20 days until we collect Rufus!!

[Rufus01]

Hello,

This is my first time posting on the site but I have found it such helpful and enjoyable reading that I thought I would join.

My husband and I are collecting Rufus, an orange roan, in three weeks and we are so excited. We called him Rufus as apparently it means red haired!

I have been reading Ian Dunbar's book and feeling as prepared as can be for our litle bundle of fun. I'm also getting as much sleep as I can as I know that is likely to change very shortly!!

Any advice, tips, general comments will be gratefully received. One of my relatives is a dog trainer so we are definitely going to be asking her advice too!

Anna

[elaine.e]

Hello Anna and welcome to COL 

Have a good browse round this site as there's loads of great information. There will also be great support for you during those moments when getting a puppy seems like a really bad mistake  but I'm sure they will be outweighed by the good times.

I'm Elaine, owned by wonderful William, a 7 year old orange roan, and naughty Louis, a very challenging 2 year old blue roan and tan.

Looking forward to hearing more about Rufus and hopefully seeing some photos too 

[8 Hairy Feet]

Exciting times!
Hi Anna and Hubby
Welcome to COL!
It's a great site and has been such
a help to us with our cocker-life
I'm sure it will be to you too!
steff and Ellie the light blue showgirlxxx

[Rufus01]

Thanks Elaine, lovely to hear from you. I am spending many hours reading the posts on here- everyone is so helpful and it is reassuring to see so many other fans of cocker spaniels. William and Louis sound lovely. I will definitely post a photo once Rufus arrives home. He is such a beautiful boy but the thing that stood out was his temperament and that of his mother.

I can't wait to bring him home. If you have any tips on those first few nights that would be great-think we're getting a crate at the weekend but can't decide whether to have him downstairs or in our room!

Anna

[c19unn]

Welcome to the forum

We were very lucky with Diesel - he slept the whole night no accidents / barking or anything
But we got Diesel at 12 Weeks instead of the usual 8 weeks

Hope that it all goes nice and well for you
Please let us know if you have any issues, questions, worries no matter how small you feel they are . This site has been so great for me and helped me and Diesel through a difficult month (The guys on here know what they are talking about and actually managed to tell me what was wrong with Diesel when my vet couldnt even work it out)
Take advantage of everyones knowledge and Have fun with Rufus as he will be big before you know it
Charlene And Diesel

[Rufus01]

Thanks Charlene and Steff! I am sure I will be calling on everyone's collective advice before long. Just feel like the next 3 weeks are going to drag on and on. All I can think about is having him home!

Sounds like Diesel was particularly good on his first night-do you think it was anything in particular you did (towel smelling of his mummy etc?) or just luck?!

My husband and I have 10 days off work when he arrives so that we are both there 100% of the time and gets used to both of his parents. He has his second vaccination booked for 2 days after we pick him up, and after that we'll introduce him to friends and family, then he starts puppy socalisation classes a week later. Most our friends have babies rather than young children so we are hoping there will be children in the classes (with their parents) in order for Rufus to become used to small people! Our breeder doesn't have children in the house so it's something I'm aware of as one day we will, and we'll want Rufus to not be afraid of them or vice versa!

Anna

[Jonnydog]

Hi Anna, welcome to COL. I'm Di and I have a 4 month show-type black girl, Penny, and a nine year old springer, Jonny.

My bit of advice would be get a a DAP diffuser. Although Penny was 10 weeks when we got her, she didn't cry once in the night, except for a couple of minutes after she went into her cage on the first night. I tried it out when my son arrived with his dog and puppy and they all slept together in the kitchen. They were as peaceful as could be, so that convinced me to use it when Penny came.

[c19unn]

Not really - it might have been cause he was slightly older but what we done was:

bought him a little bed (we never had him in a crate) just worked for us as the kitchen diningroom is a real wooden floor so not slidy for him but easy clean if there was any accidents. At Night time - i took him outside for pee (whilst he was doing a pee i would say - good boy diesel doing a pee pee) , Put him in his bed and told him ' into bed diesel' so he started to know bed was the big comfy thing, gave him a little teddy and a little treat and put the lights out and shut the door - he started crying a little but i just left him - The other half wanted to go and cuddle him when he started whimpering the first night but i just left him and sat in the hall for half hour - he settled and the whimpering stopped and he was fine after that then We staggered night time: 

12:30- 6am for first 5 nights - getting up at 6, not making a fuss, letting him out for pee (telling him go for Pee Pee) as i put him outside, then put him back into bed give him his teddy and left him again til 8am.
Then we done 12:30 - 6:15pm for 5 nights, repeating the above process
And so on til he now sleeps 12:30 til 9:30 without any issues (on weekends) 11:30-7am (weekdays)

We just made sure that on the 2 hours leading up to 'Bed' that we played with him and tired him out so that he was ready for napping when he went to bed. we would get couple of different toys out and teddies and throwthem for him - little throws as he was in the house etc.

It worked for Diesel but it doesnt work for everyone as they are all different and what works for some doesnt work for others. I had booked time off work for him also and its great bonding and learning more about him

I hope you manage to find a way that works if this way doesent - i do think its best though to put them to bed where you intend to have them sleep so they are used to it from day one. But thats just my opinion - like i say diesel was older so .....
Good Luck though x

P.S we decided not to put Diesel in our room as we found that OH was a bit neglected with me as Diesels primary owner so we are glad to have the alone time when he goes to bed .. However it is personal preference xx

[ElaineH]

How exciting! We also have an orange roan, he's now 3 years old and was the first one of this particular colouring in the immediate area. He obviously made an impression as there are now about 3 or 4  

Unfortunately he was a pain overnight for a long time as a puppy, but then OH was a bit of a fusspot and Morgan quickly learned that crying, even a tiny whimper, would bring his daddy  

He's such a friendly boy (the dog that is, not OH   ) and loves to have company and meet people. They really are terrific dogs  

[c19unn]

Totally agree with Elaine - its the daddys who end up being the softies at night time - just make sure you dont go running whenever he whimpers a little a bed time as he will soon realise that whimpering means he doesnt have to go to bed as mummy or daddy will come back to play with him