Whippet puppy arriving in 3 weeks: top tips?

[JoanneF]

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I would recommend ordering some medical equipment (turned out to be very inexpensive) and playing vet with your puppy, so he gets used to stethoscope, otoscope, etc. at home.

And something to turn ears back to not-inside-out.

Just saying.

 

[NatashaF]

I would recommend ordering some medical equipment (turned out to be very inexpensive) and playing vet with your puppy, so he gets used to stethoscope, otoscope, etc. at home.

Hadn’t thought of that but it makes sense, thanks!

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

Long post, apologies in advance! Most useful things for us as first time puppy guardians (beddy whippet/ saluki cross, now four months):

We carried her round a LOT of places with us before she'd had all her jags - woods, noisy roads, cycle paths, supermarket carpark etc. At different times of day and different weathers. So she was already used to all those environments before walking in them.

We also had a couple of friendly neighbour dogs who came round and played in the garden with her two-three times a week so she was getting some dog input. Only with trusted dogs (and owners) though.

If your dog likes their kibble and they have solid poos, dont change it unless you have a reallllly good reason, and then change it very slowly!!!!!!! *flashback to hosing liquid shit off the lawn for days on end*

Licky matt is one of our best ever purchases, it makes feeding more interesting and last longer but can also used to distract dog when having a bath, pulling out 10 million seed heads from the neighbour's garden all tangled in her fur , etc.

Toys are good but cardboard loo roll middles and egg boxes are better so dont go too mad at pets at home - or if you do buy lots, only "release" them one at a time so there is often something new to play with.

Toilet training - you'll care a lot less about wee on your floor than you ever imagined you would ;-) Just make sure your prized rugs are out of the way, and stock up on non-bleach cleaner.

Everything gets SO MUCH easier once they can go out on your walks, so book into the vets for jags ASAP.

Possibly more contentious but we started "training" the day after she arrived (lots of games using hand cues, words and lots of treats). We focused on a few different things but having her be able to do a good sit (or at least stand still, if sit isn't comfy, but sit works better for Aggie) has been super useful as she can now sit and wait on her "place" by the door when we come in from muddy walks, that gives us chance to towel her down rather that running around drying herself over the house. We also started on "recall" games, rewarding her with hugs and treats whenever she came to us, from before she was allowed out on walks. "Wait" is also a really good one and can be the basis for lots of fun games.

We also practiced wearing a lead (and putting it on and off) before she was out and about. Also practiced nail clipping, tooth cleaning, wearing a muzzle (large empty yoghurt pot with treats in the bottom works for us).

We did a fair bit of soul searching about when to let her off the lead but in the end we decided better to go early while she was still a bit unsure and would be more likely to check in with us - in a safe space of course. Very glad we did that as we have since met a 5 month and a 6 moths old who've never been off lead and their owners now too scared to do it.

As people say its easy to forget dogs dont come knowing what they should do and why. We put in a LOT of input early on -as long as its fun for the dog so start with really easy things they can succeed at and enjoy getting the reward. But also important to remember as someone on here said, they're not doing it to annoy you! When I'm cross, I find it helps to call her names and talk about how I'm going to turn her into dog biscuits - all in a sing song voice with a big happy smile. We do have an emergency "No!" but as many people have said on here, much better to reward the right behaviour instead.

Good luck!!

Good post.

 

[melb100]

The questions and frustrations people expressed in pre covid puppy classes has shaped my thoughts on this. YES!!! we train from day one, but the priority of what we train...might vary from person and puppy to person and puppy.

Yes definitely, important to recognise all dogs (and owners) are different. Someone gave us a clicker which tbh I was super excited about using, but even after days and days of "clicker loading" she never clicked with it (haha) so we went back to hand signals.

We've been going to a puppy class that uses basic agility which only chose because it was the only class going, turns out she absolutely LOVES it whereas you can see one or two of the other dogs aren't super keen even though they're more typical agility breeds.

It's definitely a partnership and about finding out what works for the dog and for you - and that might be something completely unexpected. So I guess the other advice is to be open to that and enjoy discovering!

 

[RGC]

Could a whippet puppy climb an old apple tree with lots of large lower branches do you think? Wondering if we should get it removed as it’s right by a fence...

They may have a go. Just be vigilant. We have a rescued four year old whippet and, as with our previous two (now long gone), when she needs to go to the loo just looks at you fixedly. You’ll pick up their moods and nuances in no time. As others have said, enjoy your whippet - there are plenty of contributors here with sound (and in the main) succinct advice. Best of luck with the pointy face.