just looking for advice please

[Nimoo]

I pick up my husky x collie puppy on Friday who is a boy at the moment he has beta puppy food I was just wondering what food would you recommend from experience and why also what puppy toy would you recommend and just general advice please thanks loads for any replies

 

[Kamlaroza]

I would recommend Chudleys dry dog food as it is a lot less expensive than other dried food brands and in my opinon just as good... our lab puppy had it and he was healthy as can be!

Toys... I would play it by ear... get a few different types and see what works and what doesn't for future reference... for example, some dogs love a teddy to snuggle up to but others will just rip the stuffing right out etc. I would definitely invest in a kong, though as they are very good for keeping dogs occupied when you are busy and can't give them your full attention.

Good luck

Oh, just to add that we had to order Chudleys off the internet as the nearest shop that sold it was miles away but it was worth it for the money we saved!

 

[Nimoo]

thanks i know my local pet shop sells beta for £38 a bag which is alot i think!! did you wean your lab onto chudleys?

 

[Kamlaroza]

thanks i know my local pet shop sells beta for £38 a bag which is alot i think!! did you wean your lab onto chudleys?

That is expensive... although I suppose it depends on the size of the bag I suppose. The Chudleys was £18 for a great big bag which lasted us a month, sometimes longer, as you don't have to feed a huge amount of it for them to get everything they need. It's designed for working dog types so should be ok for a husky/border collie cross I would think.

We didn't have to wean as the breeder fed Chudleys and was the one who recommended it to us. On occasion when we hadn't ordered in time we would give him a bit of another brand like Bakers for example in the interim and he always seemed fine but if you're worried then you could get a bag of each and start mixing some Chudleys in with the Beta gradually and switch that way?

 

[Nimoo]

thanks alot for your help i really appreciate it!

 

[Kamlaroza]

thanks alot for your help i really appreciate it!

No problem, good luck with your new arrival!

 

[Nimoo]

soo tomorow i pick my puppy anyone got any tips on introducing him to my home or anything else?

 

[Kamlaroza]

soo tomorow i pick my puppy anyone got any tips on introducing him to my home or anything else?

The main tip I would give to anyone with a new puppy is that you should put them in a crate at night to sleep or put their bed in a playpen unless you have a pantry or utility room he can sleep in where he can't cause any damage.

Out of not wanting to put him in a cage, we let our lab just sleep in his bed in the kitchen and over the first few weeks we had the lino pulled up and ripped to shreds, plug chewed off the washing machine, cupboards chewed at the bottom and also cat food dragged out and eaten (2 weeks' worth of expensive pouches!), washing pulled out and chewed (once he learned how to open the washer door!).

If you're not cross with your puppy when you get up in the morning you will have a better relationship, that's what I was told... so until they learn the rules it's best to confine them when on their own

 

[Nimoo]

thanks again to you!!we have a pantry you have to go to the kitchen to get to it weve cleared it out put the bed in there and everything and taken the door off so he can go in and out of that room and the kitchen as he pleases weve put a blanket in the bed good or bad idea? everything will be there for him ready as he arrives! should i let him investigate the house when he first gets there or not? sorry for all the questions just want to be fully prepared and thanks again youve been such a help answering all my questions kamlaroza

 

[Kamlaroza]

thanks again to you!!we have a pantry you have to go to the kitchen to get to it weve cleared it out put the bed in there and everything and taken the door off so he can go in and out of that room and the kitchen as he pleases weve put a blanket in the bed good or bad idea? everything will be there for him ready as he arrives! should i let him investigate the house when he first gets there or not? sorry for all the questions just want to be fully prepared and thanks again youve been such a help answering all my questions kamlaroza

No problem. I'm not exactly an expert but I can help by telling you what we did. Basically, when he first came in we let him have a good sniff round and a play. We spent a good few hours giving him some attention as we thought he would probably be a bit sad about being separated from his brothers and sisters. Be prepared for accidents, though, as he won't know where you want him to go to the loo right away!

We had some old pillows and blankets in his bed to make it nice and comfy. They soon got destroyed though so I wouldn't buy anything expensive until you know he's grown out of chewing. Your pup may not be as bad for chewing with a bit of luck. My old Springer Spaniel I used to have never chewed but labs are known for it which is why I think he was so notorious!!

If you intend to let him in the living room then I would put his bed in with all of you and show it to him and let him get used to it so when he goes to sleep alone at night time you can take it into the pantry so he has something familiar with him as this may help him feel more comfortable. We had a lot of howling the first few nights and I ended up spending a lot of time in the kitchen stroking him to sleep like a baby which probably made it worse but I felt so badly for him!!

Hope he will settle in ok, I love puppies but they're such hard work... I think LO was actually easier although she's probably on par with a puppy now she's a toddler... running round pooping and destroying stuff... yup... sounds familiar lol!!

 

[moomin_troll]

i found that dry food caused my dog to really smell lol so i bought cans from pets at home own brand and dry food and mixed half a can with biscuits. that seemed to be fine, altho she was a jack russel so maybe talk to ur vet about what food is best for that mix.

i love huskys, hope ur ready for those long walks lol they need alot. what are u calling him?

id also concider getting him the snip unless ur thinking about breeding.


i agree with above we let tilly run around our home so she wasnt so scared, oh still let her sleep with us that night tho lol

 

[Nimoo]

haha i know il have two toddlers now oh the joys to come xX

 

[Nimoo]

i havent piked a name yet any suggestions welcomed x

 

[moomin_troll]

i thought having a jr was hard lol but again they need alot of exercise and the walks did me good so i enjoyed it....but it was summer lol

obviously u no that pups snip at fingers so keep a close eye on ur son lol
i was planning on getting a dog best suited to us but then i found out im pregnant so think ile wait lol(we had to rehome tilly as she became far to protective of zane and our life wouldnt of suited her, still miss her)

i wanted a pug lol and im getting a husky when kids are older as they are such powerful active dogs, id die with 2 babies and one of them lol

 

[moomin_troll]

i always wanted alfie for a husky lol

 

[Nimoo]

my OH will be doing most of the walks well jogs really he loves exercising, i know ill be like a hawk lol! shakiels grown up round dogs and knows not touch my mums got akitas and hes great with them just hope he remembers doggy rules whilst at home and not just at nannies house!! congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck with it all hun
names i like are..
thunder
storm
bliss
zain
blizzard and plenty more
just need to pick one

 

[moomin_troll]

haha my son is called zane but i obviously spell it different

 

[midori1999]

A collie x husky, you're not afraid, are you?!

I would agree with crate training. The pantry sounds a good idea, but it might still be big enough for him to toilet in. Because a crate in actually just a bed to them, they won't toilet in it so it really helps with toilet training.

The absolute best dried food you can get is Orijen. It is very expensive because it doesn't contain any cheap fillers like rice, maize or other cereals, it is just meat and veg. (70% meat compared to around 28% for most premium brands. However, because of the ingredients you need to use less, so it's actually more economical. Also, because it has no rice or fillers, it will keep wind down, your dogs poos will be smaller and firmer and he won't have that 'doggy' smell so much.

A great book to get is 'The Perfect Puppy' by Gwen Bailey. You can get it on Amazon. I give it to all my new puppy owners in their puppy packs and it covers pretty much all you need to ever know about owning and training a puppy.

Not sure if you know, but a dog's exercise should be restricted for the first year of it's life to prevent hip dysplacia and joint problems. 5 mins per month of age per day is enough, definitely no more than double that but split it into as many short walks as you can. You can keep puppy tired out by doing lots of short training sessions too.

 

[Nimoo]

thanks everyone...

friday night was his first night at our house her been great he has fitted into our family perfectly great with my little toddler and so is he with him and he hasn't done any accidents any where except on the puppy pads next to the back door he is just wonderful I'll put some pictures on tomorrow for all to see still not completely chosen a name for him searching the net for some all suggestions would really help oops nearly forgot I've kept him on beta puppy food same as what the breeder was feeding him and he has been doing really well thanks everyone for their help you've been great and xX

 

[moomin_troll]

aww bless im glad its all gone well i do love dogs, i think they can be great for children to grow up around as they have such a close bond