Committed to buying a puppy!

J35T3R · 14 Mar 2020 at 21:24

No pics just now but our neighbour had 8 Labrador pups just last week, was on to the wife about 6 months ago and she's surprisingly all for it now.

Been a while since I had a dog in the house and looking forward to it, kids are also buzzing.

Just need to pick a name for the little guy which has already caused some drama with my girls!

Any training tips are most welcome, been a long time since I've had to look after a dog.

DJ85 · 14 Mar 2020 at 21:33

We just picked up our pup and it's our first family dog so were all new to it to. Puppy pads and plenty of them (we went through 30 in 2 days for first 4 days) our pup is going everytime he has a drink of water. Have your 3 set feeding times and lift the food after about 20/30 mins so it knows next time to eat it all or it gets binned basically. Kept leaving food first few days but now he scoffs the lot. Oh and if crate training be prepared for a few nights of crying. We had 4 nights of non stop crying. Half hour when first crated then like 2am/ 4am and then I got up about 7 but it's worth it our breeder said if you go down hell aways cry for it.
Now at bed time he goes through jumps into his bed in his crate and don't hear from him till 7am.
Been a long 10 days of puppy ownership so far but it's got easier already and definitely worth it.

Oh and lots of toys a kong has been a saviour

Malevolence · 14 Mar 2020 at 22:13

J35T3R said:
our neighbour had 8 Labrador pups just last week

That is something I'd be rather concerned about.

Firestar_3x · 14 Mar 2020 at 22:38

Well done you are in for an interesting first year, crate train it and do not answer the dogs attention cries in the middle of the night, you will need to take it our for a wee about once an hour!

We took ours to puppy training classes, which worked to a certain level.

Pick up enough dog food to get you through the next few months to make sure you do not go without.

Captain · 14 Mar 2020 at 22:52

Puppy training classes are excellent for your dog, just the association with other dogs from a very young age works wonders on them and will help all other stages of training.

Firestar_3x · 14 Mar 2020 at 23:21

Ours would not let the dogs socialise that much, which was a little annoying, but the focus on training was excellent and was well worth doing.

RDM · 14 Mar 2020 at 23:37

We are picking up our puppy on Saturday. Really looking forward to it (though obviously not as much as my daughter).

Bes · 15 Mar 2020 at 00:10

Socialise socialise socialise.

My parents didn’t do it with my dogs as a kid and they were a nightmare around other dogs

Our 11-month old Whippet (Sweep) has been heavily socialised at puppy classes at 15 weeks and gets on so well with other dogs - it makes it so easy to take him anywhere
Also I found this worked well re crying etc...

- Night 1 -2: I slept in the room with Sweep
- Nights 3-7: Sweep’s crate was next to our bed
- Nights 7-10: Sweep’s crate was just outside our door in the hall but he could see us
- Nights 10-15: we slowly moved his crate down the hall until it was in his now- bedroom with our bedroom door open so he could come in
- Night 15+: Sweep sleeps in his room and we sleep in ours with the door shut as usual.

The first ten days or-so required 1-3 middle-of-the-night toilet visits in the garden but it really was not that bad

Good luck

DJ85 · 15 Mar 2020 at 06:19

Bes said:
The first ten days or-so required 1-3 middle-of-the-night toilet visits in the garden but it really was not that bad

I thought this to but our breeder told us to get a big crate and put his bed at one side and puppy pad at the other with some water then once he's stopped going on the pad convert it to bed only but by then hopefully he'll he out his crate altogether and just a bed. But I guess everyone's training will be different maybe why people find it tricky starting off.

Eurofighter · 15 Mar 2020 at 06:40

Don't, get a cat.

J35T3R · 15 Mar 2020 at 06:56

Eurofighter said:
Don't, get a cat.

We already have one, he's just going to have to accept the chaos with the rest of us.

robfosters · 15 Mar 2020 at 08:10

Don’t expect to see much of the cat for a while, most of them cop the right hump when you bring a dog home

Firestar_3x · 15 Mar 2020 at 09:25

Ours was OK because the puppy was smaller than the cat, now even though the dog is five times the size the cat is still the boss.

OpenToSuggestions · 15 Mar 2020 at 09:29

Eurofighter said:
Don't, get a cat.

If you want the companionship of a dog then getting a cat because they are less hassle will just be a disappointment.

BDEE · 15 Mar 2020 at 10:47

Clov!s said:
Puppy training classes are excellent for your dog, just the association with other dogs from a very young age works wonders on them and will help all other stages of training.

This, this and 1000x this.

Check out the Kennel Club website for a list of clubs / providers near you which do the puppy foundation course under the Good Citizen scheme.

Smaller clubs will tend to be cheaper - It's a 6 week course of 6 x 1 hour sessions. My club charges £42 for this, just to give you an idea.

ChrisLX200 · 15 Mar 2020 at 13:09

Yes, socialising is extremely important. Get it used to other dogs, people, loud noises, as many textures and smells as possible at an early age. It will make a world of difference to how your dog behaves when he/she grows up. Also isolation training - get it used to being alone for periods of time so it doesn't panic if you have to leave it for any reason.

Feek · 15 Mar 2020 at 14:10

J35T3R said:
Just need to pick a name for the little guy

Rover or Bonzo. Or pick a proper human name like Gary, Tony or Dermot.

J35T3R · 15 Mar 2020 at 15:09

Feels on a scale almost to having another child so far. Wanted a dog for ages, really cant wait to have the little guy around.

sigma · 15 Mar 2020 at 15:51

Eurofighter said:
Don't get a cat.

Excellent advice!

sigma · 15 Mar 2020 at 15:52

J35T3R said:
Feels on a scale almost to having another child so far. Wanted a dog for ages, really cant wait to have the little guy around.

They definitely are part of the family