update on 'am i wasting my time?' thread!!

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MrVelvet

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............. tomorrow we're going to view a potential new member of the family! We're going to view a litter of 9 week old puppies that were unfortunately abandoned without their mother at the side of the road :(. They are currently in foster care in a house with no garden!! and we have managed to secure a small section outside our house (we live in back to back cottages so behind we have a communal yard area) for house training purposes! a puppy was the bottom of our list really but everything happens for a reason or so they say! eeeeeeeeeeeeeek im excited :)

ps - I am very aware of the hard work to come and am more than prepared (just my disclaimer for any trolly types present :) )
 
Ooh, everyone loves a puppy and great that someone rescued the poor family. Do you know what sort of breed they are?
 
:mad: I am thoroughly appalled that you haven't done pictures. :mad::D When do you get her? Wll you crate train? What you gonna feed her? What you gonna call her? Where's she gonna sleep?

Not that I'm mosey or anything! :o
 
cinammontoast said:
:mad: I am thoroughly appalled that you haven't done pictures. :mad::D When do you get her? Wll you crate train? What you gonna feed her? What you gonna call her? Where's she gonna sleep?

Not that I'm mosey or anything! :o
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ohhh haha I know, I cant believe it either I just forgot my phone :(. I will upload photos soon as poss :) The ladys checking my references (theyre a bit paranoid as apparently someones been trying to get them for bait dogs :(and asking for puppies whther theyre dead or alive :( ) and all being well we can collect her next week! shes currently name less :( Im researching feeds now, I've always fed my dogs Iams... but I'm wondering if she might need something softer with her puppy teeth? (all advice gratefully received!)She will sleep on her brand new sofa bed hopefully in the utility room, but untill shes house trained we've got a cage (will be left with the door open though as she cannot cause any mischief in that room) with pads inside for any accidents! if anyone can think of anything i've missed please tell me ahhh I'm so excited, I don't know much about crate training, but from what I've read I'm not too keen! I'm only working part time at the moment so she'll never be on her own so will hopefully be house trained quite quickly!

eta - were also going to puppy classes! shes a bit nervous, so thought it may help with confidence issues too :)
 
I'd make the crate her bed, don't put the pads in there. Put the pads or newspaper in the furthest corner away from her bed/near the door.
PM Cayla, she has a crate training guide/puppy pack.

Iams wouldn't be the best food in the world, would you be interested in feeding raw, my pup has been on raw since he was weaned and I am constantly getting complimented on his coat/condition :) or even something like the Prize Choice pet mince or Nature Diet.
 
CaveCanem said:
I'd make the crate her bed, don't put the pads in there. Put the pads or newspaper in the furthest corner away from her bed/near the door.
PM Cayla, she has a crate training guide/puppy pack.

Iams wouldn't be the best food in the world, would you be interested in feeding raw, my pup has been on raw since he was weaned and I am constantly getting complimented on his coat/condition :) or even something like the Prize Choice pet mince or Nature Diet.
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Yes, I didnt mean I'd want her to wee in the bed I just meant I'd put something in there that wouldn't matter if it was soiled and needed to be replaced :)
would you be interested in telling me a bit more about the raw diet :) is it self explanatory? I'l google the other two :)
I've PM'd Cayla, Thank you :)

eta - I meant the cage to be the bed for the time being :)
 
There's a sticky about the raw diet at the top of the board :)

My dog is fed tripe, chicken wings and pig's ears :p and a few handfuls of Skinners kibble a day as a training aid, you can see your face on his coat :) and hardly any poo :D
 
it looks very complicated! to simplify would it be a variety of raw chicken and lamb etc?
it also says to feed chicken carcass' ... surely not bones too? I'm going to do some more research on this as a more 'natural' diet for them must be good?
 
Yep, bones too, chicken wings have bones in :) raw chicken bones are fine, it's cooked bones that splinter and do damage. For a baby pup you can hold the chicken wing so that they don't gulp it down in one go or just wait until they are a little older.
Do whatever suits your dog, some dogs don't take to it, others do (my adult dog cannot tolerate it) but I think it's a great way to feed :)
 
ahh I understand :) well I definitly like the idea of including raw meats into their diet. Thanks everyone for your help :) I'll have some photos soon for you all :) and then I'l need some help naming her :)
Hayley
 
I second Iams being a bit poo. Google the ingredients and maybe look at the dog food analysis site to see reviews. This is an analysis of Iams puppy food. :(
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1769&cat=all

Raw is brilliantly cheap, probably the cheapest way (and in my opinion) the healthiest. I switched my dogs onto it at about four or five months, starting with chicken wings. Bones are fine if not cooked. Read the raw sticky above for suppliers, types of food, prices etc. It's a piece of cake once you establish what staples you're gonna use.

If you're not comfortable feeding raw, then choose a decent kibble like Arden Grange, James Wellbeloved, Barking Heads, Acana or Orijen. There are others, but anything you can get from the supermarket is best avoided.
 
ooh you can get the james wellbeloved from my local farmstore :) well thankyou, id rather you tell me it was rubbish, i want her to have the best :) iv read a lot of reviews on the raw diet and theyve all been really good, so i think im a convert! does it make their breath smell or make them farty? =/ id have thought it would thats all! ?

has anyone any toy recommendations ? :)
 
No farts or bad breath here and he still smells like a gorgeous puppy and I stick my face in his fur and go 'mmmmmmmmm!'.

But anyyyyway.....get a couple of Kongs, keeps them busy for hours...and ball-on-a-rope toys are great for fetch, recall and focus training :)
 
WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?? All this helpful advice and not ONE solitary pic?

HURUMPGH

I have seriously gotta get fat pants on raw.... but what do you use as training treats? Our current training strategy can mean he can consume 50% of his entire ration whilst out (in sausage form|) depending on how many dogs we see....
 
Honestly, you can go too far with worrying about treats. Like CC, i use kibble too, mostly Orijen. I also make liver cake and give it in crumb sizes, having made loads, freeze and defrost as required. The OH says it's dog crack :eek: cos they'll do anything for it. They slide into a sit from across the kitchen!


1Lb (450g) lamb or ox liver.
1Lb (450g) self raising flour.
3 eggs.
2 cloves of garlic.
milk or water.

Whiz in blender, chop liver into chunks first or it tends to wrap round blades and burn out motor. :o

Bake on gas mark 4 for forty minutes.

Fish4dogs is bril, but expensive, for treats. Anything is fine-does he like carrots?

Withdraw training treats slowly, use a toy instead, maybe.

I have a voucher for James Wellbeloved, £1.50 off a 1.5 kg bag or bigger. Anyone want it? If so, pm me the address. I've also got 4 forms for samples if I have the address. Let me know. Voucher runs out 31/10/11.
 
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Cheese is our dog's favourite treat - we have to be careful with her with fatty stuff (like sausages/sausage pieces) - she scoffs them and then they will be thrown up almost immediately. Not pleasant! Small chunks of cheese though go down a treat!
 
Above liver cake recipe also works with tinned tuna or mackerel in oil, just thoroughly mash the latter and omit the water. I microwave it in small plastic trays for around 3-4 minutes, produces a rubbery slab that can be cut into tiny chunks and keeps for a week in the fridge. :)
 
EEK exciting!

MrVelvet said:
ooh you can get the james wellbeloved from my local farmstore :) well thankyou, id rather you tell me it was rubbish, i want her to have the best :) iv read a lot of reviews on the raw diet and theyve all been really good, so i think im a convert! does it make their breath smell or make them farty? =/ id have thought it would thats all! ?

has anyone any toy recommendations ? :)
Click to expand...

Just a warning. Do lots and lots of research before you start the raw diet because it can be done wrong and that is really not good.

You need to work out weights and think about what meats and organs you can source because its all about a variety of muscle meat with the right bone content and secreting organ content.
 
cinammontoast said:
1Lb (450g) lamb or ox liver.
1Lb (450g) self raising flour.
3 eggs.
2 cloves of garlic.
milk or water.

Whiz in blender, chop liver into chunks first or it tends to wrap round blades and burn out motor. :o

Bake on gas mark 4 for forty minutes.
Click to expand...

What do you bake it in, just a normal baking tin, or a bread tin and how long does that last, the one I train isn't interested in toys, but she get's her treats instead of dinner.
Mine currently get chopped up steak or chicken, but wonder if this would be better (I work in a steak house so they get the left overs, but at £49 a steak I wouldn't be leaving any!!!).
 
It gets made in a silicone baking tray, probably 10 inches by 8, quite shallow. Because it's for the dogs, I don't care what it looks like. It's a cake, so it lasts about 4/5 days in the fridge. I make loads and cut it up very small then put in bags that will last two days for my lot. Because it's got flour and I'm not keen on grains for dogs, they get tiny amounts. I'm having to make it for the neighbours now and at class, I was mobbed by the other dogs. :eek:
 
katielou said:
EEK exciting!



Just a warning. Do lots and lots of research before you start the raw diet because it can be done wrong and that is really not good.

You need to work out weights and think about what meats and organs you can source because its all about a variety of muscle meat with the right bone content and secreting organ content.
Click to expand...

thanks for the advice :) i think iv gone off it anyway! weve got some james beloved lamb and rice kibble, be loads easier!


and to everyone else...... IM PICKING HER UP ON MONDAY!! i thought it would take much longer, but i was wrong. she rang me this morning... ahhhhhh!!!!!



eta - im making liver cake too :D
 
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