Help, we're getting a puppy :)

[LolaLady]

Hi there, I'm hoping to get some advice, hints, tips on bringing a puppy home and raising it as one of the family.
I've had GSD dogs before when I was younger, but my little family and I have never owned a dog of our own.
We're due to collect our little boy in the middle of November - so any help to get us ready would be gratefully accepted.
Many thanks in advance xXx

 

[Bellasophia]

Welcome Lolalady...you will get lots of help here,but you have to post lots of puppy pics,especially cute onesLOL
iS your pup a GSD?Do you have other dogs ,pets as well?

 

[LolaLady]

Welcome Lolalady...you will get lots of help here,but you have to post lots of puppy pics,especially cute onesLOL
iS your pup a GSD?Do you have other dogs ,pets as well?

Ok, pics a plenty when we get him
Yes he is a GSD, & he will be our first family pet... So, what do we do xXx

 

[Mahoganybay]

I have just welcomed a puppy into our home. Last puppy we had lived with us for 15 years and we laid her to rest a year ago. So, 16 years since having a puppy in the house.

My word, what a whirlwind. It's like having a baby again.

Some things I have found has helped us.

1. A crate for night time sleeping. We pop the puppy in at 10.30pm with a cuddly teddy, a warm hot water bottle and a bowl of water (that attaches to the crate so he can't knock it over). I say the word 'bed' and turn the lights off. He sleeps until 3am, I carry him outside for his toilet, I don't fuss him, once toileted he gets quiet praise and popped back in crate with the word 'bed'. Morning time he is greeted with 'good morning' and a cuddle.

2. Puppy pads, an absolute godsend. Our puppy is 90% trained to pee & poop on his pads, which is fantastic after such a short time.

3. Lots of toys, for distraction, puppy teeth are sooo sharp.

4. Choose simple one word commands. We use 'off' when he is trying to jump up on the settee, 'leave' when he has something he shouldn't. The usual, 'sit' and 'come' etc. Firm but fair, set your boundaries and do not change them.

5. Lots of praise when he does something good and quietly distract when he does something you don't want him to do.

6. Last but not least, lots of cuddles.

It's an exciting but exhausting time, and they don't stay puppies for long, so enjoy it.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Congratulations on choosing the best breed. The breeder of your pup should be able to offer you loads of advise on introducing the pup to your home, they will also be able to tell you of local training clubs you can attend.
Pm CAYLA on here and ask for a copy of her Puppy guide, you will find it invaluable (donations to her rescue are always welcome). Personally I am not a fan of puppy pads, I use newspapers to put down for accidents but generally I like to train puppies from day 1 that the place for going to the toilet is outside. GSDs as a breed are generally very easy to house train, you may find your breeder has done the ground work with the pups, and they are well on the way to being clean at 8 weeks. You just have to be super vigilant during the first weeks so you spot the signs of the pup wanting to do something and take him outside straight away.
Socialisation is very important, even before the pup is fully vaccinated take him out and about in your arms so he sees lots of different things. As Mahoganybay says the first few weeks can be exhausting but great fun, and we definitely have to see lots of pictures.

 

[LolaLady]

I have just welcomed a puppy into our home. Last puppy we had lived with us for 15 years and we laid her to rest a year ago. So, 16 years since having a puppy in the house.

My word, what a whirlwind. It's like having a baby again.

Some things I have found has helped us.

1. A crate for night time sleeping. We pop the puppy in at 10.30pm with a cuddly teddy, a warm hot water bottle and a bowl of water (that attaches to the crate so he can't knock it over). I say the word 'bed' and turn the lights off. He sleeps until 3am, I carry him outside for his toilet, I don't fuss him, once toileted he gets quiet praise and popped back in crate with the word 'bed'. Morning time he is greeted with 'good morning' and a cuddle.

2. Puppy pads, an absolute godsend. Our puppy is 90% trained to pee & poop on his pads, which is fantastic after such a short time.

3. Lots of toys, for distraction, puppy teeth are sooo sharp.

4. Choose simple one word commands. We use 'off' when he is trying to jump up on the settee, 'leave' when he has something he shouldn't. The usual, 'sit' and 'come' etc. Firm but fair, set your boundaries and do not change them.

5. Lots of praise when he does something good and quietly distract when he does something you don't want him to do.

6. Last but not least, lots of cuddles.

It's an exciting but exhausting time, and they don't stay puppies for long, so enjoy it.

Thank you Mahoganybay.
I was quite young when we had Rolly, our GSD puppy so I don't remember all the ins & outs. I really want to make sure I do a good job - that's why I really appreciate your advice.

We never had a crate before, it's not something I'd thought of getting - is there a particular reason for having one? Is it just for while they are puppies?

The breeder has said she is feeding the puppies Chudleys - I've never heard of that before? Is there any food you would recommend?

I must admit I'm really excited, just want to make sure we're ready in time xXx

 

[LolaLady]

Thank you MurphysMinder
Yes I couldn't imagine having a different breed of dog
I will deffo PM CAYLA for that guide.
Could I ask what a general daily routine for a puppy might be? I was quite young when we had our puppy before, so I don't really remember all the ins & outs... I want to give our little fella the best start possible
Thank you for taking the time xXx

 

[Mahoganybay]

Thank you Mahoganybay.
I was quite young when we had Rolly, our GSD puppy so I don't remember all the ins & outs. I really want to make sure I do a good job - that's why I really appreciate your advice.

We never had a crate before, it's not something I'd thought of getting - is there a particular reason for having one? Is it just for while they are puppies?

The breeder has said she is feeding the puppies Chudleys - I've never heard of that before? Is there any food you would recommend?

I must admit I'm really excited, just want to make sure we're ready in time xXx

You are right it is exciting & also quite scary too.

We never used a crate with our last dog. I had done some research and decided we would this time.

We will be using it at bed time with the door closed until our puppy is more or less house trained. However, during the day, I feed in the crate & leave the door open for him to go in & out, his bed is in there and when he wants to get away for a while he takes himself off to it.