Oh boy.

[Margie Payne]

So, I did this same thing with all 3 of my kids...as I laid pregnant in bed at night I would think....what have I done?!, what was I thinking?! How am I going to deal with this?!....and again, as our puppy should be born any day now I'm doing the same thing! LOL!  (No, I don't think I'm having a puppy...lol) I'm reading things about puppy nipping, eating poop (oh no no no no no), humping (things to whomever titled their message "The Humpty Hump", I'm going to bed with visions of that video in my head...I've given away my age I think), getting sick and needing pumpkin and I'm like...AHHHH!  

I'm sure I'll be okay, I realize our little pup will be much like a baby for the first few months and that training and patience will be of much importance.  I like order, I like things to be clean.  I choose a Goldendoole b/c they seemed so dang smart and were less likely to shed (although I'm fully aware this is not a guarantee). 

Maybe b/c its closer I'm feeling more like....AHHHHHHH. :)  So so excited though!  We couldn't have dogs growing up and it took me about 12 yrs to talk DH into this!  Our kids are sooo fired up!  I've been wanting one my whole life!  But at the same time I'm like....AHHHH. :):)

So a few thoughts/suggestions:

1.  I'm planning on Taste of Wild as our puppy food.  Our breeder uses Exclusive Brand Dog food.   The puppy will have been eating that so we plan to switch over after being with us for a week first.  We figure introducing the food change after the initial new environment change would be good.   I'm guessing from what I've read that doing this very very slowly is best.  Like 1/4 of a cup or less at a time.  Thoughts?  Anyone else using the TOTW?

2.  What kind of treats can I give such a little puppy for training?

3.  Anyone have any books they especially liked?

Thanks!

Margie

[Margie Payne]

Great suggestions!  I'll def look into those!  I'm getting more and more excited!  Duke's PB is what I'm purchasing for treats as well, at least to start out with b/c even in the beginning I don't want to introduce to many new things at once!  

[Sarah Bennett]

I've had my pup for about 3 weeks now...and sometimes I think to myself "What did I get myself in to??!?!" 

But really, it's not that bad.  I am in school right now, work, and have an internship.  Though I am done as of this Saturday, I think I will have a little more patience and training time. 

I was lucky, my guy, Salvador, slept through the night from the beginning.  I got him at 8 weeks and in 2 days he'll be 12 weeks. 

[Margie Payne]

:)  I'm sure it will pass and as long as I'm consistent, patient and goal oriented I think it will work out in the long run....remind of that in about 8 weeks!  LOL!!  Thanks!

[BettyAnn, Holmes & Lucy]

Funny post: I can relate!!! :) I have Holmes and he is 15 weeks old now. We got him at 7 weeks and huge changes, for the better, in that time.

I just read: 'After You Get Your Puppy' by Ian Dunbar and that helped- good ideas that I need to work on and be consistant with (just like parenting). It did stress me out a teeny tiny bit, because he really stresses that window of opportunity... but, I've read a lot on here and elsewhere that you can teach an old dog new tricks :) so, if you don't do all he says by the timeframe he lays out, it'll be fine!!! He also has another book: "Before You Get Your Puppy" which I haven't read but wished I did before I got my puppy. 

Good luck! It's been fun but yes, work too. 

[Margie Payne]

You're not the first person to recommend those books!  I'm going to look into those as well!  Seems like the time everyone's referring to as "it gets better" is around 15-16 weeks!  Just like a new born!  LOL!!  I figure I'd better be well prepared to have a bit of a sleepy summer!

[Margie Payne]

Lol!! I can't wait to hear about it! I sooo curious...how did you test for the hair?!! Our little guys were born just yesterday!!! 3 males, 2 white and one (ohhh this ones going to temp me to throw all puppy testing out the window) red! I can't wait to see pix!! I'm wanting and active medium energy pup that can match our family and our active lifestyle! BUT I really want a fleece coat!! I'm looking for pix all the time for puppies and what their costs at like around 5 weeks and then when they get older. I just don't want a GR coat, trying for as little shedding as possible! Lol! Any tips on figuring that one out?

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Your breeder should be able to tell you what the coat will look like when the puppy grows up.  Our breeder said that Casey will have a medium wavy coat and she showed us one of her dogs that she said he will look like when fully grown. You can normally tell by the amount of wavy in the hair on the head or upper back. 

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

I ordered a snuggle puppy that came today. Oh my - it is so cute! If Casey doesn't like it - I'll take it. Lol. Hopefully, this will ease the separation from mom and litter mates.

[Margie Payne]

I was looking at those today! You'll have to let me know if that helps!

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

I will. We got the color that looks like him, his mom, and several of his sibs. He comes from a large litter - 10 pups that were either cream/apricot but the majority of the litter was black. Dad is a black and white parti poodle - - - pretty boy.

[Janie & Sadie Mae]

I really like the book, "Good Owners, Great Dogs" by Kilcommon and Wilson. Amazon has it for $12. I have given it to several friends with dogs and they have all said that they wished they had the book earlier on. The writers really give owners a lot of tips about what dogs think rather than what we think they think. They cover lots of common puppy issues like eating poo, running the other way when you call them, etc.

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Update on SnugglePuppy.  For all who asked about SnugglePuppy - - it is a huge hit!  Casey snuggled with it on the way home (we had a 9+ hour drive home from the breeder after picking him up). It is in his create with him at night and he does cuddle with him - usually sleeping with one paw over it and his head on its back. So cute.  So far, he hasn't attempted to tear it up, but I suspect that is only a matter of time before he tries to "play wrestle" with it!  Well worth the money in my opinion.