Getting a new puppy and have some questions

flamegrill

Hi Guys,

We're getting a dog in the coming week and I'm just wondering about worming and the like. How often do we need to worm her and when is it considered Ok to do it once a year?

e.g. every 2 weeks till they are 3 months old and then once a month till they are a year etc.

Some back ground, the dog is a bitch, she's 8 weeks old this week, has been tagged and all that groovy stuff.

She's a beautiful dog, a cross between a White German Shepherd x Alaskan Malamute. We're going to get a bed, worm tablets, a metal cage for transporting her in, leads, food, etc. She comes with a puppy starter kit, which I assume has stuff like bowls n that in it.

Any hints, tips etc are very welcome.

Thanks,

Paul

Toulouse

http://www.vets.ie/your-pet/new-puppy.php
http://www.paws.ie/puppycare.html

First of all I'd check with her breeder when she was last done so you'll know when she needs to be wormed again. Then every 2 weeks until 12 weeks, once a month until she's 6 months and then every 3 months after that. It's never considered okay to worm a dog once a year, maybe you're getting it confused with her booster vaccinations. Also please buy a reputable wormer over the counter in your vets/pharmacy such as Drontal or Parazole (which I find better for pups) and steer clear of the supermarket brands.

If she's coming with a kit then maybe you'd better ask what it contains so you don't double up on stuff or forget to get something that's not included.

Best of luck with your new pup. She'll be alot of work but it will all be so worth it and don't forget to keep us updated!

Any more questions, just ask

Toulouse

Can't edit the above but just to remind you to make sure that you remember to have her microchip updated with your details and doubly make sure that it is registered on the database with the correct details.

You'd be amazed the amount of dogs in rescue with chips that are unable to be traced.

flamegrill

Thanks for the info.

Worm stuff, check. Have taken note of that. ON irishpets.ie it mentioned to do it once a year .... oh well the internets are broken

What about a "crate"/"cage" thing for transporting her in? One has been recommended to us. We were just going to lump her on the back seat with the missus and let her mind the pup with some training pads to soak up any mess

I guess this is probably unanswerable but any thoughts on what sort of temperment we can expect from this cross breed?

On food, what should we get her. I hear that tinned dog food is like McDonalds to a dog, but surely this isn't true? Nuts, dry food etc? Odd can of the good stuff?

Thanks,

Paul

creme egg

we give our puppy good quality dry food, and also get chicken breasts, cooked and cut up fine and mix a bit of this in too. Once a week we will give him some sardines / mackrel mixed with the dry food.

Just to be aware, at the moment we feed our dog three times a day, and will cut this down to twice soon. Your puppy will probably reqire the same too.

Regards worming, we just get a tablet from the vet every three months.
Don't forget to get your dog some good quality, sturdy toys too... this might save your furniture / shoes or anything that is lying around!

Toulouse

You can get crates from Argos but she'll out-grow a small on fairly quickly so you might want to look into getting a bigger one and then upgrading when she's fully grown. If you're only bringing her home then she can sit in the back with your missus no probs but you may want to get one for the future and then again you may want to crate train the dog full stop. This will give you an idea http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=228

Well have you seen the parents? What kind of temperaments do they have? You really should have researched both breeds thoroughly before getting this dog. And also as German Shepherds are a restricted breed and she is a crossbreed of that you are required by law to have her on a short lead, muzzled in public and have a collar with your contact details on. Now I'm not debating right or wrong but as an owner of such a dog you should be aware at least. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1991/en/si/0123.html

Yes, Pedigree Chum and all those other crappy supermarket brand foods are imo McDonalds for dogs. I feed Nutro to my crew but that's just me. Your vet, and you should register with one, will be able to advise but there are numerous good brands out there, Arden Grange, Royal Canin, Hills etc. I feed dry with a tin of tuna in Sunflower oil mixed in once a week. Sometimes I wet the food if I make chicken/veg stock myself, the commercial stuff has too high a salt content.

Register on a good dog site like //petsireland.invisionzone.com to get the benefit of many good dog owners experience.

flamegrill

Toulouse: Indeed we've looked into both breeds extensively. The question was more for anyone who may have experience with a cross breed of this nature. We hope the dog will be kind, loyal and a good family pet. We'd expect that from both breeds according to our research.

Thanks for the other comments.

Paul

flamegrill

Hi All,

We got the puppy a few weeks ago now, so I said I'd post a few photos.

http://weird.ie/gallery/index.php/dog

Paul