First ever puppy! Best advice please!

[Happyinheels]

Hi! I've been trawling this board trying to pick up tips and advice.
We pick up our new puppy on Friday. I'm a little nervous, I can't lie! He is an 8 week old black lab. The breeder said she feeds him raw food so I'm trying to suss that out. He will be chipped but no injections. Please share your top tips and advice. I bought a book to help but if he's anything like my kids when they were babies then the book will be very little help!
So far all we've got is a crate! Desperately need to puppy proof my house and go gather bits for him!
All advice greatly appreciated as I've never owned a dog before. Thank you 🐶

The first puppy training class I went to was without the actual puppy. We are the hardest to train.

Also, socialisation and off lead/recall will help you no end.

To sit - hold a treat about its nose and tip the treat towards the back of its head whilst using the word 'sit' or whatever word you like. It's the sound of the command they understand. The movement will encourage the dog to lower its bum

Set up a dog toilet area in the garden & teach them to use it! My friends one is fantastic (she has a lab) I'll see if I can find a link.

also a drop chute for the poo. She hasn't bothered but we used to have one & it's SO much better than bagging & putting it in the bin. Again I'll try to find a link.

my friends lab came home yesterday - SO cute - his breeder has done a great job. He went into his bed to sleep last night, got woken by someone slamming car doors about 2, went outside for a wee & straight back to bed. Got woken at 5:40 by their DS leaving for work, went outside for a poo & straight back to bed & sleep.

OK, probably first night exhaustion/nerves but he's a happy wee fella this morning, So hopefully it's all good signs for settling in well.

he & her Rottie are getting on well.

best of luck with yours.

Ps: crate training is sensible for 'safe space' especially in your situation!! But also for vet visits, kennel stays, just to know they're happy in a safe space should you need it.

the anti crate bunch are 🙄🙄

pps: they are MUCH easier puppies if you post their photo when they arrive. 🐶🤗

@Happyinheels

'my friends dig toileting area is one of these

www.google.co.uk/search?q=Large+Outdoor+dog+toilet+UK&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=sinv&sxsrf=ALiCzsaqcR_y8AiRfmoctU9TP1697KsxGQ:1654591890569&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwvoqP-5r4AhXTTcAKHVdWDOcQ_AUoAnoECAIQAg&biw=375&bih=550&dpr=2#imgrc=sv-6643122-NT-K6

Everyones views are different but imo
Should you take him to classes ASAP? Yes definitely but do your research 1st, ask around.

Yes limit toys, or he will get bored with them and they will lose their value.

I don't think you need to wait a week to get his vacs done.

I have never crated, I used a baby gate to keep mine in the kitchen.
You can't lock him in the crate all the time that you are looking after kids , that would be to long .
Also how are you planning to stop the children from trying to interact with him while he is in his crate ? ( separate room ? )
Whether you decide on a crate during the day or a bed when he's on/ in there he should always be left alone that should be is safe quiet place.
Very good reason for the term ' let sleeping dogs lie'

Unless you have a absolutely huge create a can't see there be enough space for a puppy training pad and food and water and still for him to move around freely without knocking something over and standing in his food or soild pad.
You need to be able to take him out when he wants to go to the toilet not rely on him using a pad you'll need to watch like a hawk the first 2 weeks he won't know wants to go untill a few seconds before hand but if you do it at regular times and after food he will get used to it and then start letting you know

I have no experience with vets beds so I can't comment on that, but I have found that generally donut type beds are the best. Make sure it has a thick soft base so it's comfy to lie on.

Yes pups sleep for AGES, this is why they shouldn't be disturbed while sleeping, you will just end up with the grouchy puppy and a adult dog that can't relax because they think you are going to disturb them while they are trying to sleep.

As I said up thread only the pup into your rooms that you are happy to allow your adult dog in. Keep in mind if your DC gets ill and want to share your bed or you and DH want to get frisky you don't want your dog trying to join in !

Again, routine is really important in the evening a hour or do before bed get him to play games that occupies his mind but are calm ( which hand is the treat in , cup is it under, ) then feed him a small meal then a short calm walk so he can go to the toilet .

When it's bed time put him in crate/ on bed use a word that you will only use at this time ( I said settle) and leave the room, don't go back in.
Even if he whimpers , you also settle down and set your alarm at least three times ( to start with ) during the night.
This should be the only time you do wake a sleeping dog, wake him up take him outside to go to the toilet bring him back in back on his bed/ crate 'settle' and leave him it's should be done it absolutely minimum fuss don't get him excited ideally he should be still be half asleep.

I hope that helps 🙂 🐶

Do not let your puppy ever play with a football only tennis balls!

to spell it out if you do let pup play with a football they will soon be big enough to bite and burst them
then you can never go to any park where football is being played or kids are kicking a ball!

nightmare!!

@Happyinheels

re the toilet outside, I posted above. It looks FAR better once installed & doesn't look as huge. Her DH set it up so I'm not sure what he laid down but the top level is it looks like bark.

this is similar to what we had. We used a hole borer to dig a deep hole then inserted the fairly short chute and foot action lid. We used stuff to help it decompose and one home lasts a long time!! But of course you can always fill the top up with soil & bore another hole.

there are loads now enabling you to 'compost' it & use it on plants, but that's a big 'no thanks' for me!!

Ohh I x post with a few there !

Everybody else's advice is solid to the only thing I would caution if watching YouTube videos take it with a pinch of salt anybody post anything on YouTube regarding training it doesn't mean to say they know what they're doing , most people only do training videos with dogs they have been interacting with quite a long time and there often edited down to make you out you can get results within a few minutes, that is extreme unrealistic.

I'm not saying don't watch them there are some good ones but there are some batshit crazy ones out there too so take caution

Some great advice here. We started the socialisation before vaccination was complete - Dh stood outside shops with pup in his arms and women came to coo at the puppy

As pp said, stick with the training . I did Canine Good Citizen with my lab boy - we kept classes going until he was 2.
Swim him from 6 months. Great exercise for labs as it supports their joints.

Don’t be talked into neutering early to fix lab boisterous behaviour - they need their hormones until adulthood

Visit the vets office just for fun - weigh in, treat from receptionist . It’s one of my labs favourite places to visit - but he is a tart …

we need photos

Pet insurance. The best lifetime policy you can afford.
Our puppy became very unwell at 9 months old with immune mediated polyarthitis, he has recovered & is now a happy 20 month old adolescent but his vet bills were nearly £9,000. Thankfully our insurance covered everything (except the excess fee).

Two things:

1. Enforced naps. If they're awake more than 1.5 or 2 hours they'll be over stimulated.

1. Be prepared for the biting. They bite lots and it's totally normal. Usually play biting or overstimulation. Always stay calm and remove yourself from the situation.

Also you will probably feel overwhelmed, it's normal. My puppy is seven months and I am still overwhelmed!

We collect our first puppy this weekend and this is all great advice.

Recall, recall, recall. Forget sit, the ultimate useless command (IMO). Just focus on recall at the start.

And make sure you work out how your little mindees are going to be kept separate from the puppy. Otherwise they are going to get mouthed and scratched. Mouthing is a polite word for biting. It definitely involves contact between skin and clothes and teeth ....

My top tip is to be flexible and remember that all puppies are individuals. An approach that works for one might be useless for another.

You may find some advice on this thread to be very helpful and some irrelevant for your puppy. For instance, I have never woken a puppy to take him outside at night. I have never needed to and my pups have all been house trained easily. But that tip may work well for you.

Thank you so much everyone, I really appreciate all the advice and have read the thread a few times! So today is the day! Picking our puppy up at 5.30!
My daughter and I have been and bought raw food today 🤢 We've got vet bedding, a few treats and a few toys. We didn't get a collar as I really don't have a clue how big his neck is! We bought puppy pads but the breeder has said not to use them as he will just chew them up. She also said not to wake him in the night for a wee!!! So so much conflicting advice. I'm really nervous if I'm being honest.
I have registered him with a recommended local vet for his injections next Friday. I just need to look into pet insurance.
Hopefully I am attaching a pic of him (he has no name yet as we just can't agree 🤣) from when we saw him 2 weeks ago!

He's gorgeous!

Your breeder is very sensible - puppy pads just encourage them to toilet inside, and I would never wake a sleeping puppy😂ours slept in our room from day one and woke us up when he needed a wee - he never had an accident overnight!

If he is Kennel Club registered then he will come with 5 weeks free insurance - but check, and get it in place immediately if not. There is a waiting period when you can't claim usually.

Good luck with him. How exciting.

I never woke mine either. Mind you she has a bladder of steel. I think it's a blessing of the larger dog ;)

Thanks for that - I'll double check if he's kennel club registered. She's a proper legit breeder so he should be shouldn't he?
Nervous now. As I sit here with my cuppa in the peace I can see danger everywhere I look around my house 🤣

The Dog Whisperer book. Teaches you easy things so you’re ‘pack leader’

My advice is treat him like one of the family, don’t ever give up on him, be completely committed & take him to training classes!

puppies are hard work so be prepared but they’re not young for long!

goid luck & enjoy🐶

Get socialising long before jabs. Carry him about just don't let him mix with other dogs on the ground.

I'm on my sixth dog, third puppy. He's a 10 week old retriever.

Lots of good advice here.

One thing I would do is get your puppy used to loud and unexpected noises from the off. I wait until mine are a room away and drop pan lids onto a hard floor (small lid from lower down to start with, building up to bigger lids, from a greater height, with the puppy closer, as it gets used to it). I also let off party poppers.

Getting them used to this sort of thing and making it fun (playing with the party popper streamers with the pup, saying 'Wow! Wasn't that loud! in a jolly voice after a big noise and maybe dropping a treat) should mean that they recover really fast from the surprise of a loud noise, and have no problem later with thunderstorms and fireworks

So, meet Scout! It's been a whirlwind couple of nights! Friday night was tricky... he was amazing until we put him to bed in his crate. He barked non stop and cried so much. Everyone in the house was awake! So I ended up coming downstairs and laying on the sofa near his crate to settle him. I realise not ideal and that many might say I should've ignored but after a couple of hours it seemed cruel. Also he had pooed in his crate and in his distress had trodden it all over his bed. He woke up at 5am and I put him outside and he had a poo. Then we came back in and he slept till 7.30!
He was shattered yesterday from being out in the garden so much the night before. We did the same last night and made it through the night! He's obviously made up on his sleep and is in a playful mood today!
Oh and he wolfs his food in seconds!!!!!! We're feeding him 3 times a day and have stuck with raw food as that's what the breeder was feeding him.

I really recommend this Facebook group run by trainers using positive methods - www.facebook.com/groups/dogtrainingadviceandsupport/?ref=share

They have a guide on crate training. It sounds like it's really important that works for you, with your job. If he's getting very distressed and pooing in there he may become reluctant to be in it, and you want it to be a happy safe space for him x