[Sennen]

Originally Posted by JR1664

I must admit with hindsight I should have got insurance and I've probably been lucky as he's as mad as a bunch of frogs. Every walk is a drama but great fun. He's ten now but acts like he's ten months. If you look at the picture and his rear right leg, just the way he's laying down - no hip bone so held together with muscle and tendon so when he runs his leg will flail outwards at really odd angles.

In a larger dog it would have been a hip replacement - yep silly expensive money.

He is a good looking lad, my current one is only4 and is in fine fettle, my last one lived to 19......... no fancy food for my dogs they have always got our leftovers interspersed with boled pigs hearts and lamb chops for the occasional treat

[JR1664]

Originally Posted by Sennen

He is a good looking lad, my current one is only4 and is in fine fettle, my last one lived to 19......... no fancy food for my dogs they have always got our leftovers interspersed with boled pigs hearts and lamb chops for the occasional treat

19 is a great innings. We also have the lads mum and she's nearly 15. She managed a 5 mile walk today but I fear a bit of dementia weirdness is cropping up (dog not me ).

[KRS_SN]

again so many nice pics..keep them coming please.
when I was 10 my dad took me to the dog breeder and let me pick a pup.(German shepherd as he had 2 when he grew up)
I did the same with my kids albeit he's a cavalier, they chose him and chose his name (rolo)
he's rejecting dry food. he's keen on butchers but frankly he's not keen on any treats or foods he's just mad about playing with our 3 kids and us.
we have hardwood flooring/tile he's sometimes skating around a bit hope that's ok.

[Emerson335]

Congrats KRS_SN, very exciting!

We just added a new pup as well, it was a Christmas present for my wife that we brought home a few weeks ago. It's her 4th Basset, and he will become our 6 year old English Bulldog's sidekick & partner in crime (when their not sleeping).

[Bricktrix]

Congrats KRS_SN, wishing you many happy years with him Hope you also enjoy the training!

We took the plunge last Aug after deciding the time is now right and fair to the dog as I'm working from home permanently now.
The breeder allowed us to pick him at 4 weeks old and see him every weekend until we could pick him up at 8 weeks old.....to allow a bit of a bond to start forming with us all, which appears to have worked quite well

We also got 5 weeks free insurance and decided to use Petplan thereafter for a lifetime policy which I think is around £33pmHave just signed up to the pets at home flea, tick and worming subscription at a cost of £13.50pm as he is now nearly 7 months old and 20kg.
The breeder was using Harringtons dry puppy food, so we kept him on that. He was starting to get quite sloppy so we tried mixing it with wet dog food which didnt have much effect. The vet advised if ever changing his food, to just do a straight swap rather than trying to mix and change it over slowly.
He also advised using the dry puppy food with a little water mixed in it.....appears to have worked ok so far but I think its different for every dog so probably trial and error for most.
A few pics of Frank, on the 1st day we got him and on Christmas day, hes grown fast!

[gr4z]

I would love a dog...wanted one since I moved out of my parents house 30+ years ago as I always had them growing up. Ex wife didn't like them, current Mrs doesn't either. Really miss having a mate to take on walks and envy all of you! Enjoy.

[Blacktemplar]

I’m contemplating getting a dog later this year when I retire. My IFA told me it would be the best thing I could do…..

I like the idea of it, but with the kids away we can largely suit ourselves. Not entirely sure I want the commitment of a puppy for the first few months, and then the need to consider the dog in everything we do thereafter.

Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs and would have one in a heartbeat ignoring everything else, and I’m sure we’ll get one in the end.

The most difficult part will be choice - I like big dogs (we used to have Newfoundlands) but they don’t half make a mess, are a fortune to keep and tend to have shorter life spans. Along with very large vet bills….

It’d need to be something medium sized that doesn’t cast, likes water, is sociable and doesn’t have stick autism like Border Collies but is active, and knows how to chill at the appropriate time.

[KRS_SN]

I wanted a weimaraner or a viszla
Mrs wanted a polski ogar
we both decided those were not for right now.
Then we looked to our kids and we got one that suits us.

[moonshine]

Our working cocker is 7 yrs old now and on Royal Canin - has been since a pup - mind you she will eat anything

We use PetPlan for insurance - only needed to use it once so far… when she found someone's hash stash in the bushes and ate it - we thought she was having a stroke or something - but she was just stoned out of her litttle mind….

Funnily enough… once the vet diagnosed it as cannabis ingestion, the symptoms were textbook…. Slack bowels, spaced out, super friendly, could hardly stand…slightly paranoid and a case of the Munchies….

The funny thing is the first thing people ask is if it was our stash!!! (No it wasn't!)

Also bear in mind your pet insurance also covers you for third party liability in case your dog injures some one of causes damage to property

[gr4z]

If I could persuade the other half...myself and my son are pestering her daily...how are you guys sourcing your pup nowadays? I don't really want to find one via an advert or online, I would prefer to get one via word of mouth. I realise its always best to see at least Mum and preferably Dad, preferably from a few weeks old.

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by gr4z

If I could persuade the other half...myself and my son are pestering her daily...how are you guys sourcing your pup nowadays? I don't really want to find one via an advert or online, I would prefer to get one via word of mouth. I realise its always best to see at least Mum and preferably Dad, preferably from a few weeks old.

Online can be fine, as ultimately that is the easiest way to connect litters with prospective owners. There can be dodgy breeders of course, but you can find plenty KC registered and KC Assured breeders out there.

Having said that, whilst that does often mean that only dogs with good health scores are used to breed, there's no getting away from the issue that many breeds are not very healthy, and many suffer common breed issues.

The proper Heinz57 mongrels that get rescued from abroad often seem the healthiest ones!

We got our puppy from a KC registered assured breeder and we were able to see the litter, meet the mum, and see how they were being raised.

[Samuaw]

Congrats on the new pup!

I have a pup too- 9 months, but she'll be a pup in my mind no matter hold old she'll be seeing as she is tiny.

Things I have learnt since being a dog daddy,
Training is difficult- till today i haven't gotten her to walk with me without getting distracted every 10 seconds
Pups are a lot of work- don't miss those 3am wake ups in the middle of night because she can't hold in her pee and poop for too long as a pup.
Training pads are not cool, as it is the opposite of what you're trying to eventually achieve- took some time to ween her off those

Food wise, I went for- Royal Canin, and now onto AVA. Pets at home are amazing at giving free food on their vouchers for pups- so I haven't purchased dried food for quite some time. I personally mix it up with some wet- Butternut box- which lasts months as again she is tiny.
I also put some kibble and wet food inside a Kong, and freeze that with some water. That keeps her busy for at least 30 minutes whilst i am having dinner. (plus apparently it is good for dog behavior as it mentally stimulates them when eating)

My insurance plan is i think 300 PA, but admitted buying dog insurance is so much more complicated than car/home/ medical insurance with the excess, and the maximum payout/ contribution to vet costs.

On the plus side, She is an absolute cutie and a babe magnet!

[KRS_SN]

Originally Posted by gr4z

If I could persuade the other half...myself and my son are pestering her daily...how are you guys sourcing your pup nowadays? I don't really want to find one via an advert or online, I would prefer to get one via word of mouth. I realise its always best to see at least Mum and preferably Dad, preferably from a few weeks old.

showing pics of puppies to mrs/letting her choose a breed she likes may help the former. Once she sees a pic of the cute puppy her heart may melt?
I got pup from here

https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/classif...pies-montrose/

you could also try
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/find-a-puppy/

IThe pup and his parents etc are dna tested and health checked etc and KC registered.
She has other dogs too if you click on her profile also registered dog breeder with the council too.
We went as a family chose him at 6 weeks and picked him up 8 weeks after seeing the mum dad and other puppies and noticed that the breeder dearly loves them and was interviewing us almost.

please do not use gumtree.

edit ..just realised my link may not work if so just refresh it and it seems to work

[Nibbles]

Our Sprocker is 3 years old now and the most agreeable of all the ladies in the house. I've told my kids I'm writing them out of my will and leaving it all to the dog.
She's good as gold and will just chill out when we do or follow us on 10-20km hikes or bike rides.
I've use LV for pet insurance, not had to use it yet and hope I don't have to for a while.
Butternut box for food. Tried dried and raw but she wasn't particularly keen on either but this stuff she wolfs down in seconds.

[KRS_SN]

he's just a bunny rabbit who barks and whines.
anyhow mrs decides he's her baby and like she cooks for all of us she wants to cook for him too.
chicken breasts cooked in water then smeared with butter for breakfast boiled eggs for lunch etc.
I'm just following her instincts on this one.
He was scoffing up all her cooking like all of us do.

[KRS_SN]

Do I need to go to a vet to get deworming and flea treatments now that he's 3.5 months. What are your suggestions/recommendations?

[planemad]

How has your dog settled in.

[speedski]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

Do I need to go to a vet to get deworming and flea treatments now that he's 3.5 months. What are your suggestions/recommendations?

Ours have Drontal for worming and Frontline for fleas. We get the drugs (and some of the specialized food one of them requires) from petdrugsonline.com - excellent site and service. No need to get vets to prescribe etc (don't get dragged into that).

Really easy to administer and pretty cheap when done yourself.

If anyone doesn't have insurance, get PetPlan, make sure its the for life policy and just pay it. Its paid itself time and time again - and as soon as the vet hears its pet plan for life the dont hesitate with anything. Ours already get back half the annual premium (as they get older it goes up alot) in the annual drugs alone. I'll have to dig out a pic from somewhere of our two.

[TouringPleb]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

Do I need to go to a vet to get deworming and flea treatments now that he's 3.5 months. What are your suggestions/recommendations?

Order them online through someone like Pets at Home.

Delivered monthly and far cheaper than the vets.

[KRS_SN]

Originally Posted by planemad

How has your dog settled in.

He's a very happy boy and life is so much better for all of us since he's here.
He likes to play rough ie will bring up a towel etc and then play tug and hold on to it pull jump chase etc.
This can go in for half an hour or more and Mrs is not sure if these games are making him aggressive as he seems super energetic after he started playing these 2 weeks ago.
She thinks he is a lap dog and shouldn't play rough and whereas he used to always cosy up with her now when he sees me he jumps out from her lap to wants to play with me and growls when she tries to stop him.
I'm not sure if I'm making a mistake here by playing tug or chase jump etc with a cavalier rather than just gentle walks and cuddles.
Any thoughts?

[TouringPleb]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

He's a very happy boy and life is so much better for all of us since he's here.
He likes to play rough ie will bring up a towel etc and then play tug and hold on to it pull jump chase etc.
This can go in for half an hour or more and Mrs is not sure if these games are making him aggressive as he seems super energetic after he started playing these 2 weeks ago.
She thinks he is a lap dog and shouldn't play rough and whereas he used to always cosy up with her now when he sees me he jumps out from her lap to wants to play with me and growls when she tries to stop him.
I'm not sure if I'm making a mistake here by playing tug or chase jump etc with a cavalier rather than just gentle walks and cuddles.
Any thoughts?

Your wife has to remember he's just a pup.. he's going to be absolutely full of energy. If he's anything like a German Shepherd pup he will be manic one minute and crash out the next. Just make sure he's got a place where he can do that without being disturbed.

There's nothing wrong with tug of war and it won't make him aggressive. If you hadn't taken him home, he'd be displaying this behaviour with his litter mates. My dogs are 6 and 8 now and still wrestle, play tug of war over the same rope.

What your dog will start to see is that you are the 'fun' one and will come to you when he wants to play and will have a different relationship with your wife.

And a heads up.. the energy levels and manic-ness will get higher as he goes through adolescence and everything you thought you'd taught him goes out the window as if he's never heard the word 'sit' or 'come' and especially 'no!' Good luck!

[KRS_SN]

Helpful advice as ever from here. Steep learning curve but I want to get it right for him. He goes into his crate to snooze and sleeps overnight in his crate and stays dry. Only poops outside in the garden. Hasn't really figured out how to ask us that he needs a pee, so some accidents indoors unless we let him out regularly.