Bringing home puppy on Sunday. any recommendations?

[Zordon]

I'm bringing home an 8 week old cockapoo on Sunday. This will be my first pet so I don't know anything about what to buy or how to train her. Can I get some recs on what to buy for her.

 

[Tabascocat]

Get some pee pads and treats and potty train asap......be patient. Gradually train to go outside, it will take some time. Oh, and if you don't want him/her spoiled, don't spoil early

Don't let it sleep in bed with you if that is not your thing, buy it a small bed. That is a habit very hard to break. Show it who is boss early, he can't rule the roost!

My wife spoiled ours and they are extremely needy now

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

This Book

And This One

All you will ever need to know about puppy training.

 

[Zordon]

Get some pee pads and treats and potty train asap......be patient. Gradually train to go outside, it will take some time. Oh, and if you don't want him/her spoiled, don't spoil early

Don't let it sleep in bed with you if that is not your thing, buy it a small bed. That is a habit very hard to break. Show it who is boss early, he can't rule the roost!

My wife spoiled ours and they are extremely needy now

where do you put the pads?

i bought a crate with a divider. should i let her sleep on one side of the crate and then put the pads on the other side of the crate? i'm just really confused how this potty training will work. especially with me working/out of the house 8 hours a day.

 

[Zordon]

This Book

And This One

All you will ever need to know about puppy training.

thx just ordered the kindle.

 

[Tabascocat]

where do you put the pads?

i bought a crate with a divider. should i let her sleep on one side of the crate and then put the pads on the other side of the crate? i'm just really confused how this potty training will work. especially with me working/out of the house 8 hours a day.

Would you want to sleep where you pee?

I always put a pad near front or back door, that way the dog knows it is close to the outside. You can try and use the crate as a bed but don't put it near the pad, at least not right next to it. You also don't want to scare the dog from the crate, it may never use it if so. That means don't lock it up inside for anything.


I would buy a small, comfortable bed and place somewhere quiet, can even do it next to your big bed. That way the dog feels safe and is close by. You can eventually move that small bed into the crate and leave it open.

Whatever you do, do not lock the dog inside the crate while you are working all day. Now, if it is a huge crate that can hold a couple pads with room to roam, that is different. If that is the case, use it as a pen but not to sleep in. Keep those separate.

Read those guides and such, you will find your best way to raise the dog. Take parts of advice from here and those books. My advice came from me and what works best for us but there are many different ways to do this. Don't get nervous and enjoy it

 

[Zordon]

Would you want to sleep where you pee?

I always put a pad near front or back door, that way the dog knows it is close to the outside. You can try and use the crate as a bed but don't put it near the pad, at least not right next to it. You also don't want to scare the dog from the crate, it may never use it if so. That means don't lock it up inside for anything.


I would buy a small, comfortable bed and place somewhere quiet, can even do it next to your big bed. That way the dog feels safe and is close by. You can eventually move that small bed into the crate and leave it open.

Whatever you do, do not lock the dog inside the crate while you are working all day. Now, if it is a huge crate that can hold a couple pads with room to roam, that is different. If that is the case, use it as a pen but not to sleep in. Keep those separate.

Read those guides and such, you will find your best way to raise the dog. Take parts of advice from here and those books. My advice came from me and what works best for us but there are many different ways to do this. Don't get nervous and enjoy it

Thx for your advice.

 

[Tabascocat]

Thx for your advice.

I think I know where you are coming from now. You are worried about being gone at work to start this adventure correct?

If so, use that crate as a pen during the work day. Put a couple of pads in it on one side but not the whole floor. For the other part, put a little blanket in there, something the dog can curl up in. Make sure there is a water dish too, one that dispenses water....not just a bowl that will get knocked over. I don't know the size of this crate but bigger is better. If it is a small one, ignore this advice or go buy a bigger one

I don't like the idea of locking up a dog for that long but it might be necessary while potty training. You don't want to come home to messes either.

So, take the dog outside to try and pee before you go to work, get him in that routine. Do the same when you get home. He may not go to the bathroom, but he will get used to doing that. Only use that crate for when you are gone to work or a long day. If this is the path you take, I can't stress enough to not use the crate as his nighttime bed. Again, keep those separate.

When you do get home, let him run free and play with him. Work on that potty training with a pad near a door and/or take him outside frequently. Give him a small treat when he does go to the bathroom. When it is bedtime, let him sleep in his own bed somewhere other than the crate.

Once you think he is potty trained and can hold it, you should be safe to let him roam free while you are at work. Also, the crate can remain if you wish, just leave the door open on it so he can come and go as he pleases. You can always leave a pad on the floor for awhile longer just in case. Eventually, you will be able to completely pad-free.

Hope this helps but everyone has their own way of doing this, mine has worked fine on several dogs

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

where do you put the pads?

i bought a crate with a divider. should i let her sleep on one side of the crate and then put the pads on the other side of the crate? i'm just really confused how this potty training will work. especially with me working/out of the house 8 hours a day.

The idea of the crate is to give them a comfortable place to sleep and not give them room to roam in the middle of the night. As mentioned, dogs don't like to use the bathroom where they sleep. So they'll wake up at night and whine to be let out. You pick em up, take em outside, let em do their business and give them a treat or some praise for doing it outside. Then take them back and into the crate they go for the rest of the evening. It's hard to do, but it works. They will almost always need to get up and go between the hours of 1am and 5am. It's hard not to get upset or hush the dog, but it's important you take them out and let them do their business. Sometimes they'll wine jut because they are bored. If it's night time, you take them out and give them a chance to do business. If they do, give em praise, if not, it's back to the crate. It's not about being mean though, it's about establishing routines. Night time means crate time, means everybody sleeps. The whole idea of the crate is a safe space, so as mentioned you don't force them in, or leave them in unsupervised for long periods. I could go on, but you've ordered the books and they do a better job explaining it than me.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

Oh, and congrats on the new family member!

 

[Idgit]

Buy a kennel to keep puppy in during the day. She will eat your stuff. Puppies have an innate sense of what is valuable or what is least likely to survive being peed on, and they go for the jugular with that stuff.

Crate train at night.

If she's alone for long periods of the day, consider setting up a puppycam using skype so you can keep an eye on her during the day. Because they're the devil and generally up to no good and will make you pay for your mistakes if you're not watching them constantly.

Old socks with tennis balls in them make great cheap toys. Buy lots of puppy-appropriate rawhide to keep her busy. I like the Kong vulcanized rubber toys with the holes in them so you can break up biscuits into chunks just big enough to fit in the toy if you force it. They can smell that stuff, but it takes forever for them to get it out, so that's an easy way to get some revenge on them for eating all your ****.

Never leave them alone in a room. Never feed them after midnight.

Don't let them eat chocolate. Don't take them to dog parks until they have all their shots. Nextguard for fleas if that's an issue in your area. Make sure to get your dog chipped, and to register it.

Costco is a good resource for inexpensive quality puppy food and a giant box of biscuits.

For the record, a cock-a-poo is not an actual dog. It is a dog-like pet that people refer to as a dog because it's convenient, but actual dogs weigh a minimum of 40 pounds when full grown and do not wear Christmas sweaters or ever travel in purses.

 

[Tabascocat]

Buy a kennel to keep puppy in during the day. She will eat your stuff. Puppies have an innate sense of what is valuable or what is least likely to survive being peed on, and they go for the jugular with that stuff.

Crate train at night.

If she's alone for long periods of the day, consider setting up a puppycam using skype so you can keep an eye on her during the day. Because they're the devil and generally up to no good and will make you pay for your mistakes if you're not watching them constantly.

Old socks with tennis balls in them make great cheap toys. Buy lots of puppy-appropriate rawhide to keep her busy. I like the Kong vulcanized rubber toys with the holes in them so you can break up biscuits into chunks just big enough to fit in the toy if you force it. They can smell that stuff, but it takes forever for them to get it out, so that's an easy way to get some revenge on them for eating all your ****.

Never leave them alone in a room. Never feed them after midnight.

Don't let them eat chocolate. Don't take them to dog parks until they have all their shots. Nextguard for fleas if that's an issue in your area. Make sure to get your dog chipped, and to register it.

Costco is a good resource for inexpensive quality puppy food and a giant box of biscuits.

For the record, a cock-a-poo is not an actual dog. It is a dog-like pet that people refer to as a dog because it's convenient, but actual dogs weigh a minimum of 40 pounds when full grown and do not wear Christmas sweaters or ever travel in purses.

Yup, I didn't specify the difference between a kennel and a crate. When I said to use his crate during the day, I meant a large kennel. That way he can use the crate at night or a separate small bed if he likes. I would use the crate while training then move on to a bed later. But, by the sounds of it, he only has a crate which shouldn't be used for both. @Zordon you need to go buy a nice-sized kennel before Monday

Oh, we are welcoming a new member to the family as well in a month. We have lined up a Klee Kai coming in hot soonish. I wanted the bigger version but the wife likes em smaller

 

[Idgit]

Yup, I didn't specify the difference between a kennel and a crate. When I said to use his crate during the day, I meant a large kennel. That way he can use the crate at night or a separate small bed if he likes. I would use the crate while training then move on to a bed later. But, by the sounds of it, he only has a crate which shouldn't be used for both. @zordan you need to go buy a nice-sized kennel before Monday

Oh, we are welcoming a new member to the family as well in a month. We have lined up a Klee Kai coming in hot soonish. I wanted the bigger version but the wife likes em smaller

Beautiful.

We get ours two-at-a-time, because we're idiots. I wanted a young adult rescue boxer in the worst way. She didn't. So we compromised and did what she wanted, instead. We've now got two sheddy 8 week old rescue pups that have eaten everything in our house and ridden a path of urine and destruction straight into her heart. I sort of like them, too. But, man, they're collectively the devil.

 

[bigdnlaca]

Pee pads and a dog gate will be your must have. Also, designate a specific area you don't really care about to be the dog area because the pee pads can be ripped and chewed to pieces, which also means all the mess could be on the floor.

Toys aren't really needed because they will chew up whatever they want. Get old shoes, old whatever that is rubbery.

Also, when at home, walk them every 2 or 3 hours. Eventually, they will get the hint that walking on grass means they have to use the restroom. Good luck and enjoy the puppy days.

 

[Tabascocat]

Beautiful.

We get ours two-at-a-time, because we're idiots. I wanted a young adult rescue boxer in the worst way. She didn't. So we compromised and did what she wanted, instead. We've now got two sheddy 8 week old rescue pups that have eaten everything in our house and ridden a path of urine and destruction straight into her heart. I sort of like them, too. But, man, they're collectively the devil.

I hear ya, we have two Chi's(one is a rescue) now......little monsters. She puts sweaters on them and such for the holidays We travel so much, our dogs had to be small ones. At least they are cute chihuahua's and not the ugly ones

Those little things finally grew on me but once they gone.....no more little 8-pounders for us

 

[Ranching]

I'm bringing home an 8 week old cockapoo on Sunday. This will be my first pet so I don't know anything about what to buy or how to train her. Can I get some recs on what to buy for her.

I bought a MaltiPoo for my daughter 6 years ago. Great dogs, very smart. They get that from the poodle side. We crate trained her. Get her on a schedule for potty walks. We take her out in the morning, about 4 or 5 when my wife gets home and then before bedtime. Try to get a crate with a pull out tray that sits under a mesh floor. This allows her to go in the crate as a puppy without getting dirty while she is getting trained. Put a pad in her tray for easy clean up. As she gets older she can lay around the house, but they love sleeping in their crate. It's their safe zone. My sleeps at the foot of my daughter's bed at night.

 

[Idgit]

I hear ya, we have two Chi's(one is a rescue) now......little monsters. She puts sweaters on them and such for the holidays We travel so much, our dogs had to be small ones. At least they are cute chihuahua's and not the ugly ones

Those little things finally grew on me but once they gone.....no more little 8-pounders for us

We looked at local rescues first...it was all chihuahuas and pit bulls. I was having none of the one, and she was having none of the other.

Found a rescue in Texas (we're not local) who had a pipeline of puppies for some reason. The ones we got are a good compromise, I think. They're like retriever/shepherd mixes of some sort. Maybe Australians? Pretty dogs. Sweet. Smart. Just ape****.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Easy answer...


Get cats.

 

[Idgit]

Easy answer...


Get cats.

Cats are below dog-like pets, and even rodents, on the ladder of Things a Man Ought to Own. Unless it's a Maine Coon.

 

[Trouty]

Cats are below dog-like pets, and even rodents, on the ladder of Things a Man Ought to Own. Unless it's a Maine Coon.

That's not a real cat?

We used to own bengals (f4 Asian Leopard Cats) when I was growing up, thought that was about as exotic as it got for domesticated cats. But that thing...