puppy

yogidc26

HI All

I'm just about to get my first puppy on Sat all going well. Just have a few questions if anyone could help that would be great

1. When can I start training him? (Not just house training)

2. I have to travel for an hour in the car to get him home do I need to get a carry thing or will he be ok in a box?

3. Is there any good books out there to teach me and him about training and looking after a dog?

I want to make a big effort with him I know by putting in the work early it will pay off in the long run so any help you can give me will be every much appreciated


Thanks you in advance

Alfasudcrazy

I think carrying the pup in a box might frighten it . Its already going to be frightened by being separated from its current location. I think it would be better to put it on the car seat . That way it can see its surroundings and wont be as disturbed as much.

I wont venture any advice on training.

Nala

Make sure you bring some towels in case he gets travel sick.

As far as training, that starts from the very beginning, if you don't want him to jump up on you, get up on the couch, sleep somewhere inappropriate when he's grown up then say NO when he does it from the start. He won't understand "I'll let him do it the first few days, just til he settles in" etc. Get him used to having a bath, walking properly on a lead, grooming (even just with a baby brush) while he is small and easy to manage. And other stuff like having his mouth opened (makes it easier for the vet if he ever gets teeth problems), having his paws lifted, ears looked at etc.

As for books, I just searched Amazon here's the link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0/202-7534403-0075000?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=dog%20care&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Adog%20care%2Ci%3Astripbooks

Eason's are good for dog books too.

You sound like you're on the right track, prevention is better than cure and it's good to know how to look after an animal before you get it

CrowdedHouse

yogidc26 wrote:

HI All

2. I have to travel for an hour in the car to get him home do I need to get a carry thing or will he be ok in a box?

Thanks you in advance

Bring someone with you and carry the pup on your lap.
We had to bring our pup from Fermanagh which was a 3 hour drive.We carried her on a blanket on our lap,wasn't a bother on her.She slept a lot of the way.
We did make a couple of short stops but I'd say an hour journey would be ok

Be sure to bring a kitchen roll and maybe an old towel in case of accidents.

rubyred

We had a three hours journey home with our pup. She slept most of the way. Bring a towel with you and rub it against her mam (or brothers and sisters - whoever she is with when you get her). Curl the towel round her on the way home and she will smell them and sleep. Also the first night, put a hot water bottle under her blanket / bed (not too hot obviously) - she will think it is the warmth of her bros and sis. I was also advised to put a loudly ticking clock near her too cos she willl think it is their heart beats. Once you get past the first few nights she will be fine.

You can begin toilet training pretty much straight away. The first week or two she/he will go anywhere all the time as their bladders cant hold on for long. Bring her/him outside every half hour and they will soon get the idea. It took us 4-5 months before she was totally trained. She is 6 months now and has an accident maybe every other week. Just ignore her and mop it up when she does it wrong and praise her till you feel like an idiot when she does it right.

I took our puppy to puppy classes at 14 weeks and she learnt to sit, roll over, wait etc. Your local vet will be able to tell you about them. They only cost about a tenner each and the course usually only lasts about 5-6 weeks (well worth the money in my opinion). They also teach you about worming, fleaing, cutting toenails, cleaning ears, and generally how to tell when something is wrong.

PaulyB63

With regard toilet training I have said before that I am a big fan of crate training. We got a crate on ebay (half price compared to here!) We put the pups bed in it and left the door open for the first week. He went into the crate himself to sleep and once he was happy with it we closed the door, 5 mins for the first few days gradually increasing it over the week. Again he was happy and didnt mind the door being shut. The idea is you want him to be comfortable in his crate not put there for punishment etc. After about 2 weeks we locked him in overnite. Some will tell you a pup cant hold on if its under 6 months, which is what I thought but on advice of trainer we tried it and he was fine. He was approx 12 weeks old when he was first locked in overnite and had no adverse affects. Hes now 6 mths and fully housetrained, he has been since that nite in crate, all of a sudden he got it that indoors is not a toilet so hell sit by back door to let us know when he needs to go out.
If you dont want to use crate, dont use paper in house, leave his water bowl outside and after hes been out for a drink keep an eye on him and if he wees outside praise praise praise. If he goes inside ignore it and clean it up using disinfectant or vanilla essance as you need to get rid of amonia smell or hell go again. Key times for toilet is on waking, after food and after play, you need to have eyes in back of your head but its so great when you finally break through!!
We put a name to the action, ie our fella will pretty much go on command if we say go wee, very handy when you need him to do his business last thing at nite and dont fancy being out in garden in your dressing gown for 2 hrs!!!
We dont really rely on food as a reward, it works with most dogs but ours inst that motivated by food so on a walk we use a stick as he loves fetch and in the house we use our attention. ie we dont walk into a room and pet him for nothing he needs to earn it. Sounds harsh but if I go into kitchen and am washing dishes and he bounds over jumping on me etc he gets ignored, if he comes over and sits I say good sit leroy and give him lots of pets, that way he knows im pleased and why so hes likely to repeat the behaviour - its constant work, if you let one thing slide they remember and you have to work extra hard to get him back on track - were still working on the consistancy issue as our guy is just so stubborn you have to be contantly on top of him! best of luck and if you need a trainer pm me as we used a lady who id highly recommend and she wasnt that expensive.

rubyred

It's mad how they get to know words if you use them all the time when doing a certain thing. She knows that "peepee" means she has to go to the toilet (ie. before bed time), "sleepies" mean that it's bedtime and she has to go to her bed. She's starting to learn the word "teddy". If I say it about five times in a row, she'll run off and bring her teddybear back to me.

It is hard work, but is worth every single minute. Sometime my boyfriend accuses me of loving her more than him, and I assure him that it not the case - but sometimes I secretly wonder!!!

wexford12

I would get a crate straight away its so much easier for training and feeding sleeping etc.Some think it cruel but it not you will find the dog feels safe there and wants to go into it.As for the drive home im sorry but a box is a must if you dont want sick all over the car,also the puppy will feel a lot safer the big bad world is a scary place make it smaller for the dog to start off.

tinkerbell

My folks got a Newfoundland puppy and it only took a week or two to get him to understand that "pees and poos" are for outside, not inside. He might have the odd accident, but he's very good now He's the best puppy ever!!

peasant

wexford12 wrote:

...As for the drive home im sorry but a box is a must if you dont want sick all over the car,also the puppy will feel a lot safer the big bad world is a scary place make it smaller for the dog to start off.

The drive home is an ideal opportunity to bond with the little thing.

Keep it comfy, keep it calm, keep it in your lap ...don't lock it into a box.

Also keeping it close to you takes away the scariness of what is probably its first time ever of being in a car.

If on the other hand you want to achieve that your dog is scared of cars for the next few months (possibly for life) stuff it in a box, don't let it see anything and abandon it in there to roll around in its own sick.

whippet

Some very good posts here. I am looking at getting my first puppy and I am nervous as hell about it.

At home with my parents we all ways had a dog .. amongst other pet and I really have grown up around them .. but this will be the first time a dog will be my sole responsibility.

I have more or less decided I want a lab as I will probably be starting a family in the next year or so and I grew up with a lab at home. I have a fair sized garden, both myself and my wife work very close to home so there will be morning, lunch and evening time walks .. plus my dad (Dr. Doolittle) lives up the road and will probably try to abduct the dog while I am not there as he loves animals so much.

Apart from house training, what else should I be thinking about, I want the garden to be the dogs playground with as many toys and bits and pieces to keep him occupied, where would I find the optimum feeding guides? My family were always the type to cook an extra dinner for the dog !! but I don’t really want to go down that route.

What do I have to look out for about labs?

I just want to do it right, I have always loved dogs and the company they give .. but I want to make sure the feeling is two ways .. that the dog gets as much from me as I do from him/her !!

Actually that leads on to another point … He or She .. how do you decide?

fits

whippet wrote:

I have more or less decided I want a lab as I will probably be starting a family in the next year or so and I grew up with a lab at home. I have a fair sized garden, both myself and my wife work very close to home so there will be morning, lunch and evening time walks .. plus my dad (Dr. Doolittle) lives up the road and will probably try to abduct the dog while I am not there as he loves animals so much.

Apart from house training, what else should I be thinking about, I want the garden to be the dogs playground with as many toys and bits and pieces to keep him occupied, where would I find the optimum feeding guides? My family were always the type to cook an extra dinner for the dog !! but I don’t really want to go down that route.

What do I have to look out for about labs?

I just want to do it right, I have always loved dogs and the company they give .. but I want to make sure the feeling is two ways .. that the dog gets as much from me as I do from him/her !!

Actually that leads on to another point … He or She .. how do you decide?

I was very excited there as thought you were getting a whippet pup! Major fan of whippets so I am...:)

It sounds like you'll have a good setup doggy wise. Theres a few posts on here about what to look out for when buying from a breeder, so I wont go into it, having never bought from a breeder myself.

Most people I know feed one of the 'complete' dry kibble varieties. I've just changed mine to Burns, but there are other quality brands. The Burns works out costing about 1 euro per dog per day, a 15 kg bag costs me 50 euro. Some feed Red Mills which is a lot cheaper (about 20 euro) and produced in Ireland. These foods always have feeding guidelines going by weight. Just dont feed crappy Pedigree chum, or any of the supermarket varieties. Theres a natural diet called the BARF diet, but I dont know much about it. One thing you do have to watch with labs is their weight. They really are what I'd call a good doer... they'd live on fresh air. Be careful not to let the weight get out of control, cos its hard to shift once it goes on.

And it has to be said by someone... but do consider a rescue. Lots of labs available for rehoming.
have a look on www.petsireland.invisionzone.com and www.irishanimals.ie

whippet

I would be very concious of the weight issue, I play footie up the road a few evenings a week and when I am not playing I would be watching so the dog will be getting plenty of fresh air and exercise.

Food is an other issue ... I reckon it will just have to a diciplined time schedule of feeding and not to be tempted to feed from the table or snacks.

what sort of toys would you recommend?

I have heard stories about lab pubs chewing furniture and table legs ... can this be avoided at all ?

fits

whippet wrote:

I would be very concious of the weight issue, I play footie up the road a few evenings a week and when I am not playing I would be watching so the dog will be getting plenty of fresh air and exercise.

Food is an other issue ... I reckon it will just have to a diciplined time schedule of feeding and not to be tempted to feed from the table or snacks.

what sort of toys would you recommend?

I have heard stories about lab pubs chewing furniture and table legs ... can this be avoided at all ?

I dont feed from the table myself, and I have two 'skinny' dogs. I personally cant stand it when dogs 'beg'. And I really cant stand it when people give them bits anyway after I've asked them not to...
You can train them not to chew by having a box full of chewy toys. Any time you catch the pup chewing something its not allowed to, remove it and replace it quickly with one of the pup's toys. Pup will learn to go to its box when it wants a chew. Different pups will like different toys with different textures so you'll have to experiment. I've heard good things about Kongs, but never owned one myself. Crate training is also a great way to bring up a pup. Do a google search on it and you'll find lots of information.
You could also avoid the chewing thing is by getting an older dog. I've never had chewing issues with my two rescued lurchers.

I just looked on Irish animals and there are some beautiful dogs up for rehoming. Heres the Dublin link..
http://www.irishanimals.ie/dublin_homes.html

Nala

As far as chewing goes- lots of people make the mistake of giving the dog an old shoe to chew on. A dog doesn't know the difference between your old castoffs and your wife's prized Jimmy Choos!!!

Jotter

whippet wrote:

I have more or less decided I want a lab as I will probably be starting a family in the next year

If you are planning a family then I would suggest a dog run in the garden. Nothing major, ours is patio slabs fenced off but the fencing has slats in it so the dog can see whats going on. That way if you want to let the baby out in the garden to play on grass you dont have the dog jumping all over the place. If you get him used to it before any babies come he wont see it as a big deal and itll be handy for when you have bbq or party and hes in the way of your guests with big mucky paws!

I would also train the dog not to jump on people as they could knock a kid over by just playing about.

Make sure you socialise the pup really well particularly with children, this should be done before 16 wks of age, train train train - our guy is trained but stubborn - we thought we were being consistant with him but obviously not consistant enough! make sure he knows where the food is coming from ie you and make sure he doesnt get possessive about his food, feed him and place your hand near the bowl, pet him while eating, walk around him etc bec if you dont and you have a toddler sticking their hands in the bowl your once docile pet could surprise you with a snap.

Crate training is great and if you need a guiding hand pm me and ill give you the name of a really good trainer, we used her and I thought she was great!

I have a 6 mth old pup and a 9 mth old baby and the pup is SOOOOOOO much more work than a baby! Everyone told me so but of course I knew better :rolleyes: Oh so many things I thought I knew and Ive now resigned myself to the fact that I know nothing

Sigma Force

Where are you getting the pup from? If it's from a genuine breeder then they must be able to give you all the info on care and training you need otherwise don't touch them with a barge pole.
A rescue pup would of course be better and a good rescue will give you all the info you need, there are lab puppies in rescue. If starting a family be sure you really want the dog all too often babies come along and dogs are shoved outside. Invest in a dog run just in case but that does not mean leaving the dog outside 24/7.
People pic labs because they think they are a great family dog, yes they can have a sweet nature but they are also a working breed and become bored very easily they don't just laze about all day beside the fire they are a lot of hard work which doesn't stop once a baby comes along as at a year old they would still be puppyish. Never transport a dog or pup on your lap use a proper dog crate or a plastic pet carrier you can get ones that can be attached to a seat belt. An hour isn't too long just line the carrier with newspaper and an old towel.

Be wary of dodgy dog breeders too, too many of them around.

corkimp

If you can't have someone with you (like me this saturday-travelling for over an hour and a half) ensure the pup is safe in the car - maybe a travel crate. It's open and they can see all around but are safe. As for training, start with how you wish to proceed. I did a dog training course and for the majority of people who have problems with dogs jumping up is because they rub the dog when it jumps up, carried it around in their arms and so on. If you want a dog to stop, do not praise it by rubbing it. It is demanding attention. make it sit before you do it and tell people who call over or meet you and your pup, not to pay attention to the pup when is jumps up or does something you don't want. If you want some more info on the basics, pm me and I can give you some information I got through my course. I am a dog trainer but unfortunately not enough demand for me to go full time.
Oh and always feed yourself and your family before your dog - otherwise the dog thinks its more important then you - this will lead to problems in the long run.

Arcadian

peasant wrote:

.
Keep it comfy, keep it calm, keep it in your lap ...don't lock it into a box.

And don't worry if you have to slam on the brakes in an emergency, the pup might be killed but sure won't it know who you are before it goes:(