A few questions for

jnbabineaux

Hello!

I am getting a puppy in a few weeks. My parents finally let me get a pup for myself as long as they have nothing to do with it. In March, we lost our other dog, Roxie. She had all the signs of kidney failure, maybe from the food recall. She was fine one week then the next....

Anyways, I have to pay for everything from the kennel to the dog to the supplies. My neighbor is letting me take his outdoor kennel so that saves me a few hundred. Next is the dog house. What is the best kind of dog house? I was thinking the dogloo but does anyone have any advise?

The puppies are just a week old so I still have about five weeks until I get one. I'm getting a female Golden Retriever. In a year or two I will eventually breed her, but thats for later. I just want to make sure I have everything right for my new girl.

Another question, what is the best way to calm her down on her first night? It will be the first time she is away from her mother and littermates. She will be sleeping outside but I will be with her until dark and then bright and early the next morning. I've heard that if I take a stuffed animal and blanket and rub it on the mother and littermates, it will help with the separation. Any advise!

briteday

Whoa!!!!

You suspect your last dog died from recalled food. Did you check the recall list to see if you were feeding her safe food? What are you going to feed the new dog? Is it safe?

I think you will find many of us have a difficult time with your situation. First off, I wouldn't take a pup from the litter at 6 weeks. She needs to stay with her litter to 10-12 weeks of age. There is a lot of socialization that takes place, she will learn how to play properly and not bite. And she just needs the lessons that only her mom and litter can teach her. And not all dogs are completely weaned at 6 weeks. She may not be ready to handle real food yet. If the breeder will keep her longer, that's my first suggenstion.

Second, no matter how old a pup is when you get them they are not equipped to sleep outside. She needs to have a crate in the house to sleep in. Forget the dog house for now. If she is going to be your pet, why is she going to need to be outside all the time? Can't she be with you? She needs to be supervised, trained, and socialized early on otherwise she will become your worst nightmare. Goldens are a "people" breed that like to be close to their family. Leaving her in the back yard is not a good thing. She will need to be fed 3 times each day, walked, groomed, and played with. She needs to be house trained and learn some obedience commands. These are all things that happen during the course of every day, as you want her to do something because she is with you, you will teach her the command, and with repetition she will learn what you want. She will learn nothing if left to her own devices in the back yard.

Third, breeding...have you ever had a golden before? Are you worried that she could get pregnant because you are choosing not to spay her? Do you know that leaving her intact increases her risk of reproductive cancers? Have you ever bred a dog before? Do you have any idea what it costs to take care of a dam and the litter? Do you know how to whelp a dog? Nutritional requirements? Who to breed her to?

Can you pay for all the vaccinations that a dog needs in the first year of life, and yearly after that? Do you have $$$ set aside for vet bills if she gets sick? Can you afford to feed her a quality dog food? Do you know what makes a quality dog food? How much time do you have to spend with the dog each day? Do you know how to house train her and teach her basic obedience? Can you afford an obedience class to at least give her a start with the basics?

I don't think you will find a whole lot of support for your situation. I suggest that you do some research on the breed, spend a lot of time talking to the breeder of your dog, who sounds a little uninformed to me if they are letting you take the dog at 6 weeks of age, and work out a plan so that the pup is not in a kennel in the back yard 24/7. In the meanwhile I would do some serious thinking about how much responsibility you are ready to take on.

Renoman

Thank you. You said it nicer than I could.

briteday

I chose my words carefully.

Renoman

Sometimes my patience wears thin. I have a tendancy to put it out there, nice or not.

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BoxMeIn21

Great advice Briteday!

cbow

X2
Getting a dog takes alot of responsibility.
Have you thought about adopting instead of buying?

jnbabineaux

Yes, I have thought about adopting but I'd rather get a purebred from the beginning. If I could, the pup would go everywhere with me but its not my decision. She also has no choice but to sleep outside, my parents are strict on it. And the breeder I am getting her from is selling all of her pups at six weeks. I'll be outside alot with the puppy and be by her all the time. I've thought about all the things from the answer you gave me. I've been researching for the past few weeks on everything.

I do have the money to pay for everything and I will be the one to train her. I don't need to bring her to classes.

The recall came out after she died and the food was on the list. My puppy will probably be eating Pedigree.

The breeder also has four Goldens for herself and they stay outside and they are lovable and fine. I've met all four of them, including the mother and father of the puppies.

Also, I'll feed, play, and walk her in the morning before class. Then on my lunch break do the same and after my last class go back and do it again. I will be playing with her and giving her loads of attention. Probably four to five hours total daily. And on the weekends, even more when I don't have classes. The only time she won't be with somebody will be at night and a few hours during the day, but she will get plenty of attention.

I am more the responsible for a dog. I've had cats, dogs, fish, and birds. I use to breed birds and fish. I've grown up around animals and know what it costs in time in money. And getting a dog of my own, she will have the bst of everything.

briteday

Your answers are priceless...For everything else there's MasterCard.

Xeph

I train my dog myself...we still go to classes.

If that's all you can afford, than so be it, but that's really not a quality food.

That's too young for a pup to be leaving it's mother. You either need to find yourself another breeder (which I think you should do anyway), or convince the "breeder" to keep the puppy and extra two or three weeks.

What about health issues? Have mom and dad AT LEAST been OFA'd, or did this woman just decided to chuck 'em in the back yard and let them have at it?

There's more to breeding than just throwing two dogs together. It's people like THIS that cause crappy legislation like AB 1634 to be created

CHOTCHgoldens

I have two points to make.

As a fancier of Golden Retrievers, I can tell you right now that Goldens do not do well as strictly outdoor dogs. Maybe I read your words wrong, but it sounds like you plan to keep this dog outside? IMHO, NO dog should live outdoors all the time. But Goldens especially are people-dogs, meaning they thrive on simply being with you! Plus, a puppy certainly should NOT be sleeping outdoors, even in a dogloo or kennel!
If your parents will not let you keep the pup inside, maybe you ought to wait until you are older and can do things your way.
I have five goldens, and I would never dream of making them stay outdoors, much less sleep outdoors! Sure, they LOVE the backyard and being on the move in the sun, but they also love to fall in to their doggie beds at night and lounge around as needed.

Secondly, this should NOT be the first time your pup will be separated from it's mom and littermates. If you are getting your pup at six weeks, that is too early. I would never take a pup from the mother and littermates before nine weeks of age. Weaning takes place around four weeks, but the following weeks are vital to the health and socialization of your new puppy. Weaning the pup from the mom slowly is necessary, and eventually the pups should be totally separated from the mother, usually around 8 weeks of age. The pup can still be with the littermates, but there ought to be times when he/she is separated from those pups as well.
All of this may seem silly now, but in the long run it really makes a difference.
These are all things I look for in the breeders of my Goldens or other dogs.

Oh, and as for the food, you can certainly do better than Pedigree in my opinion, but you really cannot do much worse.
Sorry for the blunt truth, but if you check out www.dogfoodproject.com
you will see there are numerous other options which will do your dog so much better, now and in the future.
I recommend Merrick kibble or Nature's Recipe as better choices. Merrick is VERY high-end premium, while Nature's Recipe is also a great choice at a more reasonable price. Also, NR is available at Petco or Petsmart.



That is all I have for now

Kaida

Ok, I'm kinda new around this forum but I hope people don't mind me putting my two penn'orth in. 4-5 hours with a new puppy each day isn't enough, IMO. I have a cavalier puppy at the moment who is 11 weeks old (left the breeder at 9 weeks) and I spend maybe 2 hours total AWAY from him each day!

I've also grown up around animals, having gerbils, hamsters, a family dog, fish and a gecko. I did ten ton of research for over a year too before getting my puppy, and even then I wasn't 100% prepared for exactly how much work he'd be.

For food, look at Burns, or similar. Burns is economical if you get the big bag, can be ordered online, and is a great food.

I really think you should consider waiting a while until you're out of your parent's house, so the dog can live inside, and until you know a bit more about things.

Lucy

sheltiemom

Six weeks is too young, and especially too young to be left outside. Please wait until you are out of your parents house and can have your dog indoors at least part of the day. Few, if any, dogs would be happy in the situation you described. In the meantime, since you love dogs, maybe you could volunteer at a local shelter or something?

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