Hello there! The countdown is on until I get my lab pup - just 2 and a half weeks to go though its taking aaaaages!! I'm going to apologise right now for all my questions as there will likely be many - my husband and I have never had a dog before. We have two small children and two cats so adding an 8 week old lab pup into the mix in a couple of weeks time should be interesting We can't wait! We are getting a chap who we are going to call Gibbs (probably, the name changes on a frequent basis) who is a Red Fox from ThreeValleys Gundogs, does anyone else have a ThreeValleys? I'm currently trying to figure out what puppy food to get as the breeder uses Alpha which I'm considering changing away from and am currently considering JamesWellBeloved, Wainwrights and Millie Wolfheart. Any suggestions? I've got a collar and lead but can someone tell me what the difference is between a lead and a slip lead? Are there any particularly good dog beds out there that people would recommend? Lol, I did say I'd have a few questions.....
Re: Hello from a newbie Hello, welcome! Very exciting getting your puppy. What do you intend to do with it? If gundog training, the right start from the gundog club is very good.
Re: Hello from a newbie Hi Kate, and welcome to the forum from me and my two bundles of mischief. No-one here will mind your questions. The only silly question is one that's not asked As far as food goes, you can ask ten people and get ten different answers. I would say feed the best you can afford. But, what does "best" mean?! Here's a website that might help you make a decision: http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory A regular lead is one that you attach to a collar or harness. A slip lead is an "all-in-one" device. It's a loop that slips to size, hence the name. A regular slip lead is something that's used a lot in the gundog world, but is often a little frowned upon here, unless your dog is 100% loose-lead walking on a regular collar and lead, because they are essentially the same as a choke chain. That said, you can buy limited slip leads, which have a stopper to stop them getting tight around the neck. Then, they're simply used for the convenience of being to slip it off easily. Of course, you have to keep in mind the fact that, unless your dog is actually working, there is a legal requirement for it to have a proper identification tag, which pretty much means a collar or harness to attach it to. Dog beds - it's hard to go wrong with vet bed to start off with, until you work out if your dog is a chewer or not. Expensive beds can be destroyed very rapidly by sharp teeth!! Good luck with your patience over the next couple of weeks. It's a very exciting time!!
Re: Hello from a newbie Hi and welcome to the forum. First recommendation is to read the Happy Puppy Handbook, preferably several times before your puppy arrives home, and make sure your husband reads it to. There is a lot of advice there about bringing your puppy home and equipment. I think most of invest in a crate for our puppies which means you don't have to worry about beds so much, vet bedding in the crate is all that's needed. Any bed you buy is going to be quickly outgrown and probably chewed! I would keep Gibbs (!) on the same food as the breeder to begin with to allow him to settle into his new home before gradually changing to something else. I'm sure others will be along soon as well to welcome and offer advice. Looking forward to see some photos
Re: Hello from a newbie Hi I'm a newbie and about to be first time dog owner as well - our's comes home about a week after your's. I second the recommendation of the Happy Puppy Handbook - it's already been soooo useful and we don't even have our puppy yet I'm sure you'll get tons of good answers and advice on here, there are lots of very friendly and knowledgeable people, as far as I can tell so far
Re: Hello from a newbie Welcome Kate Mega exciting waiting for your pup. As for questions - ask away; answers will be traded for new puppy pics Just kidding (but we really, really like new puppy pics!)
Re: Hello from a newbie Hi Kate, Lovely to ' meet' you on the forum ,what a great place to come to help you prepare properly for the arrival,of your pup. Dexter is our first dog too ,he is 2.5 years old now Best wishes Angela x
Re: Hello from a newbie Hi Kate from another Kate, a woof from Benson 17 months chocolate lab and Casper our 6 year black lab we rehomed from Ireland last year. Love the name Gibbs!
Re: Hello from a newbie Welcome Kate, I'm Heidi - one of the minority American's in the bunch...and I have a 6 month old chocolate girl named Bella. Your life is about to be entirely turned upside down...so enjoy your rest while you can, put away all your valuables, buy extra rolls of paper towels, and read as much as you can. : Best of all...enjoy your new pup!!! What color is he???
Re: Hello from a newbie Hi and welcome from me and 19 month old red fox girl don't think we've got any red fox males on here? I second the happy puppy book - it has got so much useful info from prior to getting your pup, right the way through to them being several months old and training. Good luck and look forward to lots of photos
Re: Hello from a newbie Cheers for the lovely welcome! We have a crate already along with some toys and I have two books which I'm working through, one of which is the Happy Puppy book As Gibbs will be coming home with some food from the breeder I plan to let him settle in and then do a gradual switch to something else, probably JamesWellBeloved if I'm honest. We all are super excited about Gibbs coming home!
Re: Hello from a newbie Hi Kate. A warm welcome from Holly and me in South Wales. I hope that you and Gibbs have a long and happy life together, and look forward to seeing the puppy pictures.
Re: Hello from a newbie Hello! Welcome from me and Lilly my black girl who is almost 5 yrs old Exciting times! Jac
Re: Hello from a newbie Hello Kate, welcome from me and my two young labs. Just make sure you have a Kong amongst the toys so that you can use it with little treats or smeared with peanut butter to help to settle him in his crate. Looking forward to seeing some photos.
