So now you have a dog....

E

egoldstein

Guest
While sex is important, it's only a small part of your day to day life. So I thought I'd make a thread to try and help point new caretakers at resources to help them make the most of the coming years and to improve the lives of both along the way. This is intended more for people who have never been the caretaker of a dog before, but I hope it's useful for others too.

My first suggestion is on training. Being zoos, we want our companions to have the best lives we can and good training helps them overcome impulses and learn more. In a rare example of a small book being one of the best, the book Don't Shoot the Dog is my #1 recommendation. I've read a lot of training books and this is always my goto. It is a very affordable book, but if money is tight buy an older version; the first copy I read was the first edition and it's as useful today as it was then.

My second suggestion is on veterinary care, Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. There are other books that are similar, but this one I've read and can say it's a decent book. It packs a lot of useful information in there and I advise you to read it before you need it. A few pages a day will get you through the book, you don't need to read every page, but it helps to read the main sections so that you understand the core concepts and more importantly, know where in the book to turn when you need more details. A book isn't a replacement for professional veterinary care, but it can go a long way to saving you worry and money by helping you understand what's going on and what to expect. Being informed helps your vet help you and your dog, which is good for everyone. Again, older versions and used copies often sell for less if money is tight and I know I already said it, but don't forget to actually read it!

What other advice do you have for others or what questions do you have for people who have more experience?
 
*looks only at title*.

-unzips- sorry little one (best Thanos voice you can use)

Now serious answer: best way to research dog is studying on their behavior then work out their strengths and weaknesses
 
egoldstein said:
While sex is important, it's only a small part of your day to day life. So I thought I'd make a thread to try and help point new caretakers at resources to help them make the most of the coming years and to improve the lives of both along the way. This is intended more for people who have never been the caretaker of a dog before, but I hope it's useful for others too.

My first suggestion is on training. Being zoos, we want our companions to have the best lives we can and good training helps them overcome impulses and learn more. In a rare example of a small book being one of the best, the book Don't Shoot the Dog is my #1 recommendation. I've read a lot of training books and this is always my goto. It is a very affordable book, but if money is tight buy an older version; the first copy I read was the first edition and it's as useful today as it was then.

My second suggestion is on veterinary care, Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. There are other books that are similar, but this one I've read and can say it's a decent book. It packs a lot of useful information in there and I advise you to read it before you need it. A few pages a day will get you through the book, you don't need to read every page, but it helps to read the main sections so that you understand the core concepts and more importantly, know where in the book to turn when you need more details. A book isn't a replacement for professional veterinary care, but it can go a long way to saving you worry and money by helping you understand what's going on and what to expect. Being informed helps your vet help you and your dog, which is good for everyone. Again, older versions and used copies often sell for less if money is tight and I know I already said it, but don't forget to actually read it!

What other advice do you have for others or what questions do you have for people who have more experience?
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Good recommendations. Thank you
 
I always like Black's Veterinary Dictionary. Perhaps a bit deep, but gives excellent knowledge and insight on all aspects of care and a nice reference tome for looking up things in. I don't suggest its used as a DIY tool! But it is a useful insight I have found
 
egoldstein said:
While sex is important, it's only a small part of your day to day life. So I thought I'd make a thread to try and help point new caretakers at resources to help them make the most of the coming years and to improve the lives of both along the way. This is intended more for people who have never been the caretaker of a dog before, but I hope it's useful for others too.

My first suggestion is on training. Being zoos, we want our companions to have the best lives we can and good training helps them overcome impulses and learn more. In a rare example of a small book being one of the best, the book Don't Shoot the Dog is my #1 recommendation. I've read a lot of training books and this is always my goto. It is a very affordable book, but if money is tight buy an older version; the first copy I read was the first edition and it's as useful today as it was then.

My second suggestion is on veterinary care, Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. There are other books that are similar, but this one I've read and can say it's a decent book. It packs a lot of useful information in there and I advise you to read it before you need it. A few pages a day will get you through the book, you don't need to read every page, but it helps to read the main sections so that you understand the core concepts and more importantly, know where in the book to turn when you need more details. A book isn't a replacement for professional veterinary care, but it can go a long way to saving you worry and money by helping you understand what's going on and what to expect. Being informed helps your vet help you and your dog, which is good for everyone. Again, older versions and used copies often sell for less if money is tight and I know I already said it, but don't forget to actually read it!

What other advice do you have for others or what questions do you have for people who have more experience?
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for all of this. I'm on my way to being a new owner and I can use all the help I can get. I'll have to look into the handbook you mentioned.
 
Cool idea for a thread! I’ll be taking home an adorable puppy in a few weeks. It will be my first pet and, of course, I’m nervous about training and nutrition. Thanks for the book suggestions!
 
Great thread! Thinking of getting a horse down the road. Would love to see a similar thread on horse ownership
 
GoldenGait said:
Cool idea for a thread! I’ll be taking home an adorable puppy in a few weeks. It will be my first pet and, of course, I’m nervous about training and nutrition. Thanks for the book suggestions!
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Congratulations! I assume you'll be home with them for most of the day?
 
SultryHellhound said:
Eh, I've just heard that it's best to have lots of time home with a puppy, as they need to be taken out very very frequently+bonding, training, etc
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In a perfect world, but few of us live in such and have to rely on family, housemates, friends, etc for those times.
Good create training and getting puppy used to seeing you come and go can make it a whole lot easier on everyone.
 
egoldstein said:
In a perfect world, but few of us live in such and have to rely on family, housemates, friends, etc for those times.
Good create training and getting puppy used to seeing you come and go can make it a whole lot easier on everyone.
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So right now I'm actually co-raising a 10 month old puppy that my family rescued at about 5 weeks old from someone who dumped him on the road and we all work full time so it's definitely been a challenge to have to get any training in after everyone comes home. But I think once I get my own place I wouldn't try it unless I had the means to be home way more.
 
SultryHellhound said:
Eh, I've just heard that it's best to have lots of time home with a puppy, as they need to be taken out very very frequently+bonding, training, etc
Click to expand...
You’re right and I don’t know why I took offense to your assumption. I do think it’s great to have lots of time with the puppy but I don’t think it’s awful if, like egoldstein said, you don’t have that luxury.

I’ve waited 10 years to get my puppy because I didn’t want to leave him crated all day while I was at work. I’ve built a work-life situation that will allow me to bring him with me to work, which will be amazing. I work in the trades and own my own business so when he’s older and trained up, he’ll be my jobsite buddy. I think this is an amazing way to have a dog but I’m not interested in putting other people down if their situation isn’t like mine.
 
It doesn't work for everyone but I've usually had a housemate over the years, partly to assist with bills and partly so my dogs had company; most were not zoos, though a few of them figured it out eventually. A dog remaining in a crate for long periods is not acceptable, but a few hours here and there to keep puppy safe is no problem. Once they're past the teething stage I tend to leave the crate open and they just use it as a bed.

It's important to never use the crate as a punishment, you want them to feel safe and relaxed in the crate. If you don't assosciate the crate as a positive place before you need it, putting them in it and leaving will make it a negative space, which you don't want.

When I am introducing a dog or pup to a crate, I start by tossing treats in and letting them go in and get the treat. We repeat this until they go in reliably without hesitation, then I start waiting a few seconds to deliver the treat, just a few seconds at first, but slowly increasing time and also rewarding them for laying down if they happen to. When I have them going in and staying there comfortably for a minute or two I start focusing on laying more and reward for it. When I have them laying in it for a minute or so, I start closing the door then reward through the door, then open it. Same as with going in and waiting, I start increasing the time with the door closed much the same to increase duration. When they're fine with the door closed for a few minutes I start with them entering, laying down, I close the door, and step out of view for a moment, return, then treat. The pattern is probably pretty obvious, but then I repeat the process and each time I go farther and increase the time I'm out of view, before returning to treat. How long will depend, you want to keep pushing the time out, but you don't want them getting upset, so try to stay just within their comfort zone so they don't start to fuss.

All this time I will randomly throw treats in the back of the crate when they aren't in it for them to wander in and find on their own so that they continue to get rewarded for going into the crate even if I'm not paying attention. If I see them in the crate at any time unprompted I reward them with a treat. Mine are very comfortable in their crates, we leave doors open and they go in and lay down when they are tired or don't want to be bothered. When we need them secured, we close the doors and they are unfazed as it's a normal thing to them. It's very handy when there's guests, so we can get people situated and the dogs can settle a bit before being released. It's especially helpful for travel.

They need good bedding so it's a comfortable place for them to stay, one that's enticing enough for them to want to be in it. I find a cover, even an old blanket draped over is often helpful, though young pups still teething may pull on it and chew holes; so check to be sure the pup will leave the cover alone before leaving for any length of time. A Kong rubber toy willed with peanutbutter and frozen, given to them in the crate can provide a nice distraction for a while. Exercising them with some play and a long walk beforehand will help burn off some energy and have them ready for a nap. Always try to set them up to win and limit the chances for them to have a negative experience.

If I'm working a typical job where I know I will need to go in daily, I tend to coordinate a vacation or long weekend with getting the the dog/pup so I have at least a few days to work with them on the crate.
 
GoldenGait said:
You’re right and I don’t know why I took offense to your assumption. I do think it’s great to have lots of time with the puppy but I don’t think it’s awful if, like egoldstein said, you don’t have that luxury.

I’ve waited 10 years to get my puppy because I didn’t want to leave him crated all day while I was at work. I’ve built a work-life situation that will allow me to bring him with me to work, which will be amazing. I work in the trades and own my own business so when he’s older and trained up, he’ll be my jobsite buddy. I think this is an amazing way to have a dog but I’m not interested in putting other people down if their situation isn’t like mine.
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Oh that makes sense, so you get to be with him all day anyways! Awesome!
 
egoldstein said:
While sex is important, it's only a small part of your day to day life. So I thought I'd make a thread to try and help point new caretakers at resources to help them make the most of the coming years and to improve the lives of both along the way. This is intended more for people who have never been the caretaker of a dog before, but I hope it's useful for others too.

My first suggestion is on training. Being zoos, we want our companions to have the best lives we can and good training helps them overcome impulses and learn more. In a rare example of a small book being one of the best, the book Don't Shoot the Dog is my #1 recommendation. I've read a lot of training books and this is always my goto. It is a very affordable book, but if money is tight buy an older version; the first copy I read was the first edition and it's as useful today as it was then.

My second suggestion is on veterinary care, Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. There are other books that are similar, but this one I've read and can say it's a decent book. It packs a lot of useful information in there and I advise you to read it before you need it. A few pages a day will get you through the book, you don't need to read every page, but it helps to read the main sections so that you understand the core concepts and more importantly, know where in the book to turn when you need more details. A book isn't a replacement for professional veterinary care, but it can go a long way to saving you worry and money by helping you understand what's going on and what to expect. Being informed helps your vet help you and your dog, which is good for everyone. Again, older versions and used copies often sell for less if money is tight and I know I already said it, but don't forget to actually read it!

What other advice do you have for others or what questions do you have for people who have more experience?
Click to expand...
Thank you for the recommendations. Will look into these
 
OffgridK9lover said:
very true, lots of exposure to the world and socializing, being calm and consistent are crucial.
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Funny you quoted my post...just looked back at the thread and realized my whole "plan" for the future went out the window... about a month later the sweetest little girl was dumped off at my doorstep my her mama. So she's now mine.
 
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