Our first dog. Any advice?

So I’ve broken all the rules and decided to get a dog for Christmas. However we’ve mulled having a dog for two years and I decided to have a sneaky visit to see the pups tonight.
Had a good look round, spent 20 mins with them and said i would call the owner.
I fessed up to the mrs and she was thoroughly on board!
So I’m picking up our new jack/beagle cross on Tuesday. Any advice as we’re shitting it to be fair, I’m sure kids weren’t this stressful 🙂

It will scream like a dying pig for a few nights then settle down.
Enjoy the house training!
Giving a dog a lifelong caring home with plenty of walks and play is the best thing ever.
Have fun.

Enjoy the house training!

I’m fairly sure that wrightyson is house trained.

Any advice as we’re shitting it to be fair,

Ah…maybe not.

Remember its a dog and not human, wife treats our westie like a small child. 🙄

Who’s a good boy?! Bruneep is! Yes he is! Give mummy a kiss…..kiss her!

1. Post pictures. Lots of pictures.
2. Buy a good pair of wellies. Trust me.
3. Get down Home Bargains especially for dog bags, cost about a quid. far cheaper than anywhere else for small bits and bobs.
4. Insurance is invaluable
5. Take the rough with the smooth. Not every day with a dog is a good day, but the good days outnumber the bad, by far.

Put pictures up on here.
Sign up for dog (owner) training.
When it goes mental when you all go to bed on the first night resist the urge to go back in to it. It’ll shut up eventually. Make sure it’s been to the toilet and go down at intervals to take it out for a wee. Put it straight back in its crate/area and leave it again. It will get the message.
Get a crate. Put a blanket over it to create a nice little refuge. If you can, take a small blanket round to the breeder and leave it with the puppy. This way it can come back with you to provide a familiar smell.
Be firm with it. It needs to know who’s the boss. I’m not suggesting kicking it round the garden. But every dog I’ve had has benefitted from knowing who’s in charge.

Get a towel to the breeder Asap – chuck it in with the pups for the next few days and bring it home when the pup comes. Wrap a hot water bottle in the towel to ease the first night.

We had a crate for Monty which worked well – expect the first night to me noisy but resist the temptation to go and comfort.

Puppy socialisation class at your vets
Socialisation
Puppy training class
Crate
Reward good, ignore bad
Doggy adolescense (18 months or roundabout) – dog will be a PITA
Lifetime of love and attention

Book: gwen bailey the perfect puppy

Little Dogs become BIG dogs

treats our westie like a small child

TBF, early in the mornings I think having a dog is a lot like having a toddler. “Wake up! Wake up! I need the toilet! I’m hungry! I’m bored!”

Really recommend crate training.

Ho Ho Ho and all that…

My advice would be to ask the breeder why he chose to cross a Jack Russel and a Beagle, what is he/she hoping to achieve from this mating (crossing two energetic & willful breeds with strong hunting instincts – good luck with the recall training!).

Ask him if he’s aware of any genetic health issues which affect either of these breeds, and whether the dam/sire have been tested. It doesn’t necessarily follow that a cross breed is healthier if the the parents are affected by some issue.

A few books by Bruce Fogle.

Dogs are like people but better, all different. Crates are good for you and them, and like the rest of us they calm down/mellow with age. Don’t supress the youthful exuberance too much, ours is much loved member of the household but is a social hand grenade!

First few nights, put at shirt or two with the smell of the “pack” in its bed. RSPCA told me to do it when I got bear.
It’s brilliant fun but not all plain sailing. He’s 13 and I’ve just been told today that he’s likely got a tumour in his eye 🙁
The very best piece of advice I can give is have clearly defined boundaries. Doggy needs to know exactly who’s boss, what it’s allowed to do and what it’s not.

Don’t bother with the dog training books–they never read them 🙂
Post puppy pictures. Lots and lots of puppy pictures.

The breeder is a Dalmatian breeder.
This was their dam who’s used as a working dog (the jack to keep rats down in the stables) getting fruity with a friends beagle completely unsupervised. I don’t know the person individually but I know the area very well and the plausibility of the story and the actual horses (which I also met) stables at the house struck me as believable.
I did have a good look round and asked a hell of a lot of questions.
And do you know what regardless of genetic disease thoughts etc, I just thought I could give the little fella a nice home at chez Wrighty!

+1 for insurance my pals jack Russell pup ran full blast into a door and broke its leg , specialist surgery £5500 insurance paid it all bar £200 exess

Dogs are the best mate in the world… But get old way too quick and genuinely break your heart when they die…

All of this will apply

Post pictures.

An accidental mating… which is basically an irresponsible mating – if they are responsible and knowledgeable Dalmation breeders, then surely they’ll have known the J.R. was in season?

Regardless of that, their J.R. is a working dog, and they (the breeders) are willing to sell you one of its pups as your first dog.

I’d also ask them that should it turn out that you can’t cope with this pup for whatever reason (not saying this will happen, but it is a possibility), whether they’d be willing to take the dog back. If you think that sounds a bit weird, it is actually quite common.

If you’re thinking I’m coming across as a right barrel of laughs (or even a miserable git), maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that I can’t remember that last time I had a weekend “off.” Weekends are often spent assessing dogs whose owners want to give them up, transporting dogs from owners that are surrendering them up to a rescue, or doing home-checks. You’d probably be suprised at how many breeders couldn’t care less what happens to the dogs they breed after they’ve taken the cash.

Edit: Though if you do think that you could give some little fella a nice home at chez Wrighty, and that a J.R. or a Beagle is for you, how about taking a look here[/url] or here[/url]. There’s certainly no need to go putting money in the direction of some irresponsible breeder.

She clearly stated that she would have the dog back if we weren’t sure. We’ve also got a holiday booked abroad which is unusual for us (the abroad bit) in April and said she would gladly have the dog back whilst we were away. If she was giving me flannel then fair play she’s got a proper brass neck, my parents still live in the town they’re currently at, and it’s also my home town where I still know a lot of people who like a gossip.
Regarding it being my first dog that’s not strictly true, as we had a dog (I was 10 and it was a 9 month pup) we found on the moors for 17 years before he finally decided to call it a day. I told her (bored) her with this story also.

All the best, I genuinely hope everything works out, dogs are ace 🙂 (though just in case you couldn’t tell from my earlier posts, I’m not a big fan of irresponsible breeders!).

Thanks. And roll on the energy!

Make sure that whatever insurance you get it covers for life.

Our first dog never went to the vet in 16 years so when we got the next (two) we skimped on insurance and took the policy that covered any ailment for 12 months. That would be plenty wouldn’t it….? Well no. Both dogs at about 12 months old developed dry eye and needed eye ointment that was £40 per tube (used one tube per month) and they both became incontinent after being spayed and needed tablets (about £20 per month). Insurance paid out for 12 months and the next 13 years I had to pay. Was marginally cheaper to get a prescription from the vets and get the drugs online but would have been cheaper to get full cover when they were younger.

It will drive you nuts when it is young but the reward will be complete unconditional love.

Make sure that whatever insurance you get it covers for life.

Our first dog never went to the vet in 16 years so when we got the next (two) we skimped on insurance and took the policy that covered any ailment for 12 months. That would be plenty wouldn’t it….? Well no. Both dogs at about 12 months old developed dry eye and needed eye ointment that was £40 per tube (used one tube per month) and they both became incontinent after being spayed and needed tablets (about £20 per month). Insurance paid out for 12 months and the next 13 years I had to pay. Was marginally cheaper to get a prescription from the vets and get the drugs online but would have been cheaper to get full cover when they were younger.

It will drive you nuts when it is young but the reward will be complete unconditional love.

POSTED 49 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Were they related? What breed?

Treat it like a small child as that’s how they are and most of their behaviour is that off a toddler. Hardest part is the toilet training, the rest is easy. They like routines keep a strict routine and they will work to it. Don’t underestimate just how intelligent they are, that of a 2 year old hence why they are like kids. Rewards for good behaviour is the key, a biscuit or just attention. If they do bad ignore them not even eye contact. Most of all enjoy as dogs are great.

8 weeks is too early to remove a dog from it’s mother/litter.

Socialise it with as many people/other dogs as possible, especially at a young age.

But avoid negative situations, again, especially at a young age.

Get a puppy cage, it’s not cruel, the dog will feel secure and naturally retreat to it.

Never hit your dog.

Don’t bother with insurance. If insurance companies can make a profit then so can you.

If it’s a dog, don’t have it castrated without serious thought and reason.

Don’t use an extending lead.

Always clean up after your dog.

Fit a dog flap.

Find a vet you would trust with your own life (or even bike!).

A dog is for life.

Just wondering about this conventional wisdom of locking a new pup away in a room by itself each night and ignoring its cries? When I was a lad we did this with each of our family dogs, they cried pitifully for the first few nights, but we all told ourselves it was in their best interests (and ours!) and you had to be cruel to be kind etc., and of course they settled down soon enough.

But when we got our own pup six months ago the breeder suggested a different approach, which we thought we’d try. We put her in a cardboard box next to our bed, and every time she woke up and was restless we reached down a reassuring hand and stroked her back to sleep. Worked a treat, didn’t really disrupt our sleeping (and certainly less than a puppy wailing all night!), she never got out of her box, and within a week the box was moved to ‘her’ room and she’s never been a problem since.

I know all dogs are different, but imagine a puppy that’s only known being with her mum and the rest of the litter suddenly being left alone at night. Can’t help thinking a gentle transition is better for pup and owner.

Oh, and if you must leave it alone for the first few nights, a blanket with litter/Mum’s smell on and a ticking clock hidden under it are a good substitute. Yes a clock! Another suggestion from the breeder – apparently it reminds the pup of her mother’s heartbeat and has a calming influence.

The world service on low in the room will also help settle the pup at night.

We put her in a cardboard box next to our bed, and every time she woke up and was restless we reached down a reassuring hand and stroked her back to sleep. Worked a treat, didn’t really disrupt our sleeping (and certainly less than a puppy wailing all night!), she never got out of her box, and within a week the box was moved to ‘her’ room and she’s never been a problem since.

If I did this there would’ve been piss and shit all over our bedroom carpet and the cardboard box would’ve been shredded into a gazillion bits within an hour. Kitchen floor surface much easier to keep clean. We used crate for our westie I fact he still uses it as his bed, door left open so he can come and go as he pleases. Still have the option to lock him in crate when he gets too hyper (9 yr old puppy) or when visitors come.

I recommend crate training, crate trained both of my dogs and they both love having the crate in the utility room and sometimes go in for a nap.

Your puppy is going to poo and wee a lot till it is trained, keep off your best carpet. Keep plenty of cleaning stuff on standby.

Post lots of pictures.

Get him/her chipped ASAP.

Go to puppy classes, both myself and my puppy learned a lot and enjoyed it/bonded.

Go to b&m or pound land for dog blankets, poo bags etc… Far cheaper than pet superstores

Travel with your puppy wearing a dog seatbelt or in the boot of your car with a divider… I got pulled over on a spot check and almost got 3 points for my puppy sleeping in the footwell at the back (stupid of me I know, lesson learned)

Dogs are amazing, enjoy it.

We did the ‘box by the bed’ thing when Reilly first came home. The box then went into the crate in our bedroom, which then ended up in the lounge, all,over a period of a few weeks.
I’d say it worked brilliantly, but fast forward 6 years and somehow we’ve ended up with him in his bed next to our bed, unless he decides he’s a bit cold and then it’s sneak (quite hard for a 26kg springer/lab!) onto our bed….

Good luck, just have plenty of patience and definitely get to puppy classes, training etc. speak to your local vet about them. They can’t pfficially recommend but I’ll bet they only have the details of one or two….

Pertmtb. With ours we tried to tough it out for two nights, she didnt settle. Third night I slept on the sofa bed near her cage. By fourth or fifth night she was fine alone. By a few months she rejected the cage, put her out for a last pee at night and she’d go in the kennel and refuse to come out so she slept outside for a year or so until anagallis junior was born and she would bark like hell everytime he cried so she now sleeps on the sofa.

Advice, take lots of photos, make the most of the puppy phase as they grow so quickly!

Some people may flame me for this but now I think that dogs are social animals that live in a pack. You are part of that pack. Shutting them away at night away from you is not the way to go in my opinion. Ours sleeps in the corner of our room at night and is no bother. She will take herself off to bed after her last walk way before we go. Crate training is a fairly new concept used by breeders and people that work with animals and transport them around. I’m sure it works well but the crate can get in the way especially if its a big dog. Not applicable in your case. Best advice would be firm but fair and consistent. Don’t over exercise when young, play is the best when their puppies and decent quality food. Dogs are ace , never been without one in 40yrs.

I’m sure the puppy is adorable but, have you done any research into the Beagle breed. They are not easy to train and follow scent rellentlency.I should know our Lab/beagle is 3 and has been shall we say “challenging”.That said brilliant in the house and great fun. Enjoy.