Getting A Dog?

SalonGeek

Help Support SalonGeek:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Hi Guys, I know this thread hasn't been used for a while but I mite be getting my little baby so I need some more advice!!!!

What the hell do I need to buy for a puppy???

I have a few toys, pooper scooper, grooming mit but that is it.

We can think of a few things ie bowls, a cage, collar and lead, harness for the car. But I'm sure there must be more. My list only has about 10 things on it. I am positive we are overlooking some very important things.

Can anyone help??? All suggestions welcome.

I am so nervous about getting the puppy it feels such a big responsability. What if I do it wrong?

How the hell do you guys with kids manage the burden of responsibility???!!!
 
You will be absolutly fine chick. I'm so jealous I have been registered with bulldog rescue for ages as well whilst saving up for a puppy.

I have a staffie and it is true what they say about hair, it gets everywhere but i wouldn't b without him now. I hoover/mop every day but I think of the exercise not stressing at him. If it gets on my sofa i find a wet rubber glove lifts it all off really easily.

The most important thing is start as you mean to go on. If your going to be out most of the day then you must start that straight away, but bear in mind you may come home to a little accident for the frst few weeks.

A young puppy will be upset on its first few nights away from its mummy and may feel a little unsafe in a big cage/bed. I was told when i got my first dog to wrap a ticking clock and a hot water bottle up in a blanket. This will re-assure it as it simulates the warmth of its mum and her heart beat. I'm sure this all sounds double dutch but it all helps in the settling in process.

I'm like you in that when we got ben and my house, my boyfriend at the time worked nights so I used to let him sleep with me. Thats fine when he's a baby but now a big 6 year old boy he takes over and tries to push me out. Ben sleeps in the kitchen now as I got sick of my bed being ginger!!! It took a lot of getting used to him sleeping downstairs but i did it gradually, first he slept on a cushion on my bedroom floor, then the landing and now he's in the kitchen. He knows the cushion is his bed and wherever i put it thats where he sleeps. I put it outside the other day when it was nice and forgot it was outside. I let him out for a quick wee before bed and opened the back door to find him curled up on his cushion with big sad eyes ooops.

When we got our westie many years ago we covered the floor with newspaper and every day we took abit away making the papered area smaller and closer to the door until one day we took all the paper away and he was fine.

Another thing don't give it anything you don't want him to have. One year we went away and left the dog with a friend, she gave him an old shoe to chew!!! 2 days after we got back he was using my shoes as his new toy as he didn't understand. The same goes for teddybears.

Hope this has helped and good luck with your new baby. You must post some pics for us. And remember give him lots of cuddles xx
 
Hi Hun

I have two english bull terriers and both are white and my carpet was a nice red colour but now has many flecks of white I never realised how much hair they did shed but I wouldn't be without them.

Any good breeder would have had a little toy/blanket in with the pups which they give you to help your pup feel alot better when away from the rest of the pack. They should also give you a puppy pack consisting of food the pup has been eating and details of how to feed in the future as your pup grows up, a big change in puppy food can make you puppy stressed as it isn't used to the food.

We have kept ours in cages both at night and whilst we are out of the house and they both know now to go to bed plus it is their space where they know they can get away from everything if they want.

Training wise we were just told to take the pup out everytime it woke up and it has def work we hardly had any accidents and now the oldest one just barks at the door to let us know he wants to go out.

lastly enjoy your little pup as they don't stay pups very long. :):)
 
With they cage thing, Do you lock them in it at night/when you are out?

Is this a good idea when they are still puppies as if they have an accident it will be in the bed?

Also someone said about puppy pads. Are these a good idea to keep down all the time ie when its an adult and you are gonna be out a long time or for during the night? Or are they just for training?

Does anyone know any good books about training a puppy?
 
Hi there,we brought a puppy December last year she is a cross bred ,Japenese Akita/american bulldog,she is short haired has a lovely coat but she does shed ,i thought dogs only shed in spring but i was wrong.She has a lovely tempermant very friendly(a bit too friendly,with her tongue err!),but some times she can be a pain in the butt as she likes alot of attention.
We never crate trained her ,i heard alot about them being good,i just put up with the pee on the LAMINATE FLOORING,if id had carpet through out it woulda been ruined by now ,we left her on her own ,1HR then 2hrs etc ,im usually only outta the house no more than 6 hrs ,but ive only come home to a couple of puddles BUT ive also come home to chewed skirting boards ,chewed door ,chewed walls,and once she grew to the height where she could reach the work top anything _teatowels.washing up sponges-my purse-daughters lunch box got chewed,but heh how can you blame the dog ,she is feeling her way round with her mouth ,just like a todler would feel round with its hands,id strongly advise to remove anything in site you dont want chewed ,its like making the place safeproof again the same as you would with a toddler,oh and she did have plenty of toys to keep her occupied but obviously the walls were more tastier.
She seemed to grow out of the chewing stage for a while ,i was coming home to no danage at all ,so bless her ,thought id trust her in the front room whilst i was out, but what a mug was i ,came home to one of the cushions trashed,when she went through teething she chewed everything,i tried to give her lots of icecubes,frozen carrots to numb the pain ,now she is 10 months old ,i still keep her in the kitchen,but the chewing
 
prob has got alot better,i think she knows what she can n cant chew now and she understands the word LEAVE.(sorry if im going on!)Sometimes i regret getting her ,dogs are a tie down but theres days ,when i love having her ,taking her out to the woods,taking her for a swim in the lakes,taking her to fun dog shows and winning rosettes.
Id be a bit weary of buying a rescue dog ,because some rescue dogs dont like men,or kids etc.atleast from a pup you can get them out there as soon as theyve had all their jabs and get them used to every one and everything.Goodluck if you get a pup just hope your not too house proud lol:green:pS SORRY BOUT D ESSAY GOT A BIT CARRIED AWAY.
 
I got all my puppy info.off the internet ,all though you do get some people saying one thing and others saying another,you can leave the pup in the crate over night ,you will need to get out in the nite to let it have a wee at first,it can also be left in the crate during the day but only up to a certain amount of hours a day,its supposed to encourage them to hold there selves as they wont urinate in their own space,i wish i could of got the crate but it was another expence and i havent really got enough room for a crate,what with a 6 yr old daughter n her cluter everywhere,i just put up with the puddles n chewing for a while,it doesnt last for ever.x
 
Hi Hun

Ours go in the crate at night and are locked in till morning then when we are at work they stay in the crate. You must get a crate which is big enough for them to lay down and sleep get up and have a bit of movement and be able to get to one corner where you put paper down for them to use as a toilet. This has worked for both bull terriers and I have no problems with them messing anywhere. I got two crates which were the next size up for bull terriers and they love it as they have loads of room especially when they were pups it was like they were in mansions. Lol :)
 
Awww this is a great thread!

I'd love to have a dog. I've always wanted a German Shepherd. It's funny but I've always known what I'm going to call him (Saxon) but I've just never got him. At the moment I work 3 days a week, usually setting off at about 8.30 in the morning and arriving back at around 6pm. Would leaving a dog for this amount of time, three days a week be wrong? I have a garden that he can play in and I'm prepared to give him lots of love and exercise.

I'm definitely prepared to take him to doggie classes as I've never owned a dog before so I'd appreciate all the help I can get from classes. I've got two cats at the moment, is it easy enough to integrate a new puppy into a household with cats? To be honest I've more fear of the mogs ganging up on the puppy than of the puppy doing anything to hurt the cats... but what are your views?
 
Many of you will know of my trials and tribulations with Kelsie, but then I adopted her when she was 2 years old.

She is my fourth dog and the only time I have had a 'single dog' in the house. An awful lot of thought needs to be given to how long they are being left, it just isn't fair to leave any dog, let alone a puppy, for a full working day and what happens if you go out in the evening.

Puppies need 4 meals a day to start off with and careful handling to get the toilet training sorted.

Please give it all some very careful thought before getting a puppy, it really may not be the right thing for your lifestyle.

This is just my opinion of course but based ona reasonable amount of doggie experience:lol:
 
Very good point, Adele! I completely take this on board.

I might have to wait until I can be a Lady of Leisure before I get my Saxon...

:hug:
 
Very good point, Adele! I completely take this on board.

I might have to wait until I can be a Lady of Leisure before I get my Saxon...

:hug:

Well I just have a home salon, have to work to pay for her food, toys, vet bills, etc etc :lol:
 
I can't really offer you any advice as I have just done what I thought was the right thing to do. I think the dogs temperament has a lot to do with the way you handle things.

I have got two dogs, a Chow Chow - which if you look on the internet it states that these dogs are aggressive, vicious, not good with kids or other animals, etc. etc. I even phoned a Breeder who told me that I shouldn't get him as he would rip my cats apart...now Demon (aptly named!) is the complete opposite of all that. He is nothing like aggressive, or vicious. He ignores the kids as well as adults and he is besotted with the other dog and the cats! We got him as a rescue dog and he was 8 months old with very naughty behaviour! He was a self-harmer (used to chew himself alot and came with hardly any fur) and he was over-amourous with anything and everything! He was soon trained not to do it and although he does sometimes still pull his fur out, it isn't very often now. He is extremely ignorant though (another thing they said is normal for this breed) and wont do anything unless HE wants to, which can be really frustrating!

The other dog, Storm, is a Rottweiler and despite what stories you hear about how nasty they are, I have never met such a placid, good tempered, lovable, obedient dog ever!! We got her from a pup and the only trouble we have had with her is when she was about 6 months old and she started chewing EVERYTHING! BUT, she only chewed stuff outside...so now I have no plants, no plant pots, no ornaments, no mops, brushes, or anything left! She went through seven fence panels one after the other and took herself and Demon out for a walk....they've now been replaced with concrete!

They both malt like mad - Demon is a fluffy monster (Chows are like husky dogs for those that don't know) and Storm is short-smooth haired - so I don't think you can win either way!! I think the best thing to do to combat this is brush and hoover them EVERY DAY!!

Mine live outside during the day, they both have kennels and a covered carport which also gives shade. They are both in at night.

They are a total pain in the butt as you can't just go away and do your own thing but I wouldn't be without them...they are part of my family (despite Demon's efforts not to be!) and I love them to bits!!

My only advice would be to see how it goes with your pup, every dog is different and I don't think that any amount of information from either the internet or books can totally let you know what you are in for.

Good luck and keep us posted!

PS. Sorry it's so long, got a bit carried away.....
 
Hi Bluetiger!

I noticed you mentioned that you have kennels outside for the dogs to live in during the day. Do you put them in that when you go out to work?

It's just that I was thinking about doing something very similar. We've got a fish pond outside which is nothing but problems (our 2 yr old niece fell in it!!!) so we're thinking about concreting it in and I'd thought about putting a dog kennel/dog run in its place as there would be loads of space, it's quite private and he'd be secure and safe. Do you think this would be a good compromise? I only work 3 days a week and my partner is planning on changing jobs so he might have more time at home during the day too, so do you think that might be a possible solution? Obviously I don't want my dog to be lonely or upset. I want him to have a nice, happy home.

Any advice greatly appreciated!
 
My dogs have a kennel each but the whole garden has been concreted so they have the run of the lot. They go in their kennels when they want to snooze without being mythered!

I don't really like the idea of a dog pen as the reason behind us getting dogs in the first place was more as a security measure after being broken into during the night when we were all in bed. My thoughts are that there is little point having them if they are locked in a pen...so they are loose in the garden.
 
Hi Im a massive dog lover I have a 12 year old doberman called Giles.

I would highly reccomend the pet insurance Giles just had stones in one of his kidneys and he had to have a operation to remove them, The whole cost would had been £4000+ but all those years of paying the insurance have now payed off!

I would deffiantly recommend training classes as puppies do what ever they want and you can get some good tips and advise from dog owners and trainers.

Good luck with your new adition to your family :)

Laura xxxxx
 
My dogs have a kennel each but the whole garden has been concreted so they have the run of the lot. They go in their kennels when they want to snooze without being mythered!

I don't really like the idea of a dog pen as the reason behind us getting dogs in the first place was more as a security measure after being broken into during the night when we were all in bed. My thoughts are that there is little point having them if they are locked in a pen...so they are loose in the garden.

I see what you mean. I'd really only thought of the kennel/run as a means to keep him safe and secure whilst we're out (which hopefully wouldn't be for too long!). I don't think I'd be keeping a dog for security reasons personally as very luckily we've never been broken into (touch wood!!).
 
Can I also just quickly apologise to Sweetcorn1 for hijacking her thread... :o
 
Ouch!!!

Yeah wouldn'd dream of not having it but I have heard that the insurance companies can be sneaky and each time you claim the next year you apply they minus off the illness/problem you claimed for.

i.e if your dog has eye trouble they minus eyes off the nevt years policy.

Is this true?

I have a boxer he is 7 and a half now but in the first 3 years he was at the vets every week with problems, we have insurance through pet plan and i have never had a prob with them paying out, the policy still has the same cover as the day we took it out when he was a puppy, they paid out over £7500:eek: in the first 3 years.
I would highly recomend them, and boxers they dont have as many breathing probs as bulldogs and look the same but a bit taller.
I also have a snipped male due to his probs i couldnt risk breeding him.
Petplan also do a list of registered breeders go on their website they may be able to help you.
Good luck
Jen
:hug:
 
I'm so glad I started this thread!

I had thought about a cage Cathie as the thought of having to share my bed with a husband, cat and a fully grown bulldog didn't really appeal to me!!!

Excellent advise about the insurance too Sandi. Cheers. It pays to know people!!!

Anyone got any advise about leaving dogs while out at work?

I presume not everyone is at home all the time and has to leave dogs for a few hours. How do you do that without them barking/missing you the minute you leave the house?

We are not sure of hubby's shifts yet so won't even consider getting the puppy untill we get into a good routine of shifts so we know the shortest/longest time between my work and his shifts that the dog will be left. Just scared as we live in a terraced row and don't want the dog to bark all day.

Also when you bring a puppy home how long will I need off work to settle it in before it can be left for a length of time?

This is one thing thats bothering me.

We also got a indoor kennel for him and he used to go in there when we went out to work, and was locked in the kitchen, we used to come home at lunch and let him out to the loo. he soon picked up on house training only had one accident and never had any probs with chewing either, mind you he had a kennel full of soft toys to keep him company.
Dont let your new dog upstairs as this gives him the authority to be the boss, we were taught this at puppy training, you must teach him his place in the pack, you and your husband must be the alpha dogs and he has to know that you are boss, by stopping him coming upstairs somehow they learn this:confused:

Before we brought him home i took a soft toy to the breeder to keep in the pen with him and his mother and litter mates so that it got their scent on it so that the first night that we brought him home he still had the smell of his mother, he was in this big kennel with a hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket and this little cuddly blue elephant, he whined for a few minutes and then nothing, he went to sleep and settled really easily. he even used to suck the trunk for comfort was sooo funny when he got bigger seeing him walking around with this elephant ( all moth eared and eaten) hanging out of his mouth sucking on it like a baby sucks a dummy. Thankfully he out grew it and distroyed it!

We have been really lucky with him i supose as you hear sooo many horror stories about dogs destroying homes and we never had any probs with him
:)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top