dog tips

Well girls, I'm just about to get a replacement for my ex h2b in the form of a 4 and a half month old cocker spaniel. It's something i've wanted to do for ages but ex h2b kept putting me off, well he's no say in it anymore. The thing is i've never had a dog before and am starting to stress out over the fact i could kill her etc... had numerous goldfish and haven't had a great track record with them. Any tried and tested tips on caring for a puppy, ie. how do you know when they need to go, what do you do to stop them going in the house, how often should you feed and worm them. God the list is endless!!!!

i recommend the k.i.s.s. dog book its very good id also recommend you get a book specfic to the breed. the kiss is full of great info, that u need to know. as for the toilet training, a dog will need to do to the toilet, after the eat, after playing, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. when i first got my dog i used to put newspaper in the utility and i diped a cotton bud in her wee and wiped on newspaper, she'd follow the scent and pee and poop on the paper. when a dog starts to wee indoors pick her up and bring her outdoors and let her finish there. uneed to woorm a gog every 3mths, ifeed my dog once aday now when she was a pup i feed her twice a day. good luck with ur decision.

hi - can i ask where you are getting the cocker spaniel from? best of luck with it.

Training a puppy needs alot of patience, when toilet trianing them you need to pick a spot in the garden and when you bring them out for a wee bring to the spot everytime so they learn to associate that spot with where they go to the toilet and eventually they will look to go to that spot when they need to go to the loo, but there will be loads of accidents in the run up to it and it will take a couple of months but is worth it. Main thing to remember don't get mad at them, don't slap them it only sets them back as they get confused, oh and hide your shoes put them up in a high press as they love shoes. At one stage I had NO shoes left and had to go out and buy a whole new set of shoes, but it was my own fault forgetting to put them up in the press. A great website for puppy info in the pedigree dog food website they have a puppy section and show step by step tips. Feeding wise if they are very young they should be fed 4 small meals a day and then reduced to 2 after 10/12 weeks. Loads of TLC understanding, patience and you will have the best friend in the world. Good luck p.s plenty of water needed also

If you're really interested you could get a book on dog psychology. It's most useful if you have a problem with the dog but it's also good for understanding what your dog is trying to say to you. Dogs evolved from wolves which are pack animals and they don't think like humans - funnily enough. Think that there is a book called 'Think Dog' or 'Speak Dog'- you could probably get it on Amazon.

Woof Woof

Oops posted twice. Woof Woof

Thanks for all the tips girls, I'll need them. Will be collecting her tomorrow and can't wait, and she won't be kept outside i'd hate to think of her cold and miserable - i won't even buy a crate to transport her around cos i hate to think of any animal being cooped up so i've got an attachement for the seatbelt in my car so she won't be under my feet but will still be able to move around a bit. Bridedec06 i'm getting her from a friends father, he breeds them in sligo and has 3 more pups, 2 bitches and 1 dog. Anyhow keep fingers crossed for me over the weekend, feel like i'm bringing home a baby, i'm so nervous!! Hope every one has a lovely weekend :D

Going to hijack this thread a little bit - our dog was a bit of an old lady when we took her on, which means that she has millions of bad habits we can't seem to "train" her out of. I don't think her previous owner ever housetrained her or even taught her to heel, much less anything else, as she never does anything she's told. To be fair she's getting on a bit now and often doesn't "make it" to her designated poo spot in time, and she's got a weak stomach so is also inclined to barfing stuff up quite a lot (have to remember it's not her fault as I scrape the offending mess off the couch and harbour thoughts of drop-kicking her out through the window...) so I guess what I'm asking in a roundabout way is there anyone who has managed to train an older dog (even a little). I know the old saying - can't teach an old dog new tricks, but surely she can learn even a little? We have to block the front door whenever someone is coming in/out as she tries to bolt out for a gallop, and refuses to come back, just sits and looks guilty while I stomp off down the road to pick her up and deposit her back onto our own property. Any tips from any doggie experts out there?

Happy out, I've read that a dog's stomach is very sensitive - not that you'd think it. Bascially, their systems function better if they have the same food the whole time - while we might find that boring their systems have to work harder to digest different types of foods. So maybe keeping your dog on a plain diet might help? Also read that if a dog is pulling on the lead you should stop and not look in their direction - basically ignoring them. When they stop pulling you can progress. Keep stopping and going until they get the message that pulling on the lead is bad behaviour. Looking away from them is a way of saying that you're not impressed with their behaviour. I tried this with a dog I had (only had the dog for 2 weeks and he was a very boisterous puppy) but it was a pain in the arse to be stopping and starting the whole time. You might have more patience though. When the dog runs out in the road, the worst thing to do is chase after them - you need to run in the opposite direction so that they will chase after you. Not easy if you think that the dog is going to get run over but I've done it with my family dog and it worked. But I'm no expert - this is what I've read rather than what I've put in to practice.