Author Topic: Advices needed for the future puppy!  (Read 4924 times)

Offline AnnaCrew

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Advices needed for the future puppy!
« on: July 17, 2007, 08:03:31 pm »
Well, I have some dogs but this thing about Saint pup again in my house makes me feel like pregnant for the first time! :)

I would like to prepare everything for the first 6 months. So please give me advices of sizes of the collars (I presume, there will be at least 3 different needed for the first 6 months), and then we shall need one nice for the first confirmation rings in the puppy class.

Water and food bowls - ordinary ones or raised for the puppy? Believe or not, I can not remember these things!

Which brushes do you use for brushing and grooming your pup? And so on and on and on...



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Offline Sillygoose

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Re: Advices needed for the future puppy!
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2007, 09:05:29 pm »
Ok, I'll do my best at trying to answer some of your questions.

I use a comb and a slicker brush for brushin gright now. Just don't press too hard with the slicker, could hurt the pup.

I leave the bowls down for now. They're just little. I do elevate later when they get bigger. I use a buckle collar at the begining, and for showing I get a show choke. If you bring your pup to the pet store I'm sure they could help you fit him properly with a show collar and a regular collar. If you are planning on crating, don't get a crate too big that he can use it to go to the bathroom. Just big enough to move around and stretch for now. You can usually but a big crate that has a panel that is ajustable for growth. Well I hope this helps, and good luck with the pup.

Offline AnnaCrew

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Re: Advices needed for the future puppy!
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2007, 09:20:31 am »
Thank you!
I do not crate as there is no need to crate in my home - it is 99% pet safe, and we trust and teach our babies from the beginning. I presume there might be some damage for my furniture but it's ok, I can take it :D
Baby will be supervised by 3 GSD, so nothing will happen to him - my dogs adore puppies and are ready to adopt them all, 4 or 2 legged.
And about such thing like wiring we had a thought before any pup come into our house so all wiring is build baby /puppy safe.
Do you really need the raised bowls? On GSD there is long discussion about it, but I remember my vet saying something about front leg development without raised bowl for saints. It was 20 years ago so I do not remember for sure.

Pet stores is not very good idea to take pup here - supply in our local town is very poor, I had not had bought any good collar /leash there, only one training collar for GSD... They offer most stuff for yorkies and similar :D

To take pup to city I'm not very keen as it 3 hour drive andf as pup will come home in mud/slash season (end of Feb, beginning of March) city will be terrible place to take pup as all snow will be melting (and it is mixed with salt, not good for baby paws at all!)

If all will be ok, his first visit to big city will go in April only. But until then the basic lash manners must to be learned already :)



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Offline ptkennel

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Re: Advices needed for the future puppy!
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2007, 09:44:30 pm »
I was told no stairs for sure for six months, to carry the pup, I found this hard when my pup got too heavy then she had to do stairs, but not big flights, only a few. I did take her down our basement stairs once, I used her leash and collar, she hated it, that was around 10 months, and I was scared she would fall.  We have a newfie, so the breed is similar for bone growth.  I raised the dishes too as they grew, it is better for them to not have to reach down to take a drink or eat.  I don't collar my dog in the house at all so we don't even have a buckle collar, it ruffles the hair and leaves mark in the fur for showing so we only use choke chains for walks and showing.  We were told to fit it over the head just so it goes over the head and that that is the length to have for then for show.  Some people like them to be bigger.  It is your own preference.  I now have a longer fine chain for show and it works great.  My lead is a nylon black cord, it is short, about two feet.  You might want to get a few sizes of chokes for your pupper and use them as it grows.  It gets them used to the ring too.  My opinion only.
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Offline AnnaCrew

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Re: Advices needed for the future puppy!
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2007, 05:51:59 am »
Thank you all!!
I presume until Christmas I will go completely crazy! Soooo long to wait!

I'm doing the name research at present to kill the time... It will be G litter, and so far I'm on GILROY ("Red-haired lad"  -  Irish surname transferred to forename use, itself from Gaelic Mac Giolla Ruaidh, "son of the red-haired lad").


Today I was in our town (supposed to look for my nieces B-day present - baby pram and a doll ) Got it quickly and then rushed through all the pet shops drooling to see what they offer and what would be right for us... I'm officially crazy!

With 3 GSD running wild in mud ear cleaning is our weekly routine so that stuff I have already and plenty.

I do not know anything about Enzymatic cleaner (will do research on Internet later tonight) but I do not worry about potty accidents much - we have proper brick floor in all the main areas and it is so easy to wash just with plenty of plain water, sometimes I'm addig just some herbs to the water, like camilla or peppermint... I'm trying to be environmentaly friendly :)

I do remember the stair/step thing. Basically th same is about GSD - best not to under 6 months. The good thing about our house is that no stairs must be used at all for pup, except the 2 steps outside (but they are not high, I made them to fit for wheelchair as my middle son is disabled).
We have like seperate apartment upstairs, but it is used by our guests only, so no need for any dog to go there at all...

Thank you for the collar tips. Probably I will need to stop on choke chains for walks and showing and not use buckle collar at all for the fur reason.
My GSD are wearing these bright sunglo buckle collars all the time (they are not show dogs, so no need to worry about fur), it helps me see them better in the field during the day (we have 90 acres for them to run happy, but my vision is quite poor, so to keep them in sight I ordered these collars, it really helps). They are in and out all day (actually it is midnight here now, but weather is very hot so doors are open and they are hanging on the front yard now) by themselves.

The brush thing I will check out now, to be sure that I got it all right! As I'm going only for LH (rough), brushing will be very important part of my life again (Ooo, I like knitting sooo much!)
I'm using slicker for my GSD already, so I'm used to it!

Thank you all! Anything else?



http://ozolkalni.blogspot.com/
Come and pat Grace athttp://en.uniteddogs.com/dog/16498