a peek inside the fishbowl

1 | Anne

March 20th, 2010 at 4:11 pm

She’s beautiful!!!
Invest in lots of paper towel…think Costco sized.
We started socializing Riley at the Conroy Pit very early on and he just loves other dogs. We’ve stuck with the dry food diet. Growing up, our dogs were all on dry only.
We also crate trained and have no regrets. At night it helped him train his bladder and we slept well knowing he wasn’t getting into anything in the house. We kept the crate in our room so that he wasn’t alone, he never cried about going in it. Now he sleeps on the floor in our room.
Enjoy your puppy!!

2 | Amy

March 20th, 2010 at 4:23 pm

Congratulations! Puppies are a great addition to the family. We got our dog right after we moved in together and I surprised myself with how hard I fell for him. We also crate trained and loved it – he goes in there when he needs a break from us. I would also recommend dog park socialization. We go to Bruce Pit and the whole family loves it and he’s tuckered for the weekend after a good run along the paths.

3 | Joy

March 20th, 2010 at 4:36 pm

Awww… what a cutie!! We just finished a beginner class at PetSmart, and found it very helpful. They have a puppy class, too. It’s great for the whole family to attend.

4 | Rae

March 20th, 2010 at 4:42 pm

Socialize!! We go to bruce pit as well, and Aura loves it! I also highly recommend umbilical training for walking in addition to harness training.. It keeps your hands free, and helps correct pulling behaviors! It can also be done around the house which cuts down on “Where is the … oh no!” incidents in our experience ;)

5 | zoom

March 20th, 2010 at 4:59 pm

Congratulations! She’s adorable. It’s been a long time since I had a puppy, but I remember the frustrations as well as the feelings of being absolutely smitten. As for the crate-training, I used to think it was cruel, but I’ve changed my mind over the years. (I think I was just projecting my own feelings onto crated dogs…they themselves seem to actually derive a sense of security from their crates if it’s done right.)

6 | david

March 20th, 2010 at 5:21 pm

Adorable! We got our Maizie back on Labour Day weekend so we know what you mean. She’s larger than Piper, a golden doodle. Maybe we’ll see you out for walkies!

7 | BeachMama

March 20th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

Oh Congratulations! I have no desire to go through ‘puppyhood’ again and as it stands, I am the one who cares for our dog. The kids terrorize him, but don’t look after him. And when he sheds we all get driven crazy by the fur. The good news is that we still love him and he only chews a toy once or twice a month instead of once or twice a day.

p.s. He is 10 now, but when he was about six months old he ate a Palm Pilot and a bottle of Tylenol (extra stregnth) he didn’t learn his lessons at all. We also crate trained.

8 | Kaitlin

March 20th, 2010 at 5:53 pm

That’s awesome! I’m so excited…and a bit jealous. We do not have the space for a four-legged friend, unless it be a gerbil.

As for the embargo, I really think that buying a new family member, one who is fairly eco-friendly, is within the realm of the embargo.

9 | Lynn

March 20th, 2010 at 6:45 pm

Oh, she is such a cutie pie! Can’t wait to hear more about the joys of puppy owning. I shall live vicariously!

10 | DaniGirl

March 20th, 2010 at 6:56 pm

Oh yay, I’m so glad you did it! She’s lovely!!

I’m a huge believer in crate training, and we too feed a dry dog food diet. I’ll check the brand we’ve been using — it’s a premium brand, but worth it. Eukanuba used to be a really good name, now they add a lot of fillers.

I’m not so fond of the “let your dog run wild at the Bruce Pit” idea, especially when you’re still training. Dogs revert to their wilder nature when they run in packs, and I’ve always found the big groups of dogs a little intimidating — and I’m a dog person to the core. On the other hand, I highly recommend puppy class. Pet Smart is good, and I don’t know if they’re still in business but K9 Academy out on Canotek Rd was where we went when we needed some heavy-duty intervention to get puppy-brained Katie under control. (We failed two puppy classes first!)

So happy for you guys — have fun with her, she’s gorgeous!!

11 | betsy mae

March 20th, 2010 at 7:20 pm

We use dry food too.

I used to think crate training was cruel but now I am a believer. When we got our dog (he’s a rescue) he was already crate trained. He never objected to going into his crate and would go into it on his own when he needed a break. We’ve always maintained a rule that if the dog is in his crate or on his bed that nobody was allowed to bother him. He knows this and when he needs a break he goes to his safe place. Oh and the crate really came in handy when he was sick and we needed to keep him still.

I hate to say this (obviously you don’t have to listen to this advice) but harnesses tend to teach dogs to pull. We used a harness for the first year that we had our dog and when we finally took him for training they told us never to use a harness. Some people swear by them though!!!!

I also recommend socializing your dog but I thought you had to wait until they are a certain age and have all of the necessary shots? For some reason six months rings a bell? Anyone know the answer to that? I would only go to fenced in dog parks though, until you have some control over your dog.

Training! I can’t recommend dog training enough! Dogs thrive so well when they are given commands that they understand. Our dog loved his dog training and so did I, well worth the time and money.

Enjoy! I’m so pleased to hear that you have fallen so hard for her already! It’s amazing how much we can love our dogs.

12 | Marla

March 20th, 2010 at 9:23 pm

But first, congrats, and of course I have gobs of advice. There are some fox terriers in our hood, and we love them! Always feel free to ask the mad dog lady, and do tell me to shut up anytime.

First – Pet store? Get her to a vet for a thorough check up!

Pee – first thing when she wakes up, within fifteen minutes of vigorous playing, and well, like, twenty times a day. Praise praise praise, and find a phrase for it. Molly’s is “go pee outside” (even if we’re already outside) – that way when the weather’s crappy, she knows to go quickly and not dawdle, and same thing with her last before bed. Pee before play too – put her on the leash, take her to her pee spot, and then play after she goes. It will save years of strife if she knows to pee first. It works for us for car trips, and when we’re sick and don’t have time to goof off. Try to always get her to pee outside – anticipation and prevention is key.

Dry only is fine – as long as it’s high quality with no crappy fillers! Human-grade ingredients are lovely! Solid Gold, Wellness, all those – and Orijen is fantastic, as are others! Hopefully the pet store is nice and stocks good quality. I’ll be glad to provide sites for reviews of foods. But don’t stick to it if you read about and find that some of the prepared raw food diets sound like a good idea for you – I can’t imagine you having time to make your own, but they can be great! But no wet food crap, unless it’s quality human grade ingredients with no crud. And don’t be afraid to give her healthy real food treats you make yourself, like dried liver and sweet potato and such.

Poop pickups in the yard (I’m one to talk) really ought to happen daily – but almost never do. But if you can get in the habit (easier in fair weather), I’d recommend it. But all it takes is one skid or cartwheel into it, and that’s enough to spur them on.

Crate training is great! But think about putting the water and newspaper at the back, so that when she comes to the front to greet you she won’t step in it or spill. The rule about not bugging her in the crate is great. Like she already had two naps there? Use it when you’re home so she doesn’t always associate it with your leaving. Also, when you’re leaving the house, put her in, like, ten minutes before you go, not the last thing for the same reason. Before I figured that out, when my crate-trained dog saw me pick up the keys, she’d run to the door and look hopeful and I’d have to squash those hopes. By having her go to the crate well-before hand, she didn’t have the anxiety problems any more.

And, not too many baths -dogs like how they smell! They have such sensitive skin, and it can get try and they need the oils from their hair. But since she looks like a wire-haired one, when you take her to get her stripped they’ll do it – you likely won’t need shampoo! Just sprinkle her with baking soda and brush (I wish this worked with hounds – but no).

But then again, you’re smart. You googled this all, right? Shut up Marla, you’re just excited, right?

Welcome to the club – and do enjoy puppyhood! I never want to have one again, but I do love other peoples’ dogs! I hope you like the terrier temperament – because I’m not enjoying the hound’s, and well, it’s kind of like a sentence when it’s not working!

13 | Marla

March 20th, 2010 at 9:33 pm

I should just shush – ignore me, totally. I just get giddy when I know about stuff. So, so sorry for hijacking. I’m so happy for you! And I wish I could be excited about my own dog!

14 | mrsgryphon

March 21st, 2010 at 1:37 am

Oh, Piper is adorable, Andrea!! Such a great face!

If you’re interested, my cousin does lots of agility and flyball in the Ottawa area (she’s Nationals-level good!) so she’d have some recommendations re: that kind of training once Piper is a bit older – great for smart, energetic dogs who are past the initial puppy craziness! My husband started our border collie on agility this past year, and it’s helped give him some focus (the dog, not the husband! haha!).

Definitely love crate training at our house – I’m not much a “dog person” myself, so I like knowing that he has a contained place where he is happy and comfortable. He’s got a ton of energy, and with two little girls in the house, sometimes it’s ME that needs a break from HIM. It’s also nice knowing that he’s not getting into trouble (or sleeping on the couch!) at night or when we’re away.

No advice re: leashes/harnesses/pulling – Thai is brutal to walk. He’s a super-fast dog, and he just wants to run. He’s completely bored by a stroll around the block, but so strong that he gets me off balance when I’m running. We need to work on that.

Oh, do you have a treadmill? It sounds crazy, but you can absolutely train dogs to run on the treadmill… nice when it’s raining or freezing cold and you don’t want to do the 2-block loop ;) Our Thai will run for 15 minutes, flat-out at 4.5 miles/hr. If you even say the *word* treadmill, he dashes off to the basement and wags until you let him on ;)

Have fun with her, she looks like a great personality, and I hope the girls sign their contracts and keep up their end of the bargain!

15 | Mandy From Nova Scotia

March 21st, 2010 at 7:02 am

only one piece of advice and that is if you pooch is misbehaving that probably means she needs more exercise, I mean not really right now cause I think all puppies misbehave but when she gets a bit older. And don’t worry about everyone’s opinion on every dog related matter because you’ll need to figure out what works for you guys! We tried crate training (which I think is good) but I felt guilty about her being in the crate so we scrapped it, we only feed dry food from the vet and I really really really do think that makes a difference in the happiness of my dog at least!

16 | andrea

March 21st, 2010 at 9:00 am

Great advice everyone, thank you! I’ve loved reading your tips so far.

It’s Sunday morning:

– we tried putting her in the crate downstairs for the night but she didn’t like being left alone. I think we’re going to need to take it slow. We brought the crate upstairs and she slept in it (with the door closed) beside the bed. I’m not sure if we made a mistake there or not, but she slept through the night and there were no accidents. We set the alarm for 6:30 and Mark took her out for a pee.

– I’m wondering if she’s going to be barky kind of dog or not. But she hasn’t barked yet. Perhaps this is a good sign?

– I am definitely looking into puppy training classes too!

17 | Kimusan

March 21st, 2010 at 10:10 am

Puppy. Want. (EARS. OMG.)

But what’s really getting me is how you ended up WRITING UP the NAC thing, then another one about the puppy, plus, oh, you know, GETTING THE PUPPY, in the space of time it took me to get my head back on after the workweek and plug in my camera to see what gives. You’re clearly superwoman. And those girls of yours just found a playmate for life. Wonderbar!

18 | milkfacemama

March 21st, 2010 at 3:26 pm

OH, sweet! Congratulations on your new family member. Does she want to come over and meet Paul? (he’s 3 months, too). I’m a big believer in crate training as well. We used it with Fred and didn’t need to use it after he got through the puppy phase and the jury’s still out on Paul. For Paul, he’s been sleeping a night in his crate in our room. He’s been doing that since he got home and it’s been fine. We also have a safe, comfy place for him on the main floor so he can have some downtime and there’s somewhere to put him if needed. Paul is a real chewer and we’re trying to get a handle on that (thanks to Rae for mentioning the umbilical training – that might work for us!).

We were told by the breeder and our vet (westboro vet – they’re lovely there) to avoid major socialization until he’s had all his shots so we’re not doing any bruce pit, etc right now.

We feed dry food as well – agree with everyone else, high quality! Bark n fitz has a buy 10 get 1 free program which we use.

Good luck!

19 | Jennifer

March 21st, 2010 at 3:37 pm

EXERCISE, socialize. Everyones giving good advice so I will only add one other thing. Find a good vet you trust. Very important.

On Richmond rd you can look on the merchants doors and if they have a little sticker with a dog walking through a door then you are welcome to bring your dog in. Kitchenalia always has treats and Bark ‘n Fitz does free delivery.

When Piper is ready I’d LOVE to show you around the doggie spots in the ‘hood. (i miss them!).

Congrats, I’m very happy for you. I’m sure you’ll get just as much joy and love as we did from our furry babies.

20 | andrea

March 21st, 2010 at 3:59 pm

Milkface and Jen, you reminded me that I need vet recommendations! I also heard that vet visits are cheaper in Gatineau. Can anyone confirm?

21 | milkfacemama

March 21st, 2010 at 4:45 pm

Never heard that – interesting! We’ve only used Westboro Animal Hospital. They were so great to us when Fred died unexpectedly that we’ll be loyal to them for life now! To go along with your posts last week about Westboro development, I also love being able to walk to them :)

22 | Jennifer

March 21st, 2010 at 6:48 pm

I don’t know about Gatineau being cheaper. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a vet being cheap!!

We had somewhat unconventional ideas on certain doggy related ‘things’ and for years had a wonderful vet out in the East end. When he retired we had a hard time finding a vet we trusted and that would understand how we wanted to do things. We fortunate to have found a wonderful ( and local) vet at bayview animal hospital. I would personally recommend Dr. Graham Thatcher there.

23 | Betsy Mae

March 21st, 2010 at 7:41 pm

Marla, if you are reading these comments I would LOVE those websites regarding dog food if you’d be willing to share? Perhaps here in the comments or via Andrea or directly to me, whatever is easiest? Please, pretty please and thank you. Our dog has a very sensitive tummy and he’s not on the best quality food but we haven’t had great success in switching his food so we are reluctant to do so.

Andrea, I would have suggested the dog go up in your room (in the crate) except I wasn’t sure that’s what you wanted for her! Dogs like being with their pack. Our dog has a bed right beside ours, and ummmm while I ABSOLUTELY

24 | Betsy Mae

March 21st, 2010 at 7:41 pm

Marla, if you are reading these comments I would LOVE those websites regarding dog food if you’d be willing to share? Perhaps here in the comments or via Andrea or directly to me, whatever is easiest? Please, pretty please and thank you. Our dog has a very sensitive tummy and he’s not on the best quality food but we haven’t had great success in switching his food so we are reluctant to do so.

Andrea, I would have suggested the dog go up in your room (in the crate) except I wasn’t sure that’s what you wanted for her! Dogs like being with their pack. Our dog has a bed right beside ours, and ummmm while I ABSOLUTELY

25 | Betsy Mae

March 21st, 2010 at 7:43 pm

woops hit send by accident there!!

What I was saying is I ABSOLUTELY do NOT recommend letting your pooch up on your bed (we did, big BIG mistake).

We couldn’t do the pet insurance thing (our boy came with too much baggage) but I wonder if anyone can speak to that?

26 | Chantal

March 21st, 2010 at 8:06 pm

I don’t have a dog but she is gorgeous!

27 | Nadine C.

March 22nd, 2010 at 9:39 am

What a lovely puppy! My daughter has been begging for one ever since she can talk, the only problem is that we are away a lot and stay in hotels (not the dog-friendly types). We also go camping almost every weekend in the summer, and many parks forbid dogs :( . Those that do allow them are always full.
Anyways Noa saw the photos of your Piper and fell in love (reminds her of “Snowy” in TinTin, just a darker version). After seeing these pics though, we are very tempted to get one!!!

28 | Meghan

March 22nd, 2010 at 10:14 am

LOVE the contract idea. Wish I had done that with my girls. They will walk our dog but refuse to pick up the poop…….

29 | LO

March 23rd, 2010 at 8:13 pm

Crate training is great-especially if done the proper way. A crate should never be used as a punishment-it should be a place that the dog likes to go. Eventually, if all goes well, you will leave the crate door open and the dog will go in on his own for comfort and space:) We have used crate training for all our dogs and at 9-12 months all have had full run of the house AND we have BIG dogs:)
If the crate is big-for when piper is bigger, often it’s a good idea to put up a barrier to make the crate smaller and move it as piper grows so that there is not too much space as in enough space to pee on one side and lie on the other. Most dogs will try their best not to pee where they sleep especially once they have full sphincter control:)
Congrats.
I would like to know what made you decide to buy a dog from a pet store. Very curious:)

30 | LO

March 23rd, 2010 at 8:17 pm

we didn’t have pet insurance with our first dog as it wasn’t ‘big’ yet and not well advertised like now and Comet became very ill very quickly and it cost us a lot of money and he died….so, next dog we did get pet insurance but found whenever we tried to use it we had issues AND if your vet makes one mistake on charting an illness ie gives an incorrect code like says your dog is ‘lame’ when he isn’t, it will curse your insurance forever. We have a large and what is considered a ‘premium’ breed which means the insurance costs a lot more. We ended up canceling it after not too long.
Here’s a way to look at it. You can get insurance and have a monthly and systematic way of ‘saving’ for when you need it or you can risk it and not pay monthly and just pay when something happens to your pet. Either way you end up paying:)

31 | LO

March 23rd, 2010 at 8:22 pm

just read all comments
we had a crate in our room and downstairs
(too big too move) for the first bit for nights. we also took an old fashioned alarm clock that ticks and wrapped it up and put it in the crate and it helped calm ours-gave the idea of sound of other puppies or moms heartbeat.
Food-dry is great. I made my own dog food for a long time but not with this dog. Look at first 3 ingredients-most important to avoid fillers, especially corn:)

32 | mapsgirl

March 24th, 2010 at 7:42 am

You’ve gotten tonnes of good advice so I’ll just give you a few tips from what we learned with our dog:

– crate training is great

– get training….quickly…so you don’t start with bad habits

– dry food is best for their teeth (and make sure corn isn’t the first ingredient…that’s filler)

– make sure that you take her outside 15 minutes after she’s eaten or had something to drink. Puppies don’ t have big bladders.

And I completely agree that having a puppy is harder than having a baby…a baby wears diapers and doesn’t run around for a very long time.

Enjoy her! She’s adorable!

33 | Jennifer D.

March 27th, 2010 at 11:59 am

Just catching up.
We got a puppy last year and I felt housebound/overwhelmed more than I had imagined – then slowly it sorted itself out and puppy grew.

Things that made a big difference – puppy training – friends and neighbors unanimously recommended http://www.carolark.com in Kanata. We thought it was great.

Dry pet food. Critter Jungle in Hampton Plaza is locally owned and is a great source of info – and dog food.

Socializing on dog walks in Hampton Park did as much for me as it did for Brady (our dog). New friends but also watching and learning about dogs in general (I was the holdout when the rest of the family wanted a dog earlier).

It’s a year later – we encouraged everyone to walk Brady and it still works. Ben just left with Brady without any encouragement. And we do it 3 times a day.

A standby bucket of water with disinfectant and a mop in the kitchen at all times.

Your puppy looks adorable.

34 | LO

March 31st, 2010 at 7:50 pm

We also used Carolark! Awesome!

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