Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => Miscellany => Where The Wild Things Are => Topic started by: PaulF on 05 October, 2013, 03:09:54 pm
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Chose our puppy today*
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5441/10100065713_395080ac4d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10100065713/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10100065713/) by paulfulford (http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/), on Flickr
*Well technically my son did
4 weeks until she's old enough to leave mum
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Ah what a little cute thing :-)
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How sweet - is she a cockapoo?
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How sweet - is she a cockapoo?
Yes! About 4 weeks old there, we bring her home in 2 weeks!
My wife is out tonight so I'm doing my homework. I think I've read more about dogs than I did about babies before my son was born!
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She's gorgeous!
I highly recommend the Cockers Online forum http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/ if you ever need any cocker advice. It's not quite like this place ;) but we enjoy being there. Woolly joined a while ago when we were thinking of getting a working cocker. They're just as helpful now we have a colliex. We both post there under woollypigs.
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Thanks! We thought so too :)
I'll have a look at the cocker forum.
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We had another visit yesterday
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/10401390515_2fb935457c_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10401390515/)
photo.JPG (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10401390515/) by paulfulford (http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/), on Flickr
She's grown a lot in 2 weeks!
On a more serious note the breeder has called to say she has an umbilical hernia :( Google seems to suggest that this isn't something that we should be overly concerned about - anyone got any experience of this issue?
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I am far from a dog expert so I did a search on the cockersonline forum and there were a few threads about umbilical hernias which might be useful to you.
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On a more serious note the breeder has called to say she has an umbilical hernia :( Google seems to suggest that this isn't something that we should be overly concerned about - anyone got any experience of this issue?
Yes, and yes it is common and not serious, afaik.
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Thanks, my research (and the input of our resident vet :) ) has led me to the same conclusion
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That's good news!
I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of this little cute thing! Do you have a name for her yet?
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Yes, but we'll keep a little mystery until she comes home ;d
The breeder's vet has suggested she's kept 2 weeks longer than the rest of the litter as a precaution. I'm hopeful that's all it is and not because they're worried about something else on top of the hernia.
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I'm not sure how it works when you get pups from a breeder, but I suppose it's reassuring that they're doing things by the book and listening to their vet. Can you ask the breeder straight out if there are problems other than the hernia?
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My wife is going to call her tomorrow - she's been dealing with that. My view is that the breeder is just being conscientious.
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Yes, probably - a reputable breeder doesn't want a dog returned if they can avoid it. They probably want to ensure the pup is 100% when she goes to you.
After Poppy was spayed she developed a little hernia which, over about six months, gradually went away and she's fine now. Maybe it wasn't a hernia I suppose but anyway she is fine now and there's nothing to see where it was.
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Think our life is about to change
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/10609275524_002b421d2c_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10609275524/)
Layla & Friend (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10609275524/) by paulfulford (http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/), on Flickr
Layla came home today :) So far she seems happy, tail wagging, engaging with us and been out for a play in the garden
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She's so sweet!
Hope she sleeps well tonight in her crate.
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She's so sweet!
Hope she sleeps well tonight in her crate.
Well sleeping's not going so well :( although she was calm when my wife moved to the sofa and put the basket beside her. But it's early days yet! Otherwise she's generally settling in well, she's friendly, sociable and happy to meet new people and confident to explore the garden by herself. It might be coincidence but she also (sometimes) sits on command!
Managed to get her to sit still for long enough to take this
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/10627865763_0ffccc74f1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10627865763/)
Still for a moment (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10627865763/) by paulfulford (http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/), on Flickr
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Awww!!!
Look at that trouble all bundled up in a cute suit!
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Oh, Layla is adorable! She looks like a little character.
I highly recommend the Victoria Stilwell training videos for eHow Pets on YouTube for everything puppy-related. She does a good one for crate training. Our Tilley now loves her crate and particularly since we covered it with throws so that it's a nice dark den. During her first couple of weeks with us we got up once during the night to let her out to pee, but she quickly settled and now sleeps from 10pm to 7.30am.
Keep us posted with Layla pics and good luck with the training!
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Thanks I'll give those a look!
Think she's still getting used to having a new family, she was less settled today as my son was at school and I'm away on business so her pack had fallen by 50%!
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Oooh, she does have a wonderfully stern stare.
What a lovely looking lass.
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I'll be interested to see what haircut you go with for her when she grows up.
With Poppy we much prefer very short and this time round also opted for Poodle Nose. James likes it, I am not as sure, but it makes the hairdo last a lot longer. It's 8 days since the cut shown below and she's still got wonderfully short hair, although she needs to wear a fleecy coat at night else she gets cold!
(https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1378298_10151659687686786_486999538_n.jpg)
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Haven't got as far as thinking about styles yet but I like Poppy's cut
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It has the advantage of lasting well too - she's 9 days since the cut and her hair is still nice and short.
We use our decent clippers on her every 10 days or so and she has the Full Monty at the groomer's four times a year (the groomer is much better at her underside, legs, feet and clips her nails).
I did have to buy decent quality clippers (Oster A5, £100ish plus £25 for the blade) and decent scissors too.
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Oh, Layla is adorable! She looks like a little character.
Yes, an Ewok, I think!
She's lovely!
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It has the advantage of lasting well too - she's 9 days since the cut and her hair is still nice and short.
We use our decent clippers on her every 10 days or so and she has the Full Monty at the groomer's four times a year (the groomer is much better at her underside, legs, feet and clips her nails).
I did have to buy decent quality clippers (Oster A5, £100ish plus £25 for the blade) and decent scissors too.
Yikes, I didn't realise that dogs took that much effort to look after their coats! (Having not had to look after a dog for more than a few hours).
I presume short haired dogs require less effort?
I've never cut a cat's hair, other than when it's been necessary to remove something sticky that's got gunged in. I have given a cat a bath (once), and that resulted in some injury to me, but not to the cat. Dogs are much easier to wash, the ones I've had to pop in the bath have either enjoyed it, or just looked severely disgruntled, but tolerated it.
Oh, and Layla does look exceedingly cute, I'm afraid she currently beats Poppy, but that's probably just the puppy effect!
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Most dogs don't need very much attention but as Poppy is part Poodle she does need her hair trimmed.
Most people let their cockapoos get very long (Feline's Google goes much longer between clippings) but I like her short - she feels like fuzzy felt when it's just done and it's lovely!
My previous two dogs (a labrador and a Weimaraner) didn't need any maintenance. However they both shedded hair (the labrador massively so) whereas Poppy loses almost no hair at all. On balance, the non-hair-shedding-dog is a handy thing, despite having to give her a trim every couple of weeks.
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How's Layla settling in, PaulF? More pics please!
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How's Layla settling in, PaulF? More pics please!
She's a furry ball of energy! we're all shattered!
She seems to have settled, a few problems with play bites but normal for a puppy I think. She'll sit on command often enough to make me think she understands rather than she coincidentally wanted to sit at the same time. Most 'accidents' are our fault :( but she's starting to ask to be let out :). Still wakes in her crate a few times a night.
Photos to follow when I'm not on my iPad - I'm having problems copying the BB code from flickr on the iPad.
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(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7337/10850529066_57ed7c7c1c_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10850529066/)
Layla and Friend (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10850529066/) by paulfulford (http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/), on Flickr
If anyone had told me 5 years ago that I'd spend my time throwing a rubber chicken around the garden I'd never have believed them!
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Very cute! Don't tell me that huge expanse of parkland is your garden? :o It sounds to be going very well, especially if she's already asking to be let out. They do take over one's life somewhat, don't they? (How did I live for so long without a dog?!)
There's a really good article on play biting on the cocker forum, here (http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=64170.0). We didn't know Tilley as a puppy, as we got her at six or seven months, but she seems to have been well taught as she clearly knows the difference between biting her toy and biting human skin. When she does accidentally get us with her teeth, an 'Ouch!' and stopping interaction seems to do the trick - she even comes and licks my face apologetically to see if I'm OK.
Keep us posted on Layla's progress!
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It's not a big garden it's a very small dog :)
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First puppy play date today
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/10907662485_74c38525f3_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10907662485/)
Puppy play date (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/10907662485/) by paulfulford (http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/), on Flickr
A friend came round with his dog, we were a bit nervous because at the puppy socialisation she was scared of the other puppies but she had a great time!
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Hurrah! I love a blur of wagging tails.
That's where we're a bit behind with our Tilley. It's hard finding suitable (sensible, calm) dogs for her to socialise with as she's very boisterous indeed when she plays. You're doing it right, getting Layla socialised while little!
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Our dog trainer (once we'd hot past the "don't you have ANY friends with dogs!" remark said that she does a regular 'social' walk to allow dogs (and owners!) to get to know each other. Don't know if you have anything similar local to you?
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Well she's started getting into mischief!
On Sunday the gate to a neighbour's garden had been left open, as was the neighbour's kitchen door and the neighbour turned round to find her standing wagging her tail looking very pleased with herself :) Fortunately she's welcome there...
Yesterday she found the remains of a blackbird and, true to her Spaniel heritage, brought them back and left them on the back step.
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I'll be interested to see what haircut you go with for her when she grows up.
She was finally clipped on Thursday as she was getting really uncomfortable in the heat.
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h82/Paul_Fulford/05915e36-2270-4262-ac47-50b39c34fd1e_zps17a995ed.jpg) (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/Paul_Fulford/media/05915e36-2270-4262-ac47-50b39c34fd1e_zps17a995ed.jpg.html)
Of course now that 'Summer' is over she's cold :(
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That's a nice haircut! Poppy had one today (courtesy of me), although I tend to cut hers when it's as long as Layla's is now. In this heat (it's still very warm in Germany) she seems much happier without much fur - and everyone comments how 'weich' (soft) she feels.