Hi, I am new to the site and on the 18th September I will be picking up and bringing home our first family dog - a chocolate labrador (male). He will be 8 weeks old. I have two boys aged 11 & 6 who are very excited about the new arrival as well as me and the husband. I would appreciate any advice on what to expect in our first few weeks and just tips in general from toilet training to feeding and sleeping. Everything ! I would like to ask about letting the pup out in our back garden when he comes home. I know that a second jag is needed at 10 weeks old and he can then start mixing with other dogs from 12 weeks but is he ok in the garden before these ? I know our neighbours have cats that come through our garden and on a couple of occasions over the summer we have had to remove faeces from the garden which we think May have come from a fox. Is it safe for him?
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED Hello and welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your imminent arrival ;D Does your boy have a name yet? So many questions to know the answer to! Have you had a good look around the lab site and forum? Have a look at Pippa's Puppy Advice for starters..... And I would really recommend The Happy Puppy Handbook. With regards to the going out in the back garden, I must admit I had no hesitations about it, but might be worth asking your vet just to be on the safe side depending on where you live. Its such an exciting time, but full of potential worries, and it really is just like having a new baby. Where about are you based? Jac (and Lilly - 4 year old black girl)
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED Hi and welcome I too would recommend the happy puppy book. I wish it was published before I got my pup (Harley is now 1). It talks you though literally everything you need to think about Are you going to crate your boy at night/when he's at home alone? If not, do have have a safe space for him? You might also want to think about where you could put him for short time-outs as you may need to do this around his excitement levels and biting, especially when your oys get him too excited The breeder should tell you what food he is on, I suggest keeping him on this for a few weeks to allow him to settle into his new home before changing (if you do change). You will need to feed him 4 times a day to start with. Socialising him as soon as you get him is really important - you will need to carry him until he is 12 weeks old, but it will get him used to traffic, people, noises etc. lots to take on board when waiting to collect him
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED Hello and welcome from Molly my 11 month old Yellow Labrador. You are in for a wonderful time, but there it isn't all plain sailing. Your sweet little puppy will almost certainly be maniac biter for several weeks. Nothing seems to deter them. It seems unbelievable that a breed so famed for it's gentle good nature should be such a crocodile as a puppy. Fear not, they eventually grow out of it between 4 to 5 months. They are horrendous at jumping up at people. They just want to be friendly and don't seem to understand that humans don't enjoy being jumped on. It appears to be something specific to the breed, at my puppy classes all 3 Labs jumped all over the trainer, whilst the other pups looked on innocently. There will be toilet accidents. Get an enzyme cleaner to clear up after. No matter how diligent you are ordinary cleaners don't remove every trace and what remains behind tells the pup that this is a good place to wee Being smart dogs they get the idea quite quickly. You will be sleep deprived for several weeks, don't panic they eventually settle down into a sleep pattern that humans approve of. I hope I haven't 'rained on your parade'. These are the things that struck me in Molly's first weeks with us and she wasn't my first puppy. I thought 'forewarned is forearmed'. Enjoy your new family member.
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED Hi there and welcome! I have raised two dogs from puppyhood, and both unfortunately got parvo as young pups. Both survived, although it was certainly nasty. They both had received their first innoculations, so the vet thought that helped. However, I know this virus lingers in the soil, and I am not sure but I suspect that is where my pups got to from although who can say? Anyhow I would be cautious about letting your pup out in the garden for too much freedom because of that reason. Of course you have to let them toilet, etc. but it's wise to be careful.
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED Welcome to you. Exciting times! Stock up on Simple Solution and kitchen roll ! ;D ;D ;D (Other cleaners smell of wee to the pup so encourage it to return to the spot and wee there again) My pup is a Guide Dog pup and they have to toilet in a small area. I found this helped a LOT. My own Lab, Tatze, took ages to house train. Gypsy was clean and dry by 11 weeks. I think it's because she knew exactly where to go.
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED from a teeny tiny black 5 1/2 year old Lab known as The DivaDog and her pet human
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED I would let him in the garden. I've always stayed outside with mine for the first few weeks and if you're there you could probably forestall any munching of fox or cat poo. If you have a huge garden perhaps you could fence off a smaller area to make it easier to supervise. It will be lovely for your boys to have a puppy, but do be aware that puppies will pinch and chew up or swallow toys (e.g.Lego). When my son was small we had a cocker spaniel and I found stair gates very useful in doorways to prevent the puppy spoiling models and hurting herself. (Even this time round, with no children, Molly chewed a TV remote and pair of glasses, in addition to the usual paper-type stuff!)
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED It is so difficult - there are risks either way. This article sums it up: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/new-puppy-is-it-safe-to-put-him-in-the-garden/ There was Parvo in the local fox population when i got my pup. I was as careful as I could be, but thinking it through, I sort of thought that if my pup was going to get parvo, it was inevitable. Even though we had a shoes off at the door policy, I'm doubtful that would have done much good if parvo was already present in the garden. I took him to puppy school - on my vet's advice. All 1st vac only pups had to wee inside on puppy pads. All second vac pups went outside, then ran around with muddy paws on the same floor as my pup. :-\ On balance, I took all precautions I could - cleaned the garden, washed down hard surfaces, didn't put him down outside the house and garden and blocked access into my garden as best I could. But let him in the garden to ply and toilet, and took him to puppy school and puppy parties. I think you've just got to weigh up the risks, and do what you think best.
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED Hi. We have no confirmed name for our boy as we haven't seen him since he was 4 weeks old we want to wait till we see him again but at the moment my kids have decided they want to call him Thomson. I have a puppy cage and a play pen. I plant to set up the cage in my kitchen and attach the pen to the sides of the cage. This is so when he is left on his own he is not confined to just the cage. I plan on feeding him in this area too. I'm gonna check out the book mentioned. Sounds like a good investment. Have found lots of good advice through this site but think it's always good to hear other peoples experiences. The breeder is feeding him Royal Canin Maxi Junior so I have been looking at local prices in stockists but the internet is looking like the best deal so far. We are based in South West Scotland. I have been looking round our house thinking how best to prepare for our new arrival. I think I'm more organised than when I was having a baby lol. I've been warning all the current males in my house about leaving shoes, toys etc lying around cause I'm sure they will end up puppy chew toys and worse case they do the puppy harm.
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED I find myself more organised than when I had my babies - and far more fussy than when I had my babies ;D But, like babies, they are all different and you will adapt and change your ideas as you get to know them. I have always had crates for my dogs - until Gypsy! She hated hers so much she now has a puppy pen and loves it. One constant is - lots of kitchen roll and Simple Solution will always be needed!! I find a stair gate really invaluable - it stops Gypsy skipping up the stairs, which is really bad for her joints - and anything needing putting out of her way, like shoes, can go on the stairs ready to go up.
Re: FIRST TIME OWNERS - ADVICE NEEDED/ WELCOMED Hello and welcome! Only a week until puppy day - how exciting Lots of good advice here already. Having his own crate/pen is especially useful as you have children who will no doubt want to spend every waking hour playing with him! He will need his own quiet place when it all gets too much (for him and them!!) I'm sure you're boys are old enough to understand that lab pups are not naturally aggressive despite biting like mini-crocodiles and it will be important to enlist them in helping to train bite inhibition so that you can get past this stage as quickly as possible. Also good to involve them in all other training too. It will help if you are all using the same commands and rules so following Pippa's Puppy Handbook is ideal. Look forward to seeing the first photos of Thomson (or whatever he ends up being called!)
