Hi everyone, I am quite new to this so please excuse the questions if they are simply common sense.... My partner and I will be going to visit our new puppy tonight (to take the first pictures of him and to see his mum Jess) he was only born in the early hours of Sunday morning so will only be small. Our beeeder is very reputable and has been kennel club assured for years and we met with him before Jess was pregnant and everything was perfect but we just wanted to get thoughts on the visit when the pups are only 2days old? Secondly, after the weeks of reading this site and Pippa's books I feel I am quite well-educated ... are there any general tips or advice you would give a new puppy parent when bringing the pup home after the 8/9 weeks? I have two weeks booked off with him and my boyfriend the two after that, so his first month at home will be a month of home training and socialisation. Thanks you in advance! Stephanie
Hello and welcome from me & Rolo my 5 month old yellow lab. Im not an expert, buy I would say visiting 2 days after pups born is far too early. It may be distressing for mum and pups. But that is my opinion rather than an answer. someone else can probably offer more valuable advice! The 2 weeks off will be invaluable with your new puppy. I had 1 week off and this was not long enough! I would say the first 5 days let your puppy settle, learn new home and family. Then start the training and socialization little steps at a time. What will you call him and what colour is he. cant wait to see pics!
You must be very excited! Have you thought about puppy care for after the first month, when you're both back at work? Your puppy will still need company for most of the day. It can certainly be done, with the help of relatives, friends and / or paid visits from puppy carers, but does need organisation in advance. I'm quite surprised that the breeder is allowing you to visit so soon, but I have no personal experience to go on.
I wish we could take a couple of months off... Unfortnately, I work in a bank so I can't! Everything I have been reading up on advises that the pup needs to settle so i'm hoping he will be okay with settling in. Well we have planned his name for twoyears ( a long time in the waiting in being able to finally have him) but he's a little black lab names Barkley I will take some and post as soon as I can... is it bad that i'm overly excited to meet him for the first time?!
Not at all! I was so excited, like yourself. I had read pippas book before we even had a collection date. Its a great time, your life will change. But enjoy every moment.... the really dont stay small for long. Where are you from? P.s the forum is invaluable for help, advice or a rant when you need one.
We have discussed the options of puppy walkers and the visits they can do. My partner works around the corner from our house and his job is quite flexible so he is able to pop back throuhgout the day which is great. I don't work so close to home unfortunately so most of the day trips will be on him, but when this isn'tan option we are looking now for options for puppy walkers and given our area is quite popular for dogs... thankfully there are quite a few! What are people's thoughts on puppy training classes and ' puppy parties' to get the puppy socialised after his vaccinations?
2 days is very early! I think it's quite inappropriate, to be honest, and likely to stress the bitch. Even if she is the best natured bitch in the world, she doesn't know you. What is your set-up for once you and your boyfriend are back at work? 4 weeks is fabulous, but the puppy will need care during the day beyond that, too, so make sure you have it in place as soon as possible. My puppy is coming up 12 weeks, and is nowhere near ready to be left for long periods yet.
Oh we will... like I said its been such a long wait (well it seems that way)... We live in Edinburgh so lots of places to walk and parks to play in with him when he is a little older!
I've not been to a puppy party, and I can't say that I've been tempted to, either. I want my puppy to learn how to settle down, not how to get riled up. She can learn appropriate play from suitable adult dogs, rather than a whole load of other puppies who don't yet know what's right and wrong.
That was one concern we have had, she knows us as we went to visit for quite a while and introduced oursleves before the pregnancy but I do agree she could be a little concerned. My boyfriend works very close to home and is able to pop back in between the day ( he is literally a 3 minute drive) ad his work is flexible which is good. We have three days a week where we are off which will be spent continuing training and also the evenings... How did you manage with the training in the early days if you don't mind me asking?
Oh we will for sure! it's all I talk about at the moment, I'm sure my other half turns off now! We live in Edinburgh so lots of places to walk and parks to play in with him when he is a little older!
Hmmm I think I agree with you there, I wasn't really keen on it anyway as I wouldnt want my puppy amongst rougher dogs which may be too boisterous (over protective already!).. But to be perfectly honest, I agree and think you've made a very valid point in relation to that!
Of course I don't mind It's easier for me, as I work from home (although the amount of "work" that's been done recently is decidedly limited). So, I just fit training around when Luna is awake and in the mood. There's no point trying when she's first woken up, or when she's tired, so I have to pick my time. I've not done a whole lot of the stuff most people are desperate to train, as it's not a priority for me. I've done some early stuff on free stacking (which is how you get them to stand when you're showing, which I intend to try with her), some hand targeting, we've just started targeting objects, attention on me, basic recall games, basic heelwork games, desensitisation to her harness and show lead, encouraging any signs of retrieving behaviour etc. I reward calmness as much as possible - for example, she doesn't get food when she's bouncing around, I wait for her to be calm, either in a sit or stand. Bite inhibition stuff, and toilet training I have to do, obviously, and that's pretty slow going! Although I've not had any blood drawn in the last couple of days, so maybe some progress is being made there! There are some little videos on my blog, if you're interested: https://thislittledoggy.com/
Fiona videos are definitely worth watching! Really helpful. Without wanting to hijack the thread...Fiona how have you encouraged the retrieve? Poppy chases after things and picks them up but if I call her back to me she just drops the item before she gets to me (unless it's the towel for cleaning muddy feet! That she never lets go of!) If she doesn't drop it immediately and I'm near enough her I try and use a treat to get her to "give" but at the sight or smell of food she just drops everything and goes into a sit and seems to lose the connection that the treat is for giving the toy. Is there a book and/or technique you'd recommend?
Oh, I'm not working on anything so formal at this stage! Luna has a natural desire to bring me stuff, so I'll have a little game of tuggy with one of her soft toys, drag it around so she wants to chase it, then toss it away a few feet. She'll chase it and then bringing it back to me, curl up on my lap and have a good chew while I fuss her and wriggle the toy. She is very tactile, so finds that very rewarding. I'm not taking anything off her at the moment. I'm talking about tossing it a metre and a half or so, nothing far. I started it with me in the puppy pen, which would be useful if you have a puppy who runs off with things, or I've seen people play these games in a corridor with the "out" behind the handler, so the puppy wants to run towards them. I'll try to get a video when I can, but I have tech problems...
Regarding visiting after two days... It's not just stressful for the bitch, lots of breeders won't allow it for fear that disease may inadvertently be brought to the puppies.
Hi and welcome. Make sure you get lots of sleep before Barkley arrives, and nap when he naps during the day as it will help you feel less sleep deprived in the coming months. I took 2 weeks off work, then worked very part time hours for 2 more weeks (2hrs per day), then part time (18hrs per week) and eventually to my normal hours (25hrs PW). Doing it over 6 weeks really helped settle her. When I was back to 25hrs, I would do 2.5 hrs, go home for lunch (1hr - I live 3-5min drive from work), then worked another 2.5hrs. In the past 2 years I have increased my hours to 32hrs and employed a dog walker 3 days a week to ensure she is never home alone for more than 4 hours at a time. For example, the day's my dog walker comes I leave at 8.20am, he arrives by 11.30am, drops her home around 1pm, I get home just after 4pm. I look forward to hearing more about your pup
Aww Naya that is great advice... I will definitely need it given the information i've been reading. It looks like i will be up multiple times during the nights to make sure i'm helping him with his toilet training! Oh I see... That will be similar to my boyfriend... He lives not far away and will be able to nip in during the day, also we are looking at puppy visits and walkers etc (it's just the cost - but it's worth it for sure!). I will try and keep you all updated.. the visit with the mum and her pups went really well she was so calm and happy to see us . It was amazing finally seeing that our little pup was here instead of just waiting on him Thank you for all the advice it is really helping with a fee queries!... Random one here but, I have read mixed reviews on puppy/dog kongs. It's supposedly amazing for keeping the puppy entertains (and to prevent damage to other items) but I have seen mixed reviews about them... What are everyone's thoughts? (again sorry for the multiple questions!)
I use Kongs every day. I soak the pup's food, stuff the Kong and freeze. It lasts Mollie (16 weeks) about 20 minutes. I give her one after each meal - I like them calm after meals. I also give one if I have to leave her alone - but she's only alone for an hour a day.
