New puppy

gimmick

We are getting a puppy cocker spaniel tomorrow. Both of us been looking forward to it for ages, but now I am getting a bit nervous that I will not be able to train him correctly.

What tips would anyone give who has had puppies to get the ball rolling, as in, what should he be trained first besides potty?

Also, how often should he be fed every day? Obviously we would hate to over/under feed him.

Finally, what is the best way to socialise him? Just take him out on the lead in a few weeks and let him sniff at other dogs or what?

Main worry for me is my sis in law has a Spitz who has never been trained,and the poor fecker is a disaster. He is angry to everyone bar a select few, always goes for other dogs, has bitten in the past and totally disobedient. I feel sorry for him as it is not his fault. I do not want our guy to be even remotely like him.

Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.

Toulouse

Great link here with pretty much everything you need to know.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/digital-dog-training-textbook

Pups should be fed 4 times a day. Find out what food the breeder has him on and then if needs be you can switch him to a better one. Just do it very gradually as switching too quickly can result in an upset tummy. Guideline amounts will be on the back of the bag. Get the worming program from the breeder so you know when he needs his next dose.

Socialisation can start immediately but obviously be careful until all vaccinations are finished. I think DBB has posted something on this before so will try to find it.

Here we go http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79696531

gimmick

Great stuff. Will get my nose into those today.

Zulu

First off, congratulations!
You have a few tough months ahead of you, but don't worry they'll fly by. Charge your camera. They grow unbelievably quickly and in two years you'll wish you took more photos/footage.

Get yourself a crate today - prior to their arrival. This will greatly help the puppy settling in. The crate is like a secure den. Get yourself an old blanket, and see if you can get it over to the breeder. If you can get the bitch & littlermates to spend sometime on the blanket it'll pick up their scent. This can then be put in the crate to help ease the little ones separation.

DO NOT respond to howls and crying the first few nights. This is impossibly hard, but you'll need to start as you mean to go on.

As for training - don't. Not yet.

I'd say focus on manners - no biting, no running through a door unless invited, no barging through a door before you, and toilet outside.

Other than that focus on playing, and taking photos for the next 4-6 months.

Zulu

Also my vet ran puppy socialisation classes - these were brilliant. If you're in dublin they're the vets in fairview - anicare.
This worked out great for us as our dog now associates the vets with the puppy classes and not all the vaccinations, and the spaying (15 months later)

gimmick

No, we are in Cork, and we are collecting the pup in Killarney, so the blanket idea cannot be done I'm afraid.

A person I know does classes afaik, so hopefully she can point us in the right direction.

Cheers for the tips.

Zulu

You could bring the blanket with you. Sure you can wait 10/15mins while getting the puppy, and during that time have the blanket with the litter mates.

Whispered

Great advise from Zulu! Everything you need

However I do think a bit of training can be done. More self control than actual obedience if you know what I mean, like a sit, or a leave it can be thought gently and in a fun way. 5 mins a time. It's very good for bonding and teaches a pup not to stress if it can't do what it wants.

I totally agree with crate training. Best thing ever. You will have to get up every few hours to bring him out though because as a baby he will not have any bladder control.

I wouldn't teach a dog to not bite full stop. I'd practise bite inhibition with him. It's more important to teach him how to mouth gently rather than teach him not to mouth at all. If something ever terribly scares your dog, or if a vet for example hurts him a dog, most dogs, will lash out. If you have thought him to mouth gently, he wont just clamp down. If you know what I mean.

Puppy socialisation classes are great for confidence building so long as it's properly supervised and managed. If you can find one then go. It's a lot of fun for the owners too! Choose your classes carefully, if there is any talk about dominating your pup, physically pushing the pup into a sit etc then reconsider.

cocker5

gimmick wrote: »

We are getting a puppy cocker spaniel tomorrow. Both of us been looking forward to it for ages, but now I am getting a bit nervous that I will not be able to train him correctly.

What tips would anyone give who has had puppies to get the ball rolling, as in, what should he be trained first besides potty?

Also, how often should he be fed every day? Obviously we would hate to over/under feed him.

Finally, what is the best way to socialise him? Just take him out on the lead in a few weeks and let him sniff at other dogs or what?

Main worry for me is my sis in law has a Spitz who has never been trained,and the poor fecker is a disaster. He is angry to everyone bar a select few, always goes for other dogs, has bitten in the past and totally disobedient. I feel sorry for him as it is not his fault. I do not want our guy to be even remotely like him.

Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.

ohhhh very exciting times ahead

can i ask what colour cocker?

I have a black male cocker (7 years old now) and he is the apple of my eye (sad i know) but he's a brilliant dog!

other posters have given you good advice.. only thing i will say is cocker can ber very vocal dogs and they LOVE people want to be around you ALL the time... so you will have lots of whinging to look forward to over the coming months.

But be patient and consistent with training etc and you will end up with a fab dog, training takes months and months but well worth it for everybody in the end.

Cockers are fabalous dogs but can be hyper they need lots of exercise and routine, and good food and you will be fine!

post some pics of the little fella

if you need any advice on training, food etc just let mw know

gimmick

He is a black and tan fella. I will post some photos once we have him.

ABajaninCork

gimmick wrote: »

No, we are in Cork, and we are collecting the pup in Killarney, so the blanket idea cannot be done I'm afraid.

A person I know does classes afaik, so hopefully she can point us in the right direction.

Cheers for the tips.

If you're in Cork, then I recommend Grace Buckley for the socialisation classes. She does it through play. The classes are at the Greenmount CC at The Lough. I took my fella along when he was a pup and again for the bigger doggy classes. She's great!!

PM me if you need her number.

gimmick

Ya, thats where we are headed Id say. Cheers

Gael23

I dont have alot more to add really but we have a cocker spaniel for nearly 13 years now so just a few little things/
Now is the time to set down the ground rules, as you would with a small child. Our guy has grown up with us throwing him scraps of food off the dinner table which now has him whinging while we're eating, putting some food in his bowl after would have solved it but its too late now.
Thats just one example,there are a few others too.
Teach him to play nicely and to respect you etc. They are great dogs though and so friendly and loyal. As im typing this hes asleep beside me!

JustAThought

Ooooh - that's so exciting & scarey!!!congratulations !!!!! I hopeyou have a fab time with your new pup : )

I'd say make sure you try to sort out the blanket thing ; it'll really help your little pup. I brought a tea towel & asked the breeder to put it in with the mom/litter. He did this while we did the chat/paperwork/petting pup & it worked a treat. You can do this on the day ; any old tshirt or cloth you have will do. I'd advise you to cut it in half then or 3 as you don't want it to get accidentally toilet-ed on on the way home & be unusable!!!

The crate/cage is a great must-have idea. Lots /most dogs get car sick for the first while & s/he won't be toilet trained when you bring her home first so the price of the cage will already be offset by the valet if the seats/ cleaning & smell ridding products you will have to buy!

I picked up my pup alone & was immediately sorry as it was a long drive home & the pup was very distressed ; if I could change something I would have brought someone with a thick heavily lined box with black plastic ( for the wet!) & a furry blanket & had the pup in the box on their knee in a rug. It was the most distressing drive if my life including ones with car crashes ;0 poor puppy knew it was never going to see it's family again ;o the guilt

But once you get home it will be fantastic!!!! Cockers are fab dogs ; my friends have a 20 wk pup & it is a joy to be around; nosey & loving & energetic & affectionate, you will have great times ahead.

The socialisation opportunities /classes are really important & but I'm sure there are lots of places doing this in Cork. it's about getting them to experience in a safe way with someone they trust as many " normal " to us things so they don't grow up afraid of them ; people/buggies/ washing machines/cars/wheelchairs/TVs/etc. Mine took ages to get used to the sound of hoovering... But then I don't Hoover much!!!! I took mine a lot to cafes with a furry rug to lie on cos I wanted her to be very good in cafes as i like my cuppas! Worked a treat!!!!

Get a hidey-hole/den/crate ( ie a cage!) for her; you won't regret it!!!! Argos extra used to sell then & lotsa petshops do too. And a bag of whatever the breeder was already feeding her & lodes of love : )

I was A bit (!) panicked before I got mine ( best decision EVER. & first dog!!) & I got a great book I think it was either " puppies for Dummies" or " dog training for dummies"..you know; the yellow books! Lodes of brilliant stuff in there ; I picked it up in Easons. Not a pretty book but lots if very practical training advise rather than just pretty pictures like many other books had that were v light on content & ideas.

The best thing someone told me was to make sure ALWAYS to feed the dog AFTER you have eaten; no matter how much if a rush you are in; it tells them you're boss & when you actually get to training this will be so important; if they already have it in their head from when you get them then your job will be much easier immediately!!!!!


Happy Days are coming : )

I'm so excited for you!!!
Good luck with her today!!!!

gimmick

^ Ha. cool post

I asked the breeder fr a blanket and she is sorting that for us no problem.

We have the crate ready as well. Ill feel bad locking him in there but it is for the greater good I guess. We will never leave the room while he is in it as that would be cruel.

One last question (for now) - food? People have told me feeding a dog pedigree chum/canned foods etc is like feeding a new born child crisps, such is the poor nutritional value of it. Is this scare mongering, or is it the case? What food would any cocker owners suggest?

Thanks

Toulouse

Have a look here for crate training http://petcentral.yolasite.com/printables.php under Doggie Den.

Crate training should be a slow process to introduce your pup to it's crate so that it'll come to love it. As for not leaving the room while he's in it, you need to build up the time slowly but make sure that you do or else you'll just get a dog that hates being on it's own and that will be a whole world of new problems. Also you should be training your pup to sleep in it's crate so you will need to be able to leave him.

Pedigree is rubbish. As I said above, find out what the breeder is feeding, keep him on that for the moment and then give us your budget so we can recommend something better if needed. Then you'll need to switch slowly to avoid and upset tummy.

Zulu

gimmick wrote: »

Ill feel bad locking him in there but it is for the greater good I guess. We will never leave the room while he is in it as that would be cruel.

Hold off on locking it at the start - just close it over (except when he's asleep at night of course)

One last question (for now) - food? People have told me feeding a dog pedigree chum/canned foods etc is like feeding a new born child crisps, such is the poor nutritional value of it. Is this scare mongering, or is it the case?

Its utter, utter, utter crap.
We fed Hills Science plan puppy until we had her spayed. Now she's on Red witch. (This is a good site for food)

The quality of food is important. Besides poor food (and wet food) = wet/messy "pick ups". Em dry food is easier to pick up the next day - if you catch my drift.

cocker5

gimmick wrote: »

^ Ha. cool post

I asked the breeder fr a blanket and she is sorting that for us no problem.

We have the crate ready as well. Ill feel bad locking him in there but it is for the greater good I guess. We will never leave the room while he is in it as that would be cruel.

One last question (for now) - food? People have told me feeding a dog pedigree chum/canned foods etc is like feeding a new born child crisps, such is the poor nutritional value of it. Is this scare mongering, or is it the case? What food would any cocker owners suggest?

Thanks

to be honest its not scare mongering, pedigree chum is muck....as are most supermarket brands, its like feeding your kids mcdonalds every day, its lead to hyperness, over activity, etc..

I feed my cocker Burns:
http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/burns/burns_adult/156518

This is adult food... here is the puppy version:

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/burns/burns_puppy/156531

While initally it may seem expensive you feed a less amount of higher quality

it will last you months.... if you are changing your puppy's food, introduce it slowly over a week or so, ie mix it in with the food the breeder will give you :P

just remember he will more than likely cry for the first few nights (in my guys case months) as he will have just been seperated from his siblings / mother... be patient... and you will be fine!

ABajaninCork

Most definitely! I feed my fella Burns and a 2kg bag will last him about two months!! But then I mix up his diet as he has a dodgy tum. I give him hearts, chicken, and fish with brown rice.

Spitfire_24

Congratulations on your new puppy! Just on the socialization aspect, Irish Search Dogs run dog obedience and puppy socialization classes in Hop Island equestrian centre on a Tues night in rochestown. I've taken my fluff monster to the classes and I can't recommend them highly enough. Pm me if you'd like more info

DBB

One thing that Cockers tend to be prone to, behaviourally, is resource guarding. So, work very, very hard on swapsies games and follow the advice given on the Dog Star Daily site regarding manners around the food bowl and toys... it is so important and easy to prevent this form of aggression from getting started by setting up happy, positive associations with adults and children being near the food bowl, toys, bones etc. Definitely do not go down the road of forcing or grabbing food off pup: gentle, passive training is the way forward.

gimmick

Well we collected little Rufus on friday night and he is brilliant. A pure boy. If he isn't sleeping, he is causing trouble, or looking for mischief anyway. He definitely seems to be a bit of a laugh anyway.

So far so good. He is very bitey, but we are not encouraging that obviously. If he bites our hand we just put a chew toy to his mouth instead. He is good enough re toilet. A few accidents here and there, but for the most part, when he needs to go outside, he walks to the back door and paces near it. So that's great.

He is kind of getting used to his name, but that will come. Must get going on his obedience soon Id say as I do not want it to get away from us.

The only thing we tried and failed at thus far was we tried putting him in his crate and he just cried and cried so much that we could not leave him there. He loves his actual bed though and as already mentioned he is decent with regard to toilets so far.

weirdtodamoon

You are asking some very basic Questions!

Are you sure you are ready for dog ownership??? Cocker's can be VERY demanding. A lot of people jump face-first into these things and the poor animal ends up in a pound and is put down

Actually, did you even consider a shelter before you went to a breeder???? I know it mightn't have been as cute (:rolleyes:) but you would have saved a life!!!!

Zulu

weirdtodamoon wrote: »

You are...

I'm struggling to see how your post is even REMOTELY helpful.

Perhaps, as opposed to picking on the OP, you could offer something helpful or supportive?

weirdtodamoon

because I am not thinking about the OP. I am more thinking about the type of people who are reading this and also think its a good idea to go to a breeder to get a "cute" puppy when they could just as easily rescue a dog.

I walk dogs at my local pund regularly. It breaks my heart every time I return to find out how many of the dogs have been "destroyed"!!!!!

Maybe next time you can see things from my perspective before you wade in with your judgements!! :rolleyes:

Zulu

weirdtodamoon wrote: »

because I am not thinking about the OP.

Thats clear. The OP is here looking for help. Thats a great start.

Maybe next time you can see things from my perspective before you wade in with your judgements!! :rolleyes:

Start your own thread, and we'll all see things from your perspective - don't hijack this concerned posters request for help.

weirdtodamoon

Don't tell me what to do!! Stick your beak somewhere else!

gimmick

weirdtodamoon wrote: »

Don't tell me what to do!! Stick your beak somewhere else!

Okay, we get it, you are a better person than us because you go to shelters and do what you do. Give yourself a nice pat on the back and hopefully that will give you a smug sense of self satisfaction that you banged me to rights. Kudos sir/madam, kudos.

Am I to assume by your post that you feel people should not want a specific type of dog? And am I to assume that you know how ready/unready we are to house a cocker? I asked questions in order to make sure I do not make any mistakes. Not that I need to explain myself to someone as pompous as yourself.

Blogger50

weirdtodamoon wrote: »

You are asking some very basic Questions!

Are you sure you are ready for dog ownership??? Cocker's can be VERY demanding. A lot of people jump face-first into these things and the poor animal ends up in a pound and is put down

Actually, did you even consider a shelter before you went to a breeder???? I know it mightn't have been as cute (:rolleyes:) but you would have saved a life!!!!

Just so you know, this is the "Animals and Pet Issues" forum. Not the "Only come in here and ask for advice if you've rescued an animal forum"!

We dont need you preaching about rescues!

OP - Some photos please

gimmick

Ya, ill stick up some later. Its a nice day so he will is frolicking out the back and mostly falling over. His brain is far quicker than his feet

For now though

cocker5

Gimmick... oh my god the cutness :D:D

can we swap?
you can have my 7 year old cocker (fully trained).. he handsome too.... and ill take your adoreable puppy????? :P

only messing.... couldnt live without my guy, but wow he is very handsome!!!!!