Bringing the puppy home - best birthday present ever!!!

After many many months of waiting, I actually can’t believe that the time has come…

Cooper is home safe and sound and Jase and I are in heaven with our new addition to the family.

Brining a puppy home is a very big deal and from my previous posts, you should now be aware that a lot of preparation goes into getting a puppy.

After an almost sleepless night we went to David and Kerryn’s house this morning to pick up our little man.

Cooper was very well behaved in the car on the way home – no motion sickness or whining. He just chilled with me in the back seat.

After only being home for a few hours now, Cooper has already;

Used his doggy door a few times (although I was holding the flap up) – but he did it without me bribing him with treats! He has toileted outside 3 times and eaten very happily. He has been on his lead and taken next door to meet the neighbours and their little boys. And as it’s my birthday today, we have had lots of visitors so Cooper has played and bonded with my parents and some of my girl friends. 

Now he is exhausted and fast asleep next to the couch next to where I am sitting.

Jase and I are already so in love.

I will keep this post short and sweet, as this is just the beginning of all the fun!!

So stay tuned for lots and lots of puppy fun, new experiences and the challenges that come with training!!!

If you have a new puppy and have any behavioural issues you would like me to go through – please let me know, as I am sure we will be going through the same thing!!

WEEK EIGHT

Vaccinations, Microchipping and a Big Group Photo!!!

With only one more week until Cooper comes home, it has been a busy and tiring weekend for the pups!!

They were vaccinated and microchipped on Saturday and they had their group photo taken today.

Why do puppies need to be vaccinated?

Puppies are at risk of a number of serious diseases, including parvovirus, distemper and hepatitis among others. These diseases can be fatal so vaccinating against them is vital.

The first vaccination is generally given at 6 - 8 weeks of age, the second at 12 weeks of age and 14 - 16 weeks of age for the final vaccination. Boosters should then be given yearly.

Why do pups need to be microchipped?

A microchip is a permanent identification device implanted under the skin, allowing a quick and easy return if your puppy ever gets lost.

It is law that all pups must be microchipped. The legislation applies to anyone in Victoria who advertises a dog/puppy for sale as they need to be permanently identified and that microchip number must appear in the advertisement.

Group Photo Shoot

For every litter that David and Kerryn have had they take a group photo of the puppies all sitting in a row. This time, they asked for my help and let me tell you – it is much harder to do than it looks!! I was pre warned that there may be some yelling and arguing in the process, but everyone was very well behaved!

The trick is to tire the pups first so they are very sleepy and relaxed. We then lined them all up on a small table outside and three of us lay behind trying to hold the puppies still whilst not being seen in the photo. One person recorded the order the pups were sitting in so we can know which was which. Another person stood behind Kerryn, who was the photographer for the day, making noises so the pups would look up at the camera. Another person was collecting the pups as they were trying to jump off the table and run away and another was straightening them up as they sat in a line.

Cooper Eating his Brothers Head

Behind the Scenes of the Photo

Here is the final shot that David and Kerryn chose from the 377 photos Kerryn took during the ‘photo shoot’.

Group Photo - SO CUTE!!

Only 7 more sleeps to go…

WEEK SEVEN

The importance of choosing a name… What will we call our little brown man?

Our pup has been chosen and is coming home in just two weeks!! So in preparation we need to choose a name…

But how do we choose??

Five Tips for Choosing the Best Name for your New Puppy or Dog

1. Pick a short and simple name for your dog that is easy to say.  You will spend a lot of time with your furry friend in the coming years, so be prepared to say his name in a variety of situations and locations, for example, shouting his name across the park to get his attention. If you want to pick a longer name for your dog, find one that you can shorten so your pup has a ‘nickname’.

2. Most people say you should try to pick a name with two syllables. Most dog training commands are only one syllable, e.g. Sit, Stay, Down, Come, etc. In this way, a dog can easily differentiate between his name and a command. I have also heard that it’s good to pick a name that starts with a hard consonant. Dogs recognize hard consonants more easily. This should help you to get your dog’s attention faster.

3. Try to pick a dog name that is unique and not similar to the names of family members, close relatives, and close friends. If your dog has a name that is identical or similar to somebody else in the family, he may get confused and think that you are calling him when the name is used. 

4. Name choosing should be a fun family affair. In this way, everyone feels invested in the dog and will be more willing to accept him into the pack.

5. Use your dog’s name in a positive context only. This way, your dog will learn to associate his name with rewards and positive outcomes. You shouldn’t use your dog’s name while punishing him because if he consistently gets punished every time his name is called, he will start to think that his name is a bad thing.

After much debate Jase and I have decided on a compromise…

Jase wanted Hendrix and I wanted Cooper. Cooper is much easier to shorten so that is how we made our final decision.

Our gorgeous little man will be called COOPER HENDRIX RITTERMAN!!

Coop for short!

14 more sleeps until we can bring him home…

WEEK SIX

I am in love with all 7 puppies but the time has come to choose our pup from the litter…

The pups are almost 5 weeks old now and Jase and I have just come back from our weekly visit. They have been venturing outdoors now for a week and are eating solid foods. Now that they are exploring the big wide world, their little personalities and temperaments are starting to come out.

Choosing a reputable breeder means they will actually care about which home their pups go to. They will want to make sure that each pup’s temperament will suit the home it will be going to. David and Kerryn have been amazing with this. They have been getting to know all of us who are getting one of their pups and assessing our personalities and our lifestyles to try and find the best pup to suits us.

Although Jase and I both work full time, we are both very active and will make sure we take our pup/dog out twice a day. Plus, when the pup is a bit older he will spend two days a week at our parents places with other dogs so he isn’t left home alone too often.

So what are we looking for? 

We would love a pup that is ok at being on his own, is not the rowdy pup in the litter, but is also not the most timid pup hiding in the corner. We want an even temperament – a pup that is happy to play with us and happy to be left alone and will come to us when we try to interact with him.

Many people feel sorry or attracted to the one in the corner because it is so cute, however they tend to be suspicious, sound shy, nervous their whole life.  The rowdy one is often hard to control on lead, dog distracted, play rough, high energy however they can actually become really good working dogs.

It all depends on what you are after, but generally I think that middle of the road is best and that is what Jase and I are going for.

Here are five tips for you to use when trying to find the pups that fits in the middle…

1. Pup comes to you when you interact with it

2. Pup cuddles up and likes being pat, climbs onto you knee or sits next to you

3. Pup lays on its back with some struggle and eye contact but can relax

4. Pup is happy to interact with you again after you let it up

5. Pup is happy and relaxed when elevated, will look around the room

Today David and Kerryn have told us that ‘Brown Man’ – the pup wearing the brown collar will be our little man!! We are over the moon! He is actually the pup that has been in my weekly photos. We already love him to pieces and can’t wait to bring him home!

21 sleeps to go… 

Week Five

Preparing Your Home and Garden

Puppy proofing your home before your new pup arrives will make those early days, and weeks, a whole lot easier and less stressful for everyone. Your new pup will be curious about their new environment and will want to explore everywhere. You need to think of your pup as a baby – because it is one – although they are much more mobile than human babies and they use their mouths more than anything to explore and chew everything in sight!

Your home is a minefield for your puppy, and it's up to you to protect your pup from itself, as well as protecting your stuff from them! So the key is to make sure you move everything that you do not want your pup eating or destroying out of their reach. A few things to keep an eye out for are; coins, plastic, string, clothing, as these are not good for your pup's digestive system and can even be deadly. Chewing through electrical cords, pulling down heavy table lamps, eating plug-in air fresheners, or knocking over plants or standing lamps can be dangerous. So take this as an opportunity to clean up your house. Move all the small things into cupboards, draws and shelving that the pup can’t get to. Stop leaving your undies and socks lying around because the pup will love those and will steal them!!

In addition to the obviously dangerous cleaning stuff, paint and so on, everyday human items such as chocolate, alcohol, certain fruits and nuts, vitamins and more can be dangerous or toxic to dogs - and a small puppy is at an even greater risk – so please make sure to put all of these out of reach too. 

To make our lives a little easier, Jase and I have decided that we are going to restrict our puppy to certain areas of the house. This is a good idea while your pup is still teething and learning to be house-trained and it will help keep him out of trouble. We will only allow our little man to roam around and explore outside of those areas when accompanied by one of us. This is not unkind at all, in fact it will actually make the pup feel happier and more secure in a smaller space to begin with. So this weekend Jase and I spent our Saturday morning out at Bunnings, purchasing baby gates and puppy playpens/fencing (compost fencing – in the garden section) to help restrict and block off specific areas – it’s amazing what you can find at Bunnings!

Puppy proofing your garden is also very important, as this is where your pup will most likely spend a lot of unsupervised time.

Jase and his dad are going to patch up our fence next week to make sure it’s all secure. Strong fencing is a must! Make sure that your fence is solid with no broken areas or openings underneath, or on the corners, where a pup could slip through.

There are also a number of common plants and bushes that are poisonous, toxic or just irritants to dogs. And it's not just the plants themselves that can be a problem, remember the insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers. Jase and I are unsure of what most of the plants are in our garden so I will cut a snippet of each of them and take them to a nursery to be identified and then I will check to make sure none of them are poisonous. And if we do have any dangerous ones – we will remove them before the pup comes home.

Sticks, rocks, gravel, outdoor furniture, kids toys, garden hoses, sprinkler systems and swimming pools are other outdoor things that puppies like to play with, that can potentially cause problems. Please make sure to protect your pup from these things as eating rocks, gravel, dirt or sticks can hurt your pups mouth and could cause damage.

How far you decide to go with puppy proofing is totally up to you. But just remember that puppy proofing your home and garden isn't just important in terms of keeping your belongings safe, it's crucial to your puppy's health too. 

Week 4