Too much choice

[Dolallytats]

I will be picking up my new puppy in just over four weeks. She is a beautiful black and white cockapoo called Zuzu.

I want everything to be ready for her so have been looking online at all the things she needs.....but I am being bamboozled by the choice there is!!

Can anyone give me their recommendations from when their dogs were puppies. Thank you

WooHoo, I managed to attach photos!! I've never done that before

Oh she's beautiful! Not sure what cockapoos are like for shedding hair but there's a great brush called a Furminator. Bit pricey but it is well worth it for the amount of hair it gets off.

Another thing I've just thought of: instead of puppy pads (which are ruinously expensive) see if you can get those disposable crib liners/ bed pads they give you in hospital. I can't remember what they're called but they're usually much cheaper, work just as well and you can pick them up in the supermarket.

Thanks Leirope. Cockapoos don't shed much, but they do need to be brushed regularly because of their curly coat. I've heard of the Furminator, will check it out.

Hadn't thought of bed pads. They're almost the same thing. I'll have a look at those too. I'm so excited!!

The amount of shedding will depend on the coat type of the puppy. F1 crosses can have quite a lot of variances in coat type, ranging from very similar to a cocker (and with similar amounts of shedding) through the loose wavy coats to the high maintenance curly coats. I'd probably start off with a very soft slicker brush initially and get the pup used to being brushed every day.

Puppy pads aren't necessary at all. They're actually more of a hindrance than a help as once you've taught the pup to use them (and toilet inside) you then have to teach them it's only to go outside. It's far easier to start as you mean to go on with that one.

Vetbed is an absolute godsend for puppies. It's really soft and comfy, cheaper than a proper dog bed and really easy to wash. All the pups I've had have found pulling the stuffing out of dog beds immense fun so these days I just use vetbed until they're sensible enough to use a bed for its intended purpose!!

I will look at a vetbed, never heard of those. Getting her used to going outside straight away does sound easier in the long run (Oh, my DD3 has just started potty training in the last week. Hope she gets the hang of it before I begin toilet training the puppy )

I'll have a look at different brushes. The breeder is brushing her regularly to get her used to grooming, so I intend to carry that on.

We use puppy pads for inside our puppies crate. Made it easier to clean at night. But, to be fair, she only had a couple of accidents at night.

We have had her 2 weeks and she is going all night and is really good at going outside. I wouldn't use them on the floor as it's confusing for them.

A big cuddly toy for her bed was the best thing. She wouldn't settle the first night until we put it in, then she went straight to sleep, laid across it.

Good idea for night time. Have been looking for a cuddly toy. I would like to try and train her myself (agoraphobic) and wondered what has worked for others in the way of books or websites.

I will be able to walk her, but there aren't any puppy training classes that are within my travelling ability at the moment.

The Puppy Plan website is a great little resource for socialisation tasks to do during the various stages of puppy development.

Kikopup on YouTube has got some great videos about puppy training, from practical stuff to age appropriate tricks.

Our vet an groomer does puppy (and adult) socialisation sessions. They are free and there is always a vet if you want to ask questions etc.

It might be worth seeing if your vet does the same? If you feel up to it.

My vet is just up the road from me so I should be ok. I will have a look. I will be booking Zuzu in for a puppy check when I get her home so can find out then.