Any last minute tips? Or things to have on hand? This is what I have ready for him so far: Crate Several towels and a blanket (we’ll get him a bed soon once he’s semi-house broken) Hair brush and toothbrush/paste Toy basket with toys (plush, squeaky, rope, nylabones, Kongs) Deer antlers and cow ears Potty bells Natures miracle spray Bitter apple spray Leash Collar and harness Puppy pads (small pack just in case) Small bag of the food he’s on now and we’ve picked a food to switch him to so I’ll grab a small bag of that soon Baby gates and playpen have been retrieved from attic I need to plug in the baby monitor We’re getting a dog tag tomorrow I called our vet, she doesn’t need to see him until his next shots since he’ll have a vet visit at the Breeders For the ride home (about 15 minutes, lol) I’m taking a cardboard box layered with a puppy pad and towels, his collar and leash (in case he tries to climb in an unsafe spot) and paper towels. He’ll sit with/between the kids in the backseat. I’ve made (and posted on the wall) a list of the first commands to teach: drop it, leave it, down, go potty (what else should be a priority). I’m trying to find a printable list of yes/no human foods to put on the fridge. I’ve cleared my schedule for the next week (and even after that I’ll rarely be gone and dh/kids will be home). I know I’ve overplanned (I do that) but I must be missing something. Oh, I cleared space on my phone for lots of photos too
Congratulations on Saturday Gotcha Day! You sound very prepared and that's great that you have such a short drive home. Hope you have a wonderful day (and all the days after) and please come back here and post lots of pictures.
Well, you have covered the main thing...plenty of space on your mobile for photos! I would miss out the antler (very hard...) and add a couple of puppy kongs (essential...) Oh...and get a couple of early nights.....
Oh, you are very well prepared! How exciting. The very best thing we bought for baby Pongo was some vetbed (we bought a 1m length and cut it in half, thinking one for the house and one for the car). I know you have a blanket already but honestly, vetbed is magic stuff. I was put off by the fact it is expensive, but Pongo is now four and a half and his two little pieces of vetbed are STILL his favourite chew-toy, comforter, carpet-protector, enemy-to-be-shaken-and-killed-viciously, and tuggy. It has been through the washing machine dozens of times and is still good as new. It is the best value investment we made by a long, long way. Also, don't be disappointed if your lovely toys are ignored while an old cardboard box or empty plastic bottle are considered the best toys EVER!! And final thought...I'd suggest you keep him on the food that he is used to for several weeks, until he has settled in completely; there will be a lot of change in the little lad's life, and keeping that thing constant for him is probably good. Have a wonderful day on Saturday and please tell us all about it!
Recall! (says the woman who has completely failed to teach Pongo to come back when called unless he feels like it....)
Yes, get a copy of Total Recall (and The Happy Puppy Handbook if you don't have that) because it will teach you how to do recall training right from the very first day. First things to train should also include lots of handling - checking teeth, ears and eyes. Lots of treats for this. Desensitisation to the harness. No mugging games: Separation training: Nose targeting your hand - very useful tool to have in your arsenal. (Thought I'd included a Nando video just to keep @charlie happy )
D'oh! Forgot to list those, got 'em Dh got the antlers, I'm not thrilled with the idea, figure we'll wait awhile before even trying them. Have a puppy kong and kong bone thingy, once we know how he does we'll get a few more. As for the early night, I wish! Youngest son gave me his cold so sleep is hard to come by this week. They say with newborns to sleep when the baby sleeps, that works with puppies too right? I have not found vetbed around here yet, is that a UK thing? (I'm in the US), the stuff on Amazon seems to be generic with lousy reviews. I'll keep looking. Ah yes. Never a shortage of those around here! Having kids I'm all too familiar with the "likes the box better than the toy" scenario. Well shucks! I figured a week maybe two would be good so I just got the small (8 pound) bag, dh told me to order the bigger bag. Hopefully little Remy will adjust quickly because I wouldn't want dh to be right (kidding, I'll do whatever is best for the dog, even if I have to admit I was wrong ) Thank you! Added to the list! Thanks for all the tips so far! Keep 'em coming and as a thank you I promise to post some puppy pics next week
Oh, yep, got that too. Read it and have it saved. I'll get the Total Recall Book soon and check out those videos, thank you! That brings up another question.....anyone have any videos/books for kids about training/caring for dogs. My youngest son is soooo excited about the puppy and can't wait to teach him to play dead He's only 7, can read well for his age and loves to watch YouTube videos.
All the Kikopup videos are worth a watch and easy to understand. With a child of that age in the house, I would encourage you all to watch the videos at http://stopthe77.com/
Ah, not sure. You can certainly get it on amazon.uk (see below for screenshot). It really is worth looking for.
