We have decided to invite a canine family member to live with us. Our Canine family is currently 2 dogs aged 3.5 years and 6 years. For us this is a comfortable age gap to introduce a new youngster into the family home.
Today i wanted to share with you how we have got to the stage of our puppy joining us in 3 weeks time.
Decision time – this is where we started on this journey. Could we cope with the finances associated with another dog? Would we be able to walk , train and support 3 dogs. ( This isnt the first time we have gone down this route – so we know the impact)Are we going to insure for health, put money aside or go for pet insurance? Where will the dog sleep? And of course what will the dog type be, a resuce, a pedigree or in the moment wait for the dog to arrive.
Well we had decided to be open on the selection process as life seems to happen to us and we are sort of used to responding to that.We have put our names down with the RSPCA and had our eyes on a young cocker. We had also registered with Champ Dogs and were keeping our eyes on a breeder friend who might be having a litter .
As it happened the plans as is often the case changed . We had taken our girl to hydrotherapy at Pool 4 Dogs https://www.pool4dogs.co.uk/ and a lady popped along to discuss something with the Hydrotherapist. The end of what could be a very long story here was that this ladies daughter had some puppies that would be arriving beginning of March, they were flatcoats a breed we were very involved with and loved. So we took the daughters phone number and made contact.
The experience from here on has been fabulous. The Breeder checked us out she was nicely enquiring and thorough during the phone conversation. Finding about us , what we knew about the breed, and of course how the puppy would be supported in our lifestyle. We exchanged photos information, and also there was an obvious kinship with the breed. Basically it felt right.
The breeder invited us to think about the decision, we exchanged more contact information. And we thought carefully about the type of dog, the puppies background could influence it to become. We felt that a girl would be a good fit in the family, and also that we would be flexible to the puppy choice once we met them.
The plans were made for our visit at 4 weeks. Having made the decision yes this family were for us and we would like to invite a puppy to join our family. The plan didnt quite go to plan again as we ended up being chosen by a little black boy with a blue collar. He wasnt the biggest, most extrovert, naughtiest he just seemed to want to be with us and took to my husband really quickly. We also realise that the puppy personality, build, etc isnt formed at 4 weeks but we went with felt right, and i have to say i through out all the puppy assessment material and went with the gut instinct.
So whats going on now? We are getting ready gently not a panic. Thats us though steps at a time to support the planning of the new arrival. I am sharing below what our decisions are about sleeping, feeding etc.
Crate training – yes we are training at puppy stage. It means for us that if we need our pup to go in a crate they have those skills. However after early stages we wont be using routinely. Experience has taught us that with travelling with youngsters initially a create is really useful, and also if there is a health concern and a vet stay dogs will need to be a crate
Equipment for walking – we want to avoid any pressure on his neck and avoid any pull damage on his windpipe. So we will be using a harness with him from day 1
ID – he will have a puppy collar with ID. on
Food – we will be moving his food across to a mix of forthglade and barking heads kibble. Treats will be natural and fruit and vegetable. Now this is the plan but we appreciate we may need to be flexible here. We will follow the 10% rule of moving 10% of new food into his diet so he gradually gets used to it.
Toys – well we have a teething set of keys, a soother chewer that we can add cream cheese and pate too. Flatties love their teddies and soft toys so he will have a pool of soft teds to play with. Puppy dummies and rope tuggies at the ready.
Teeth – guilty here we use fish chews to keep our dogs teeth clean. We at present dont routinely brush them. However all our dogs have learnt to have their teeth brushed so we do this as well for this little one
Vaccinations – microchip and first vaccination will be completed by the breeder before our little boy leaves his birth home. We have discussed with the breeder the type of vaccination scheme and as local we are going to followup with their vets for the followup vaccination.. We are keen for our pup to be safe to get out and about as soon as possible
Puppy class – yes already researched. My colleague Liz Truman is running puppy classes here at Nutley so our pup will join her June class and he is also going to attend another colleagues puppy class with Connected Canines .These are both outside classes .
Insurance – well we are still working that 1 through. Our other dogs are insured with pet insurance schemes. At present we are toying with dog we go 3rd party and save, or do we go for a cheaper insurance package and save. Then it is which company. We have had a look at 2 quotes so far, but are continuing with that to see what the comparisons are.
Collection day – we have agreed our collection day with the breeder. We have chosen a day when the traffic isnt going to be busy and minimise hold ups as we are using the motorway. 2 of us are going up for collection. 1 to drive and 1 to support the puppy as needed. Kit for the car, Blanket, Towel, Kitchen towels and wet wipes in case of sickiness, water and bowl.
Would love to hear about your puppy plans. I will be honest its the first time i have shared our puppy journey in public. The aim is to share what we are doing, it is very personal to use but we hope that this might help you if you are thinking about inviting a puppy into your family
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