im going to get a dog in 1-2 weeks what do i do before and after i get it?
i already got a crate that has a divider, i got toys, i got a leash and an ajustable collar,2 dog bowls for food and water,dog food, and i got the water bottle thing that you hang in the crate, i have also puppy proofed the house as much as i could. since i adopted it from a humane center they will do all the shots and they also spayed it. i want to know what i have to do the day i bring it home and what else i have to do before i get it. also i bought the ‘nutro max for puppies’ food should i keep it or change it to a different one, please tell me somthing that is high end quality and if it not tooo costly. i dont want the ones from wal mart. i dont know if i should get a bed yet because it is just about 2 months old and not yet potty trained. i want everthing for my puppy and good quality.any good information is HIGHLY appreciated, thank you.
P.S. i am going to get a very handsome/cute yellow labrador retriever!!! so happy ive been asking for years.
9 Responses
Jo
09 Feb 2010
Corey B
09 Feb 2010
Exercise every day for at least an hour… discipline… don’t let the puppy do anything you wouldn’t want a 80lb dog doing, put it on a schedule.
<PiratesBooty
09 Feb 2010
Thats great your exited about it. I was too. Set up a vets appt. Get its kennel if your planning on training it.
nekkiddoglady
09 Feb 2010
sounds like you are doing good.. even tho the shelter does shots and neuter, its only 2 months old.. it will need more shots, I think probably 2 more sets, and also a rabies vacc at 16 weeks. You may want to consider a micrchip too if the shelter doesnt do that.
I would ask what food the shelter is feeding, and start out with that, even if it is a poor quality brand. The shelter is stressful, going to a new home is stressful, being taken away from mom and littermates is stressful.. I dont think its good to add a change in diet on top of it. As the pup settles into its home, you can switch to a better brand.
Kristen K
09 Feb 2010
Sounds like you have most everything. You will want to get the puppy enrolled in a puppy kindergarten class and then continue on to a good obedience class after he’s about 6 months old. To have a well mannered dog, at least 20 weeks of obedience training is recommended.
With food, I have had good luck in feeding raw, but it’s not for everyone. It costs less than premium dog food and is much healthier for the animal.
Bedding…try buying old blankets from a goodwill or second hand store. They are cheap and if they get too soiled to launder, they’re more disposable than an expensive doggie bed. Any thing fleece is a favorite of mine because if you have a chewer, it’s harder to shred and they really like to lay on it for some reason.
Good luck with your new puppy!
ddrLemon
09 Feb 2010
First of all, for the first couple of days you should feed the puppy the same food it was receiving from the shelter and slowly start feeding her more and more of the new food until she is used to it. Otherwise she may not want to eat it. Also, do not, under any circumstances, leave anything that you like on the floor or within puppy-reach. New shoes, socks, etc.
Don’t leave your puppy in a room alone or you may come back to find she has gotten into trouble.
Even if the shelter has gotten the dog its shots, you should still take it to the vet to get familiar with your vet and to make sure their are no problems that were overlooked.
last of all, ENJOY and good luck!
Clay
09 Feb 2010
Very good answers so far and it sounds like you’ve done your reading and are very prepared. I would even say Nutro is a good fit with the specs you listed. I have two labs (yellow 1st & chocolate 2nd) both brought home as pups. Our yellow girl was 8 weeks old like yours and our chocolate boy was only 4 &1/2 weeks old.
Expect them to be going all over the place the first couple of weeks although our 2nd was much better having been trained in the crate to go on cut up newspaper from the start. Having said all that, I think a good trick we used both times was to have them spend time when either left alone for a bit or at night in the kitchen on linoleum with a baby gate at the entrance. It was much easier to clean up the first couple of weeks and made it a lot smoother both times.
Have fun with your new lab.
robuttox
09 Feb 2010
You’ll just play with him a lot and fawn over him. My dog liked Alpo canned food. For my cat, I used to buy Purina One from WalMart. Purina One is newer and better than Purina Puppy Chow. I am almost sure WalMart will have a high end dog food for a good price. Have you even looked? Dogs love dog biscuits. Don’t buy the really cheap ones. Buy Milk Bone. They make different sizes for different dogs. They also love chewing on "bones" made of rawhide and a dried pig’s ear (it’s tough as leather). You can buy those things at WalMart.
http://www.purina.com/dogs/puppies/PuppyNecessities.aspx
http://www.puppychow.com/completepuppycare/
They will probably have something like Purina ProPlan for Puppies or Purina One Large Breed Puppy Formula at WalMart
blueyedblondej5
09 Feb 2010
It sounds like you’re pretty much set, however I have some tips. Does he sleep at the shelter with a group of puppies (brothers/sisters?) If so, he will feel uncomfortable being all by himself in the crate at your house and most likely cry. Fill up a couple warm watter bottles that are about his size and wrap them in some soft blankets. It will make him feel more like he’s sleeping with the brothers and sisters he’s used to sleeping with. Also, don’t let him jump up on you. It’s cute now because he’s little but dogs develope that habbit as puppies and then once they get bigger they plow people over. So when he starts to put his paws up/jump on you try to keep him down. It’s great to hear that you got him at a humane society- I work at one. We get some really GREAT dogs. Also, it’s so good to see that you are being responsible when it comes to your dog. Good luck and have fun with your little guy!
Since she was just spayed, if she still has stitches make sure they instruct you on care for her to keep her from pulling them out. I wouldn’t use the water bottle that comes with the crate. Read up on crate training, lots of detailed articles on Yahoo Answers about it and articles from different trainers. You don’t want to over use a crate, but you don’t want water dripping in there if she just had surgery, and if she already has stitches out, you don’t want her getting used to any wet on the crate/kennel cab floor. Just make sure she gets plenty of water breaks and fresh water out at all times when she is out of the cab.
I wouldn’t feed Nutro Max because it is hard to digest and has been one of the major recalled foods. Also they added soy to their formula which isn’t good for dogs. If you are wanting to go commercial food, but better than WalMart quality, then I’d suggest something like Royal Canin or Nature’s Recipe. The latter was not involved in any of the recent recalls. There are better foods, but these are more readily available, have a softer kibble and are available in dry and canned, and I know Nature’s Recipe does not have wheat, corn or soy in it and neither does it use BHT or BHA (toxic preservatives). If you can get Canidae, many people here rave about it.
If you decide to go with Nature’s Recipe get their large breed puppy food. If Royal Canin, large breed puppy and in fact I think they have a formula specific to Labs.
Get some large Nylabones, the hard plastic kind that are inedible, and get a Kong toy that you can stuff with some goodies for her to work on.
Avoid rawhides because dogs tend to chew off and swallow large pieces and get sick from it and some are preserved using formaldehyde. Others are soaked in bleach. blech!
Check out this site if you may want to consider giving her a raw diet when she is a bit bigger:
http://www.rawdogranch.com