she is 18 months old now and can often be found in there having a snooze during the day. She never seems distressed in it and chooses to go in when she wants.