The new puppy thread....

[cookiepuss]

So it looks like we might be getting a new puppy in about a month. we already have a dog who is 10 years old but very young at heart. and i have to say deciding to get a new puppy is about on par with deciding to have kids (or have another kid)

1. we need to puppy proof our home
2. are we ready to get up in the middle of the night to take it wee? (and other potty training issues)
3. How will our other dog adjust? (scientists say an adult dog has the menality of a human two year old in terms of words it understands and need for attention, etc.)

this will be like having a second child for us. We will have to balance our attention so that our current dog doesn't feel left out and unloved. It's going to be alot of work and I'll likely have to get up earlier than I like to for a while, but it should be worth it for all the puppy kisses I should get

we have quite a few parents on the board, but how many of us are animal parents? This is certainly a thread for those of us with furry children. (of course you may have both furry children and regular children too.)

anyone got any helpful tips for me? I'm an expereinced dog owner, but I'm open to suggestions. Espcially if you've had expereince with the old dog/new puppy dynamic.

[HEIRESS]

RUPPA PUP PUP!

sorry that's all I got

[cookiepuss]

yeah that's ok. this thread could basically end up being: "SQUUUUEEEEEEEE NEW PUPPPYYYYY!" for about 10 pages.


and thats ok I guess, because aside from worry about being a good puppy parent I'm pretty stoked at the prospect of puppy breath in my life.

[Yeti]

What kind of puppy?

I would suggest breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months.

[cookiepuss]

a very tiny puppy. a chi-wow-wa. (I like to spell it phonetically) I guess that makes me a bit nervous. you accidentally step on it, you break it's leg. But my other dog is a toy poodle and he was teeny-weenie when I got him too...he had alot of fluffy hair though so it was kinda like cushioning.


ummm...sure make fun of the pet parents with your breast feeding jokes. ha ha hardy har.

[paul jones]

Originally Posted by cookiepuss

a very tiny puppy. a chi-wow-wa. (I like to spell it phonetically) I guess that makes me a bit nervous. you accidentally step on it, you break it's leg. But my other dog is a toy poodle and he was teeny-weenie when I got him too...he had alot of fluffy hair though so it was kinda like cushioning.


ummm...sure make fun of the pet parents with your breast feeding jokes. ha ha hardy har.

my mum's friend down the road has a chihuahua.it's so small I could fit it in my jacket pocket.

[cookiepuss]

that sounds like the "teacup" variety. they are like 2-4 lbs and I hear very fragile and have more health issues.

This one should be closer to like 4-6 lbs. My current dog is 6.6 lbs...so we are use to small.

[paul jones]

Originally Posted by cookiepuss

that sounds like the "teacup" variety. they are like 2-4 lbs and I hear very fragile and have more health issues.

This one should be closer to like 4-6 lbs. My current dog is 6.6 lbs...so we are use to small.

any ideas on a name yet?

Shorty,midget etc etc

[Yeti]

Originally Posted by cookiepuss

ummm...sure make fun of the pet parents with your breast feeding jokes. ha ha hardy har.

I am a pet parent but they are cats. 3 cats--Grendel, Porter & Piowac....plus a 1 year old that pulls their tails and licks their fur.

We will one day venture into the dog world. My wife loves Pugs so my guess is that will be our breed.

I would never make fun of pet parents unless they dress them up in a poncho when it rains........or dress them for Halloween.
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...n/costumes.jpg

[cookiepuss]

Originally Posted by paul jones

any ideas on a name yet?

Shorty,midget etc etc

mini or minnie? maybe. this puppy is only a week an a half old right now and we haven't met her just yet so I've been thinking of names but not commiting yet. There's still a ways to go before we truly know if she'll be a healthy pup..but so far so good.*crosses fingers*

no harm no foul Yeti.

[Yetra Flam]

hmm, anything you want to know, i'm your girl. dog expert an all that

[little j]

i am such a dog parent... its sad really how much i love my dog.

crate training will help BIG TIME with potty training (which i've heard is harder for little dogs)
um... take LOTS of pictures and post them.

are you adopting or buying?

[kll]

i have had 2 puppies in 3 years. the youngest just turned 1 and he's been a handful. i'm not sure if it's his breed or if he's just the youngest one.

it was a help to have the older one around. he kinda helped with showing him the ropes and keeping him on track with certain things. the destruction was different with each one though, so i have various items to repair.


when you are getting up in the wee hours for him to go weeeee... well, keep in mind it's only for about 4 months that you have to do this - by the time the dog is 6 months, the bladder will usually hold through the night - which makes them much better than human babies.

and also, don't think the b/f will get up and help out. he will. once.

[cookiepuss]

I would call this "private placement". My BF's employee's dog had a litter of two puppies and we said we'd be interested in taking one off thier hands. they are not charging us anything though we may give them an adoption fee anyway.

I'm going to do the crate training for sure. we didn't with our other dog...but 10 years ago when I got my dog, crate training wasn't as mainstream as it is now.

Kll- thanks for sharing your older dog/younger dog dynamic.

[hpdrifter]

Good luck with your puppykins. I don't have advice on potty training since my bunnies have never really gotten the hang of it.

[cookiepuss]

are the bun bun's litter box trained? I hear you can do that...actually a friend of mine did do that with her bunny.

apparently it's possible to train some dogs to use a litter box as well, but it sounds challenging. it's certainly not instinctive for them.

[cookiepuss]

she's HERE!

we decided on a pup from a different litter. she's very sweet, tiny and fast...and clumsy and adorable.