Cavalier King charles

m'lady

Well my husband and I went off this morning to look at a couple of king charles puppies..I thought I'd be the one trying to persuade HIM to get one, anyhow.... he ended up persuading me that we couldn't possible pick one, they were both so cute and would be good company for one another.. so we bought the two of them! We won't have them for another 3 weeks, cant wait!:D

So, what Im asking really is if anyone has any tips on how to begin the training process etc when we finally get them? Should we get them insured and what should we start buying now?? Thanks!

FAYESY

Yes get them insured! You never know down the line what problems small pedigree dogs will have.

I am sure some one much more qualified than me will advise you on the training process - I am a cat person - my folks deal with the dogs.

buy some nice small chew toys - good stainless steel food bowls & a large water dish. You can get a lovely dog bed - but I would buy a cheaper one why they are young.

andreac

Hi there, congrats on the pups, but tbh, getting 2 pups from the same litter is never a good idea as they end up bonding with each other and developing litter mate syndrome and owners find it hard then to train them and stuff.

If it was me i would get 1 pup now and then maybe in 4 or 5 months then get another one when 1 is fully trained and they are bonding with you.

Try to make sure that you do things with each pup separately to stop then from bonding too much with each other.

Crate training is great for helping with toilet training, plenty of toys and chewy things are good too.

_Kaiser_

andreac wrote: »

Hi there, congrats on the pups, but tbh, getting 2 pups from the same litter is never a good idea as they end up bonding with each other and developing litter mate syndrome and owners find it hard then to train them and stuff.

If it was me i would get 1 pup now and then maybe in 4 or 5 months then get another one when 1 is fully trained and they are bonding with you.

Try to make sure that you do things with each pup separately to stop then from bonding too much with each other.

Crate training is great for helping with toilet training, plenty of toys and chewy things are good too.

I'd have to disagree with the first bit. We had Rotts growing up and first had 2 sisters from the same litter, then one of them had pups and we ended up keeping 2 of those and later one of THEIR pups

No problems training any of them and they were great company for each other and would exercise each other in the garden during the day as well.
As well as pets and guard dogs, they were also show dogs so training was a must.

If anything, we made an effort not to treat them any way differently, except that the pack leader would get treats first, and then the others etc.

andreac

http://www.doglistener.co.uk/choosing/siblings.shtml

Hermit07

If you would really like two dogs I would recommend you do the following, buy one puppy, devote your time to training and making it an enjoyable family member, then at a later stage add a second dog when the first one is an adult

The reason I say this is

It's hard enough to raise one pup and give it the socialization that it needs, never mind two!!!

Two puppies out of the same litter and same age will bond with each other instead of the family, and wont develop the kind of human/dog bond you will be looking for in a family pet

Its much harder to train 2 puppies at once as they dont have as much desire to please as a puppy that is bonded to its owner alone

There maybe be battles for dominance between two puppies of the same age regardless of breed and even a pair of fighting Bichons is hard work..... and these fights might not occur till the dogs mature at 12 mths plus and you then may be faced with the task of having to rehome one....

I hope you find the info above useful, BTW I train dogs so have lots of experience.

Also check the the parents of the CKCS are heart tested as Heart mitral valve disease affects over half of this breed by the time they are aged 5 years. To be honest you seldom see an old Cavalier, they often dont live beyond 10 years. The parents also need to be tested for Syringomyelia, a disorder of the brain. Vet checked does not mean the dogs have been tested for these.

lorebringer

Definitely get them insured the minute the step in the front door, they will be covered for anything that arises once the claim is processed. Shop around for your insurance company and make sure to read all the terms and conditions, they can be sly buggers about certain things.

Read up on Cavalier health and health problems. Syringomyelia (SM) and Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) are two you should know all about, symptoms etc., along with patella luxaation, hip dysplasia and certain eye problems. Two of my own dogs are Cavaliers (not siblings), and I have had Cavaliers in the past - know what you will have to deal with as they get older. Ask the breeder if they have any vet/cardiologist/neurologist certs (ECG/MRI) to show the state of health of the parents.

Ask the breeder what food they are on and get about two weeks worth. If it is a good puppy food then there is no reason to change it but if you are not happy with the quality of the food the it will take about two weeks to switch young pups over to another food (so you'll need some to be prepared!). Everyone has their own personal preference with foods so do a bit of research and find one that you are happy to feed your little ones.

Invest in some basics before they arrive - bowls (maybe two for each and a big water bowl, preferably stainless steel), beds, blankets (for when beds get ripped and eaten, a quick fix!), some puppy friendly chew toys ("Kong" do some good stuff), collars, leads and harnesses (for when they eventually can be walked), a crate for each (if you want to crate train) and lots of newspaper! Once they arrive, you can pick up other bits and bobs as you go along. Things will get ripped and torn apart so cheap stuff when they are young is a good plan! Also, wormer and gentle shampoo.

Find a good vet, and bring the pups to see them within the first few days of being with you. Make sure to get them fully vaxed and microchipped (and registered!) and get the vet to have a good look over them. Talk to the vet about worming them and flea control. If you have any concerns at all, say it to the vet - that's what they are there for!

As "andreac" said, sometimes littler mates homed to the same home can develop some problems with each other and general social interaction. If the pups are in a good environment, socialised properly,with animals and humans of all shapes and sizes, and different scenarios (e.g. going in the can, open spaces etc.), treated equally and have stability this shouldn't be a problem. Feeding them separately will help curb any food aggression or competition they may feel towards food , crating them in their own separate crate (if you want to crate train) will give them a sense of their own space and separate one to one time with you and your OH will help them with Independence. There will be one that is more dominant (always is!) and this is fine as long as you make sure there is no bullying or aggression over certain thing (e.g. towards the other pup coming near "their" crate, toy guarding etc.).

As far as house training is concerned, bring them out every hour (it will feel like you are in and out like a yoyo) and give them lots of praise when they go. Eventually they will get the message that outside is where they go to the toilet. If they go in the house (and, unfortunately, it will happen), show them the poo/pee (don't stick their nose in it or anything that harsh) say a firm "no" and put them outside while you clear up. If you catch them in the act, a firm "no" and outside while you clean up. If you use an enzyme cleaner it will get rid of any smell that is left behind and they won't want to go in the same place again (you can get this in most big pet stores), otherwise they will smell where they went before and will be enticed to go there again. Also, don't leave them out for too long - they are pups and have the attention span of a goldfish, they won't remember why they are there after a little while. Same goes when training them (sit, stay etc.), short bursts of training them is best. They'll just get bored otherwise.

The first few weeks will be hard work but so rewarding. If you do your homework and put the effort in at the start they will grow up to be very content little dogs. Hope this helps a bit, sorry about long post. Keeps us updated

Good luck!

Arcadian

m'lady wrote: »

Should we get them insured and what should we start buying now?? Thanks!

As you're asking should you get them insured I suspect you haven't researched the breed that much. The answer is definately yes because, one way or another, you're going to need it. One of my cavs in currently costing €4+ a day for medication and that cost is only going to increase over time

I suggest you have a read through the below link for information on health matters......

http://board.cavaliertalk.com/

As you have three weeks before picking up the pups I suggest you find out as much as possible about the breeders and their health screening procedures. If they're not up to scratch then don't buy from them, better to lose a deposit than buying unhealthy pups.

lorebringer

Arcadian wrote: »

As you have three weeks before picking up the pups I suggest you find out as much as possible about the breeders and their health screening procedures. If they're not up to scratch then don't buy from them, better to lose a deposit than buying unhealthy pups.

This!

ballsymchugh

we had these kinda dogs for over 15 years when i was younger, they're soooo laid back. my ma used to train them herself, to be honest, put paper in a corner of the room and the moment you see them taking a wiz lift them on to it. then reward them with a good long pat on the head letting them know that you're happy. then they'll slowly get the hang of wizzing on the paper will make you happy. then move the paper outside.
one day when i was younger and we were all away, my mother's car broke down and she didn't get home for hours. twas long before mobile phones and the like, but the dog was on her own for about 6 or 7 hours. all she wanted to do was get outside for a wizz, she was too good to break her habit.
not too sure about buying more than one though, we bred them 3 times and always sold them one at a time. as for dominance and all that, i didn't notice much but then again i was only little and thought they were all deadly!!

dee o gee

Think everyone else has pretty much said everything. As everyone else has said 2 pups from same litter will bond with each other, causing them to be very distressed when separated if they have never been separated, when they are young get them used to being away from each other, train them separately in different rooms and bring them for the occasional walk separetely (when they are old enough after second vaccs).