The stuff you wish you had known

[adaloveslace]

All going well, we're shortly going to be fostering a rescue dog, with a view to - fingers crossed - adopting. He or she will be our first dog, though not our first family pet, as we have a four year old cat.

I have quite a long list of things I wish I had known (or paid more attention to) before having kids, from the joys of a babygym to the dangers of offering treats as a reward for a good dinner.

It has occurred to me that it's probably the same for dogs, and and so I'm hoping that some of you will offer up your wisdom. What do you wish you had known beforehand? Have you got anything very wrong, or very right?

We got loads of things wrong when we got our pup. But we got some things right too. We have never fed her tidbits from the table so she doesn't mooch for food. We also used a crate and it has saved my sanity on more than one occasion!

I wish I'd known that after the adjustment period and all the stress that brought, I'd love him so much it would fade in to insignificance. I don't care if that sounds vom inducing, it's still true. I worried too much and didn't trust myself to do the right things re training etc. Oh, and most of the rules I thought I'd enforce I didn't, and became quite strict about others. So now I have a dog that does lay on the sofas and follows me everywhere, but is not given the run of downstairs when we're out

Get yourself a clicker and start using it from the word go. I'm a fairly recent adopter and wish I'd known about them years ago. And I'd also recommend going to classes. If you are fostering, your rescue should help with the costs of this. A well behaved dog who is easy on the lead and has basic recall and good doggy manners is a joy to own, and just so much more relaxing. What I also didn't expect is the terrific bonding that training together builds - you will strengthen your relationship so much.

Good luck!

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows you have basically described my experience of motherhood (except maybe the giving them the run of downstairs while I'm out ). I'm really happy to hear you've fallen in love with your four legged baby. I'm prepared - in as much as you can be - for all the work but I'm hoping that the love will make it all worthwhile.

Scuttlebutter I've been reading up on clicker training and am definitely, definitely going to give it a go. I'm also going to do doggy training classes - there are really good ones at the rescue centre near where I live.

Thanks littlewhitebag. I don't know much about crate training, so that's my next research stop.

Great advice everyone, thank you. My number 1 worry at the moment is how my cat will cope and how the dog will cope with the cat. I did request a dog that has been socialised with cats, but the rescue centre said they'd probably only give us a (slightly older) puppy, because of the kids, so the cat should be less of a problem.

Thanks for all the tips.

That not long after getting both of our dogs I would think "what on earth have I done? I must have been crazy."

That letting a tiny puppy sleep on your bed the first night "just for a day or so as she's scared" will mean you have a hulking great dog sleeping on top of you three years down the line

That you WILL hit behavioural issues of some sort, be it barking or chasing a mile after a pheasant or fighting with your other pets. That with persistence and help from a good trainer, you can overcome them.

That your house will never be truly clean again and you will find dog hair in a large percentage or your food.

That they will be your family and you will love them more than you ever dreamt. :)

Crate train from the beginning - Have house trained with and without a crate and can safely say that crate training cut down the time period.

Research the breed, your puppies lines and breeder if possible

Hoovering and sweeping will become a daily chore if you have any hope of convincing yourself that you are staying on top of the dog hair. In some cases twice a day may be needed.

Always have a dog towel near the door so that muddy paws, legs, armpits, stomachs can be rubbed semi clean before making too much mess of the house

Dogs thrive on routine - They know when they are meant to be eating their dinner or going for a walk and will let you know that they do not approve of your tardiness

Introduce any changes gradually. In some cases this may even include any changes to your furniture layout - One of ours refused to go into the hall for weeks as the little table had moved If a food bowl is in the doorway she can't go through into the next room so puts on a pitiful whine until she is rescued does mean that we don't really need a baby gate to keep her in one area though