Advice for first time dog owners please!

[Twillow]

So we're soon to become the adopters of a medium sized 8 month old crossbreed.
We haven't had dogs before!
Top tips please...

I did use a crate for my dog when she was a small puppy but only when I had to leave her, which was never very long and at night.

When I realised she was not a chewer and was not going to endanger herself by chewing anything inappropriate and stopped putting her into it when I left her or at night, although she still like to retire into it but the door was never shut.

After about six months she decided she didn't want to use it any more and I put it away.

Can't see any problem with keeping a dog safe in a cave like 'bedroom'.

She still likes to sleep under tables, especially a low coffee table that is against a wall, as well as on the sofa and bed so clearly wasn't traumatised by sleeping in a crate.

8 months old is practically teenage years u will need patience. I'd crate train personally May take a while depending on what she is use to. Has she had her first season yet?
Insurance is a must. Also find out what she is fed so you can continue and slowly switch to whatever you want to feed her so you don't give her a bad stomach.
Depending on what training she has you may want to look into training classes especially for basic commands and recall. Be consistent with her ie she steals a slipper you take it off her say no and treat her don't then let her have the slipper the next day as your not being consistent.
Do some research and what she can eat. I have a Dalmatian who is 8 months her diet is different to my other dogs Dalmatians are prone to being stone formers.
Good luck 😀

Yes, it was at 8 months that the terrible teens started with my dog, so you might find you've hit a tricky patch anyway, apart from the whole issue around rehoming.

It will pass but as pp says, consistency and patience is vital.

You biggest asset will be a strong sense of humour.

Good quality insurance
Pick a good vet - visit some, look at reviews, consider provision of out of hours service
Budget for preventative healthcare (roundworms )

My top tip is to make sure you have a good outside space/back yard/ garden that is all enclosed and safe and where dog don’t get into trouble, they can sniff around happily for hours, do a wee, play with a toy or do zoomies in peace.

• can’t get into trouble.

Insurance, good vets, and dog proof the house. Ours is a rescue. Never had a dog before and I found the dog owners on the doghouse forum fonts of knowledge.
Mugdog was passed around idiots and badly abused until we stepped in, never planned on a dog. She's nearly 2 but has some bad learnt behaviour. Her recall is ok but can get too boisterous with other dogs. I give her a stern telling off and she sulks. Never shout. Never hit. Tone of your voice works just fine. Don't panic, reward good behaviour. Don't spend a fortune on fancy toys when a pop bottle full of treats is their favourite!
Mugdog is spoilt, 2 beds , blankets, toys, bones, 2 walks a day plus she goes to work with her other slave. She knows not to go on the furniture. But is allowed on our bed only in the morning. Enjoy your new bundle of joy.

I dont get the crate thing and never have. It was not a 'thing' when we had dogs as kids and I would never have one for my boy. Obvs this is peoples choice. My boy sleeps on the sofa with me and the bed with me. In my (limited) view, I think consistency is the key thing, and training is important. My boy is so much happier now he knows what he needs to do (hes not an alpha male - he is happier as part of the 'pack'), and what he should not do, training has helped hugely. I wish you much joy with your doggie, its the best thing ever x

PS my boy is a Spanish rescue - he has had his issues as a result, but its worth every penny and your time. Love my boy so much

Crate train. It's supposed to be a small area, if it's too big, a dog will toilet in it.

Clicker training - amazing.

Go to a dog class.

Socialise, socialise, socialise.

I think crates are a personal choice.

Some people won't ever use one.

Some use them for toilet training and need the correct sized one for that.

Whereas I used one simply to keep him safe (was so bloody big he could have had a party with 10 mates in there). I ditched it at 1 years of age as he didn't need to be kept 'safe' after that.

A crate is to keep your dog safe and secure, particularly when you are not there. If you don't crate train you need another area where there are no hazards (and a dog can turn most things into a hazard).
You will never run faster than your dog so recall training has to make them want to come to you (if your dog is food-focussed training is easier).
Decide if you want your dog to go on furniture/upstairs. Start as you mean to go on and think if any family/regular visitors are allergic or frightened of dogs. If your dog is going to spend time in somebody else's house you need to consider their house rules as well.

I'm finding the whole crate issue very interesting. I tried dog again in his crate, which he used to love, and he flatly refuses to stay in there. I think he likes somewhere he can regulate his heat (he is a poodle) better, and decide whether to lie on a hardfloor or in his bed, or at times on the sofa. He isn't a chewer of soft furnishings or furniture, although he will eat things like cat litter or recycling..
The disadvantage of not having a crate now is that he is sleeping all over the place, and is much more easily disturbed by human "events" happening around him, but I suspect it is because he isn't yet used to life "on the outside".

I'm missing the regulated nap routine, but in a sense he is getting used to just pottering around and that is good, in that he just fits in with family life more and doesn't have to be told to sleep or listened out for when he wake s up. We are finding it easier to leave him unattended too, because we know he has the run of a nice safe room, and get drink water, do a pee in an emergency, lie in different places. So I suppose I am with Bitey a crate big enough for my small poodle would have to be the size of a room in terms of his expectations as he has got older. He wants to be with us, when we are around and sees the crate as a place where we aren't.

When he is being demanding, where I used to put him in his crate for timeout, I now think more about what he wants and needs, is it a walk, or a sleep or a pee. Often he just wants to be put outside by himself for a sniff around, and that is the timeout he wants, not a crate timeout.

Maybe this is just all something to do with adolescent regression, and he will like the crate again when he is older...

Dog now asleep on sofa next to me, having meandered around room for a bit digging out bits of laundry. Far end of sofa, not actually next to me..mind you.

Thanks everyone, starting to look round the house with a dog's eye! We have a quiet study so will probably put a crate in there and a bed in the bedroom. And a stairgate at bottom of stairs.
She has ignored most treats so far but gobbled up cheese yesterday on a visit!
She is being spayed this week at the shelter.