Bringing home a new puppy....

happy_jax

Hello folks!

So I am the happiest girl in the world because (finally) we have taken the plunge and adopted ourselves a GORGEOUS Golden Retriever puppy, who we will call Charlie Barkin!

We get to bring him home next Sunday, so....does anyone have any advice? (About anything at all to do with bringing home and bringing up a healthy, happy dog!)

I have every book going and have been "internet researching" for years (we've wanted a dog forever, but recently my partner has started working from home which enables us to do this in a fairer way to the dog!) but nothing beats tales of personal experience!

One of the biggest thing I am keen to get thoughts on is introductions to cats - as I have two little fluffy angel cats who I am keen to upset as little as possible!!! :ohwell:

Looking forward to hearing all your stories and advice!! :happy: Thank you! x

oouurr__aayylleeyycan

Hey,

Congrats on the new pooch! I remember bringing my Labrador home and it was such an amazing time! The one piece of advice I'd say is put some rules in place from the very beginning as this will prevent any issues cropping up further down the line.

I'm not sure about Retrievers, but Labs have got a fantastic temperament but still I made sure that he was brought up around kids and other animals right from the beginning. He's so placid now, and I think this went a long with helping that. He's so playful though as well so other dogs are a good way to tire him out a bit in that sense!!

Olly chewed for a really long time - I think this was partly due to me working and him having nobody at home to keep him company, but it was a real issue for a long time. I wasn't great with discipline - I preferred the cuddles so this is where my boyfriend stepped in. As much as it breaks your heart to see them being told off when they've done wrong, it's vital to them learning. I get so upset with David when he's had to tell him off but ultimately it's for the dogs best

I have a ton of stories about Olly where he's either wreaked havoc or lessons I've learned so if you do have any questions feel free to give me a shout!

Last thing.... if you can spare a loo roll every now and again, chuck him one and watch him go! Olly was a true Andrex puppy hahahaha he absolutely loved the stuff xx

HeidiMightyRawr

Aww he's just so cute!!

As much as it breaks your heart to see them being told off when they've done wrong, it's vital to them learning. I get so upset with David when he's had to tell him off but ultimately it's for the dogs best.

I agree with this. I hate telling him off, but you have to sometimes. My golden likes to chew bras and if I'd just ignored it, I wouldn't have any left! He proper sulks though when he gets told off. Ears back, head down and lies down on the floor for a good old sulk (complete with a big sigh) until you give him cuddles again! - It's quite funny really, I can't be angry for long.

As far as cats go. Our 2 were out at the time we brought doggy home, so we let him out in the hope he'd do his business and was met by one of the cats (bushy tail, arched back, basically a quite scared kitty!) He didn't do much though, tbh he was really scared himself having just been uprooted from his home and he'd had quite a long travel too. We got him from close to Mansfield, and we live in Luton (train journey too!) So he didn't really do much that evening apart from lay down and cosy up in front of the heater while the cats went up and sniffed him..
Once they'd got introduced to each other they loved playing together! I would advise creating an area for the cats to stay away from doggy though. He never tired of playing with them (jumping on them) and well, you'd get fed up with that after a while wouldn't you? We had a dog crate where he'd sleep overnight and stay while we were out. The cats' bed would be on top of that, so they'd just jump there when they'd had enough of playtime.

Krizzle4Rizzle

Jax!! He is adorable! I like the name too!! Start off potty training right from the go. I was so nervous about potty training but it's really quite easy. Make sure he knows who is boss from the start too. I know there is more but I am just so excited for you!!!!

oouurr__aayylleeyycan

He proper sulks though when he gets told off. Ears back, head down and lies down on the floor for a good old sulk (complete with a big sigh) until you give him cuddles again! - It's quite funny really, I can't be angry for long.

Haha... this! This is my pooch all over!! I'm definitely not the master in our house, stuff like this just makes me melt and forgive him, haha.

We got him from close to Mansfield, and we live in Luton

- ahhhh I'm from Mansfield

HiKaren

Congradulations!! Thats great news... Show us a picture...