Other I'M GETTING A PUPPY! (Advice Plz!)

[Zachy1993]

I've wanted a pooch for most of my life, and we finally just came out and asked landlady (who had before said no pets) if we could get one! To our surprise she said YES!

I've picked out one from a litter of border collie/lab mixes!



I'm seriously nervous here though! Any advice on what brand of food to feed her, how to get her to like me, training tips (potty, etc.)

 

[HarmonyAi]

I’ve never had a dog of that breed before so I can’t give any specific advice there. Make sure to pay attention to labels on food, because food meant for dogs older than her age can probably make her sick. One thing I can say for sure is always make sure to be consistent. Dogs learn quicker when you’re consistent with them.

edit: I just checked and our dog eats Iams brand food. Blue Buffalo is also good though. That’s a matter of personal preference though

 

[gelatoni]

congrats, she's so cute! i have recent experience with a puppy (he's 6 months now, got him at 8 weeks), so the puppy memories are still fresh in my mind haha. be prepared to not get much sleep the first week or so, young puppies often cry during the first few nights when separated from the litter, and you'll probably need to wake up during the night and very early in the morning to take her out to avoid accidents. it's pretty exhausting so be prepared for that, things get better though!

for food, you should look up vet-approved brands and get one specifically for puppies based on the size of the dog (i.e. your breed of pup would probably be medium/large breed). for potty training, your best bet is to basically constantly watch her for the first few weeks if you can and take her outside a LOT, and then just praise like crazy every time she goes. i did this with my dog and he had very few accidents and was fully potty-trained pretty fast, but it does rely on always having someone around to keep watch which isn't always feasible. there are a lot of puppy guides online you can look at to for general advice as well, good luck! puppies are hard work but very rewarding

 

[Virus]

She is absolutely ADORABLE!! Advice however, you must give a puppy lots of attention otherwise she will rampage and eat random shit (don't ask how that happened XD )

 

[Zachy1993]

HarmonyAi

gelatoni

Virus

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[iGalaxy]

Watch out, I may have to kidnap her! I would watch videos on youtube. I know particularly 'working dogs' need 'mental stimulation' or they'll go nuts. This may be less of an issue because she's a mix but in time you'll probably know.

 

[Zachy1993]

M Mesenterium

Thanks a bunch! That really helps! The shelter I'm getting her from gives her the vaccines and spays her before the adoption is completed. $160 for adoption fee (which includes the spaying and final vaccines etc.) I've been told that's a pretty good deal!

 

[Zachy1993]

Watch out, I may have to kidnap her! I would watch videos on youtube. I know particularly 'working dogs' need 'mental stimulation' or they'll go nuts. This may be less of an issue because she's a mix but in time you'll probably know.

I'm glad that from what I understand I'm getting her fully vaccinated and spayed at a reasonable price! $160 at the local shelter. And the place was really clean and animals well taken care of! :3

 

[ashwynne]

Fellow border collie/lab mutt owner over here

My boy was R O U G H in the beginning. Housetraining took six months of diligence and patience. Putting down towels/rugs that can be safely soiled in the areas where she’ll be will be helpful to your sanity. Housetraining can be quick or take forever... depends on the individual.

Border collies are highly intelligent with fairly intensive mental needs. They can also be pretty mouthy so you never know what you’ll get with a mix. Tuco was a biting puppy—to the point where my family was ready to get rid of him and I had to put up with the bites etc and do the training. Yelping and entirely ignoring him after every bite was very helpful. The biggest trick with training is to make desirable behaviour more rewarding than negative behaviour. Reinforce good behaviour with treats/playtime/praise and “punish” negative behaviour by disengaging/not praising/whatever. Every dog is different and the methods will and should differ according to their personality.

Also a good housetraining mantra to remember is “play makes pee.” End every play session by taking her out. All that running around makes it get through their systems way quicker

As far as food.... I’m personally a raw feeder Did kibble for years with other dogs, but Tuco did not do well on kibble and the vast majority of brands use extremely low quality ingredients and/or use protein sources that are not natural to canines. At any rate, following a lot of research and consultation with canine nutritionists we made the switch. No bad breath, phenomenal teeth, phenomenal coat, smaller (hardly smelly) stools. He’s 5 now and people think he’s a puppy, we will never go back to kibble. This said... there are a lot of different models of raw feeding so it does require some research and you deciding what’s the best fit.
If it’s not something you’re comfortable or ready for, Fromm and Farmina N&D are two of the few brands of kibble that I’ve found to have decent practices, good nutritional breakdowns, and quality ingredients.
Steer clear of anything sold in grocery chain stores. Blue Buffalo has had a lot of issues as well and Merrick was bought out, so don’t trust those brands either. I’m not a fan of Purina or Royal Canin—very carb/corn heavy. Dogs are facultative carnivores meaning they eat meat primarily and will scavenge for supplementation... not the other way around. So you want foods that mainly use meat in the first few ingredients and other stuff later. High concentration of legumes is also bad.

I can go on for hours, pet nutrition is a favourite subject of mine

Feeding is a contentious issue though and I’d ultimately recommend consulting canine nutritionists about it. Vets have some basic knowledge but many only get taught a brief section on nutrition that is often funded/materials provided by Royal Canin or Purina, so they’re not always operating with unbiased viewpoints (not always true, but often is). Just like how human family doctors are not human nutrition experts either. Just something to think about!

Facebook dog groups can also be ENORMOUSLY helpful, especially when trying to get a perspective on the kibble vs raw debate. So many knowledgeable people to be found, it can be a phenomenal resource.

Ultimately you have to do what’s best for you and your pup!

Good luck and congrats!! New pupper is always exciting!

 

[iGalaxy]

Oh yes, Ash did mention! When it comes to biting. It might seem silly, but you need to 'Yelp' high pitched squeak. This is what a litter mate would do if it was bit too hard. The mother would normally separate then - you can kinda simulate 'separation' by without holding attention for a period of time until the pop calms back down.

I do this with my cat. If it bites me too hard I squeak and it lets go immediately.

 

[Zachy1993]

Oh yes, Ash did mention! When it comes to biting. It might seem silly, but you need to 'Yelp' high pitched squeak. This is what a litter mate would do if it was bit too hard. The mother would normally separate then - you can kinda simulate 'separation' by without holding attention for a period of time until the pop calms back down.

I do this with my cat. If it bites me too hard I squeak and it lets go immediately.

Oooh neat idea! She seems eager to have a playmate from when we visited the shelter Really full of energy hehe. It gets lonely here sometimes so a puppy to snuggle with should help a lot!

 

[Zachy1993]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!! SHE'S READY!!! WE GOING TO GET HER RN!!

 

[Zachy1993]

She's home! ANd she caught on so quickly about using bathroom outside! We give her a treat and praise her each time! Woke me up at 2am last night letting me know she had to poo.

Such a smart gurl!