I WANT A DOG (Part II)

[JTHphoto]

sounds like you already have a pretty comprehensive list... all that's missing is the dog! We've had our puppy for almost a year and still don't have everything on your list...

If you have a yard, you may want to puppy proof delicate plants/trees. Despite dozens of chew toys, my Riley was pretty destructive when it came to chewing up plants/trees in the yard. chicken wire around tree trunks, etc helped keep her off of them, and rocks/potted cacti kept her from digging in the garden.

We didn't pay for obedience training, but we spent a LOT of time working with her on our own. I can walk her w/o a leash and have her in the front yard with me not tied up. She can sit/stay/come/lay down/shake left/shake right, and walks on my right side on walks with no leash. She doesn't jump up on people and will let my little 1 & 2 yr old nephews abuse her (pull, poke, tug, & bodyslam) and just lays there. i'm just bragging now...

Congrats, can't wait to see photos when you get him/her!

 

[Corry]

sounds like you already have a pretty comprehensive list... all that's missing is the dog! We've had our puppy for almost a year and still don't have everything on your list...

If you have a yard, you may want to puppy proof delicate plants/trees. Despite dozens of chew toys, my Riley was pretty destructive when it came to chewing up plants/trees in the yard. chicken wire around tree trunks, etc helped keep her off of them, and rocks/potted cacti kept her from digging in the garden.

We didn't pay for obedience training, but we spent a LOT of time working with her on our own. I can walk her w/o a leash and have her in the front yard with me not tied up. She can sit/stay/come/lay down/shake left/shake right, and walks on my right side on walks with no leash. She doesn't jump up on people and will let my little 1 & 2 yr old nephews abuse her (pull, poke, tug, & bodyslam) and just lays there. i'm just bragging now...

Congrats, can't wait to see photos when you get him/her!

I don't know for sure if I'll pay for obedience training, or not...it all depends on when I get him, if I feel I can do it on my own. I'm pretty sure I can do the basics on my own just fine, really...but if I can't do the more in depth things on my own that are required for the K-9 Good Citizen program, I may find somewhere that teaches those things. I just got off the phone with my best friend's husband, who is a vet tech, and he gave me some class recommendations.

 

[PetersCreek]

Hey, congrats on your impending petownershiposity! When we brought our chocolate lab home (Kroger, pics here), it had been quite some time since I'd had a dog. You may well already know many or all of these...but here are my recommendations...

Crate—if you get a shelter pup, be sure to get a crate that has an adjustable divider to size it properly as pup grows. Too big, and pup'll probably soil a corner.

Mess with pup's feet and teeth early and often—Not only does it help solidify your position as pack leader, it also makes hygeine chores a lot easier. Easier said than done with an older dog...but certainly doable.

Dental scaler—if you can handle the chore of cleaning your dog's teeth...and you probably can...buy a decent quality scaler and get your vet to show you how to use it. Those pet store tooth brush/paste kits are okay as far as they go but they won't remove tartar. Kroger's vet always remarks about how great his teeth look and I don't have to pay for the cleaning.

Food—consider the higher-priced premium foods. I admit that I'm a bit of a dog food snob but don't get me wrong, I know there are lots of people who raise healthy, happy dogs on supermarket brand kibble. I'm just saying that we get far superior results with the premium foods. As is the case with many dogs, Kroger doesn't tolerate corn in his diet...nor wheat, I suspect. He would dander up and itch on it. But he's done fantastic on brands like Innova and Solid Gold brand, his current fare. Sure, it's more expensive but it doesn't have the fillers that most bargain foods do. Where we'd have to feed him 6, 7, or even 8 cups of the bargain kibble per day, we only have to feed 4 cups of the Solid Gold, so the bag lasts longer. Another benefit: less food in...less poop out.

Food supplements—We also feed Kroger two cans of canned salmon per week and add salmon oil to his kibble. He also gets the egg, yogurt, or cheese added on a regular basis, as well. Of course, we scale back the amount of kibble to compensate for the extras. Kroger maintains a nice weight of 85 pounds and you should see his coat shine. He get's the occasional biscuit...but not too many.

About baths and dog odor — I'm also convinced that the bargain foods contribute to SDS...Smelly Dog Syndrome. Kroger hasn't had an honest-to-goodness bath...a shampoo bath, that is...in several months. He's had no more than a hosing off after swimming in the lake. Yet, he doesn't have an offensive odor. He just smells like a dog. Same thing with the poop. When he had corn and wheat in his diet, his stools reeked something awful...even from across the yard. Now, they're hardly noticeable. Also, his breath doesn't stink like some dogs I know, thanks to the scaler I mentioned.

Toys — I'm personally averse to rawhide toys. Kroger doesn't get 'em. They're a documented choking hazard. If I had to give him rawhide, I'd only do it when I could supervise.

I'm afraid I can't recommend a training program since I trained Kroger myself. We started him immediately...only a few minutes at a time at first...and he's up to more than 25 commands and behaviors, now. Some are tricks that actually have a useful purpose. Bang (play dead) puts him on his side for a "pawdicure" and Gimme paw, Gimme other paw, and Stand up are useful for cleaning his feet after a romp in the dirt/mud. Roll over is just for fun.

Holy crap, I wrote a book. Have fun with pup!

 

[Corry]

Hey, congrats on your impending petownershiposity! When we brought our chocolate lab home (Kroger, pics here), it had been quite some time since I'd had a dog. You may well already know many or all of these...but here are my recommendations...

Crate—if you get a shelter pup, be sure to get a crate that has an adjustable divider to size it properly as pup grows. Too big, and pup'll probably soil a corner.

Mess with pup's feet and teeth early and often—Not only does it help solidify your position as pack leader, it also makes hygeine chores a lot easier. Easier said than done with an older dog...but certainly doable.

Dental scaler—if you can handle the chore of cleaning your dog's teeth...and you probably can...buy a decent quality scaler and get your vet to show you how to use it. Those pet store tooth brush/paste kits are okay as far as they go but they won't remove tartar. Kroger's vet always remarks about how great his teeth look and I don't have to pay for the cleaning.

Food—consider the higher-priced premium foods. I admit that I'm a bit of a dog food snob but don't get me wrong, I know there are lots of people who raise healthy, happy dogs on supermarket brand kibble. I'm just saying that we get far superior results with the premium foods. As is the case with many dogs, Kroger doesn't tolerate corn in his diet...nor wheat, I suspect. He would dander up and itch on it. But he's done fantastic on brands like Innova and Solid Gold brand, his current fare. Sure, it's more expensive but it doesn't have the fillers that most bargain foods do. Where we'd have to feed him 6, 7, or even 8 cups of the bargain kibble per day, we only have to feed 4 cups of the Solid Gold, so the bag lasts longer. Another benefit: less food in...less poop out.

Food supplements—We also feed Kroger two cans of canned salmon per week and add salmon oil to his kibble. He also gets the egg, yogurt, or cheese added on a regular basis, as well. Of course, we scale back the amount of kibble to compensate for the extras. Kroger maintains a nice weight of 85 pounds and you should see his coat shine. He get's the occasional biscuit...but not too many.

About baths and dog odor — I'm also convinced that the bargain foods contribute to SDS...Smelly Dog Syndrome. Kroger hasn't had an honest-to-goodness bath...a shampoo bath, that is...in several months. He's had no more than a hosing off after swimming in the lake. Yet, he doesn't have an offensive odor. He just smells like a dog. Same thing with the poop. When he had corn and wheat in his diet, his stools reeked something awful...even from across the yard. Now, they're hardly noticeable. Also, his breath doesn't stink like some dogs I know, thanks to the scaler I mentioned.

Toys — I'm personally averse to rawhide toys. Kroger doesn't get 'em. They're a documented choking hazard. If I had to give him rawhide, I'd only do it when I could supervise.

I'm afraid I can't recommend a training program since I trained Kroger myself. We started him immediately...only a few minutes at a time at first...and he's up to more than 25 commands and behaviors, now. Some are tricks that actually have a useful purpose. Bang (play dead) puts him on his side for a "pawdicure" and Gimme paw, Gimme other paw, and Stand up are useful for cleaning his feet after a romp in the dirt/mud. Roll over is just for fun.

Holy crap, I wrote a book. Have fun with pup!

Wow! Lots of great info! ...much of which I already am aware of, but there is some new stuff there! I don't plan to get a puppy, but rather a younger dog, so the adjustable crate shouldn't be needed...just one fit for his size. However, if I do end up with a pup, I had heard about the adjustable crates, and will get one.

I'm a bit of a pet food snob, too. My kitties get nothing but Iams, and so will my dog. (it's harder and more out of the way for me to get Science Diet) The supplements are something I didn't really think much about...good tips!

The dental scaler is something I didn't know about. I will definitely look into that.

Most of the other stuff you talked about are things I pretty much already knew...but all good info! Thanks for the in depth post! I appreciate it! (all I'm doing right now is reading reading reading about training/hygiene/toys/ect! I'm reading a lot of the same stuff over and over, but that's ok!)

 

[PNA]

I must agree with all the advice and suggestions that PetersCreek offered you. Specifically his advice regarding premium foods. There is a big, big difference in quality out there and feeding the best available will help eliminate some health problems.

Paul

 

[PetersCreek]

I'm a bit of a pet food snob, too. My kitties get nothing but Iams, and so will my dog. (it's harder and more out of the way for me to get Science Diet) The supplements are something I didn't really think much about...good tips!

If you're a pet food snob, I must be an ultra-mondo-anal-snob because Iams and Science Diet aren't even good enough for my dog! :lmao:

The most recent kittie additions to our house...a brother-sister pair of Maine Coon mixes...are doing quite well on Eagle Pack and I've heard good reports about their dog food. We did really well with Innova but ran into trouble getting it up here consistently. If we had a convenient supplier for Canidae, I'd give them a try, too. But Solid Gold is a great product. We had Kroger on the Hund-n-Flocken (lamb) formula but recently switched to the WolfKing (bison) formula.

You might find this interesting: Natura Pet Products (the makers of Innova and other animal foods) has a food Comparison Wizard on their website. You can choose from several competing brands of food and compare them to their line. Pretty interesting stuff.

 

[JTHphoto]

... Sure, it's more expensive but it doesn't have the fillers that most bargain foods do. Where we'd have to feed him 6, 7, or even 8 cups of the bargain kibble per day, we only have to feed 4 cups of the Solid Gold, so the bag lasts longer. Another benefit: less food in...less poop out. ...

what's the name of that food again? gotta get Riley some of that...

...Toys — I'm personally averse to rawhide toys. Kroger doesn't get 'em. They're a documented choking hazard. If I had to give him rawhide, I'd only do it when I could supervise. ...

Good advice... Riley choked on a few, before i finally chucked 'em in the trash, no more rawhide for my pup. :thumbup:

 

[PNA]

Here's web site I came across recently that might be helpful.....

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php

 

[PNA]

If you're a pet food snob, I must be an ultra-mondo-anal-snob because Iams and Science Diet aren't even good enough for my dog!

Ditto...............!!:thumbup:

 

[Corry]

If you're a pet food snob, I must be an ultra-mondo-anal-snob because Iams and Science Diet aren't even good enough for my dog! :lmao:

The most recent kittie additions to our house...a brother-sister pair of Maine Coon mixes...are doing quite well on Eagle Pack and I've heard good reports about their dog food. We did really well with Innova but ran into trouble getting it up here consistently. If we had a convenient supplier for Canidae, I'd give them a try, too. But Solid Gold is a great product. We had Kroger on the Hund-n-Flocken (lamb) formula but recently switched to the WolfKing (bison) formula.

You might find this interesting: Natura Pet Products (the makers of Innova and other animal foods) has a food Comparison Wizard on their website. You can choose from several competing brands of food and compare them to their line. Pretty interesting stuff.

Unfortunately, stuff like that isn't easily available to me, either. I'm pretty comfortable with Iams. It's far from supermarket brand.

 

[Corry]

Here's web site I came across recently that might be helpful.....

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php

Wow...never even HEARD of most of those, and the stuff I use isn't listed (though I know it's not because it's worse than the lowest rated, cuz I have no doubt it's better than Alpo.)

EDIT: Didn't realize there were multiple pages on each one...nevermind.

 

[PetersCreek]

Unfortunately, stuff like that isn't easily available to me, either. I'm pretty comfortable with Iams. It's far from supermarket brand.

And I thought we had it tough up here, not being able to get a lot of things on a regular basis.

How'd your food score? Honestly, I thought mine would rate higher than 4 stars but there it was. Still not too shabby, though. However, another Solid Gold product rated 6 stars, so I might just have to give that one a try when it's time for a change again.

Oh, one more link for ya. If you happen to get a retriever mix or some other sporting-type dog, you might take a look at these. Kroger has two of the large ducks that he absolutely loves to retrieve from the lake and it's a great workout for him.

 

[Corry]

And I thought we had it tough up here, not being able to get a lot of things on a regular basis.

How'd your food score? Honestly, I thought mine would rate higher than 4 stars but there it was. Still not too shabby, though. However, another Solid Gold product rated 6 stars, so I might just have to give that one a try when it's time for a change again.

Oh, one more link for ya. If you happen to get a retriever mix or some other sporting-type dog, you might take a look at these. Kroger has two of the large ducks that he absolutely loves to retrieve from the lake and it's a great workout for him.

I couldn't seem to FIND the food I plan to use on that chart. :S

The reason it's not easily available to me, is because basically, I have Walmart, Kmart, Target, and grocery stores to choose from. There is a new PetSmart Warehouse about 45 min to an hour away from me, and I'm in the middle of checking out Petsmart.com for the foods you suggested....it's slow going right now cuz my internet is sucking today. :S

 

[Corry]

Ok, I just found it on the chart....the food I use only rates 1 star, which surprises me a lot, cuz I've always been told that Iams is a fairly high quality dog food (although I knew there was other food out there that was better).

I'll have to see how easily attainable better stuff is, and how easily affordable it is for me. My cats are quite healthy on Iams, so I'm not too terribly worried about using it. I will definitely look into supplementing it though.

 

[bytch_mynickname]

I am glad that the food situation was mentioned. Iams is a terrible brand, sorry to be blunt but it is. The general public is led to believe that Iams, Pedigree, etc are good foods and that Eukanuba and Science Diet are the absolute best you can get. I mean, who wouldn't trust their vet when they try to sell them Science Diet because it is the best. The truth is is that vets make a high commision off of those sales and nutrition is usually taught by reps. that come in from the common nasty dog food companies such as Purina, so of course, the vets are taught that it is good food in vet school. As already mentioned, watch the corn content, that is usually one of the first ingredients and dogs can't even digest the corn. Basically you are paying for your dog too poop. My dogs are raw fed which is great except it can be a hassle to remember to take meat out of the freezer or if youhave to travel. I do use a kibble on the weekends because we go to our camp and it is much easier to not have to lug around raw meat and worry about keeping it cold so it doesn't spoil. I would suggest Timberworlf organics food. You can go to their website and order the food and shipping is free. The cost of the food can be a shock but in the long run it is about the same as the crap food because you feed less because they can digest most of it, which also means much less poo to clean up. If you don't want to use the timberwolf organics and can't find a decent food around you, if you have a Tractor Supply store, they sell Nutro products. That is only a 2 star food but it is better than a 1 star, that is the absolute minimum I would go and it costs about the same, if not even less than the Iams. Dogfoodanalysis.com is the best food website, they will tell you everything you need to know.

As for treats, I would also not use anything that you can get at walmart, target or the such. I know how it is though, I basically have the same stores but have to travel 30 miles to get to them The easiest and most healthy treat you can give is dried liver treats or dried chicken, just watch giving too much liver at one time as it is rich and can cause tummy upset.

And on to bones: I never ever, under any circumstances give a rawhide. They are soaked in poisons to clean them and they cannot be digested either, they pass through how they are swalled which if the dog does actually chew them up, they pass through as a gummy substance and lay in the gut and are bacteria breeding grounds. And then sometimes they can't pass through and an obstruction removal surgery is often required. They are also a choking hazzard as already mentioned. Nylabones are not good either. the Easiest and most healthy bone is a raw bone. I go to the local slaughter house and get bones for free because they usually have to pay to have someone haul them away, so they give them away. Get ones that are bigger than the dogs head to prevent choking and only give under supervision. If you want something that can be thrown in the crate with the dog while you aren't home, an appropriate sized kong is always good. I make up all kinds of concoctions to go into the kongs and then I freeze them so they last longer. A favorite recipe here is bananas, plain yogurt, and wheat germ with peanut butter covering the big hole. I just shove a piece of dog food into the small hole on the end and even throw a few pieces of dog food into the end of the kong so it is easier to clean out. After it is empty, just throw in the dishwasher. There are more recipes on the kong.com website, but you can use your imagination and put anything in there as long as it is good for the pup.

Bully sticks are also a decent chew treat if only used under supervision. They are a rawhide type of material but they aren't rawhide, actually, don't let this gross you out, they are...dried bull penis. They always just say they are muscle or whatever to not freak people out. Dogs love them.

Missing link is a good vitamin supplement and is easily found online, ebay is a good place to start, I actually buy mine from entirelypetsstore on there.

Well I think that is long enough, I will shut-up now but if you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them. I don't mean to sound snobbish but thought I would fill you in on stuff that most people don't know or don't care to know. Just remember that not the best food is better than no food at all. Good luck finding the perfect dog.

Also, pet training classes are not necessary like you said but they are good for socialization, especially important if you end up with a puppy.