Puppy viewing tomorrow!

[ollie nathan's mum]

McFly, she will be a very big commitment and will change your life. You are right to hold back if you have any concerns at all, there are to many puppies being rehomed.

[8 Hairy Feet]

How about Midnight 
steffxxx

[VickyG]

treacle
marmite
oxo
pepsi
^^ hmmm see a theme
OR
Tilly
Jess

when you think of a name remember that you will have to shout it when out and about so you will need to comfortable shouting it.  Also, short names are easier to shout too and I've read easier for the dogs to respond to.

As soon as you get her photo's are a must right from day one so we can all get puppy broody  oh and word of warning I had to sleep downstairs for a few weeks when we first got our two houndlings to make sure they settled and leant toileting fast, I took time off work to do this (but me and OH both work from home anyway).

BTW get this book as it is the bible for puppy training and puppy socialisation-

'Before and after getting your puppy'- Dr Ian Dunbar

[Patp]

PS you could call her Velcro (cos she`ll be stuck to you like velcro) even when you go to the toilet you`ll find her waiting outside the door for you 

You mean your stays outside the room?  Oh to have a bath in peace without her wanting to get in!

You are right it will change your life exactly the same in some ways as the decision to have a child does.  My OH was adamant he did not want a dog for the same reasons (cant just drop everything and decide to go away for the weekend, stay out all day together on the spur of the moment) the strange thing is, we never did those things anyway!  

Jinley, even though she has been with us just 3½ months, has become part of our lives and we wouldn't have it any other way! 

Good luck with your decision but remember even those grey dismal days that normally you would stay in on, you will learn to enjoy with your new buddy!

Pat

[Pudding]

are they look just like my Bobby did 

  •Ebony •Storm

[JeffandAnnie]

Jazz or Jazzi 

[McFly]

I made the mistake of telling a few people I'm getting a pup this week, and I have been met with all sorts of comments, both positive and negative, but the negatives have struck a chord and has really given me cold feet. 

I don't think I have underestimated the work and commitment involved with a dog, but I now have all sorts of doubts.  I was planning on a trip to P@H tonight, but instead I am on here typing this and wondering what to do!

I never over analyse things and usually make spur of the moment decisions, but this is a big decision and I fear I am over analysing things now!

Confused of Belfast. 

[ejp]

Dear Confused of Belfast,

you are right to take a bit of time and think it over.  It's a big committment, not one that we have regretted, but it is not a decision to be taken lightly.  Good for you taking a bit of time out to properly consider it.  Things will change, no doubt about it, so good that you are prepared for that and making a balanced sensible decision.  If it's not the right time for you then fair enough.  If you do decide to go ahead then the rewards are great. So take your time and make your choice.

[Patp]

Confused of Belfast

Totally agree with previous message and the more research you do (which is great) the more confusing it all becomes!

Only you can make the decision and at times (very few) you will regret it for a minute or two.  We have stopped thinking "we could have done that if we hadnt got the dog to think about" to "what new things can we do now we are lucky enough to have a dog".  I meet new people on a regular basis and in the 4 months I have had Jinley have met and chatted to more people than in the 6 years I have lived in my house!

If you are undecided, do you have some friends who have a dog that could give you some advice?  I seem to remember the ones who tried to talk me out of having Jinley were friends who did not have a dog, worked long hours and had a hectic social life!  Because they didnt want one - they thought I shouldnt either!

The friends with dogs who I spoke to were the ones who said that their dogs had enriched their lives and were firmly seen as "one of the family".

You should be admired for taking your time - of course getting your puppy isnt the end of the decisions!  What food / which vet / which insurance (very confusing that one) / best way to train will come next - oh and the compulsory activity and pictures on COL 

Whatever decision you make will be the right one.

Pat

[Nicola]

What are the main doubts that you're having? It's normal to have jitters before getting a puppy - it's a massive commitment - but if you're having serious doubts then you're doing the right thing to think very carefully about it. There's no question that puppies are extremely hard work and having a dog will change your life hugely so if you're really doubting that you can/want to do this then you really need to think long and hard if it's really right for you for your sake and the puppy's. It would be easy for me to tell you that it'll all be fine and it's all worth it - for me it absolutely is, I grew up with dogs and can't imagine my life without them - but I'll freely admit that they are a tie and every day pretty much has to revolve around them and their needs.

I've just had a quick look through the thread and another thing I would say is that £450 is very cheap for a show Cocker puppy from health tested parents.

[maddy74]

I couldnt have put it better than patp and ejp myself. The week leading up to viewing Willow me and OH fell out as he got cold feet and he kept telling me what we would be giving up. When we met Willow our heart melted and we agreed to have her. then we had 3 weeks to wait, with that three weeks came mixed emotions....

Then when we had her it was heavy going to start with without a doubt....toileting every 30mins, puppy biting, her wanting to play with the things she wasnt surposed to. But with that puppy stage came joy as we took her on her first walk and she lost her teeth and she began sitting on command etc. It all seemed to fit into place. i was worried OH would resent it after him being off about it leading up to seeing her.

At Christmas when we were out with her he said to me he loves having a doglet and could not imagine life without her, we are both smitten with her and she has brought us so much joy. You do have to change your life a bit to suit but its sooooo worth it. Whatever you decide you will get support from COL.

 

[McFly]

Thanks for the replies folks.

My concerns are:

1) Leaving pup alone when I'm at work - although 99% of the time this will only be 9-1, then 2-5pm.  I'm home for lunch each day.
2) Possible barking when I'm not at home, potentially annoying my neighbour
3) From a selfish point of view, no more spur of the moment night/weekends away without some planning for doggy

I am fairly certain that all these things will be fine, and to be honest I am never far from home anyway and most places I go the dog could come too.  The only other thing is that I am currently single and live alone in my own house - so I don't have a wife/girlfriend to help with all the doggy duties.

I am probably over analysing this, but I need to be certain before pulling the trigger.

[maddy74]

That does seem quite a long time to leave a puppy cocker as they love to be around people, this will also hinder any toilet training etc, were you hoping to take some time off with her when you first have her home? Willow is 13 months and we only leave her for 2 and half hours max although I am hoping to increase this soon. She was so hard to leave when we first had her and she would cry and bark and fret, the neighbours did mention it to me. We had to start leaving her 5 min, 10 mins etc. It was a few months in before i could even go out for an hour although as we were new to puppies I probably didnt do myself any favours doing it quite so gradually.

I did feel i needed OH's help with Willow but thats just my opinion, others might have found the experience different.

We never went abroad anyway and Willow likes to come camping with us and weve found some dog friendly b and b's.

Not over analysing, better to get all this sorted first. 

[Nicola]

That's really too long to leave a small puppy every day - the maximum recommended time to leave an adult dog without a toilet break is 4 hours and young pups can't go anywhere near as long as this. Have you got someone who could come in to break this up (friend, family, neighbour, dog walker etc.) and some time off at the start at least to get them settled in and used to being left for shorter periods? Leaving them for long stretches like this, apart from the lack of companionship for them, can make house training much more difficult.

I'm single and don't have any family nearby (they live in NI and I live in England) and it can be difficult. I'm lucky to have a lot of doggy friends here via work but going out for whole days/evenings and overnighters/weekends is difficult if not impossible without a lot of advance planning.

[Evadee]

Think it is normal to have cold feet, BUT it is big commitment to have a pup when there is just one of you.

Both myself and the OH work full time, although I am 5 mins from work and home for lunch.  The OH does not come home during the working day.  We have taken on 2 puppies in the last 18 months.  The eldest Tia is now 17 months and our 2nd one Jake is now 4.5 months.  We have been very lucky and having a week off when we first got the pups was all it took to get them into a routine of being left for up to 4 hours.  I have to say though, I felt exhausted some days and barely seemed to get time to get my lunch when we first got Tia and again when we got Jake (but only a week or two with Jake).

OH is on a course away this week and it's very tying having a dog on your own, it is not fair at all to leave the dog on an evening when you have been at work that day (in my opinion) and we have a rule not doing this.  I'm expecting to be totally cream krackered by the end of this week!

We do a mix of hols and weekend away now, some with the dogs and some without.  You need to find a place you are happy to leave your dog, there are many kennels now which are not kennels as such and you dog lives with the people in their home.  Our two go to a farm where they have a few dogs at a time, it does take some planning though and just having to say no to last minute things sometimes.

I hate to "rain on your parade" but it will be very hard work  on your own with a puppy, but if you are 100% sure and totally committed you could make it work.  Are you a very patient person?  If you are not a patient person you may find it very difficult at times, puppies need lots of patience and again it's harder to be like that on your own (in my opinion).

I really hope you come to the right decision for you, it's great that you are thinking it over so well.  If you are having serious doubts then maybe you need to give it a few months and see how you feel then?