A hello and a new puppy!!!

Witchity Bug

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9 May 2010
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Hello,

I've been lurking for a while and getting some good info from the forum but never had anything usefull to add. I still dont have anything USEFULL to add but I do have something exciting to say and that is that we are getting a little jack russling pup this weekend!!!!! She will be 8.5 weeks old when we get her and she is a little rough haired jack-ling.

If I promise to post lots and lots of cute piccies of said pup when we get her, please can I get loads of good advice in return?? We are very, very keen to get as much right as possible from the start. I have had dogs as a kid but that was a few years ago so I feel a bit rusty and my partner has never had dogs.

We intend to crate train as she will eventually travel a bit with me in the car and come into the office with me. I noticed that Cayla often very generously offers to send people a puppy guide that she has put together so I have cheekily PM'd her but I dont know whether she has received the message. In all the information that I have read about crate training, the advice states that the crate should be gradually introduced to the pup and that at first the door shouldnt be closed until the puppy is happy being in there. My question is - if the process is gradual, what do you do with the puppy on the first night? Do you crate them anyway and close the door or do you wait for a couple of days?

We have food at the ready (James Wellbeloved Puppy Food), Profleece bedding for the crate, bowls, fleecy blanket and Kong puppy toys - is the Kong paste stuff any good that you put in the Kong toys?

We have yet to get her a lead and collar/harness because all the collars that we have seen seem too thick and bulky for a little russell pup. Is it better to get a harness than a collar?

Thanks in advance for the advice that I hope people will give us!!
 
One of my jacks had a little collar, the other a little harness as she didnt take to her harness (i can send you if you want to save money??)

I didnt like the kong paste as it didn't seem to have anything good in it - so I put cheese and sausage in mine! Had to stop myself eating it!!

On the first night I shut the jacks in, and oh how they cried, but they cried themselves out and were fine ever after!! x
 
Thanks for your reply! And thank you very much for the offer of the collar - I didnt expect that! How much do you want for it? What sort of harness does your other Jack have?

I agree about the Kong paste - there seemed to be lots of wierd ingredients in it so we decided to leave it until we'd got some advice!

I'm hoping we have the same result as you re the crate training - think my partner will get a bit beside himself if the puppy cries and cries night after night! It must be so traumatic for the puppy to be taken away from its mum and litter mates and taken into new surroundings!
 
You will get plenty of advice... as long as we get photos!!!

I never used the kong paste stuff (expensive!) I just used peanut butter / cheese / chicken instead.

If you have a Pets At Home locally they sell very teeeeeeny collars (XX small I think), they even make tiny blingy collars :p

When my BT was tiny she slept in a big cat carrier near our bed.
 
I think I might be asking how to post piccies next....

We spotted the blingy collars but dont think my partner would be happy with one of those!! I might have to go and have another look - I must admit, we were a bit bamboozled!

What is everybodies opinion on puppy playpens? I expect we would use one when we are cooking in the kitchen and need her to be safely out of the way with enough room to play. I expect it might be better to get one that would be big enough to house her normal sleeping crate? Are the fabric ones better than the metal ones? Or, could we save money and fashion a pen out of marine ply? My only concern with that is that she wouldnt be able to see out like she would through the bars of a metal play pen...?

You see, I told you I would need lots of advice!!
 
I am sure Cayla will get back to you re the puppy guide, she is a very busy lady. Can I be cheeky too and say that we did discuss a while ago that Cayla should ask for a token donation to her rescue when she supplies her puppy guide, perhaps you could consider something?;)
I personally wouldn't bother with a playpen as well as a crate, you can always pop her in the crate when you are busy in the kitchen. Mind you my GSDs crate takes up half the kitchen, there wouldn't be room for playpen!
I am sure you will get loads of advice on here, as long as you provide the obligatory piccies of your pup.:D
 
It's not something everyone recommends, but we took the crate upstairs and put it at the base of our bed for the first 3/4 nights so that Harley got the idea that nighttime was for sleeping. He was shut in. After that we put him downtairs, shut in, and again he was fine.

1st week he woke twice a night and we picked him up, put him straight outside, then put him back in immediately. He did cry when put back in, but settled quickly. 2nd week he only woke once a night and since then nothing.

Make sure the breeder gives you an old towel or something that smells of mum and wrap it over a hot water bottle and he'll snuggle up! :)
 
I was going to post piccys of our nine week old pup, but can't find the thread on how to do this. Can anyone point me in that direction?

Create a Photobucket account and upload direct from your phone or computer to an album that you create on there. When you have saved some pictures on there, copy (right click with your mouse) the last code (IMG) that shows when you hover the cursor over the picture, then paste it (right click with mouse again) onto your thread on here.
 
Hi, I got my jrt last year at 7weeks old, the xs puppy lead and collar sets at pets at home go rely small and fitted perfectly I'd post a photo but can't do it off my phone. Mine (Millie) was the tiny tiniest jrt ever too! I'd recommend using a cat crate to begin with too, when they're tiny even a small crate dwarfs them! Best of luck and want to see lots of photos!
 
How wonderful! You have to post pics!

Unfortunately the first few nights are bound to be unsettling but if you can stick to your guns and the puppy will get the message. We kept the crate in the bedroom with all the other dogs, but then again we allow all the dogs in the bedroom so it wasn't an issue for us.

A cat collar might be more suitable for now and you can get a 'proper' dog collar in a few months. Pookie is attired in all things bling, it suits a male JRT perfectly and OH has to live with it!
 
Oh congratulations....I can def recommend Cayla's Puppy guide and she will no doubt send one when she has a minute. I am going to start dog hunting soon and read her guide about once a week!
 
I have sent you the guide, sorry:o
You can shut the door with puppies, it's adult dogs where you need to take more care in introducing the crate gradually. Pups are easy to tire and sleep alot, so u can close the door alot sooner with them. As suggested bed time is when the door needs to be closed the longest and a smaller crate/cat carrier can be used in the bedroom for the first few weeks to help the pup settle quicker.
Guide is in ya inbox anyways:D
 
Thanks for everybodies replies! And thank you, thank you Cayla for the Puppy Guide - I will PM you tonight! It makes me feel so much better being able to pop the odd silly question on here knowing I will get some sensible advice!

Promise I will post lots (LOTS!) of piccies..... she is seriously cute so beware!!
 
Here's a pic of the harness, I wouldnt want money for it, I can't do anything with it now - I just keep it for sentimental sake (can't believe she was ever that small!) :D
waLKSMALL.jpg
 
Sorry for the late reply, work has been a bit hectic! Oh my god, your Jacks are absolutely gorgeous!! I think our little girl will look like your little black and tan, maybe just a bit more woolly! Thank you very much for the offer of the harness - strangely enough a friend has also offered us one so we will probably borrow that off her until our little squeeker is older. Thanks again, though, what a nice welcome to the forum!

On another note, Mother Nature is being a right cow because we've woken up this morning to a few inches of snow on the ground and its still falling thick and fast. Dammit! We are meant to be going to pick the pup up in just over an hour!!!!

If we manage to pick her up today, I will post piccies as soon as possible!
 
I got Jimmy (JRT) an XXS harness from Jolleys (sp?) he out grew it very quickly though. Got Bridget (my Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla - but she was tiny tiny) a tiny collar and lead from our vets reception and got a tiny collar and lead for my next JRT pup (Jimmy chewed Bridget's!!) from The Original Factory Shop - they have a store locator on their website :D

Need lots of piccies when you suss it out :p
 
A little update.....sorry I havent posted sooner, everything has been a bit hectic! I have only just found my USB for my camera so I will post some piccies tonight...! Cayla, thank you so much for your puppy guide, it has been the best bit of info we've received! We are going to send a donation this evening to say thank you.

We got our little wriggler on Saturday, she travelled brilliantly (just curled up and went to sleep!). She squeeked a bit overnight in her crate (she's sleeping in our room until her toilet habits become a bit more regular) but went for a wee happily everytime we put her out (which was five times overnight!!!).

I just wanted to ask, she was really bouncy and happy to approach anyone on the first day. She was happy and settled with us the second day but when we had some visitors she wouldnt leave her crate and wouldnt even wag her tail at them. Do you think that the move has just set her back a bit? Or, god forbid, do you think that we have done something to make her scared to approach new people? We were teaching her to not scrabble at the sofa for attention but we were doing that by ignoring her and sweeping her off GENTLY with our elbows if she persisted. Do you think we've scared her? Or, do you think she's just adjusting. I have a little kernel of guilt about this as the last thing we want is to upset her. But, like I said she is very confident and bouncy when it's just us in the house.....

Ramble over, please offer any nice advice that springs to mind and I will post some piccies tonight!
 
New environement and its the first time she is tackling meeting humans without the back up of her sibling/mother.
Don't make a fuss and let her come out in her own time, ask your guests to sit on the floor to make themselves look a little less "huge and strange":D esp if they are eager to encourage her closer for stroke/fuss and ask them to give her a treat/have a little play with her fave toy if she does venture out to explore and talk in a baby voice;), she will no doubt veture out dogs are curious animals.
If you want to keep her off the settee then def start as u mean to go on, as in the guide play with her on the floor and make sue she has a place of her own comfy bed and things to occupy her, rewad her with you attention and play which will tire her, then when you want to get back on the chair give her something she can chew/play with on her own as a reward for remaining on the floor, at this age they can only get up "if helped";) so if you want to keep her off just don't learn or encourage her, and gentle push down is fine is she is clawing at the settee and your are worried about damage otherwise ignore her she will wonder off to find something more interesting and settle.

It really is not fair we don't have pics by now:(:p
 
Thanks for the reassurance, Cayla. I am sure you are right. We have been taking her out in our arms to get her used to new things and she does seem to be improving (looking around rather than shivering and cowering). She is an absolute star - she already sits, retrieves and has stopped scrabbling at the sofa for a cuddle. She gets a cuddle as soon as she is sitting calmly - we pick her up and she starts squirming and licking, she is the most endearing little sausage....god, how sickly.

Anyway, I have some photo's and will try to post them but prepare yourself for a cute onslaught!....


OMG.jpg


Pup.jpg


Hopefully that worked.....please let me know if it didnt!!
 
Thanks for your comments guys, we have been taking her out around town in our arms and she seems to be getting a little bit bolder. Puppy classes start in a couple of weeks so she should get even bolder then. She is such a little star, we love having her around!

As requested, puppy belly piccies.......

Snoozytoothy.jpg


Snoozy.jpg


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