Picking out a mellow and healthy puppy

[Anita Lee]

Picking out a puppy in June/July and I'm very excited! Does anyone have tips for picking out the mellowest puppy and/or the fastest to train? I will bringing him to work so he/she needs to be very easy-going and completely non-aggressive by nature, but also not timid. I've heard sometimes the puppy that seems detached from the group may be the most timid which could lead to aggression problems.. any truth to that? 

[Deeann Roesser]

Your breeder should be able to help you pick out the puppy that's right for you family. Congrats and Google luck with your new love bug!

[Raj and Teddy]

Hi All,

We are also expected to be picking our F1B puppy from Almond Blossoms in June/July. My kids (14 & 11) are all very excited and regularly check for updates from AB. I have been reading a lot on the various forums and trying to put together a list of things we will need as we get ready to bring the puppy home. I had few questions and appreciate if anyone can provide inputs.

1. Regarding puppy food, I have heard strong recommendations for feeding Orijen Puppy food (of course wait for at least 2 weeks after the puppy is in his new home before switching). Anyone else had experience with switching to Orijen. How about mixing Orijen freeze dried food? Any idea on what AB feed the puppies and how the transition worked out?

2. For collars, I have heard recommendations for rounded collars to avoid matting? Any recommended brands? What about a harness? Should we even look at leather collars?

3. Any recommendations for a good dog trainer who can actually come and visit us at home (Bay Area, San Jose) and provide feedback and guidance. Couple of weeks back I ran into a couple at a golf course who had a mini Aussie doodle ( 5month old), he was really an amazing puppy, very well behaved and extremely loving? In my conversation the couple mentioned that they had a trainer come to their house ( 3 times in total) and provided great feedback on how to train the dog in their environment which was very helpful. I totally forgot to get the name and wish I had gotten a name.

4. Regarding food bowls, there has been discussions on elevated food bowls causing issues. Any recommendation on what food bowls have worked out best?

5. We will be using a crate initially without a bed to help with training etc and helping with house breaking.

It feels like the time we were getting ready for our first born, where we were reading about all the various things that are needed and preparing ourselves. Of course we did end up getting more stuff than we actually needed and learned from it.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Raj

[Diane and Alma]

Hi Raj,  

Have you joined the Puppy Madness Group here on Doodlekisses?  They have all sorts of advice for new puppy owners.  And the Food Group here has recommendations on food and treats.  But, here's my 2 cents:

1.  Shelly, from Almond Doodle Blossom, told us the food that the puppies were on so we purchased that and slowly (over a few weeks) switched to another brand.  I don't recall the one we bought.  We now feed Natural Balance brand.  Alma did not do well on Orijen - perhaps the crude protein was too high.  Her stools were not firm.  Other people/dogs here love it.

2. I like collars that are colorful so I buy them from LupinePet.com at my local pet store.  Alma doesn't mat so we don't have the issue that you mentioned about rounded collars.  She also doesn't pull on her leash so a standard collar works fine.  We've never had her on a harness.  I'd say buy a leather collar if that's the look you like.  You can always put a harness on your pup so he/she gets used to the feeling.  And then when it's time to take him/her for a walk (after ALL vaccinations are complete please) then you can see how much control you need with a harness or a collar.

3.  Ask your vet about trainers.  We had a vet tech give us a set of classes.  There's a Norcal Group on here too - I believe - that might be a good place to ask about trainers in your area.

4.  Food bowls - we use a metal, non skid bottom bowl that we purchased at Petsmart.  I have 3 and rotate them through the dishwasher after she eats.  And a large non skid water bowl.  Go with what you like.

5.  We used a crate with Alma for just a few weeks/days.  She became very submissive when we would go to open the door - peeing on herself.  So, we just let her sleep where she wanted and she did great.  Other people probably have different experiences with crates.  Depends on the dog.

Keep me posted on your new puppy.  It's such an exciting time for your family.  

Diane and Alma

[Raj and Teddy]

Hi Diane,

Alma is very cute. I saw some of her pictures. Seems like a number of folks have Tula and Micah puppies. 

We don't know as yet about the parents, seems like Almond Blossoms has added couple of females for F1B so our puppy could be from their offsprings.

Thanks for your reply. I am a member of Puppy Madness, Food Group etc and have been following a number of posts and Karen's insights on Food Group. I have heard similar stories regarding Orijen food as the protein can be too high resulting in loose stools.

Thanks for sharing the LupinePet.com, I love their collars and the colors, my daughter has already picked a couple of them. I was initially looking at flyingdog collars website for leather collars as you can engrave a name plate.

The metal non-skid bottom bowls is a great recommendation as they can be washed in dishwasher.

The primary reason for an extendable pet crate/ pen was that my wife can leave her in there for couple of hours while she is running errands without worrying too much.

I will keep you and AB followers on our journey. We are excited and looking forward to adding a new puppy to our house.

Thanks

Raj