Hi.
Found a breeder who i am very happy with, and them with me.
They are waiting for there bitch to come into season and hoping for pups later in the year.... Im so excited as i have always dreamed of having my own dog.
Is there things anyone would suggest i start buying in advance? Rather than have to buy all at once. I have seen some nice cushion beds. Will a puppy rip there own bed apart? Should i start with plastic. Can i buy too many toys?
Thanks

It's very difficult to resist buying something but I never like to tempt fate.  If, however, you know you will be getting a puppy in the near future (even if this planned mating proves unsuccessful) you might think about getting the bigger items such as crate and baby gates if you are planning on using them.  One reason is that you can spread the costs a bit but also if you are hoping to get secondhand ones it makes sense to start looking earlier rather than later.  Ebay is always pretty good but Freecycle is worth a try too, particularly for baby gates.

Bear in mind that puppies have accidents, I wouldn't invest in a fancy bed until it is completely trustworthy.  Stick to something that can easily be bunged in the washing machine (vetbed/fleece) and save the 'lounging' beds until later.  Apart from not tempting fate, most purchases can wait until you've met and got to know your puppy as not all dogs like the same things to play with and some can be very picky about where and on what they wish to sleep!  The puppy in waiting stage is a great time for further education though so try and get a good puppy book such as The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey; join your breed club; and research puppy training classes.  Many of the good trainers have waiting lists so it makes sense to find one early and you may be able to sit in on a few classes to get a head start for when your pup arrives.

The waiting is hard but it's an exciting time - enjoy the lie ins whilst you can...

> The puppy in waiting stage is a great time for further education though so try and get a good puppy book such as The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey; join your breed club; and research [url=http://www.apdt.co.uk/" rel=nofollow]puppy training classes[/url].  Many of the good trainers have waiting lists so it makes sense to find one early and you may be able to sit in on a few classes to get a head start for when your pup arrives.
>

Good advice :)
Also you can use this time to find a vet, insurance, plan your socialization strategy, make a list of 'rules' that you want your dog to follow so that all members of the family are clear on what to do etc (eg, weather the dog will be allowed on the sofa)....

Thanks for the replies.
Its going to be great planning it all....
Pet insurance i've looked into and ther r so many and some very expensive! Is 4000 pounds per condition or/ year ok? Or should it be more?
I would like to have my dog sleep in my room on his own bed. Iknow a lot of opinions vary as to whether u should. I would like to tho.
I know every pup is different but on average how long does it take to house train? I read conflicting things.
Sorry if these basic things but i hav so much to learn.
Thanks again  

It can take a good long time for a dog to learn what it is OK to sleep on and you need to be very consistent.  Even the best mannered dog still checks your rules from time to time - just in case you've changed your mind!!

You set the rules in your own household but things to watch for:
- young puppies shouldn't be allowed to jump on and off furniture, particularly beds, for fear of damaging themselves and they shouldn't be running up and down stairs
- accidents are much easier to manage (and tolerate) on easily cleaned floor surfaces (even when contained in a crate boys may pee out of the side)
- many dogs are quite noisy, and fidgety sleepers (my dog sleeps in the same room as us whilst we are away showing and I get so distracted by him flip flopping from side to side, huffing, snoring, and 'loud dreaming' that I can't sleep very well!)
- whilst you are asleep it will be impossible to discourage your dog from creeping up onto the bed and a fully grown Dobe will take up a lot of room
- puppies can still have accidents up to 6 months old
- if your bedroom is upstairs it's a long way for your puppy to run when he/she signals they need to go out, carrying a hefty pup isn't really an option either when you're still half asleep

It's always easier to start with strict rules and relax them as and when your dog proves it's ok to do so.  If you start with dog in bedroom and dog on beds and other furniture it's more difficult to train it out when you realise the teenage hoodlum has taken over!!  Better for your dog to have it's safe den in a less important room, and perhaps one in which you spend more time during the day so that it learns to settle when you are busy (it can still watch you and feel involved) and when you are out.  There will be plenty of time to allow access to other rooms when you know it is old enough to be sensible or you can trust it not to pee, or steal, or chew unsuitable things when you aren't looking!

That is some very good advise u just gave me. Thank you.
Tomorrow i will search the net for boarding kennels near weston super mare and training groups!

Check out Little Orchard.  Sarah is based in and around W-S-M and runs a range of classes at Locking.  I did my Puppy Foundation, Bronze and Silver training courses with her and can't recommend her highly enough.  We still go on a semi regular basis to keep up momentum before tackling Gold.  If you don't drive, there is a regular bus service that drops off outside the hall.

I use boarding kennels nr Cleeve/Wrington and ringcraft in Backwell. PM nearer the time if you need more info

> Pet insurance i've looked into and ther r so many and some very expensive! Is 4000 pounds per condition or/ year ok? Or should it be more?

it really depends on the breed of dog you will be getting and your budget.
I talked this through with my vet when I trying to find a suitable insurance for my Masiff puppy. My vet said that in a general worse-case scenario I would be looking at a double hip replacement to the tune of approx £4000, so I went with Pet Plan for £6000 total cover per year which costs me £35 per month. I also chose PetPlan as my vets are happy to deal with them direct, which means I only have to pay the exess and they claim the rest off the insurance (the vets insist on payment up front with some other insurance providers dut to problems with pay-out and then you have to get the money back off the insurance yourself).

Ohh, how exiting looking forward to getting a puppy :)

Just though of something else - feeding!!!!

Seems simple untill you start looking into it! Do you stick with what the breeder uses, or do you change? if you change what will you use?

If you do decide to change the food your pup has it's best not to do it straight away, you'll need to do it gradually - should be plenty on the feeding board about that.

Your pup should come with at least a few days food that it's been used to. You can speak to the breeder & find out what food your pup will be used to, you can then find out the best places to get it from, you can save quite a bit of money by shopping around :)

Thanks for the replies.
I had actually emailed the breeder yesterday asking that very question about food. I wanted to know what they feed them and asked them what they thoght of Arden Grange? I want to feed him as good of quality dried food as i can afford and occassional tinned. Again i have loads of researc th do.
Do many people rate direct line?
Thanks

Just a note about Direct Line, when my dog went to a specialist for an op they let me go away without paying anything and then claimed for my insurance.  Another couple in front of me had Direct Line insurance and they had to pay around £1500 up front for the op because they said they had lots of problems getting money out of Direct Line previously. 

I would definitely start with a plastic bed and some nice soft, washable, inexpensive bedding for your pup - vet bed is great. You can buy it in petsathome, it's washable, dries quickly and isn't easy to tear up. Once your dog is over a year old then you can start splashing out on soft beds - before that stage it will quite possibly be eaten :-)

Toys - my lot say you can't buy too many. I was at the pet cash and carry yesterday and came home with 27 assorted fluffy/quacking/squeaky toys - they only get one or two at a time though.

It's always a good idea to have things to chew lying in every room the pup can access. Bones, rawhide chews, kongs, nylabones etc - the more things you have lying around that he is allowed to chew the more likely your furniture will survive intact.

Pet insurance - you'll find people recommend or complain about every single insurance company. The one thing everyone agrees on is not to touch E & L. Personally mine are insured with Direct Line and Healthy Pets, I've claimed (a lot) from both and never had a problem.

Food - start with whatever your breeder feeds them, you don't want your new puppy to have to change food at the same time as he's coping with a new home. Once he's settled in you can gradually change him over to AG if that's what you want to use.

Good breeders don't mind, and in fact are encouraged, by people asking questions so don't be afraid to seek their advice about everything to do with your new puppy.

That's a shame that they had problems with direct line. Thanks for that. I will look around and see what comes up. Pet Plan is pretty expensive.

Thanks Tigger2. I guess pet insurance is similar to hotels in some ways. Some people have a great stay and others don't.
We have used a vets by us for our cat a few times so might use the same one for my dog but will ask around. I will also ask the vets if they have problems with certain insurance companies. That will help me in my process of elimination!

The breeder just emailed me back to say they looking into a stud at the moment and plan to scan the bitch around Oct1st as that would be approx 5 weeks if the dates are correct... Could have a puppy in time for Christmas. And yes I am fully aware a dog is not just for Christmas lol.
I am very very happy with the breeder, and the dobe that they are hoping to use is called Angellica and she has competed in Schzhund 'excuse spelling'. She looks beautiful.....
Also they told me they use Hills towards the end.
I'm so excited. I am a 28 year old guy who feels like a kid at the moment lol.

Fabulous news, it is exciting waiting for a new arrival :-)

Thats great Dave. Puppies are so great but hard work. My wee boy is a darling but very hard work and as he is deaf a bit harder with the toilet training etc. He is just over 12wks now and is such great fun. He is a cavalier spaniel and what a sight to see him chasing my weimaraner round the house, such a bully at a young age but he makes us laugh. Can't wait to hear your stories. Have you decided on boy or girl if you get choice, and any thoughts on names?
Donna x

Hi,
I have decided to have a boy if poss. i was thinking Tyson .
What do people usually do about choosing a puppy? Do u go say at 5 weeks and choose one to collect when ready.
Only thing is i live 3.5 hours away from the breeder. Do many people usually make 2 trips? Puppies leave at 7 weeks.
thanks again

I asked our local vets today if there were any insurance companies that they had problems with. They said the one mentioned above and they also said direct line wasn't that great!

Hope u don't mind me asking another question.
Its about how a cat and a dobe would get on.
I already have a cat and read a lot about how to introduce to a puppy etc. I have never had a dog and now i am wondering if they will bond ok. what would happen if my cat annoyed the dog? Would a puppy learn to respect an older cat?Could they become friends so to speak? I know many people have both dogs and cats.
Sorry if i sound stupid!!! LOL

we've never had a bother with more than.

i'd suggest a baby gate so you can keep puppy in a room that the cat can access but can escape from if needs be.

> Hope u don't mind me asking another question.
> Its about how a cat and a dobe would get on.
> I already have a cat and read a lot about how to introduce to a puppy etc. I have never had a dog and now i am wondering if they will bond ok. what would happen if my cat annoyed the dog? Would a puppy learn to respect an older cat?Could they become friends so to speak? I know many people have both dogs and cats.
> Sorry if i sound stupid!!! LOL

In the past we've had dogs and cats together and they have always got along well as long as the cats could escape somewhere if needed. The biggest problem I ever had was preventing my last girl from eating the cat's food.

We have, however, just got a new puppy and my fourteen year old cat refuses to come in the house at all unless the puppy is asleep in his crate with the door shut. She has lived with dogs in the past so it's not new to her. I'm sure at her age she feels that she shouldn't have to deal with such a bundle of energy.  My other cat is only a year and she is fine with the puppy just a little wary, although I wouldn't leave them together unattended yet.

Thanks.
Hopefully once they get used to each other they will become good companion. I will make sure she has an escape route.

It wont let me post on the topic about that programe the other night for some reason.
hope this questio ok here!
Half way through watching programe which is actually quite upsetting... How do i find out if my breeder to be ever uses in breeding at all. Without offending them in anyway! Thank u

> How do i find out if my breeder to be ever uses in breeding at all.

Do a bit of research first on the definitions of in-breeding, line breeding, outcross etc then ask for the pedigrees of Sire and Dam.  If your questions are coming from an informed position I doubt you will offend the breeder.

thank u. i know i have posted a lot lately and i appreciate all the help offered.

This is quite a useful site for comparing insurance policies for pets. I used it recently to find insurance for my cats. My dogs are with Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer, only claimed from Sainsbury's one but they paid up quickly. I do think Pet Plan is the best one but soooo expensive.