New puppy advice!

Leo Walker

Leo Walker

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So my new pup is arriving in the next few weeks and I've just realised that as an adult I have never actually had a young pup from scratch! I've always had rescues in the past. My current dog came to me at about 14 weeks old and I was his 4th home as he was such a git! Hes now 5yr old and is the perfect dog but I'm really looking forward to bringing a puppy on from scratch, without any hang ups! I've gone to a lot of trouble to find what I think is the right dog as another pup like the current one was would finish me off! The pup is the type and breeding I like, is being brought up in a busy family home and both mum and dad are uber chilled. The pups are confident and happy but not over the top, so I have everything in my favour, so long as I dont screw it up!

Which leads me to my current meltdown :lol: What do I need to buy and do???

Puppy proofing obviously. I've started looking for a puppy party but I dont want to go to one thats a free for all, I want one a bit more structured with a trainer who uses positive reinforcement. I'm dropping a blanket off next week so the pup has something that smells of mum to bring home. I'm going to get a crate but ideally want one that I can carry up and downstairs so we can move it about with us as needs be, so any suggestions on what will work best?

My OH works nights and I work 4 days a week so we have 24.7 cover for the pup. I've booked sometime off work and have about 18 straight days at home when he arrives. Not sure yet quite what the routine will be. I'm vaguely planning on getting up at 5am for a wee break having put the pup to bed at about 12am, is that too long? The idea is that I wil stay up and feed and entertain the pup until my OH arrives home. He will then drop me at the station about 6am, so will bring the pup with us, take him home and settle him then get up about 12pm having gone to bed at 7ish. I will be in between 3 and 4 to feed and entertain the pup. My OH picks me up from the station so will get the pup up and bring it with him. Does that sound ok? I'm not sure if thats too long or not? Its a whippet puppy and past experience tells me they sleep a LOT! But I'm happy to go with a different regime if it will work better.

Its really important to me that he learns to travel well as I suffered with car sickness with my other one as he never went in a car routinely till he was about 18 months old and he is still sick occasionally now. We have both cars converted to whippet mobiles! Back seats down, turnout rug covering the back of the car, then a duvet over the top so its comfortable for delicate little whippies! Not sure if its a better idea to put the seats up and put cages in, although we have Corsas so not a lot of room! Current dog is fine with the arrangement and spends most of his time with his nose out of the back window. Probably not ideal for a puppy though! And yes I DO know they should be restrained, but been there tried that and had an hysterical vomiting dog to deal with. I can revisit it if I absolutely have to though.

I'm planning on lots and lots and lots of socialising. Trips on the bus and train and to the shops and friends houses, basically anywhere I can take him and anything I can expose him etc while hes still in the critical stage, although obviously he wont be touching the floor until he is fully vaccinated.

Whats the best age to get them? They said 8 weeks which is the norm, but its not the bitches first litter and they have said he might be able to go a bit earlier if hes eating ok and thats what I want, happy to keep him till 8weeks or more though if needs be. I'm not sure what the right thing to do is. I know socialisation is incredibly important in those first few weeks, but not if it will be to his detriment.

Hes a whippet so what toys are good? My current whippet likes to kill and disembowel cuddly toys, but clearly thats not good for a pup. Lots of people have suggested Kongs but I know my current dog wouldnt touch them as a pup or now. He will be raw fed so we have the food angle covered and will start him on small recreational bones but that will wont replace toys as raw food is only eaten outside or on the tiled kitchen floor.

I probably sound like a first class clueless idiot! I did manage to raise my very difficult dog to being a lovely well behaved adult, but its just hit me that the pup will be here shortly and I'm having a nervous breakdown at the responsibility of it all! :lol:
 
Also any thoughts on the lepro vaccine? I only give my dogs the puppy vaccinations and then titre test after a few years. So pup will be getting vaccinated but I am almost certain I wont be giving the lepro vaccine given the fact it is treatable and there have been so many issues with it, but I'm always happy to hear opposing views on it :)
 
Treating lepto is vastly more difficult than preventing it - it is a killer. There is Lepto 2 rather than lepto 4 though.
Other thoughts - don't panic .the more you overthink the worse it its. Get a routine, plenty of praise, toilet training always positive and don't be over anxious about letting him mix and rough and tumble. Avoid shops where unknown people who could have all sortsof nasties will want to grab ands troke puppy- normal dogs will be fine socialised after second jabs.
Leave him til 8 weeks if there are other pups still there - it helps teach bite inhibition playing with siblings.
 
I'm really torn about lepto. My current dog will have had it in his puppy jabs but its not effective long term is it? I need to do more research! But what I've seen recently says it only lasts a few months similar to kennel cough. I definitely need to do more research before I make a decison!

I'm sure I will be fine onces hes here, its the waiting thats making me a bit mental :lol:
 
Congrats on new pup :) I'll just offer some experience on car sickness. Quarrie was quite bad but it was genuine motion sickness as opposed to anxiety. Short trips to begin with, try and work out what works best for the pup i.e. being able to see/not being able to see, good ventilation etc. I did rate Johnsons TravelEze tablets but they have to be given a good hour before travel. Don't feed too soon before a trip. Quarrie is now fine going to and from work (45mins) and shorter trips-plays with his toys etc but I still won't travel him straight after a main feed and the biggest thing to have helped him I think, is a desk fan I brought for his crate-I drive a van and the air flow in the back isn't that great even without a full bulkhead. I'd also use a crate for a pup at least to begin with-they find it really hard to correct their balance in a moving car when wee.

I personally like to get pups at about 10 weeks, certainly no younger than 8 weeks. They hopefully learn manners and bite inhibition from their siblings and mum and it still gives you a good 4 weeks for socialisation (had one at 12 weeks and no problems but much depends on breeder). As for not touching the floor until he's fully vaccinated-just be sensible. Quarrie was 10kg when I got him, any thoughts of carrying him around soon left me! He had two jags 4 weeks apart-I kept him to low dog traffic areas for the first two weeks and then avoided obviously ratty areas (ditches, barns etc) for a week after his second. A younger pup may still need three jags though-so that you can get them out a bit earlier.

Good trainers will be busy and not mind you going to observe-check them out now and get your name down :)
 
Dylan was so very bad in the car! We cured it in the end with endless repetition, travel sickness tablets and always having the window down a little bit. I think his was a combination of genuine motion sickness and anxiety. We still get the odd bout but its few and far between now thank god!

Thats a good idea about the trainers. Thank you, it hadnt occurred to me, duh!

I'm going to get a grip of myself and do something useful and go puppy toy/bed/crate/lead shopping today instead of sitting and overthinking it :lol:
 
My vets run puppy parties (with a dog training club) and they def aren't a free for all. Only 2 pups on the floor at any one time and pups matched for temperament as far as they could. It was more about getting to meet new people than other pups. It was also handy to be able to bring up any issues that you were having: toilet training, nibbling etc. We now go to training classes that are run by the same people.

I have a crate, although I don't use it anymore. The one I have is collapsible so handy for moving around. It's a cheapo one from Pets at Home http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/dog-crates/black-epoxy-coated-dog-crate. Your pup will be a fair bit bigger than mine- I used a cat carrier in the car. He now travels on the front seat in a harness and restrained. He's been in the car almost everyday since I got him and I think he's only been sick twice in it. I think I've been lucky in that though :)

I looked around for dog friendly places he could go to carried. Pets at Home is good although quite a high volume dog shop obviously and often full of squealing children who want to stroke :). Check out your local garden centres, a lot near me allow dogs in the shop and outside bits (but not in the food areas), lower dog area's and less children if you go at the right times. Go Outdoors also have a dogs allowed policy in a lot of them. They were also good places to take him once he was allowed on the floor.

My dog is my first pup I've had as an adult and I honestly thought "what the hell have I done" when I got him home. He soon settled into a routine and is really no bother at all now (he's coming up to a year old). He's a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to new things so I think getting him out and about in a controlled way helped him enormously.

I hope we get plenty of pictures when you get your new arrival :)
 
Hes 5 weeks old and we've called him Floyd. His mum is mainly Laguna and his dad has Sooty Sam lines so hes working bred which I wanted. Neither parent works though, too laid back apparently, which is also what I wanted :lol:

This is him, he has a really funny face marking, half blue and half white so hes really distinctive. He came straight over to me when we arrived and climbed up onto my knee, so I think he picked us :)

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And this is him with his brothers:

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Aww he is so cute.....

Best of luck with him.. Ours is only 9 months so I still remember the stressful (though in a nice way) puppy days....

Fiona
 
they all look lovely and in nice condition......sounds like you have everything covered but are thinking too much. im sure it will all be fine. i have used a crate for my last 2 and found them really useful. my lurcher loves hers and takes herself off every so often and i find her asleep in it. i have covered it with a blanket,just leaving the front uncovered ...when i got my latest pup i used a crate for night times and if i went out as didnt want to leave small pup alone with lurcher in case she attacked her. i also used it in the car to start with so she was secure and this worked fine..i also used it when she was spayed and needed to be kept quiet, worked well,,good luck and keep us updated....
 
FrankieCob said:
I'm really torn about lepto. My current dog will have had it in his puppy jabs but its not effective long term is it? I need to do more research! But what I've seen recently says it only lasts a few months similar to kennel cough. I definitely need to do more research before I make a decison!

I'm sure I will be fine onces hes here, its the waiting thats making me a bit mental :lol:
Click to expand...

My understanding of lepto is that the strains keep changing, hence the need to vax annually.
 
Lepto jab lasts 6 months, doesn't it? I know you take Dylan swimming, so I'd be tempted to keep up the lepto.

I was getting up at 4am for the last pup, bed around 11.30/12. He was in a crate in our room, came into the bed with us after 4am wees :redface3: and slept til 6/6.30. He transferred smoothly to the kitchen once he went to my bil.

I think 7 weeks is ok, mum is generally fed up by then and they're weaned earlier, normally. Socialise massively, especially with other dogs. I prefer mine dog neutral, so not actively seeking them out, I prefer their focus to be on me and I have a mini pack, so they don't need other dogs' company, but I want them ok around others. Pets at Home is good for meeting humans.
 
There was a whippet at the park today, onlead, so I thought it was are to do retrieves with Zak. The owner promptly let it off and it did whippet zoomies round him! I think he was bemused by this little mad thing zooming round, he just stood and stared, no move to kill it!
 
It will end up sleeping in my bed anyway. We bought a super king sized bed as Dylan sleeps in the bed after many failed attempts to get him in his own bed. But I want the puppy crated at least to start with. I've bought one today, a little carrier, a big bag of dog toys and a bowl etc. So I feel a bit more prepared. There was a minor meltdown when I ordered the dog food as I decided I didnt know how to raw feed a puppy, then I got a grip of myself and remembered that I do actually know what I'm doing :lol:

Dylan does the whippet zoomies a lot. He does it to try and incite the other dog to chase him. Being chased is one of his all time favourite things! Dogs tend to react well to him, hes really good with dog aggressive dogs as he doesnt react, just skips out the way.
 
Zak tends to just attack first, try to be best friends later :redface3: only if other dogs get in his face. I think he was genuinely bemused by the whippety thing!

Of course you know how to raw feed-one protein at a time!
 
cinnamontoast said:
Zak tends to just attack first, try to be best friends later :redface3: only if other dogs get in his face. I think he was genuinely bemused by the whippety thing!

Of course you know how to raw feed-one protein at a time!
Click to expand...

Thats why Dylan is soo good with dog aggressive dogs. They go in for the kill and he just zooms out of the way :lol: Hes a teflon dog! I dont like exposing him to it a lot as no matter how non bothered he seems, it feels to me like he should be bothered. He has previously done lots of work with dog aggressive dogs though. There are some benefits to having an overly confident dog clearly :lol:

The raw feeding thing is clearly just another facet of my overthinking stressiness. I annoy myself with it! I am uber cool calm and collected in any situation when its actually happening, I just like to work myself into a frenzy of what ifs in the run up. Its the product of an overly active imagination inflicted on someone who clearly doesnt have enough actual stuff to occupy my mind :lol:
 
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