What am I getting myself into??

[blonditz]

 

[psh0615]

She looks like she needs some love. I'm so happy for you. I know she'll have a wonderful home & life.

 

[blonditz]

:shesaid:

Sadie still daily chews on one Cookie sent her weeks ago. She has gotten a lil piece off it, but she's not a puppy. Seriously these things last forever. Sadie is also currently working a big knee or ankle looking bone. My DS loves to shove treats down inside the bone to tease the dog and really get her into it like a homemade Kong. :lol:

Huh, I think I'm going to have to look for some of those. I've yet to find a bone that lasts my dog more than an hour or two.

 

[fords8]

Huh, I think I'm going to have to look for some of those. I've yet to find a bone that lasts my dog more than an hour or two.

Look where the real cow and pig bone section is at Petco or Petsmart (I shop Petco). Not by the man made type "bones" and chew toys.

 

[eiramnoaj]

The crate is all set up and it looks pretty cool. That thing is huge! I was gonna get the medium size but the girl at Petsmart talked me into getting one size up (intermediate).

I have it downstairs near the sliding doors. This way she'll have a nice view outside and can watch the squirrels, birds, rabbits, Daddy cat, etc. and that will hopefully help keep her entertained.

What moron decided to put the instructions for the crate inside the crate????? Not quite as easy to open the thing up without the instructions. FAIL! :hurt:


I was thinking of putting a towel down on one side of the crate and a puppy pad on the other plus a bowl of water. Should I put a puppy pad under the towel?

My neighbor lent me her doggy carrier for the trip home. (I hadn't even thought that through.)

I dug out the free pouches of Beneful and Purina I had gotten that Chloe refused to eat. That combined with Mighty Dog should keep her fed for a little while.

Ok, now I'm really starting to get excited. :hiphip:

 

[blcrystali]

Don't forget puppies have sensitive stomachs. We brought our dog home when she was 14 weeks and we have a couple cases of "the runs" when we switched up her food.

How old is Sophie?

 

[eLiciafay]

I would not put a puppy pad in there or leave her alone in the crate all day with a towel in there either.

No puppy pad bc it is unnatural for her to "**** where she eats" so she will not have an accident in the crate. She will just shred the pad. Same thing with the towel. I know it doesn't look cozy without any padding in there, but until she gets the hang of sleeping in there and not freaking out and tearing stuff up, I would avoid putting anything shreddable in there. Just her water and a hoof, she will be fine. Might not want to put too much water in that dish though - she will probably tip it over. I would put your puppy pad or towel under the actual crate just in case of that.

 

[eiramnoaj]

Don't forget puppies have sensitive stomachs. We brought our dog home when she was 14 weeks and we have a couple cases of "the runs" when we switched up her food.

How old is Sophie?

I remember when we first got Samantha & the vet warned us about "the squirts". We didn't quite understand that term until she had them in the middle of the night & the squirting sound woke me right up (and the smell that soon followed really woke me up!)

I've got lots of the Beneful so I'll start her on that and if she's willing will just stick with it and some wet food mixed in at night.

They guess that Sophie is about 4 months old.

 

[eiramnoaj]

I would not put a puppy pad in there or leave her alone in the crate all day with a towel in there either.

No puppy pad bc it is unnatural for her to "**** where she eats" so she will not have an accident in the crate. She will just shred the pad. Same thing with the towel. I know it doesn't look cozy without any padding in there, but until she gets the hang of sleeping in there and not freaking out and tearing stuff up, I would avoid putting anything shreddable in there. Just her water and a hoof, she will be fine. Might not want to put too much water in that dish though - she will probably tip it over. I would put your puppy pad or towel under the actual crate just in case of that.

I was wondering about how safe the puppy pads are. When exactly would I use them? (I'm thinking it would just be easier to put some sort of large piece of plastic under the crate instead of a few of these little pads. (I haven't opened the puppy pads yet so I could always return them if they truly are useless.)

I guess if she's been sleeping in the kennel now, this won't be any worse and at least there won't be a dozen other dogs barking around her.

 

[Fun Ni Day]

Your puppy is adorable. Enjoy all your fur babies and don't sweat the little stuff.

 

[eiramnoaj]

Your puppy is adorable. Enjoy all your fur babies and don't sweat the little stuff.

Thank you! I have to keep reminding myself of that. I feel like I'm preparing for Armageddon but have to realize this is just for a stage and eventually (hopefully not too long) she'll be a good canine citizen. :hiphip:

 

[bargainfiend]

Cripes, scratch her snout for me...bloody cute!!!

 

[eiramnoaj]

Cripes, scratch her snout for me...bloody cute!!!

Will do! :hiphip:

 

[MoJo]

They are pig hoofs and they sell them at the pet stores. They are usually pretty cheap but they STINK! as you would imagine a pig's feet would be smelly. They are safe for puppies to chew since they really don't come apart or get eaten like a rawhide. They're just hours of chewtastic fun for them to get their gnaw on.

First, a big congrats to your family, Joan, on the arrival of the newest member.

Second, do you remember that smell? The one of the bloated carcass of an skunk in 100 degree weather? That's heaven compared to the smell of a 1/2 chewed pig hoof.

Consider yourself warned!

 

[eiramnoaj]

First, a big congrats to your family, Joan, on the arrival of the newest member.

Second, do you remember that smell? The one of the bloated carcass of an skunk in 100 degree weather? That's heaven compared to the smell of a 1/2 chewed pig hoof.

Consider yourself warned!

I guess I should be counting my blessings that I didn't pick them up tonight. I ended up going with a nylabone that looked kinda cool. I figured I'd ask the shelter and eventually the vet what the best chews/treats would be for her at this age.

I was thinking of getting one of those Kongs for her.

and Thank you Jo for the congrats and warning!

 

[rachelflower]

Super cute puppy...she's going to love you! I wish I had puppy advice for you, but I've never raised a dog from a puppy (my parents did all the work...although I used a lot of that Lysol that comes in the brown bottle to wash the floor if the puppy had an accident in the kitchen...boy does the smell of brown Lysol bring back memories of cleaning up puppy pee). Puppies need training...and I'm clueless. If I ever get a puppy I'm going to have to do some serious research, I guess. I like eliciafay's advice...everyone has given you good advice. It will be great to hear your updates!

 

[fords8]

:bliss: :bliss: :bliss:

Although I would REALLY have enjoyed sending you lots of doggie links :tap: I'm so happy for you all!
It'll be nice for Chloe to have a little friend who doesn't want to hurt her..... well, not intentionally, anyway :giggles:

Maybe the hooves I've gotten out my way come from undernourished pigs, but Lucy has no problem getting a large, read chokeable, chunk, off pretty quick :surrender:
I know Sophie's just a pup and might not be able to do that with her little teeth, but I won't leave Lucy alone with one. just fyi...

I think the Nylabone is a great idea!

Oh yeah, those hooves are seriously

smelling

 

[eiramnoaj]

:bliss: :bliss: :bliss:

Although I would REALLY have enjoyed sending you lots of doggie links :tap: I'm so happy for you all!
It'll be nice for Chloe to have a little friend who doesn't want to hurt her..... well, not intentionally, anyway :giggles:

Maybe the hooves I've gotten out my way come from undernourished pigs, but Lucy has no problem getting a large, read chokeable, chunk, off pretty quick :surrender:
I know Sophie's just a pup and might not be able to do that with her little teeth, but I won't leave Lucy alone with one. just fyi...

I think the Nylabone is a great idea!

Oh yeah, those hooves are seriously

smelling

The woman at Petsmart said they can get a piece that could suction to the roof of their mouth and cause problems so I stuck with the nylabone. I figure I may move to a Kong and fill it with something yummy eventually to keep her interested.

 

[fords8]

One time, Lucy got a piece wedged up and down, halfway back in her mouth, actually holding it open..... so she couldn't do anything to get it out......scary and it didn't look like fun..... She LOVES hooves, but I watch her like a hawk when she's chewing on one

 

[MoJo]

The woman at Petsmart said they can get a piece that could suction to the roof of their mouth and cause problems so I stuck with the nylabone. I figure I may move to a Kong and fill it with something yummy eventually to keep her interested.

Kong are ton of fun (never tried one myself, but prepped many times for our dogs). :hiphip:

You can pack them with pretty much anything (we usually fill with mostly dry dog food, mixing in odds and ends from the fridge like diced carrots, diced apples, lowfat cheese, lowfat cottage cheese, leftover meat, rice, and/or a tiny smoosh of peanut butter). While I personally think it's A-okay to give "people food" to dogs, I'm always careful to choose healthy foods that are low fat ('cause a high fat intake can be very dangerous to dogs).

My goal is a very snug pack that allows a balance of work and reward that keeps them busy for a while.

We have bought many Kongs through the years, and the hardest part for me is matching the dog to the Kong - they come in different sizes and different strengths. Our pit bull needs a large extra-sturdy one, but our similarly-sized rottweiler does best with a medium regular-strength one. Too bad I didn't invest in the Kong company BEFORE I bought a dozen!

Oh, and speaking of Kong investment, one of the few toys that has ever lasted at our house for more than a day is the Kong Cuz. Ooooohhhh, they squeak like a SUNNAFABITCH (the canine equivalent of a drum set on Sunday morning), but are sturdy as can be. There's the good Cuz (no horns) and the bad Cuz (with horns).