Hi Guys, My husband an I are bringing home our first eve puppy on 29th of August - the wait is almost unbearable! His name is Dexter and currently he is only 4 weeks old! We are in the process of reading anything and everything including many of these forum blogs. but we are looking for any advice anyone feels we would find important and especially on the following topics: 1. The crate, we would like to crate train, but we are undecided, should be have the crate in the kitchen which is where Dexter will need to be while we are at work or do we put in the living room where we are most of the time and where the back door is located for garden potty training (living room is hardwood so no trouble with carpets 2. Crate training - we have a doggy day care lady that will help us out with Dexter for the first month while I am still office based (then I will be home based) when shes not playing with him and we are not around is Dexter okay in the crate or should we give him the run of the Kitchen (im worried about table legs being chewed off) 3. Vets and socialisation - we are booking a puppy party for the pre 2nd vaccination period so he can meet other puppies and then once he is fully vaccinated he will be meeting dogs in day care and loads of family members although we are worried about over whelming him, any major tips on socialisation? and should we take Dexter to the vet for a check before the final vaccinations for a check up - the breeder is already taking him to one regularly for worming and the first set of jabs? Any advise would be greatly appreciated - apologies if I have doubled up on anything from other threads that I haven't got around to reading just yet Daniella
Hello and welcome to the Forum. You didn't say what colour Dexter is. I think August is going to be a very long month for you. Crates are great. They can save your sanity (yes, that cute little bundle will do things you don't like). It is also a place of for your pup. I have only decrated Molly, who is 22months in the last couple of months. She had been using it more or less as a bed for several weeks (I left the door open) and I decided I could do without the crate taking up,half of my study. I used to move the crate from room to room to give her the idea of settling anywhere. Now for the good news. I found Molly very quick and easy to toilet train. I would say she had the idea by the time she was three months. Lucky you, you will be dashing out to the garden every 20 minutes with her in the warm summer months. I was dashing into a cold,,dark,,winter garden. I started using puppy pads but my trainer said that by using them I was giving her permission to wee indoors. I think he was right because her becoming clean coincided with me taking away the pads.
Hi TIna, Thank you for your advice! Dexter is a Golden Lab, we went to visit him again yesterday, he had just had his first bath and was super fluffy!! we were playing with him in the garden but I think we wore him out because he ended up just stopping and having a quick nap on the grass. August is definitely dragging for us! That's good news about the crate, I was worried he might get confused if we moved it from place to place. I have read that the puppy pads have a specific scent that encourage puppies to wee on them, I'm just worried for the first month whilst I am still office based that when he is left in the crate, I don't want him to wet his bed while he is in the crate. Maybe we can start with pads for the first month and then when I am home based we can really encourage the garden training. I don't envy you having to rush out to the garden in winter!! Daniella
Some people have very successfully set up a crate within a puppy pen, using newspaper or puppy pads. That way, the puppy has his bed, but can also go to the toilet if he needs. Toilet training may take a little longer this way, but every puppy is different in that respect, anyway. I saw that you're going to try to get someone to come and check in on him while you're out at work, which is definitely a good idea, because a young puppy will be lonely and scared left alone for a long time, especially when he has just been taken away from his mum and litter mates. As for the socialisation, just get him around all sorts of new sights, sounds and smells as soon as possible. People on bikes, people in hats and hoods, kids of all sizes, elderly people, people with crutches, in wheelchairs. Other dogs of all sizes and ages (that you know have been vaccinated, until Dexter has had his final jabs). Other animals. Cars, buses, motorbikes, lorries. Literally everything you can think of. Try to think out of season, too, so you might need to set up some scenarios with winter clothing, umbrellas etc. Puppy parties can be overwhelming, from what I've heard (no such thing here, so we never did it ourselves), so just keep an eye on him and remove him from the situation if you think he's getting too excitable or needs a break. Personally, I would take him to your vet within a couple of days of bringing him home. Let him settle and get to know you, but then it's good for the vet to give him a good check-up - this allows the vet and your puppy to get to know each other a bit without any nasty injections. It's such an exciting time waiting for your new puppy to arrive - and congratulations on your wedding, too
You won't be able to leave the pup long before he needs a wee. It was every 20 minutes with Twiglet at first. Also, they should not be left for longer than an hour when tiny - they need you for all their socialisation and learning
Thanks guys! Socialisation tips were really handy! I'm a bit confused about the pre vaccination socialisation- I know we need to carry him everywhere until he gets his second jabs but I'm a bit worried if he needs to wee every 20-30 minutes by the time we drive into town for example we will need to come back so he can wee in the garden? Or shall we use puppy pads in the car? Daniella
Puppies have an instinct to not go to the toilet when being carried, so you'll find he can hold it for far longer when out and about. They don't have that same instinct at home - or, rather, they need to learn to extend the instinct they have about not weeing in their beds to apply to the whole house - which is why they need to be taken out so regularly. They just go as soon as their bladder becomes full. We brought Willow back from where she was born, in the car on my lap and later in the footwell. It took four hours and she didn't go to the toilet, obviously because of that instinct. A few days later, when we took her to the vet, we got caught up in traffic and it took about two hours to get home. She started whining while we were stuck in a traffic jam, so we pulled off the road and put out newspaper for her so she didn't touch the ground, but she wouldn't go, so we had no choice but to carry on. She had a massive wee when she got home, though! I think it's good to teach them to hold on for a bit, within reason.
ah brilliant, we will make sure we always have puppy pads and newspaper to hand when we take him out until he is able to go on the floor! Am in the process of looking for car harness (our car is too small for a car crate) I cant wait to get him home and start exploring with him!
Great! The RAC do a good car harness for tiny pups Twiglet is 11 weeks now and lasts an hour or more between wees, one of the times she always needs one is after she's just woken up. In the first week or so it will be after sleep, play, food, anything really. This is why it's a VERY good idea to have summer puppies!!
Thanks Boogie! I was looking everywhere but seeing very poor reviews for the ones in some of the pet shops, I will look at RAC now! Iv been trying to upload a pic of him, signed up to Flicke and used the bb link but it wont work
Hello and welcome, how exciting for you! It's great that you are thinking about all this in advance. Don't worry, the four weeks wait will soon be over and then little Dexter will be home with you.
Thanks for the warm welcome, I am finding this site and these forums invaluable! A friend gave us a 36 inch crate but its far to big for us to start with so we purchased a smaller one - 24 inches for the first few weeks. Everything is falling into place now!! In regards to car harnesses, I know it should be based on puppys chest size, but for now, does anyone have a size recommendation for an 8 week old puppy, I know eventually we will need a large one, but will a small or medium be appropriate for a small puppy? We want to get him out and about as soon as possible so would like to have it all in place prior to his arrival if at all possible. At the pet shop yesterday we saw 2 couples who seemed to know each other who had just picked up their Labrador puppies (only 7 weeks old!!) on the way home from the breeders they stopped at the pet shop and were carrying the pups round whilst scrambling to buy a bed, collar, toys etc - why hadn't they been more prepared!!
I'll be getting my puppy on 9/12 - can't wait! Phoenix88 - you can still use the larger crate, just block the back part off with a box or something like that. I have 2 large crates and will keep one of them in the family room where we spend our evenings and the other in the bedroom - it will be my bedside table for the foreseeable future. This way, I can leave my hand next to the crate if the pup needs some reassuring at night and I can hear if he needs to go out. I'll use a smaller crate for the car so it will fit. Oh! I also have an x-pen, are you familiar with those? Invaluable IMO.
I've missed saying hi to you! Our Dexter is nearly 3 and he's a yellow fellow too! Can't wait to see your Dexter have you got any pics yet? Bye for now Angela
Thanks Jeri, we decided against purchasing the smaller crate and will use a divider for a larger crate but we are going to buy a new crate (long story) does anyone have recommendations of good crates that come with dividers? I'm worried a box will get destroyed! We keep coming across a brand called 'Savic' does anyone have experience with this one? We also found a puppy pen that can attach to and around a crate in any shape so he has a little bit more space while we are at work and can use puppy pads overnight if needs be! Hi Angela, we have got so many pics but I cant figure out how to get them on here, I made a Flickr account and tried to copy ti BB link into the URL thing but it kept saying it was invalid? Daniella
I had a Savic crate when we were fostering. It is really good in my opinion . Good luck with your new pup
I think I finally cracked the photos: Here is Dexter - the first 2 pics at 4 weeks old, and last at 5 weeks old IMG_1044 by Daniella Marshall, on Flickr IMG_1038 by Daniella Marshall, on Flickr Untitled by Daniella Marshall, on Flickr
