Any advice for new puppy owner?

I get my lab x spaniel "Alfie" on the 28th November, he will be 8 weeks old. I've never had a puppy and would really like to help him settle in as quickly as possible. My friend has bought his brother so in that respect it'll be lovely that he can still see one of his litter mates.

How should I introduce him to the family and into our home?

Should I sleep with him for a few nights so we can bond?

I have bought wainwrights puppy complete. He is on pedigree complete at the moment but I was told that pedigree isn't really a good choice of food. Over what period of time would I introduce the new food so that it doesn't upset his tummy?

Sorry for all the questions but to be honest I could probably think of loads more!

Thankyou in advance

Beth

Be prepared for a lot of bad advice from people with little or no experience or training. Starting with the advice on food. There is no evidence Wainrights or any of the other premium brands are better than Pedigree or any of the other common brands. It is all speculation about the ingredients. No consideration of actual results of feedign the food to dogs.

Don't let the puppy start to sleep with you unless you plan to do it all its life.

What does a puppy need?

A crate. It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the
puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home, other
things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The only real
solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be happier in
its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests,
the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs
that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their
crates even when the door is open. Skip the bedding. At first it gets wet, and
later it can be chewed into choking hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help
keep the puppy up out of accidents at first. They are available with the crates,
but a piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is
cheaper. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den
feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog
can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to
stretch out in. At bed time, with a new puppy, I have found lying down in front
of the crate like you were going to sleep and speaking softly to it, or singing,
until it settles down and goes to sleep works very well. Follow the pattern, a
period of active play, outside to eliminate, and then into the crate.

Chew toys. The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up
into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close
eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces.
Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. These
problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such
as Labs.

Food. Find out what the breeder is feeding. If it is dry chow you can buy
readily, I would stick with it until the dog is 4 months old, at that time
switching to a dry adult chow. If not, try to have the breeder give you a few
days supply to use making a gradual change to a dry puppy chow.

Dishes. Empty plastic food containers are good enough. If you want something
nicer, buy the spill proof? ones. I have found them at Big Lots.

A collar and leash. You should stay with a flat fabric or leather collar until
your puppy is 5 months old. Then you can go with the metal slip collar with the
rings on each end. Otherwise you could damage its windpipe. Put it on like this
for the usual dog on the left position. Pull the chain through the one ring
forming a"P". Facing the dog, slip it over its head. The free end comes over the
neck allowing the other end to release pressure when the leash is slack. A five
month old's head will still grow some. If you buy one that easily goes over the
head, it still should come off leaving the ears when the dog finishes growing. I
start the puppy out with a metal leash and switch to a leather one after the
worst of the chewing is over and I need more control.

A name, try http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/petnames.htm#1 and
http://www.cat-dog-names.com/

A brush. Start the puppy with a bristle brush. They don't shed much at first,
and the bristle brush will remove dirt and help control odor. When shedding
becomes a problem later, switch to a slicker brush with the wire teeth.

The number of a vet. It is very hard to evaluate them. Dogs need more medical
care than in the past. Many new problems are wide spread.

A book. Any book is better than none at all. I like the Monks of New Skete and
their The Art of Raising a Puppy, ISBN 0-316-57839-8.

Obedience training. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog,
not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start obedience training the
day you get the dog. Build on the foundation of housebreaking. The younger the
puppy, the shorter you must keep sessions, only a few repetitions at a time. A
few minutes here and there, and by the time the puppy is 4 months old, people
will be impressed with what a nice dog it is.

A dogsley bookmark so you can come back for help as needed.

I didn't forget treats, shampoo, and bedding. I seldom use them.

I don't agree with skipping the bedding! Vetbed is quite tough, I have a picture of Rossi testing it somewhere. A dog needs a comfy place to sleep and it's not going to like it's crate very much if it's not comfortable. A bed at one end and newspaper at the other in case he needs to go to the toilet during the night, but ideally you should be getting up and taking him out during the night for the first few weeks.

I don't think you need to progress on to a slip lead either unless you are taking your dog out on a shoot. For everyday walking a flat collar and lead should be used.

With regards to food, stay away from food with added colourings, preservatives and additives and those with grain as the main ingredient.

I think your puppy should sleep in your room in it's crate for the first few nights, or you sleep in the same room as the crate if you don't want it in your room. If you don't want him there permanently you can move the crate nearer the door and eventually out of the room completely, but he will be used to sleeping with his littermates and to come to a strange place and be expected to sleep on his own is a bit much to take IMO, but there will be lots of different views on dogs sleeping in the bedroom with you.

Nylabones are good, as are stuffed kongs for keeping puppies occupied. A large stuffed toy in the crate to cuddle up to usually goes down well, but maybe that's just wussy Weims.

Where can I get vetbed from? How many times should I get up to take him to the toilet and would I just wake him up and put him on the news paper? The breeders said that they feed him at midnight, should I carry on with this? If so, for how long?
As it happens my brother is visiting the same weekend as the puppy arrives so I was going to put the crate in the in the living room and I will sleep on the sofa.

I'm so excited but at the sametime I want to make sure he settles in and is happy. I will get him a teddy.

Looks like you have been given a lot of advise, I have not read it all.

We bought nylon bones for Amber if we catch her going to chew any furniture, just said NO and gave the bone it, work well for us.

There should be a few places online that sell vetbed, you can probably get it on ebay, too, but I'd have a nice comfy bed. Get a bit of vetbed beforehand, cut a small square off and give it to the breeder to put in with the puppies, then when he comes home put it in his bed with him. It will smell familiar to him and should help him settle.

You should take him outside for a wee at night or he'll never learn to go outside - the joys of puppy ownership! I expect once will be enough but it depends on the dog. He will tell you if he needs to go out, don't wake him up. If he can go through the night at 8 weeks then think yourself lucky.

I don't know why your breeder feeds the puppies at midnight! If you carry on doing it he'll expect it all the time!

LOL. Thank goodness! So feed him maybe 7am, 11am, 3pm & 7pm. Would that be enough? and if I take him out between 10-11pm for last wee?

Remember to buy a mop!


Snorri

Snorri

Have fun with your new pup lots of good advice given already.

An 8 week old will do fine on 3 meals a day.

Be very careful what you leave a Lab mix with. Our 17'th Lab is 8 weeks old today. Many people have no idea what powerful chewers Labs quickly become. In addition to destroying things, they can choke to death on the shreds or have intestinal blockages.