Getting a new puppy in September!

[JenJ]

Hi!

I'm a newbie here to this forum and have loved reading everyone's posts and seeing everyone's adorable furry family members. We are excited to be bringing home our own little cairn in September...this will be our first puppy! I had a cairn growing up, but have not had my "own" dog until now. I was wondering if you all could offer any advice about food, things to look for in our puppy, etc.

Thanks so much!

[Deb]

congratulations and welcome to the forum. We have two Cairns Gooner and Jack 7 mos and 5 mos. We feed them Wellness as pups they got fed 1/4 cup 3 x day of puppy wellness. Jack now gets 1/2 cup and Gooner gets 1/4 cup 2x day and have been off the puppy formula for a couple mos. . Gooner is perfect wt. 12.6 and Jack is only 9.6. We are doing agility with our dogs and so our breeder being aware of this helped us to pick our pup, when we first saw the pups we had first pick, but the one we picked the breeder thought too shy so we took her advice and are glad we did. Hope any of this helps. Deb

[pkcrossley]

congratulations!!! you made the right choice. there's lots and lots of info on here, including on puppy feeding, so search away and lot of your questions will be answered. show us a picture when you can.

[JenJ]

Thanks for the advice, Deb and PK! I will have to check out Wellness. We are so excited to get our new little girl, but a bit nervous, too...it's so much like having a baby! I was wondering...did you all ever "interview" a vet before taking your dog there?? Is that weird?? I have some recommendations but would feel better if I met a vet in person beforehand.

I'm sorry I'm so full of questions...but if you have a favorite "must have" puppy item or gadget, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks! I am enjoying this forum, especially the adorable puppy videos.

Jen

[pkcrossley]

hm. i've never interviewed a vet, no. it's not at all a bad idea, IF you know what you're looking for. i've had the same vet for over twenty years, and his practice (not only he personally) has looked after cats and dogs for me. in one case i think an intern on his staff made some very tragic mistakes with a beloved cat of mine. other than that, i have always found my vet professional, sympathetic, well-informed, and most important he is never too proud to say he has to consult or research before getting answers to some of my questions (and he always gets them). after the mistake with my cat i considered moving to another vet, but the truth is: i wouldn't know what i was looking for. a sweet and reassuring vet might not know or care much. an unpleasant vet might be a whiz at diagnosis and cure.

all you can really do is ask local people who have terriers (probably important) where they take their pets and how they like them. ask about what they have heard about other vets --a lot of people think they would like to switch but are already clients of a some vet and don't want to feel disloyal or bother themselves to transfer. pick the one you think would be best, and if he or she is taking new patients, go in for the first puppy check. nobody's life will be on the line. if you don't like the vet or your the doctor can't keep the sex or breed of your dog straight while examining her, you can pick another vet for the next visit.

[Deb]

JenJ I originally went to a local vet, on our second visit my gut feeling told me to speak up he was giving Gooner rabies along with a few other shots including lymes, which I felt was too many for his immune system, anyway just like I always go with my gut with my kids I now do the same for my dogs. We now go to the vet my sister has gone to for years (she is a golden breeder) it's a 40 minute drive but worth it. Ask friends with pets who they go to. Deb

[Deb]

Forgot to add the best thing we have done is fenced in our back yard the dogs love to be out all day, money well spent! As far as toys or bones my dogs love the sterile bones and I put peanut butter in them for a treat, also have put it in the kongs, without the peanut butter they never took interest in the kong. Gooner loves to fetch his rubber mint scented and baseball I forget the brand but they also make golf balls and fruit and veg., My dogs also love to tug, and play in the plastic kiddie pool. Deb.

[JenJ]

Deb and PK

Thanks for that info...so helpful. I can't believe how many questions I have! Now I'm trying to figure out which crate to get...the collapsible, cage-style crate or the kind you use for traveling on airplanes. Each time I think I've figured everything out to be prepared for this new little furry munchkin, something else pops up that I haven't thought about! (Like taking up rugs, buying organic pet food, locking up chemicals just like I did with my kiddos. ) Just like having a baby...we are nervous, but excited!

Thanks so much for your advice!

Jen

[bradl]

Crate? Singular? We have four dogs. Hmm, let me run inventory... OK, two wire crates here with me in my office; two plastic crates in my wife's office; four wire crates distributed around the kitchen and family room; two plastic crates and one fabric crate (collapsed) in my car; two plastic crates in Peggy's car; four show crates in the RV, plus one fabric crate (collapsed); a few plastic crates stashed down in the crawlspace (including some really small puppy-sized ones); one antique wire crate in the garage. And one medium Sherpa bag and one large Sherpa bag. Yikes! Why so many crates? We found it was lot easier to have a crate anywhere we needed one than to have to lug a crate from here to there. A sudden trip to emergency vet or taking a dog to work? Crate already in the car. Dinner time? They are fed in crates in the kitchen and family room. Company coming? Toss the dogs into the office crates until folks get settled in, then unleash the hounds.

Um, I guess maybe I'm not the right person to answer this question

Seriously? I like plastic crates for the car and wire crates for the house. If I lived in a really hot place, I might reconsider the car crate in favor of better ventilation, but I live in a temperate zone and prefer the dogs to settle down during car trips and to NOT be looking around. Just my opinion of course. I hear sensible arguments in favor of each sort of crate.

[jodi0553]

Brad, I hope you have purchased stock in a crate company You surely keep them in business!

As for crates, I have one of each. My 2 cents - my dog prefers a smaller crate. It is common, albiet counterintuitive, but he prefers to be in a cozy den, and seems insecure in his larger crate, denning up by shoving his blanket and body into a corner. I have a small plastic crate at home, a large wire crate in my office, and tried one of those pop-up nylon crates one and only one time, and then it went into a box never to be seen again. I got the larger wire crate for him thinking he'd enjoy the space when left for several hours, but he pretty much has to be forced to go in it. He really likes to be in his small plastic crate (about 24 in deep, I chose it cuz it had a westie on the side - figured it had to be the right size!) and his Sherpa bag.

[Marge]

Hi, Jen! Welcome to the world of Cairns. I have fed my Bear Canidae All Life Stages since he came to live with us. When he was a puppy, I moistened it with water to soften it a bit, but as he was able to handle it, I backed off on the water in it until he could eat it dry. He is crate trained, and per instructions from his breeder have always fed him in his crate. Right away, he associated his crate with pleasantness. He also sleeps in his crate at night. It's his safe place.

I believe the best thing I purchased when he was a puppy was an X-pen. I set it up in our living/great room with his crate inside and with his toys. I kept him in the X-pen when I was not able to watch him and when he needed to get his puppy sleep. It was a tremendous help. I also bought lots of chew toys and bones. Bear chewed everything in sight. I always had a chew toy available to put in his mouth as acceptable to chew on rather than me or the furniture or shoes or whatever he thought would be nice to chew on. Be prepared for lots of work...puppies are work! Cairns can be determined (as opposed to stubborn as my hubby believes), but you must be more determined. They are smart creatures but will try your patience. Then, they look at you with those eyes and that sweet expression on their face, cock their head to the side a bit, and your heart melts. Enjoy your puppy. Just like children, they grow up all too quickly.

This is a link that shows the X-pen I used when Bear was a puppy:

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...035803&Ne=2

I hope to be getting my second Cairn, a little girl, later this fall or early winter. It's and adventure.

MAKE it a GREAT day!!!

Marge

[JenJ]

Marge, Brad, and Jodi,

Thanks for that info...wow, Brad. That's a load o' crates! But, I guess with four furry kiddos running around, it is much easier to have crate in hand rather than somewhere upstairs in the back room. I bought a wire crate with a divider in it, although I'm thinking I will get a cat/puppy plastic crate while our pup's so small, just because it seems more secure. The wire crate looks huge to me!

And I have been searching for Canidae but no luck...is that only available online? I ended up picking up a bag of Merrick because I read somewhere (I think it was here) that it's high-quality food. Anyone have any thoughts on that brand?

I have to say, all your avatars of your pups are making me soooo excited. Everyone's dog is ADORABLE! I can't wait to get this little girl here!

Jen

[hallswel]

Jen J

I have 4 dogs. Three Cairns, a Pug . I have five small wire crates in my sun room for sleeping at night. An x-large crate for day time use for my wild Cairn, Harley, who still eats everything and climbs everywhere...she stays in it during the day while I am at work. It gives her room to play but keeps her safe. The others are gated off in the sun room. I have crates upstairs, some I have found at garage sales, at the Goodwill Store and knew they would come in handy when my Cairn friends visited. Plastic crates for the car, and a set of four in the camper.

I am lazy and only want to move the dog not the crate. Oh I also have a soft crate in the office for bringing a pup to work with me.

Good luck with your baby and enjoy that puppy breath!

And I asked some of the local breeders about vets in my area and who they suggested. My first vet was okay but I later changed because of over vaccination issues. Also check out your local training classes you have a Cairn and training is important. Training classes helped all of my kids!

Liz and the crew

[brin145]

Ah Liz,

I had forgotten about "puppy breath". How could I forget...

[Eliz222]

Welcome to Cairn Talk, and congrats on your new puppy! It's hard to wait, but it's sooooo worth it!

I grew up with Cairn's too, and they really do get into your "blood".

[JenJ]

Liz, Brin, and Shoe--

Thanks for your helpful advice. I asked around and there seems to be a consensus for one particular vet in our area, so we are headed that way next week (after our darling comes home! Yeah!

BTW, Shoe, I love those pics of Scout and Finch in front of those, are they birthday bones?? SO CUTE! Everyone's doggie pics make me so excited to get our little fluff ball home. Pics of our own coming soon!