New puppy check list

[Paul Phillips]

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Hi,

New to the forum and have just purchased a puppy which I will get on the 10th of January but I have a few questions

The pup will be a mix between a frug and a pug which I just want to check for insurance is this classed as a cross bread or mixed breed. I assume cross but want to be sure as insurance policy vary quite a bit between the two and no idea who to go for as petplan are like £90 for lifetime but that seems expensive for a pup?

We plan on crate training what I have read is a 22in long crate is perfect with divider for a start, is this correct?

Should I have an attachable water bowl and if so should it be angled variety?

Are angled bowls for food/water the best option i assume from reading online they are?

Owner feeds their dog on wagg reading online it appears a decent(ish) brand but anyone have complaints or suggest alternative not overly expensive brand?

For the crate do we just need bed, blanket and comforter? The house temp is maintained at around 18 to 20 degree all day.

Should the crate be down stairs or in our bedroom?

Sorry for the questions but it's like I am having another child lol.

 

[JoanneF]

Hello.and welcome.

The mix of two pedigrees is a crossbreed, a crossbreed with anything else is a mongrel (this may make a difference for insurance purposes, either way I'm sure he will be a lovely dog).

22 inches seems small for a crate but I'm not sure what a frug is. If it is french bulldog/pug, french bulldogs can be larger - the size of the crate depends on how big he will get (or you can replace it in a few months). You might be able to guess how big he will get depending on the size of the parents.

A clip on water bowl is a great thing - angled or not, as long as it is low enough for him to drink easily.

You haven't asked, but I'm going to attach this guide to crate training, it's the best I've seen. It was written by Emma Judson who is a behaviourist who specialises in separation anxiety and is shared with her permission. It is a long read though so get a cuppa.

Crate-Training.docx

You want the crate to be a fabulous place so bed and blanket sounds good. Definitely have it in your room to start, he will just have been uprooted from mum and littermates and needs you to be there to comfort him. At this age his emotional needs are just as important as his physical needs, he will need you to be there to keep him safe (in his views). As he learns that, his confidence will grow as he learns this new place is not scary and lonely.

I wouldn't rate Wagg as a great food. The ingredient list in the puppy food is -

Cereals, Meat and Animal Derivatives 28.5% (Including 4% Chicken), Vegetable Protein Extracts, Oils and Fats, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Yeasts (MOS 0.1%), Omega 3 (as Dha, 0.1%), Citrus Extract (0.05%), Beta-Glucans (0.05%), Yucca Extract (0.015%), Nucleotides (0.005%), Marigold Extract (0.005%), Cranberry Extract, Antioxidant, Preservative.

The first ingredient (and therefore biggest amount) is cereal - that's just a cheap filler. The second is ”meat and animal derivatives” - we don't know what, other than 4% chicken - I like a food to be clearly labelled. Compare it with this -

Fresh Chicken Meat (73 %), Broken Rice, Chicken Fat, Chicken & Turkey Meal, Dried Fish, Hydrolysed Poultry, Dried Beet Pulp, Salmon Oil, Dried Brewers Yeast, Flaxseed Oil Cold-Pressed, Olive Oil Cold-Pressed, Potassium Chloride.

See how much clearer the ingredients are, and how much more meat there is (although there does have to be a bit of adjustment for the water content of the fresh chicken but it is still nearly 60%).

When he first comes to you, keep him on the same food as the breeder so you aren't asking him to face too many stressful changes in his life all at once, but after a couple of weeks, if you want to change to something better, do it gradually mixing just a little amount of new with old and gradually increasing over a couple of weeks until it is all the new food.

Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

It is an independent dog food comparison website which scores all types of foods (dry, raw, wet) out of 100. You can set filters for your dog's breed, weight, age etc. and for your daily budget; then you can add in any specific needs you have such as aiming for weight loss or avoiding specific ingredients. The website will automatically show the foods listed in order of what the assessors believe is best quality, and it also will show daily feeding cost (calculated from your dog's age and weight) so you can see what gives you best value for money. It has its limitations but it's a decent place to start.

And there is no need to apologise for asking questions, but we do take payment in puppy pictures when you get him!

 

[Tinytom]

The reason the insurance is so high because a french bulldog and a pug can have real problems with nostrils ....nasal space and breathing problems. ..after owning a pedigree french bulldog many years ago my advice would be get the best pet insurance as an operation to widen nostrils is very expensive ....
I would get a much larger crate ...as your pup grows it will need room to stretch out ....make it really comfy and i would always have a new pup in the bedroom ...it means you can hear the pup and be there as comfort. ...
Wagg isnt a good food ....pugs and frenchies can suffer with skin allergies so choose a really good quality food ....
People dont often realise that buying a pup that is a cross of two flat faced breeds can be double health problems
Anyway good luck ...post pics when your pup arrives ..

 

[Paul Phillips]

Thanks for the replies I was aware of the issues but both parents were allergy free and healthy from what I could see.

I have asked the insurer bought by many what their definition is due to a cross bread being £36 for complete or for a mix it was £19 and I want to be sure I pick the right one but also not over pay for it.

There site muddied my definition when it said pup with both parents being cockapoo could be classed as not a cross breed but pedigree and then my head hurt.

 

[merlina]

Whatever your definition of your puppy is please get the biggest crate you can fit in. Obviously I speak as someone opposed to 'crating'. (I think the clue is in the name: until recently only inanimate objects were 'crated up'- how did this ever become acceptable for living things?)

 

[Paul Phillips]

Whatever your definition of your puppy is please get the biggest crate you can fit in. Obviously I speak as someone opposed to 'crating'. (I think the clue is in the name: until recently only inanimate objects were 'crated up'- how did this ever become acceptable for living things?)

Hi I am not particularly happy with crating as I never did it for my dog when I was little but I have looked into dog trainer who recommended 1 2 1 session who will assist us in toilet training etc and my hope is that it only becomes a safe haven when he wants away from kids.

As for size I definitely would not buy small and if it becomes to small then it will be a decision on whether to keep using a bigger one or not, the crate not the dog lol.

I don't plan on really using it for caging him up as I prefer he was trained/content to be left in the kitchen if I was out or he will go up and see granny if we were away for a long period.

But we have investigated training 1 21 and group to get him socialised as I am hoping for same great experience as I had growing up with my dog and she use to sleep on or beside my bed. lol

 

[merlina]

I'm really pleased you are thinking through what's best for your puppy. Many people on this forum will have had experience with 'trainers'. Very mixed. Unless they have some really impressive academic qualifications- e.g. our local one is a member of staff at the university vet's hospital, degrees in zoology and behavioural science - be really sceptical about their abilities. Anyone can call themselves a trainer- many of the much-vaulted programmes are quite abusive. There was once an harridan called Barbara Woodhouse who was incredibly popular. I've seen archive footage that looks like dog cruelty to me. Love your puppy- give it as much freedom as you can possibly manage- ignore the bad stuff - praise the good. End result? Lovely dog. Simples.

 

[JoanneF]

Crate training can help with toilet training in so far as dogs will prefer not to toilet where they sleep. But it is only an aid, not a solution. If they have to go, they have to go. And that might just mean they need to lie in their mess if they have nowhere else to go.

I personally think it is worth crate training in case they ever have to be confined in future - like for illness/injury. But it doesn't have to be when they are pups, I think nailing toilet training properly is more important.

Have you read our helpful threads on toilet training and socialisation?

House training

Socialising your puppy