Puppy ariving in 5 days - Any advice welcome!!!

[the Rennoirs]

 
We've been looking for a cocker for months - and yesterday had a very successful day of finding and reserving an orange roan 10 week old dog from a local breeder, to be called 'Archie dog' chosen by my son.  We're all very excited and will be picking him up on Monday (5 days from now).  We're just a little nervous and are busying away trying to get all the information and advice we can.  We are alittle worried, as we have a 2.5 year old, boystrous little boy which we'll need to keep an eye on.  But questions we'd like advice on are; do we get a crate or pen for the puppy??  do we keep him downstairs at night or nearer to us?  whats's the best puppy food??  toilet training tips??  any advice from owners with toddlers??? best thing to do when he arrives to our house???  and any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Natalie, Mark & Finlay Rennie

[MegandMolly]

Congratulations!!
I'd get a crate / playpen so pup can have 'own space' away from little hands! I'd crate pup for bedtime too. 
Babygates are a must (you prob have those up if you have a toddler anyhow).
You need to watch whose playing with whose toys too!!

The breeder should give you feeding advice and possibly a sample of the food too. I wouldn't change the food unless you have to, but leave pup on what he's used to for at least a week or so - as he has enough to cope with moving.

I recommend kongs too , fab for chewing and keeps the dogs quiet for a little while too.

Look forward to seeing some puppy pics

[tanvir]

I would DEFINATELY invest in a book. People have varying opinions on which ones are best but I like the Gwen Bailey Perfect Puppy and I love Its Me Or The Dog by Victoria Stillwell off the tv. Go to a book/pet shop and flick through what they have and pick one that you find easy to read and informative. Also, people on COL are really helpful and will always be willing to answer any questions you have 

[Vista]

Natalie & Family

I am going to watch this thread with interest as I pick my puppy up in 10 weeks.
I have spent countless hours researching on forums/internet and visiting pet shops, also talking to puppy and dog owners because it will be my first dog and I want to be a responsible owner.

You still have time to get the Ian Dunbar book as recommended on here by several, it cost me about £5 from amazon new & used section and doesn't take long to read.

Nearer the time I will buy Kong toys as they seem to be the only ones that don't have a disclaimer on the back stating that the use should be supervised. You fill the toys with his food.

After weeks of research which was baffling I have decided to put my puppy on Autarky and in fact I even persuaded the breeder to start the litter on it (probably because I got the puppy packs free). Autarky were great on the phone and although it's not as readily available as other brands it's got a good reputation and is VAT free, making it excellent value.

I've decided where to get my cage from but the 30" is out of stock until 1st August so I won't post details as it's too late for you but I think caging is the way to train.

I will clicker train my dog also as again i've read some good reports and if you need details of the best place to get a DVD book and clicker etc let me know as I'm not sure of the advertising rules on the forum.

[JoanneM]

Big Congratulations  . 
I would recommend a crate for the pups own personal space. As far as sleeping arrangements go, its a personal preference, we intended to put ours in the kitchen, but gave in to his cries and whimpers on the first night and he's been in his bed in our room ever since, and I like having him there.  Looking back I think toilet training Murphy was fairly easy - obviously you're going to have accidents, but learning to read the signs that your pup needs to go will help - Murphy used to circle sniffing the floor, so i'd take him outside straight away.
There are plently of members with small children so i'm sure someone will be along later to advise you with that one. 
Another thing to think about is insurance - again its a preference thing but we didn't have any and our dog got ill resulting in a VERY large vets bill. 

Hope everything goes well for Monday and looking forward to seeing lots of pictures.

[the Rennoirs]

Big thank you to everyone for your help and advice, it's all been really useful - already have him registered with the vets for his injection and microchipping  - so will now investigate getting him insured (forgot about that, so thank you).  The crate definitely seems the way forward, so will get hunting for one.  very excited, but feeling alot more reassured and confident!!! 

[lisalh]

I am another newbie to puppies- I got my Fred just before Christmas and 'what a steep learning curve' it has been. The best advice I was given was to go with what suits you and your family with regards to training etc- needless to say I read umpteen books/blogs/forums etc etc and most of the info went straight out of my head the minute I brought him home.  Everyone on here has been really helpful and when in doubt trust your instincts.

Welcome to Col- hope you getting some sleep now as it will be like having a baby in the house all over again!!

Cant wait to see some pics of your new arrival

Lisa xx

Where abouts are you located as there is probably another COL'er near you and sometimes just having a chat can put your mind at rest whether you are doing things 'right' or not, I have another COL'er near me who was a real lifeline when I was stressing with the pup and it made all the difference being able to go round - also you can never get enough Cocker cuddles and kisses.

[supaspaniel]

Get some sleep  

sorry couldn't resist that!!! fab advice so far  

just relax and enjoy your puppy, its hard work but worth every minute  

[881meryl]

Stock up on newspaper to put down by the back door (if thats where you're going to let them out to wee) and defiantly kitchen roll (we seemed to get through it at an alarming rate!).

Nappy bags where quite good for picking up poos in the garden too. I don't know what other people do with their doggy poos but we ended up getting a bin with a lid to dump it all in and then we take it all over the road to a dog poo bin at regular intervals, keeps things tidy.

Take a towel to rub on the mother to get her smell before you take them home, i think Wilson found this a great comfort on the first evening.

and get some sleep!

oh and have fun! and take lots of pictures because they grow up soooooo fast. after afew weeks you wont believe how much they changed!

good luck!!

[Eceni]

I would DEFINATELY invest in a book. People have varying opinions on which ones are best but I like the Gwen Bailey Perfect Puppy and I love Its Me Or The Dog by Victoria Stillwell off the tv. Go to a book/pet shop and flick through what they have and pick one that you find easy to read and informative. Also, people on COL are really helpful and will always be willing to answer any questions you have 

I'd recommend Ian Dunbar's book 'Before and after getting your puppy' as being streets ahead of the competition in clarity and common sense - it's easily laid out and not too wordy.  It explains all about crate training, and how to train bite inhibition - which will be vital if you've got a young child.  I can't stress that too strongly.  According to Dr Dunbar, bite inhibition is the number one training priority of a young dog... do make sure it's in place before his adult teeth come through - which means starting at day 1.  He teaches house-training and socialisation and all of the things you need to know in more depth than we can ever do on line.

if you can, I'd also recommend getting  'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training' by Pam Dennison which will teach you all the rest of how to train

good luck

e

[haggerty]

Hi
We picked up our new puppy Charlie last saturday the 19th July and already cant
imagine life without him!!!! He is lovely and gives nice wet kisses!!!!
We have three children and they have all been careful with him, mine are a bit older but my youngest
is a very lively 7 year old and even he is being great, well so far!
I would suggest a crate although Charlie doesnt like his yet.
We are trying to get some sleep although it is like having a newborn baby.
sleeps for 10min, wees, food, pooh, plays 10mins and then starts over again. Yes nights also.
Maybe we shouldnt give him so much attention but it is hard. People have told me that l am
spoiling him. PROBABLY AM!!!!
 

[lisalh]

Hi
We picked up our new puppy Charlie last saturday the 19th July and already cant
imagine life without him!!!! He is lovely and gives nice wet kisses!!!!
We have three children and they have all been careful with him, mine are a bit older but my youngest
is a very lively 7 year old and even he is being great, well so far!
I would suggest a crate although Charlie doesnt like his yet.
We are trying to get some sleep although it is like having a newborn baby.
sleeps for 10min, wees, food, pooh, plays 10mins and then starts over again. Yes nights also.
Maybe we shouldnt give him so much attention but it is hard. People have told me that l am
spoiling him. PROBABLY AM!!!!
 

Can never spoil a cocker enough in my book- that is prob why Fred such a nightmare on the lead and such a sweetie in the house. Cocker kisses are the BEST.

[MegandMolly]

It might be worth giving the breeder a ring as your pup may have pet plan or kennel club insurance free for 6 weeks anyhow. 

[Eceni]

Re: having him downstairs or in the bedroom - I've always had them in the bedroom *in their crate* so I know when they need to go out.  You can gradually, over several weeks, move the crate out of the bedroom if you don't like it there, but when they're young, to expect them to suddenly live without company is pretty hard on a young pup.

good luck

e

[Cob-Web]

when they're young, to expect them to suddenly live without company is pretty hard on a young pup.

good luck

e

I agree, although my solution is to sleep downstairs with pup (or any new dog) for a week or so, rather than have the crate upstairs