JesseSmile 4 Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Hi! I am new on to the AI Dog breed and I am on the waiting list for a pup and am more excited by the day reading all of the posts Herron the forum! I work with dogs training, grooming, and caring for daycare dogs and boarding dogs in my area so I spend all my time around dogs but don't have one of my own. (A bit embarrassing actually) and I absolutely can't wait to have my pup! I am moving into a new house in April so I am planning to get my pup around April or beginning of May. Any first time advice before hand would be much appreciated! Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sherab 2,337 Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Hi Jessesmile, welcome. We all know what it's like to be awash in puppy oxytocin. A few words to balance that. I would suggest that moving is chaos and puppies are another kind of not terribly compatible chaos. Oh was that great aunt Maybis's hand made doll? Burp. Let me sing you a song of woe from my crate while you attempt to assemble that. Sure, there might be a puppy somewhere in all these boxes, or not....did someone leave the door open? What smells like poo and where is it coming from? Probably giving yourself some time to settle in would be good. Especially since you are a first time dog owner. Puppies and babies are very cute, for a reason - so we don't kill them when they drive us insane. Expect to lose sleep for the first few days to possibly a couple of weeks due to wee dark o'clock potty routine and some amount of crying and adjustment. Puppies have little sharp milk teeth that they use to explore the world, every waking moment, which needs to not include you or your furniture every day for 6 months. That will be one of your biggest challenges. Prepare by being armed at all times with many, many "eat this and not thats" with in arm's reach. I'm talking a ridiculous amount of these things, which will be consumed. This includes such things as antlers, Kongs with peanut butter, frozen wash cloths, and so on. They start to teeth and need to chew on things up through 6 months. If there are older, well trained regulars that like puppies at your work use that as soon as your pup has it's shots because adult dogs are some of the greatest teachers and chew toys on the planet. A tired puppy is a happy owner. Provide plenty of exercise and mental stimulation consistently. Your baby going to work with you will be one of the greatest assets. They grow for the first 3 years but most extremely in the first 12 months which makes them hungry. They get into things. You will need to be both vigilant and to have puppy proofed an area in your home, preferably with tile flooring. Some people use baby gates in one central spot in the house and some people use an over sized crate. The puppy is a baby and it is social. It will want to be under foot. Pick your spot well. Start training right away but expect imperfection. Every dog is different. Some arrive potty trained while others find this area challenging. Some are great off lead while others find this area challenging. Some are scared by nothing while others find the trash can and your car parked in a different spot an emotional event. Be pleased with your dogs strengths and know that probably someone has posted a thread on any potential challenges. This is a marathon that will pay off down the road - quite possibly 2 years down the road. OK now back to the oxytocin. Puppy feet! Puppy ears! Puppy Tummy! Puppy PuPPy pUppY! Enjoy. Puppyhood is short but glorious. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JesseSmile 4 Posted January 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Thanks for the advice! My family has always had great Danes so I remember the teething and such well lol I'm hoping that working with and training so many other people dogs will help me with this...im a little nervous because my family has only ever had great Danes but that's part of what makes me so excited too! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chinatola 927 Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Welcome to the forum! Since you work with dogs you'll probably be amazed by these animals and how quickly you'll pick up on the little ins & outs of their behavior & responses compared to the one's that come into your shop. This is Squint. She arrived in February of 2012 to much fanfare & gnashing of teeth (ours...that is). We were a little nervous because we had a...let's call her a trainwreck of a Shepherd/Lab mix named Ida who I nicknamed on the boards "OLP" which stood for Old Lady Puppy. She was very much a crotchety, grumbly type of dog & Squint (whose real name is Liliko'i) had the toughest time winning her over but she did eventually. Lili is the most wonderful little dog but because she was the runt of the litter it took her a long time to 'fill out'. Eventually she topped 34 pounds but it took 3 full years for her to do it! She's a naturally timid type not venturing too terribly far afield when we're out an about. This led to her being let 'off leash' fairly early in her development. Six Months! NO, seriously....she has walked at my side off leash since six months. There are of course other things that play into whether she's on leash or not and those other things are squirrels & other small woodland creatures that capture her imagination as she flies in hot pursuit. So it's not all roses. This is a more recent picture of Squint to show how she's changed We lost OLP in November of 2013 and a pall fell about the house and Squint fell into a deep depression. She missed the trainwreck (we all did, terribly) Then Junior Squint (Kekona) arrived in late 2014 and all hell broke loose (we were on the waiting list for about a year....so don't plan too hard....all in good time). It was like night and day and not in a good way (well, okay, mostly in a good way but oh what a challenge Jr. Squint is!) you have to adapt & welcome the challenge that this new pup will bring. Do that & you'll learn a connection to an animal like you've never known before. This was Kona's interior decorating suggestion. We felt otherwise. Can't wait for your tales/tails 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Denise E. 1,485 Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 JesseSmile, Welcome and I agree wholeheartedly with Chinatola's advice. I, like most members of the forum, have more than one AI dog. Some one once described them like potato chips - you can't have just one! It's true - once you get over the puppy stage / new mommy syndrome. My dog plays with Great Danes at the dog park. She loves their carefree playful personalities. I waited a year for her. I initially thought Kim had shipped me the wrong dog for me - yet she has grown (with early and consistent training and socializing) into the dog that he explained! The second family pup was a shorter wait, only months. Either way, it is well WORTH the wait for the right pup for you! During my 1st time waiting period - I read old posts & new posts to learn as much as I could about different AI Dogs. Each dog seems to have it's very own personality and what works for training. With your experience you probably have different methods within reach already. Enjoy and take lots of pictures!!! They grow and change so fast! Denise E. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
miz molly 1,800 Posted February 15, 2016 Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 Hi Jessesmiile, well the advise from Sherab, China and Denise is perfect. I have three of these pups and each one different from the next. They get along with the cats, chickens, kids, and adults. The only thing I can add is you are in for a big bucket of love, devotion, trust, and the depth of their faithfulness that is out of this world......whisper the love and your pup will follow you everywhere. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Allison 2,369 Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 This was Kona's interior decorating suggestion. We felt otherwise. Ahahahahaha! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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