We are getting a puppy in March I need some advice!

[A home for their hearts]

In March we will be recieving, for free, a Portuguese Water Dog. It's been years since I've had a dog and so I've forgotten everything there is to know about puppies. I'd greatly appreciate any advice on house training, care, and anything that you might think is important!

[Johanna]

I hear they dont shed. Is that true??

I would get teh DOg whisperer DVD! Definitely crate train!!!

[Chris in VA]

I don't know anything at all about that type of dog (other than, as a sporting breed, it probably needs lots of exercise!), but I do know a couple of good ideas about establishing the chain of command, so to speak.

 

Dogs are pack animals, as you probably know. You need to be careful, esp with such young children around, that you establish proper dominance. Some suggestions:

1. Always feed the dog after you've eaten. Lowest on the totem pole eats last in pack mentality, and you want your dog to know that even the baby comes before him. Crate him or give him a place in the house away from the table where you can send him while you eat. Never feed from the table, or let him lay under it during meals.

2. Go thru all doorways first. Even the kids go before the dog.

3. All toys belong to YOU, not the dog. If you observe any guarding of toys, it means the dog is not properly socialized, and you need to train him who is the boss--and, again, that's EVERYONE in the house, not him.

4. Crate training is lovely. Wonderful. Useful. Compassionate. Gives the dog his own space where he can be comfy and feel safe. This is pretty important for a puppy who will be getting lots of cuddles.

5. Behaviour that is cute in a puppy is not cute and may be downright dangerous in an older dog.

6. Beware of the "doggy adolescent," which is the time period when lots of misbehaviour starts.

7. Make sure the puppy (more at the "teen" months) does not run into or knock down your children. It is a sign of dominance, not clumsiness.

 

Best tip of all, get your dog to training, if you can.

Hope this helps!

We have a lovely Golden Retriever who is perfectly trained, as far as dominance goes. DD can reach into his mouth and extract food or toys. He surrenders toys and food easily, and knows he's lowest in the family. He even hesitates at doorways--if he doesn't, we immediately correct him, calling him back and telling him to wait until we go thru the door. Consistancy is key!

[A home for their hearts]

I hear they dont shed. Is that true??

I would get teh DOg whisperer DVD! Definitely crate train!!!

 

You know, I'd never even heard of these dogs until I called about the free puppies yesterday! From what I've read so far they are non-shedding dogs! The puppy we are getting is going to have a short coat. The breeder side the mom has a short coat as do all the puppies. The breeder said there is a recessive gene for short hair that the mom has.

[A home for their hearts]

I don't know anything at all about that type of dog (other than, as a sporting breed, it probably needs lots of exercise!), but I do know a couple of good ideas about establishing the chain of command, so to speak.

 

Dogs are pack animals, as you probably know. You need to be careful, esp with such young children around, that you establish proper dominance. Some suggestions:

1. Always feed the dog after you've eaten. Lowest on the totem pole eats last in pack mentality, and you want your dog to know that even the baby comes before him. Crate him or give him a place in the house away from the table where you can send him while you eat. Never feed from the table, or let him lay under it during meals.

2. Go thru all doorways first. Even the kids go before the dog.

3. All toys belong to YOU, not the dog. If you observe any guarding of toys, it means the dog is not properly socialized, and you need to train him who is the boss--and, again, that's EVERYONE in the house, not him.

4. Crate training is lovely. Wonderful. Useful. Compassionate. Gives the dog his own space where he can be comfy and feel safe. This is pretty important for a puppy who will be getting lots of cuddles.

5. Behaviour that is cute in a puppy is not cute and may be downright dangerous in an older dog.

6. Beware of the "doggy adolescent," which is the time period when lots of misbehaviour starts.

7. Make sure the puppy (more at the "teen" months) does not run into or knock down your children. It is a sign of dominance, not clumsiness.

 

Best tip of all, get your dog to training, if you can.

Hope this helps!

We have a lovely Golden Retriever who is perfectly trained, as far as dominance goes. DD can reach into his mouth and extract food or toys. He surrenders toys and food easily, and knows he's lowest in the family. He even hesitates at doorways--if he doesn't, we immediately correct him, calling him back and telling him to wait until we go thru the door. Consistancy is key!

 

That's for all the great advice! This will help a lot. Is there a certain age when we should start all this traing? The puppy will be around 8 weeks old when we get him.

[JFSinIL]

I repeat - get a crate. A large one, with an adjustable bit so it is not too big for a puppy.

Get a good dog book - we used Maran Illustrated Dog training but any decent book should do..

Have a vet visit lined up to have the dog checked out, too. Get any paperwork on the dog. Microchip him.

 

And NEVER let him on the couch. Ask me how I know this :rolleyes:

[Sunny]

Wow! How fun.

First, get the book "before and After getting your puppy by Dunbar. I borrowed it from the library, then bought it because it was Excellent.

 

There is an online training book, that I love, and she trains a Portuguese Water Dog. Her name is Sue Eh?

http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20%20MAIN/indexdog.html. The dog's name is Scuba, if you would like to read a blog about training one of these dogs.

Enjoy the pup!

[Chris in VA]

Immediately. lol!

Oh, and get the dog to the vet asap. Many puppies have worms, even if they come from good homes.

[A home for their hearts]

Immediately. lol!

Oh, and get the dog to the vet asap. Many puppies have worms, even if they come from good homes.

 

 

The breeder told us that she would deworm him and give him his first shot. :)

I'm hoping the rest of the things he needs won't cost too much ;)

[Blue Hen]

You've gotten lots of great advice and so I will only add items that have helped us, that aren't listed above. Oh, we have a 14week old puppy that came to us at 8wks, and a 15m old who came to us at 7wks. So, we've been through this routine twice in the last year. whew! no more pupps are coming here in the near future.

 

1---Have a leash on the puppy all the time except when he is in the crate. One end of the leash is attached to the puppy, and the other end is always in someones hand. This way you always know where the puppy is and he can't be chewing shoes, or the woodwork or the chair or using the spot behind the living room chair for his poops.

 

2---when the puppy comes home take him outside every hour to get busy. If that is too often then do it every 90 minutes. When you go out, you go for one purpose, to take the puppy to his special spot, and you start saying a cue word, such as 'GET BUSY', 'GET BUSY', 'GET BUSY', 'GET BUSY', 'GET BUSY', .... until the puppy starts and then you are quiet. Once he is finished PRAISE as if you have never, ever witnessed such a beautiful puppy. We also give a little treat, a food reward. ( you could then play with the puppy outside if it is daylight and YOU want to. Don't let the puppy decide this though, you are alpha and you make the decisions)

 

3---If an accident happens in the house, and you witness the action, say calmly but firmly, 'NO!', and immediately take the puppy outside, to his special spot and repeat the, 'GET BUSY', 'GET BUSY', 'GET BUSY', .... until the puppy starts and then you are quiet. Once he is finished PRAISE as if you have never, ever witnessed such a beautiful puppy. We also give a little treat, a food reward. (But if you've had a leash on the puppy inside then this should not happen.)

 

3b---If you find a wet spot or poop in the house, clean it up and punish yourself for not watching the puppy closer. The puppy does not remember, and if punished might just find a more remote spot next time.

 

4---Expect to be woken in the middle of the night for the first couple weeks, just like having a newborn, once or twice a night. Go outside, do the business and come inside. No playing, no fun, but do praise outside.

 

4b---We take up water at 7pm so the puppy is 'dry' by 11pm when we go to bed. At 12 wks the puppy was no longer waking me up to take them out in the middle of the night.

 

5---A crate is a lifesaver for you and the puppy. We use ours when we are doing school since we do not want to be bothered by the puppy. She is learning to be quiet while we do school which is helpful. We use ours when we are going out, and when having a meal and until the puppy learns to lay quietly for our entire dinner, and when the puppy is acting a little cranky and needs a nap, and when no one can watch the puppy and...

 

5b--to make a crate smaller you can take 1x8 boards, slide them in from side to side so that an inch or two sticks out the sides, and make the crate to a smaller size. As the puppy grows enlarge the area. If a crate is too large a puppy might relieve themselves at one end of the crate, BTDT. :eek:

 

6---Decide what the grown dog will be allowed to chew on. In our home that is only nylabone toys, and nothing else. Thus, that is the only thin the puppy is permitted to chew on. Our first pup loved to chew on everything so anytime he started to chew on 'something' it was removed, and he was given his nylabone, and a, "This is YOUR bone, Chew YOUR BONE.' We do not have a problem any more with him chewing on things--well, he still likes to grab the dish towel, and we still take it away.

 

7---Food belongs to you. You only permit him to eat because you have given him permission to eat. I forget which poster mentioned this but you really do own his food even after you have given him permission to eat it. Take the food dish away mid-way through his meal. Have your children do this. Have friends children do this. Continue doing this every once in awhile, not every meal, off and on for months, and years. I had a German Shepherd who I thankfully taught this to. This was before kids, and SIL, with her 14mo came for a surprise visit, from 800 miles away. We had finished eating, Alex, GS, was given his meal, and I didn't even THINK about what the baby was doing, or where he was. Baby's were not on my radar yet......suddenly the baby was in my GS face, and his hands were in the dog's dish. The GS just backed up and sat down. Alex, the GS, knew that food belonged first to us and he backed away. Whew, I learned several lessons that day too. Oh, that baby is now 24yrs old!

 

8---Remember a mommy-dog will teach her puppy all she needs to know to be safe. With the puppy on a leash have her in your front yard. When a car passes, run with the puppy back to the house as quickly as you possible can. Stress here the urgency to run away from the car. I learned this one the hard way and lost Alex, that GS I wrote about above, to a car. My older pup, Brutus, was taught this one, to run to the house when a car goes by our house, and it is so nice to see him do this. Before folks throw tomatoes at me for having a loose dog in my yard, we have an electric fence. When Brutus is in the front yard with me, off leash, he still runs back to the house when a car goes by, and the road is a good 80' away from the house. We are still teaching the younger pup this, and will continue teaching her this.

[Blue Hen]

Oh, ...

 

Most puppies have worms even when the breeder de-worms. It is so easy for the vet to check your pups status by checking a stool sample.

 

Puppies are quite expensive their first year; shots, crate, toys, leash, neuter operation, more shots, ..... and please, do heartworm preventative medicine too.

 

Ask folks / friends as to who their vet is. Call, visit them.

 

Ask folks / friends who they have used for obedience training. Go to the classes to watch how it is run.... is it clicker training? do they put pinch collars on every dog whether it is needed or not? take out several dog training books from the library and refresh your memory on obedience training, and positive dog training. And yes, do start training when the puppy walks into your home.

[Cindyg]

You've gotten such wonderful advice in this thread! I can only think of two more things:

 

Go to the library and check out puppy books. Have everyone in the family choose one to read. They even have books for the little kids! BTW, I agree with the advice to read Dunbar's books. I really enjoyed them before we got our puppy. Those books are available for free online. I don't have a link, but search on his name. The books are titled something like Before You Bring Your Puppy Home and After You Bring Your Puppy Home.

 

If you have a fenced yard, well, let me back up. If you don't have a fenced yard, consider fencing it. This will keep your puppy safe from predators and home. And if you have a fenced yard, consider getting a doggy door. There is nothing better for everyone's sanity than a doggy door. It doesn't eliminate the need for crate training or any of the other advice you've been given. But there's nothing better than your dog being able to go snooze in the sunshine when he wants to, and you being able to be away from home for 12 hours if you need to without worrying about letting the dog in or out.

 

I agree that a puppy is as much trouble as a new baby, but their babyhood is so much sorter. Within a couple of months, he'll seem very grown up. So the time invested in those early months is time well spent.

 

Happy puppying!

[Frankie]

Dr. Ian Dunbar's book BEFORE You Get Your Puppy can be read FREE online here: http://www.jamesandkenneth.com/new_puppy.html

 

We just got two new puppies. I'll refer you to my breeder's info page, which has lots of good info: http://www.lockeyebc.com/info.html

 

Finally, my dad had a Portuguese Water Dog. It's true, they don't shed. She was a delight. He had troubles finding a groomer that would give a true PWD cut -- most wanted to give a poodle cut, so just that little warning. The main difference is in the length on the head and a PWD is more square than a poodle cut.

 

Remember, a good puppy is a TIRED puppy. Lots of walks and exercise!

 

Of all the puppy books we've read, both DH and I liked Dr. Dunbar's books best. My favorite is How To Teach a New Dog Old Tricks.

 

Share phots when you get it!

[Soph the vet]

Two cents from the vet. Your puppy needs certain vaccines. The distemper/parvo combo shot is usually given at 6, 10, 14, and 18 weeks. The last one should be given sometime between 16 and 20 weeks as we know the maternal antibodies will no longer interfere with the vaccine at that point. Also, Rabies is given after 12 weeks. Any other vaccines are "add-ons". Don't get talked into the Lymes vax automatically. It is just not a good vaccine, only about 70%effective and I still see plenty of dogs in MN with Lymes who have been vaxed regularly. Using some type of topical tick/flea preventative is a better option. Most pups do have roundworms so have a fecal checked. If this is a female and you are not planning on breeding then have her spayed around 6 months of age. If you spay her before her first heat, you will significantly decrease her risk of mammary cancer. If it is a male, neuter at 6 months. This pup will be too young to test for heartworm this year but put on monthly preventative and test next year. Enjoy!

[Blue Hen]

Two cents from the vet. Your puppy needs certain vaccines. The distemper/parvo combo shot is usually given at 6, 10, 14, and 18 weeks. The last one should be given sometime between 16 and 20 weeks as we know the maternal antibodies will no longer interfere with the vaccine at that point.

 

My vet is saying that my pup only needs 3 distemper/parvo combo's but with my last pup, who is only 15m old we did a series of 4 shots. Sounds like I should just insist on the 4th one, or is this protocol a vet preference. The first pup was with a different vet.

 

Thanks,

Carole, DE

[astrid]

I don't know anything at all about that type of dog (other than, as a sporting breed, it probably needs lots of exercise!),

 

Actually, Porties are members of the AKC's Working Group, bred to help Portugese fishermen haul in their nets. They're GREAT little dogs, and with all the good advice you've recieved here, I"m sure the little guy will make a great addition to your family.

[Melinda in VT]

When we first started crate training ours, he would cry/whine if he was in the crate and we were not in the room with him or if he was in the crate at night. Tossing a blanket over the crate stopped the crying. (He doesn't need the blanket anymore, but it was critical for a month or so.)

 

I need to figure out how to assert dominance at doorways. Two years ago I broke my foot when the dog helped me fall down the stairs.:mad:

[Soph the vet]

My vet is saying that my pup only needs 3 distemper/parvo combo's but with my last pup, who is only 15m old we did a series of 4 shots. Sounds like I should just insist on the 4th one, or is this protocol a vet preference. The first pup was with a different vet.

 

Thanks,

Carole, DE

 

It may be that your pup started on his series of shots later resulting in only needing 3 by the time he was between 16 and 20 weeks. The last one is always the most important when it comes to parvo.

:)

[Mrs. Readsalot]

You have receive a lot of great advice. The only thing I could add would be be realistic in the fact that this may require several weeks of dedicated time on your part when you first get your pup. The benefits from this will be great. Create a schedule for the pup eat-out-play-sleep-out etc you get the picture. I have always found this the best way to train a pup. My Shelties usually only take a week or so to train this way. For that week I am completely dedicated to the schedule.

[A home for their hearts]

You have receive a lot of great advice. The only thing I could add would be be realistic in the fact that this may require several weeks of dedicated time on your part when you first get your pup. The benefits from this will be great. Create a schedule for the pup eat-out-play-sleep-out etc you get the picture. I have always found this the best way to train a pup. My Shelties usually only take a week or so to train this way. For that week I am completely dedicated to the schedule.

 

I have come to realize that we will probably need to take a couple of weeks of from school just to get settled in with this puppy! I think I put the cart before the horse a little when I decided to get a puppy! No turning back now though, I'm trying to read up on puppies as much as I can and mentally and physically prepare myself. This is going to be fun getting up in the middle of the night with a baby and a puppy. Can I just leave the puppy in his crate all night or do I need to take him outside to go potty? :eek:

[StephanieZ]

1st. . . Dunbar's books are great. There are many other good ones as well. Spend an hour on Amazon and purchase a couple that sound appealing. They should have a "positive" approach, emphasizing gentle, reward based training methods. If you start early (the day you bring him home) and are consistent, you can avoid many many problems. Invest time early in training and you'll save lots of trouble later.

 

2nd. . . No dogs are free!! The purchase price is peanuts. We do adoptions through our vet hospital and in the adoption application I advise folks that in the first year, you should expect to spend at least $1000 on the dog. More (or much more) if there are medical problems.

 

3rd. . . Breeders aren't vets. Do NOT rely on their vaccines or deworming. Puppies are nearly ALL infested with parasites and need deworming at least every two weeks for several months. These dewormings should be strategic, prescribed by your VET and based on fecal exams as well as the vet's preference for broad spectrum parasite control. Then you also need to start monthly heartworm preventative as well, prescribed by the vet. And flea/tick control. I WOULD NOT encourage the breeder to administer any vaccines. There are risks and benefits to each vaccine. Vaccine choice is NOT straightforward and should be managed by a good vet. Vaccines also need to be properly stored, refrigerated, etc to be effective, which you are better relying on your vet to ensure than a lay person. Your vet should made these decisions with you. PLEASE arrange for a vet exam immediately. I advise people to take the dog straight to the vet from the source, BEFORE taking him home and, ideally BEFORE your kids meet him. If the vet tells you the dog has a congenital problem that will cost a LOT of $$ to treat or may be incurable, what are you going to do if you kids have already fallen in love? Many parasites are zoonotic, meaning people can catch them, so you want those diagnosed and treated immediately, not a few weeks later.

 

4th. . . Keep the puppy away from other dogs and dog parks, etc until he has completed his vaccine series (usually 14 weeks or so) to protect him from contagious diseases like (deadly) parvovirus while his immune system is maturing and responding to the vaccine series.

 

5th. . . You can let the dog on the couch, bed or anywhere you want him so long as you are cool with that long term. Our 5 dogs are all allowed on the beds, couches, etc b/c we love that. It's all a matter of personal preference. On the flip side, don't accept behaviors early on that you don't want long term. For instance, tiny puppy teeth may not hurt your arm or your sofa cushiom, but bigger teeth will hurt both, so keep that mouth off no-no stuff from the get go (by substituting appropriate chew toys and lots of them).

 

6th. . . Protect the dog from the kids. YOU are responsible for protecting your dog from kids poking their eyes or yanking their ears. The dog's job is to accept ANYTHING from people. A properly trained dog will never growl or bite people, no matter what. Any of our 5 dogs will allow any kid or any person to poke; pinch; grab bones, food, chew toys; yank or otherwise torture them with nary a complaint other than perhaps trying to sneak away into hiding. This is because we've never allowed the dogs to respond aggressively to people and we have taught them to accept *anything*. Meanwhile, all h#ck rains down on our kids if we find them behaving unkindly in the least little way. That's OUR job. It CAN'T be the dog's job to protect themselves or you are asking for BIG trouble.

 

7th. . . Back to #1. Buy some books. Ask your vet for recommendations. If your vet offers a puppy class, take it. If not, ask for recommendations of a local trainer who offers nice classes. Early socialization with other dogs and lots of different people is really important (but again be very careful before 3 mos of age when all the vaccines are done.)

 

8th. . . Have so much fun. There's nothing better in life than a puppy. . . well except maybe a baby, but you can't leave them in a crate while you go out to dinner!