Hey everybody......I'm so excited about having a puppy....but I'm also getting really nervous.

What can I expect from a puppy?? Lots of chewing, I know that......but what else? I don't know a whole lot about puppies.....

Help, please!

Lots of peeing

I haven't had a dog for a long time but I remember the first few weeks were tough getting puppy to adjust to sleeping through the night

Hi Dani,
I just finished reading a great book called 'Merles Door'. It isn't puppy specific but blends a good read with a bit of easy to read canine behavioural science and an all-round well-written story about a good relationship between a man and his dog. I really recommend it for any dog lover whether you own one or not.
Otherwise your best tools will be a lot of patience and positive reinforcement, and the more you learn about your puppy's body language and instincts, the better everyone will get along
Good luck with your new addition!

they cute naughty and need lots of attention mmmm makes me think of a certain green animal hehe... they say to help a puppy sleep you but a clock near him/her makes them think their mom is near...

Thanks!

I just keep thinking "What if I'm not a good enough trainer?" "What if the neighbors complain?" "What do I do when the cat takes a swipe at the puppy? Who am I supposed to comfort, and what am I supposed to do??" "At what age can I start puppy classes and puppy play dates?"

Just things like that....I want to be a good dog owner....

here is a cute puppy well he use to be a cute puppy but his all grown up now

LOL He's adorable!!!! What breed is he?

His a jackrussel a fat one lol . . i only get to see him now and again visiting rights by my x boyfriend lol .

Wanting to be a good dog owner is about 90% of it! I recommend allowing your puppy to explore independently as much as possible (while under supervision of course). When he meets the cat, they will work it out the best between them. If the cat takes a swipe, it is unlikely to hurt the puppy, but the puppy sure won't bother him again soon. Don't make a big deal out of it for either of them. Probably try to make the cat feel secure if it hasn't suddenly remembered it has something important to do and stalked off

Dogs will learn quickly if you let them. Start socialising as soon as possible- your vet or breeder will know this as it is dependent on shots/immunisations etc. Dogs learn primarily by example. If you have a friend who has a well behaved dog, let them hang out so he can be confident around other dogs, which will lessen the likelihood of fear-based aggression. Designated dog parks where they can run off leash safe from cars are good.
Get him used to his name as soon as you can and work on 'sit', 'stay', 'come'. These are learned well through play. Also enforce discipline around food from the start. Make them sit before giving them dinner. Don't feed them at the table unless you are happy to have them begging all people for scraps for the rest of their life.

A really good exercise is to give them their bone or dinner, then after a while take it off them. Reward them for letting you take it by patting and praise, then give it back. This will stop them from getting possessive of bones and other items in the future. It recognises you as boss, and they will learn that even if you take it off them, they will get it back. Also if they get smelly breath, give them more fresh bones- it changes their digestive chemistry and chewing the bones is a natural way for them to remove plaque.

The more stimulation you provide, the less they are likely to engage in destructive behaviours down the track. I.e. I live with 3 ridgebacks. The 2 youngest are from the same litter and are around 3 1/2 years now. Up until around 2 years of age they were chewing so much it was a real problem (oh, the beautiful shoes I lost!). We started some more interactive games with them, putting them away then hiding dog biscuits around the yard. When we let them out we would let them smell the scent on our hands, point them in the right direction then off they would all bolt go to find them. It was enjoyable and rewarding for them, and hilarious for us to watch, and they stopped the chewing as they had better things to do!

I don't know at what age to start training (technically they start learning from their littermates from day one, hence why they must be kept together for a minimum 6 or 7 weeks), but I'm sure if you called an obedience school they could tell you more about formal training, and you could scout out some good prices and places with good reputations as well.
Also if you don't have a big yard (as in, acreage) give your dog as much exercise as you can. Daily is ideal, even if its only a short walk up and down the street. This will tire them out, helping them to sleep through the night, and allows them to indulge in their natural instincts of exploring, smelling and meeting people and dogs. Make sure you take some doggy bags as a walk normally gets things... ahem... moving. And a fit dog is a happy dog. Overweight dogs quickly develop health problems and their quality of life is generally hindered.

Also when training, avoid talking in a high pitch. Deeper voices are calmer and more authoritative to canine ears as a higher pitch sounds more distressed/hysterical. The more time they spend with you, the more they will become in tune to your natural pitch and changes to inflection and will act accordingly. Your voice and affection are both very effective tools in dog training.

A lot of it will come intuitively. Dogs and humans have been in partnership for tens of thousands of years.
Any other questions I am happy to help, and even a quick google search will churn up a lot of info. Check out yahoo answers for a lot of things you may not even have thought about.

I have had dogs all of my life.....and raised most of them from little puppies. Except for my current little guy Poncho. We rescued him last December, he was 8 months old and WAS NOT potty trained. All I can remember is that I let him out.....ALOT. It didn't take long to see his body language and know that he needed to go outside. Also learn how to brush their teeth, early on, so they will cooperate down the road. You want them to have healthy teeth. Rawhide bones are good chews and also help with the chewing....You have received some excellant advice..

LOTS of good information here!

The one thing I would add about finding a school for classes:

Go by yourself first and sit in on a class. Different people have VERY different ideas on the "right" way to train/handle animals and some of them will NOT mesh with how you're comfortable handling your puppy. Even if they're amazing people, if you don't feel right about something they're doing then thank them kindly for their time and check out somewhere else. They may have more dog experience than you do but it's just like kids... some things work for some of'em, some things work for others. You will learn very quickly what works with your dog and what doesn't.

LOL A lot more people should try respecting their dogs as much as parrot people do when it comes to this kind of thing. There's a much bigger drive in the industry to "dominate" and force a behavior out of a dog just because it's domesticated fully. And ninety-nine times out of one hundred the dog will accept the behavior and work under duress where I'm sure Kiko would just bite me and walk off!

Good luck!!!!

Learn to be calm when Puppy has an accident. He's a baby and he can't help it. Never, ever rub his nose in it. Gigi joined the family as an adult dog who had, we think, lived outdoors and never in the house and was abused and neglected to boot (all this is theory; she just turned up in the yard one day and we don't know where she came from). You just have to watch him like a hawk, and when he runs in circles and sniffs the floor, get him outdoors fast, and when he goes outside like you want him to, praise him as if he was the first dog EVER to do that. Eventually he'll learn to ask to go out. Gigi likes to stand in front of me and stare at me for that.

Don't hit him if he does something naughty, either. For one thing, dogs don't know what's "naughty." They only know what you like and what you don't like. If he nips you when you're playing, lay your hand on his muzzle and tap it (gently!) with your other hand, just enough so he can tell what you're doing, and say "no bites," just as you would say to your bird -- except the dog actually CARES what you think. Give him lots of toys to chew, and keep anything you do NOT want him to chew out of his reach. Puppies put everything into their little mouths, so you have to baby-proof the house as if he were a human baby. If he needs serious correction -- for example, to teach him to stay away from electrical cords or something -- take a newspaper and whack the floor with it. Don't whack HIM. If you whack the floor or your hand, the noise will startle him and then you can say "no" very firmly and he will learn to associate the noise with "no." But always, when he does something you WANT him to do, make a HUGE fuss about what a good dog he is. Dogs simply THRIVE on praise from their people, and he'll want you to praise him again, so he'll do the things that get that reaction from you and not do things that don't get that reaction.

Okay, guys........I'm terribly confused, and need advice from people who won't be judgemental.....

The other day, I told my parents that Zach and I are getting a dog. They completely flipped out, Mom went berzerk on me, yelling about how irresponsible Zach and I are with money, saying "Your dad and I have given you so much over the years, if it weren't for us you wouldn't have any furniture or clothes!!" That is totally NOT true, Zach had a lot of furniture before we got together, and we just moved it around with us. My parents decided that we needed new furniture and bought it for us as "gifts" (or so they said, now it looks like they're using that against us).

Zach and I do budget our money, no, we're not the best in the world at managing it but we know what we can and can't afford, and if we want something we save for it. Well, we have saved for this puppy and with my disability payout, we'll be fine.

My problem is that I want to make everyone happy, and making my parents happy will devastate me and Zach. Making them happy equals not getting our puppy.

My old dog, Sucia, passed on two years ago, and my dad misses her like crazy. He's one reason why we're getting the dog. We're mainly getting the dog for companionship for me, and to give me a reason to go walking every day. I need to start doing that, to be healthy. Our niece is 7 years old, and she misses Sucia, and her sister is 2 and I want her to grow up with a dog. I need to be able to bring our puppy over to my parents house for play dates.

I'm sure that my parents will get over this, it's just that.....I'm confused. I don't know what to do. I'm so excited about our puppy and we've put the deposit down already......

I'm sorry, I really needed to vent......

Dani, when I was in my 30's (long time ago, I might add ) my Mom (RIP) was still telling me what to do.....even tho I was married and had 2 children.......I hated it. We finally moved 3 states away and were very happy and it finally broke that hold my Mom had......not saying that is what you should do but, you need to ask your Mom about the stuff she has given you, ask her if she wants you to pay her back??? I am sure she will say NO. I totally understand, but do NOT feel guilty about getting the dog.......

Thank you so much, Sandi. That REALLY means a lot.

I think we're getting the dog, anyway, I just needed someone to say we're doing the right thing.

I'd say if you and Zach can afford the dog, and that doesn't mean just buying the dog itself...it means having money put back for vet bills, and there will be vet bills. Also if you have the funds to adequately take care of him food, toy, and training, and having the dog spayed or neutered etc, then its your business not your parents.

If I remember right, you are getting a Keeshound puppy and they are very intuitive dogs and can be trained as service dogs. And I believe,(don't quote me on this) that there are programs that if you qualify will help pay for having the dog trained to meet your disabilities.

As far as how soon can you start training it...the minute you bring it home. I'm a firm believer in crate training to help with potty training, but you can't be lazy about it. Then to start taking it to obiedence classes they usually have to be 6 months old and you have to have proof of vaccinations and rabies shots. And I would definitely advise you to take a few sessions since its been a while since you've had a dog. Keeshounds can be a little stubborn and if you have a trained professional there to guide you with training and offer suggestions, you'll be a lot less frustrated training. It would benefit both you and Zach to go together so you are both on the same page when it come to using the same methods in correction etc. Puppies are a LOT of work, and it going to be up to you to either put things away or teach the puppy NO from the get go...

As far as how to introduce the new pup to the cat etc...let them explore and work things out for themselves. The pup isn't going to hurt the cat and the cat will only use as much force as it has to to make the pup pay attention and figure out who the boss is.

I've had many many dogs and cats over the years, I've had it where we introduced puppies to adult cats and the cat had the puppy buffaloed in no time. In one case the cat would bait the dog to see how far the dog would go...it ended up that the dog would come crying to us because the cat was blocking her way to her water dish and if she tried to cross him the cat would slap her... LOL

Another set of dog/cat combinations we got a kitten and a puppy at about the same time. The dog was an Akita who are very territorial...the kitten hissed a few times and swatted at the Akita pup a few times and after a few days they were sleeping with each other in fact the kitten would curl up in the pups fur and sleep after the pup got bigger... So don't worry too much about them getting along...the cat's nose might be out of joint with you and Zach for a while but just keep showing it attention as well and all will be fine.

It.'s your life and your choices and all mothers are like that get the puppy and cant wait for pics

Unless you are living WITH your folks in THEIR home, it is up to you and Zach whether you want to get a puppy. As Connie said, it is a lot of work, but soooooooooo worth it! Puppies are so cute, and can grow into such wonderful pets, IF THEY ARE PROPERLY TRAINED. I know many dogs that are almost uncontrollable because they were not properly traied as pups , and I know some WONDERFUL dogs that WERE properly trained. You can do almost anything with them and they will do almost anything for you. (I much prefer the trained dogs. )

Go ahead and be excited about the new pup. Once you have him/her and start training it, I'll be your folks will be all over him too

We want pics when you get them ....

Sticks and stones. Parents are GREAT at that. You know best if you can take care of a puppy. Everyone I speak to with dogs say it is the best money they have ever spent. I bet they will be the first ones to be buying treats and dishing out puppy love.

You can't make EVERYONE happy, silly thing! You'd split yourself into a million pieces!

My little sister is like that and most of her stress in life is over things that are none of anyone else's business. You are a functioning adult. Moms have a hard time looking at their babies and realizing that they're not babies anymore - especially with the medical stuff you've been suffering through - and the drive to protect in a mother doesn't always come out in the best way possible.

Have you considered the cost in both time, money, and energy?... because it sounds a lot like you have.
Are the reasons you want a puppy in the best interest of you AND the puppy?... because it sounds like they are.

I definately agree with looking into training the puppy to be a service dog. For one thing, the puppy would get to wear one of those really cool jackets that lets the dog come with you everywhere including into restaurants and onto public transit. If you're interested in this make SURE you do the training. You want your working partner to be a good example because there's nothing worse for service animals than one who has no manners and gives everyone a bad name. The jacket on means worktime. No ear scritches from strangers, no going and visiting other dogs, no jumping up, no barking at cats. If you look into it now before you actually HAVE your little muttbutt you might be able to get additional funding towards the training and be directed towards a club or trainer that has experience with this specific series of skills! My best friend has a old lab that trained himself to recognize when she's going to have one of her panic attacks... all of a sudden he just started physcially pushing her off to a safe corner and basically sat on her until the fit was over, not letting her move or do anything to injure herself. She basically hugs him, hides her face in his fur, and makes herself breath until it's over and she can go about her business. We're all watching Buster carefully - he's getting really on in years and we're not too sure what she's going to do with herself when he passes. It looks like he's training their new lab puppy to fill his shoes, however. Little Raodi (pronounced Rowdy) is a quick study.

Your life, Sunshine. Make it the very best one you can and everything else will work itself out in the end.

Getting your first dog is a thrill no one forgets!! Congrats!!! Lots-o-great advice here. I'll leave the family thing alone.

I do want to add on the training. "When Should I Start?"...............Dogs are "Pack Animals". In every pack there is a leader. If you intend to be the Leader, not the Follower, THE MOMENT YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY is time to start. We all know the need for a travel cage for a bird. For a dog, it's more of a personal judgement (something to think about). Weather you lead the puppy to your car, or a travel cage, be the leader. When you get home, lead him around the yard, eventually, to the front door. Pause at the door, open, then your the first to enter, asking him to follow. Same thing with all rooms in the house.

You have already started "training" , and assumed "LEADER OF THE PACK"!!! All the other great advice, should now flow a little smoother. As Always, SEND US PICS!!!

Watch "The Dog Whisperer" every chance you get.

Thanks, Jaytee!!! I love watching both "The Dog Whisperer" and "It's Me or the Dog" whenever I can. They're both GREAT!!

I was just read through your post on puppy names. Did a little math. I changed Movies to TV shows, Spectacles, to Monocle, Added Germany, and came up with Col. Klink!!!!

LOL Colonel Klink!!

Well, we definitely are getting our puppy. Thursday was the first anniversary of my grandpa's death, and earlier this week Zach and I agreed that if the puppies were born on Thursday, it's a sign from my grandpa that we should get the dog. Well, I got the email this morning. The puppies were born on Thursday night, six boys and one girl. So we're getting a little boy! I'm so excited!!

However, I have no clue what to name him....LOL Oh well, that will come in time.

I went to the store where Zach works today and bought some little dog toys, that was sooooo much fun!

Congratulations!! It's a boy, that's wonderful.

As for your Mom.... I'm 41 and my Mom is still a PITA, I don't think it ever changes. Don't worry, she'll get over it and when there's a Grandpuppy to play with she'll be in heaven.