advice when getting dog from pound

so i have met my dog in the pound today, have application filled out, will hopefully hear from them tomorrow!!!

i cant wait, had dogs growing up, now i have my own house have been dying to get one forever!

so, what all do i need to get? i know about kennel, sleeping basket, bowls, lead etc. what else do i need?
should i register him with a vet? or can you just pop into any one?

anybody have any hints on looking after a dog from a pound? brought him for walks, he is a yorkie cross, not small, kind of medium size, seems placid and gorgeous!! i know i dont know his background but i dont have any kids and my garden is enclosed, and someone is at home most of the time.
what do i need to know? any advice is welcome

suziwalsh

I wouldnt bother with a kennel....if you are getting a basket for inside its highly unlikely he will use a kennel at all very few dogs tend to. I would get harness, collar, tag, some high quality dry food for small dogs, I would get him booked into the vet 2 weeks after leaving the pound for vaccinations (no immediately as dogs can have kennel cough after leaving pound). I would check his nails and ears to make sure they are clean and tidy. Nothing else is important until you get to know him....then you can decide on toys and treats. I would keep his food bland for first week as dogs can have runny tummys coming from the pound.

Justask

Dog licence.

Best of luck with your new family member

trio

+1 on the kennel front. If it doesn't sleep outside it'll realistically never be used. And they cost a lot.

He might not be toilet trained - make sure you bring him outside every couple of hours to see if he needs to pee. And bring him out last thing at night of course!

To train him to learn a name, give him a treat (wee sliver of ham will do fine) every time you say the name and he looks at you.

Oh and buy Victoria Stilwells book - it's really great for a first time owner. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Me-Dog-have-Perfect/dp/0007219075/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309453464&sr=1-1

great, thks!

all advice very welcome:)

Whispered

Oh best of luck and well done on getting a pound dog!

My advice would be to give the new dog some space, he's probably as friendly as sin but if not, don't crowd him. Let him get to know you in his own time.

Decide on the ground rules before your dog arrives home, and be consistant, but very very gentle and patient. Not knowing his background you could unknowingly scare him if you correct (or even move) in a certain way.

I'd recommend crate training - I've found crates great when introducing new dogs to the house as they have a very physical, safe hidey away place. Great to help them settle and feel like somewhere is "theirs". It's also very very handy when travelling because you essentially get to bring your dogs bedroom with you

Give it a few weeks before you feel you know him, even now nearly 6 months after my foster arrived I'm seeing new personality traits come to the fore. Usually what I find happens is they arrive, and if they have low confidence will try desperately to please for the first week or 2, then as their confidence develops they will push their luck, so week 3 & 4 you could be pulling you hair out thinking "oh what a brat I've chosen" but if you're consistant and fair by week 5 or 6 he'll be back to behaving well, but because he wants to, not because he's afraid not to. Then again he could be a total angel for you from start to finish! (**Time line may not be exact :pac:)

Please let us know how you all get on when he arrives! Oh and pics, loads of pics!

pokertalk

brimg the new fella to the vets after a few days he may have flea s or ear mights so get him to a dog groomer after he has settled in. you will have to start his injections all over again as you have no health history with him.the blue cross can help you with that think its 25 euro for first then 20 for boosters not %100 percent on the prices. as said already he has a good chance of contracting kennel cough as my one did so keep an eye out for that.
crate training is a good idea also.hope he settles in ok my lad didnt he cryed for 3 days had to sleep on the couch foe a couple of nights with him;)
fair play for saving a life and getting a poundie:D
if your in the dublin area i can flea treat him for ya free of charge to cut down on costs .once you sure he has not contracted kennel cough..just give me a pm if you want to

hi, pokertalk- thanks very much for the kind offer, will see how things are when i get him home:)

excuse my ignorance here but when you talk about crate training, do you mean like the carrier things you get for dogs?

Justask

bubblypop wrote: »

hi, pokertalk- thanks very much for the kind offer, will see how things are when i get him home:)

excuse my ignorance here but when you talk about crate training, do you mean like the carrier things you get for dogs?

Crate training is training a dog to sleep eat and spend down time in. Most people get a larger crate then the one you bring him to the vet in. You put his bed in there his toys etc.

Works for some doesnt for others. I think depends on how early you start from.

Im sure there are more experts here about it then me, but that will give u an idea.

Zapperzy

bubblypop wrote: »

excuse my ignorance here but when you talk about crate training, do you mean like the carrier things you get for dogs?

Most people use these http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_cages_carriers/carriers

belongtojazz

I think one of the best pieces of advice I got about my rescue Springer was to not feel sorry for him. This means set the boundries from the begining and don't let the dog away with bad behaviour "just for now while he's settling in"
Apparently dogs see this as a sign of weakness and will mean it takes longer for the dog to respect you as their leader and protector.

Lucyx

Fair play to you op. You're great for getting a dog from the pound. I'm so sick of talking to people who pay hundreds of euros for dogs and I'm sure they are sick of my reaction.

Be nice and patient with him and have good times with him. Nice walks are great for bonding. Also get a nice hair brush for him and if he likes that it'll be great for bonding too and it should make him relaxed. Any names yet?

Good on you

Lpfsox

I took my collie from the pound about a year and a half ago. For the first week or two he was incredibly eager to please, a complete joy. Then he turned into a total brat... he chewed everything he could find, he even ate a hole through the plaster in the kitchen wall. He stole socks (just socks!) and hid them in his basket constantly. He cried if seperated from me for any length of time and he proved to be an incredible escape artist, regularly scaling 6 foot walls and even getting past a neighbour's 8 foot fence on one occasion (having leaped the 6 foot boundary wall into their garden first).

I engaged a wonderful trainer to help me with him and now he's happy, content, obedient and a truly brilliant companion.

What she taught me was the key to everything is patience and consistency. He had his "honeymoon" period with us where he figured stuff out and then started to test his boundaries. Being a border collie he's smart and easily bored so will make his own entertainment if he's got nothing else to do. The trainer came to the house and observed him in his environment, came on a walk with us and watched how we treated him and in turn how he treated us. Then she gave me some guidance on what to do better and left me to it but always just a phonecall or e-mail away. I followed that up with obedience training for him (or school, as we called it) - more training for me as a handler than for him and I was absolutely astonished at the transformation from an unruly hooligan into the well behaved dog he is now.

He has the occasional slip-up now and again but is easy to correct as we've settled down into our roles in the pack and he's secure and happy to take commands from me as his leader. All training has been through positive reinforcement - never harsh words or any sort of physicality and it's really paid off. I'll never know what his life was like before he came into mine, although he still cringes at a raised voice or sudden movement and while he's more than happy to visit the vets he gets very stressed if he's left there on his own (maybe memories of being locked up in the pound) but otherwise he's as happy and relaxed as a border collie can be - and still a cheeky nutter in his own way.

I don't regret a single thing about adopting from the pound and applaud everyone who takes a pet from pounds or rescues. Too many animals are put to sleep in this country. Please please have him nutered as well, we need to stop unwanted puppies ending up in pounds and rescues in the first place.

Fair play to you bubblypop and hope you and your new buddy have many happy years ahead of you.