Puppies

[S4buk]

So I’ve just reserved a wee border collie puppy. Getting him at the end of the month. Super excited, but it’ll be my first time owning my own dog. We’ve always had family dogs as kids, and most recently got a BC who is now 5. But I’m worried I’m not really prepared / experienced enough.
What are the things you had for the pup before he or she came home?

would definitely recommend a crate and just think of it as the pups bedroom!

I feel like we’re coming out of the other end now, our pup is 4 months. It’s been an absolute rollercoaster, but tattle is always here!

 

[WilmaHun]

Going to be getting a cocker spaniel in June! So excited! I've been working with dogs since I was 16, I now own my own dog walking business! but have had dogs (mainly boxers) since 1998! Our last boxer passed away last year (along with my dad not long after) and it's been such an empty house with out them both.

But so excited about getting a puppy! It's just been 10 years since we last had a puppy so you for get everything and remember the nice moments! We felt we couldn't have boxers any more as they were really my dad's dogs and we just helped haha! I didnt want anything smaller then a cocker spaniel (or anything poddle cross!) So got in touch with someone and we'll be picking her up next month!!! I'm also commenting on the thread so I don't loose it in case I need to vent

But we are hoping that we can do more activities with our spaniel, go on longer walks and sniffer training or agility (it's not a working cocker and comes from a show breeder) with the boxers we've had they've been a bit stubborn and wouldn't get off sofas for walks sometimes.

Nice to meet you all and hopefully you guys are getting on with your new or old furbabies!

Aw I’m excited for you! My pup is a little cocker and he’s the best thing ever! Sooooo much energy but so loving with a wonderful temperament. Can’t wait to hear how you get on!

Spoiler: Pup

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

If theyre 8 to 10 weeks Id collect asap personally. Youre missing out on socialisation time if you wait until January.

Also gets them used to your christmas tree this year. I collected a pup just before Christmas last year and it did go ok and has ignored it this year!

Your dog wont be able to do really long walks until theyre about a year old / fully grown. But will be able to do long plays on grass / sand / soft ground

 

[GoofyPrincess]

Thank you all for your kind words. It's reassuring to hear I'm not alone and this is normal/everyone goes through it. Even though there will be tough days like yesterday I know it will be worth it and I'm so in love with our little pup already - even when he is driving me crazy!

Today already feels better/more positive. I took him out a walk in the sling this morning which he seems to love and I think it helps his mental stimulation so tires him out even though he's not walking/running. I bought a kong a couple of days ago but hadn't given it to him yet because I was watching his treats because he had an upset stomach - but I gave it to him earlier today and he was loving it!

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Would not go near a French Bulldog personally. Money pit, the average french bull dog lives to be just 5 years old.

Labrador - make sure you get hip scores. Lovely dogs, can be easy to train as they are so food motivated. Cons - food obsessed, will eat everything and can get chonky quickly.

Beagle - can be difficult to train, known to be stubborn, if youre a first time dog owner Id be wary. Great dogs though very loving.

God I sound so negative I think 10 and 6 are great ages to get a dog. V similar to my own family and they really encourage us to get out and about.

 

[Welshgal]

Take him to puppy school! Not only will they be able to help with your current issues but it will also make sure he will be well-trained in the future.
We never took our Puppy and I regret it to this day.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

I really needed to read this today mine is such hard work at the moment, I keep finding myself wondering what's wrong with him, why won't he behave, what's wrong with me, what am I doing wrong etc so it's reassuring to know we'll get there in the end

There is nothing wrong with you or him. Its just the process of having a puppy. My eldest dog is 5 and I love him so much it hurts but there are still days he annoys me

I know its really difficult but try not to blame yourself or him. Youre both learning and sometimes I think its better to have no expectations as then youre less disappointed.

I have 2 children and with my eldest I tortured myself with all the things that werent going right, would clock watch all night when they were awake. It did nothing but make me miserable. If they had a good night or two Id think ah ha weve cracked it and be distraught when I was up all night again. With my 2nd I didnt count the wake ups, didnt check my phone or clock and I just found it so much easier to deal with it.

We put all these expectations on ourself and the dog.

I promise its all worth it

 

[Nosymum]

what a silly mother putting a child in that position and not fair on your dog. If you want to do doggy daycare it’s got to be set up right, especially if you’ve got children. Neither your dog or that little boy should’ve been put in that position. I have two dogs and a three-year-old the dogs are not allowed in the room while she eats and when the dogs eat, she knows not to go near them and they have their own personal space. It’s basic dog management. I’d also want more questions answered was the child on the worktop did the dog jump up and grab it, it sounds like it was just a genuine mistake on your dogs part probably saw the child as an easy option to get food. Like you say though he obv does need a bit of extra training on that side of things we all know labs love their food.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

If hes growling at your daughter Purple Star I really would try and get professional advice as soon as you possibly can. Im not saying it would happen but it can go from a growl to a snap quickly.

It is definitely possible to fix this though, so I know its so hard right now but it will get better with good support.

If you were considering rehoming definitely make any rescue know of these sort of resource guarding behaviours.



For everyone else Id say the first year is hellish, its full of loads of periods where you think youve cracked stuff then it backfires 12-24 months is loads of mistakes made by me the owner, trusted my dog more than I should have or got negligent with things like leaving a bin bag in access

By about 2 my dog was the perfect companion. So perfect I decided to get another one. Hang in there.

@Maid22 how did you get on?

 

[Padfoot]

9 months and keeping us busy!

 

[Former_Antelopee]

My vet practice wont deal with Many Pets direct anymore as they were taking months and months to pay out. Ive heard theyve gone really downhill.

Ive had a good experience with Tesco in the past. They dont pay direct but they pay v quickly.

I’ve also read many pets allow owners the edit claims so they can change it from being paid directly to the vet to be paid to themselves instead. Seen some vets say they’ve had this happen and therefore the bill at the vets hasn’t been paid and the owners got the insurance money for themselves!

 

[Paradisefalls]

We have a 6 month old pup and for the first 3 weeks I thought every day about rehoming him as it was so hard. I was sleep deprived and my work and relationship was suffering as literally all my time was being taken up by this tiny little pup.

it does get easier. He’s the best little dog now and we couldn’t imagine our life without him. Like everyone else said getting him into a routine is really crucial at a young age. We crate trained him which really helps with toilet training. We also have a pen for him and for the first month at least he spent most of his time in there. When not in his pen he couldn’t settle and refused to nap. Enforced nap times are super important and we noticed it helped to stop the nipping. Young puppies should be sleeping 18-20 hours a day.

once fully vaccinated we enrolled him in daycare. It’s an added expense but so worthwhile - I would suggest 1-2 days per week. It is fantastic for socialisation (puppy core socialisation period is up to 16 weeks) and really tires them out. Our pup sleeps all evening and most of the day after daycare. He absolutely loves it. They even have birthday parties - its

As someone above suggested puppy school is great too. We take ours once a week and it’s as much a help for me as it is for him to understand how to effectively train him.

The first few weeks are really hard and no one really talks about it. You feel like it will never end but it gets so much easier and they are such a joy to have. Stick with it and before you know it you will have forgotten these hard early days! Good luck! x

 

[S4buk]

Don’t be so silly, the amount of times I get children asking to stroke my pup and I always say, she’s very gentle (which she is) but you never know. It was down to the daycare people. It’s also incredibly unfair on your poor dog. Find somewhere else x
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Don’t be so silly, the amount of times I get children asking to stroke my pup and I always say, she’s very gentle (which she is) but you never know. It was down to the daycare people. It’s also incredibly unfair on your poor dog. Find somewhere else x

Edit: by that comment I mean that if the daycare owners were willing to put their child in that position then that’s not your issue. They’re animals.

 

[Monkeymagic85]

Oh I’d love to rescue. I’ve heard it’s difficult to get approved if you work as they don’t like dogs to be left alone (which admittedly would probably mean I’m not suited to a puppy either).

I don’t only work 4 hours at a time @Caffeine Fiend, my partner and I work different shifts and that’s the typical overlap. It would only be three days a week so the cost of a dog walker for an older dog wouldn’t be prohibitive. Our parents have also offered to help and his mum has just lost their old boy so I’m seeing an opportunity.

i totally know what you mean about rescue places, you can also rehome via gumtree etc, sometimes find people who move away, older persons moving that sort of thing, sure they wouldn’t be so restrictive for a loving home, plus you have help or could make arrangements

 

[SonicTheSpikeyThing]

It’s been a while since I posted so just wanted to give everyone an update.
Puppy is nearly 6 months old and honestly feel like we’ve done this, we’ve came out the other side.
We struggled with the teething and biting mainly, also had a tiny baby when he arrived so I had my work cut out couldn’t find puppy classes, so went with a 1on1 trainer. That was an expensive mistake. Wasted a tonne of money for a shit trainer. Paid money to go through weekly sessions of stuff I’d already taught him because she wanted to know what he could do I was teaching him stuff during the week and then she’d come and be like oh you’ve done that let’s see how he does it and he learnt nothing new with her apart from plaster him all over her Instagram making out she taught him it all My mistake I guess. We finally found puppy classes and sacked her off, and now he attends 2 classes a week and he is loving it! Mainly for the socialisation aspect, my last dog was reactive after being attacked so I’m keen to keep him well socialised and they’re a great bunch so he adores going and doing different stuff every week. Deffo recommend puppy classes over 1v1. He’s great with dogs and people, he’s super calm which isn’t usually a trait of the breed but he does have his moments of course. The breed are known for being strong and pulling but we’ve got his loose lead walking perfected at present and even my 8 year old can walk him which loads of people are amazed at (obviously we’ll keep training at it though ready for the defiant teenage stage!).
We’re always complimented in the street by his looks, movement and training wise. I got stopped by a car the other day and asked if I’d show him as he has great potential apparently. We already practice showing etiquette in our group classes so I’ve booked him into his first show in 2 weeks time. I’ll let you all know how we get on but it all sounds super fun and more socialisation for him really.
We had moments in the beginning where we thought “what the fuck have we done” “we can’t do this” “send him back” and lots of tears (mainly from me ) I guess I’m trying to say. Keep at it. It gets better. So much better. Puppy’s are Dickheads. But that stage soon passes. We’ve all got this
I remember crying to my partner saying “I don’t like him” for weeks, now I absolutely adore the spotty idiot more than anything and couldn’t imagine sending him back.

 

[Maid22]

I know some of you know about me having to re-home a pup which broke my heart, an opportunity has come up for a 12 month, it's close to me so I'm taking my other dog to meet her dreckly to see how it goes!!

 

[Gamu]

I'm feeling quite upset today, I feel such a failure for giving up puppy, I really wish I could erase the last 3 months, hindsight is a wonderful thing, I think about him everyday, wondering what he's up to and what he looks like!

You did it because you loved him not to be rid of him. I took a dog on that needed a new home but he was so loved and cherished they knew he required more exercise than they could give him so i am so grateful to them and he was really confident because he trusted humans and I used to update them but honestly from their side it sort of fizzled out. Think of all the people who abuse dogs and don’t care. You would not have given the puppy up if it wasn’t the right thing to do and that was an act of love.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

We pick up our puppy tomorrow!!
I'm a mixture of excited, nervous about ruining the status quo we have so far, terrified that I'll be a bad puppy mum and also buzzing cos I've wanted a dog for years.

Honestly the next few months are going to be a crazy ride!

Everything is phase, its normal to have periods of thinking wtf have I done (I want to send them back!), frustration (particularly when youre outside for hours on end and they wont bloody toilet) but it does get better otherwise we wouldnt all be here

A crazy ride is probably the best way to describe it.

Just keep in mind no matter what, your wee puppy is eager to please you and none of the unwanted behaviour is deliberate.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Retractable leads are a recipe for injury.

Typically when in season youd walk her very early am or very late at night where there is no traffic at all. I personally would not want my dog on a long lead either at that point. Id want them on a v short lead.

Male dogs will go absolutely wild for a bitch in heat. They would travel long distances at great speed at even the faintest scent.

Its a pretty crappy time for female dog owners but the risk of being caught is so real that Id be so wary of walks and other dogs.

Edit - this sounds so aggressive, I dont mean it to but my dog caught a scent of a female dog in heat whilst in the garden and was feral for about a week. Ive never seen anything like it. So I reckon he'd pull me off my feet to get to a bitch in season if out and about. He is generally v well behaved and obedient

 

[nbt]

9 months and keeping us busy!

Oh she is beautiful those ears!

At training yesterday there was a 15 week old cocker and he was beautiful and so well behaved. I started taking my boy at 12.5 weeks and he’s now 24 (I have to work it out these days when it comes to weeks!)

His off lead walking and recall is excellent and the last two weeks we’ve done a decent walk with him staying off the lead pretty much the whole time, avoiding distractions of bikes, kids and other dogs (although he’ll stop to say hello).

We now need to focus on his loose lead walking. He likes to have his nose to the ground, typical springer! I’m seeing small changes, although he’s also developed a fear of vehicles and traffic too so doing some desensitisation there.

I’m really enjoying this age though and it’s a relief that the sharp biting and chewing is basically over!