I'm a Brand New Doggie Mom!!!

[wolflady]

Hi everyone! I have been on PT for a long time, but have spent most of my time on the "cat side", but now I will be on both sides and I brought home my little girl today!!!

Any advice for a first time doggie mom? How should I go about acclimating her to being a housepet? How should I go about potty training? What should I do with her tonight? Gosh, so many questions. I thought I knew a lot, but now that I have her I'm at a loss!

I went to Pet Co today to get some supplies because I had nothing for dogs here. I got a baby gate and put it up so I can gate her into the kitchen. I also got a crate and a bed and of course food, treats and toys. I also got shampoo and gave her a bath so she smells good:)

I know everyone will be wanting pictures, so I will be taking some soon, but I thought I would share her rather bad shelter photo to tide you all over!
http://www.fosmas.org/dogs/dog_images/86231.jpg

She has a doxie build, but longer and softer hair. She has the face of a papillon? In any case, she's a very unique looking dog, and very sweet. She rode very well in the car and even snoozed a little bit. She met a lot of people today and loved everyone. I think she's a little gem! Still no name though! I'm thinking!

**hugs**
Karen

[Aspen and Misty]

What an ADORABLE doggie! O what a proud momma you must be!

I'm so glad you adopted a pup in need! I am so glad that this little one gets a new chance.


Ash

[GoldenRetrLuver]

How Cute!!! Congrats! :D
:D

[ILoveMyAbbyGirl]

YAY!!! You're soooo lucky... What's her name?

[aly]

CONGRATS KAREN!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am SO happy for you!!!!!! And excited! I can't wait to hear more about the pretty girl. She's so precious, she needs a reallly pretty name :)

Let us know what the cats think!!

[CathyBogart]

Originally posted by ILoveMyAbbyGirl
YAY!!! You're soooo lucky... What's her name?

Umm...read the post. :p

What a cutie! She has beautiful ears! Let us know when you pick a name for her! :) Oh, and we need those pictures ASAP! :-D

[magcpen]

Yay! Congrats. :)

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

I absolutely love her! Her picture is just too cute. I can wait to see your pictures. So hurry and snap away. She looks like a darling and I adore her ears and scruffy face :)

Best of luck to you with the name. I am sure you will find a suitable one very soon.

[zippy-kat]

Congrats, Karen!!:D

[delidog]

Oh Wolflady!!!!!
Congratulations!!!!!!
You will LOVE being a Dog Parent!!!!!!

GLAD THAT YOU GOT ALL YOUR SUPPLIES IN ORDER...

When I saw your photo...the name "Inky" came to mind...what do you think???
So glad that you saved a preious,little life!!!!

[Cincy'sMom]

What a cutie!!! Congrats!!!!

Something abouther reminds me of Gizmo, from the Gremlins...so cute and cuddley :)

[I Love Brian, Forever <3]

I agree with Cincy's Mom, she definitely reminds me of Gizmo.

Anyway, congratulations on your first pup! She is SO ADORABLE!!! I'm jealous! I can't wait for the pics. :) :D

[wolfsoul]

Congrats! What a cutie pie! More pics please!

[tikeyas_mom]

yay I am so happy you adopted her!! congrats on the new addition :p. yay!!

[Byakko's Mom]

Congrats again!!!!!!!!!You are so lucky,what a sweet,cutie,pie. I answered some of your questions on your other post.I jumped the gun and had not read this one,sorry,But I hope your nite is going well.The other advantage I forgot to mention of the crate is if it is not to big and they like small and cozy is that they do not like to soil where they sleep or eat so unless they are left to long puppies don't tend to go to the bathroom in their crates which is why it helps housebreak them.They try to keep their den clean so it helps alot but only if they are let out enough and they have not allready spent their life in a box and been forced to use it to go in then sometimes it is harder if it is habit, sometimes they still want to be clean anyway and I realize you probably have no real accurate if any history but in any case the crate is still a safe place.
You may want her to have a little adjustment time but you want to call right away and start looking for a good positive basic training class in your area.Check out the trainers,maybe through your vet or friend maybe some people on this board or sometimes on greatpets they have helped before I know if you say what area you are in but all dogs should go through that for training and bonding for you and them.
They are alot of work but you can never get that unconditional love and joy anywhere but from our furfriends as you know with your kitties.Please,please keep us posted.I love new additions.We are here for the joy,the fun,the laughter and the frustration and everything else.
Laurie

[Pam]

Karen, welcome to the dog boards!!!!!!!!!! hehe! I posted on your other thread, but just wanted to jump in here and say another big CONGRATULATIONS to you and your family!!. I can't wait to see and hear more about this precious little one. I think the names Inky and Gizmo are cute, although I have no suggestions myself. Oh what fun!! A doggie for the kitties to enjoy! LOL! (Andy says to tell Marius to "hang in there, it's really not so bad!" LOL! LOL!

[Cookiebaker]

CONGRATULATIONS KAREN & NEW PUP!!!

What a cutie pie!!! That is so exciting, and of course we can't wait for pictures! ;) I am so happy for you!! :D

[KYS]

Welcome to the dog side. :)
She is just adorable.
I love both names Inky and Gizmo.
Either name would be perfect for her.
How is she getting along with the cats?
Congratulations
Karen

[primabella]

Welcome to "the other side" ;) Your little girl is gorgeous! How about the name Gem, since you said she is like one? :D Keep us updated with more pictures. :D

[Rachel]

Congratulations, Karen! I am so happy for you.

The website the Laurie recommended for you in the other thread is excellent. Those trainers also have authored an excellent book called *Good Owners, Great Dogs* which as a new dog person it might be worthwhile to get a copy.

I know you must be a bit overwhelmed right now, but just use common sense, like any new mother would. Your dog doesn't look like a puppy anymore, so you will have the advantage of better bladder control, but the general rule of thumb would probably apply, for going outside to potty: first thing in the morning, the very last thing at night, after eating, after vigorous play, and maybe at the least every four hours during the daytime for starters.

All that said, your dog will have its own personal habits, which you want to make a mental note of. Often it is better to adapt yourself to their schedule. Mine generally poop around 4 pm. and eat around 5:00 pm so they don't have to poop after eating. Maybe they will ask to go out sometime in the evening, but generally don't have to go again until right before bedtime (which in this house is quite early). The upshot is that you and your dog will work out a schedule together. It is going to take a while for you both to figure it out. The key word here is schedule. A consistant routine can be very helpful to the dog.

Please let us know all the details of what is going on. This is so very much fun for us to be involved with you in this wonderful experience. You will love living your life in the company of a dog.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Karen, she is just adorable, I love that picture of her, if she had a beard she would look just like Daisy, lol. I'm cracking up, you are going to love being a doggie Mom like the rest of us. Give her a hug from me and and have fun with her.
Jackie, Perry and Miss Daisy

[ChrisH]

Oh, Karen, she is just adorable!:) Many Congratulations!:D

[anna_66]

Originally posted by KYS
Welcome to the dog side. :)

Same here!

I'm so glad to hear that this little cutie pie was the one for you, I thought she might be from your post about her:)
Sounds like you have everything you need to be a doggie mom!
Now, that being said....

CONGRATULATIONS KAREN!

I can't wait to hear what wonderful name you've picked out for her.

[gini]

Karen, what exciting news to read this morning. You have been wanting a pup for so long and she is just adorable.

I hope you had a good first night. I will be anxious to see your own pictures of her. I just love her ears.

Everyone is giving you such good advice. You will be an old hand at this in no time.

God love you for adopting a shelter pup!

[Crikit]

CONGRATUALATIONS KAREN!!!!

She's a cutie no doubt about that.

[ChloeLove]

Aww! She is beautiful. I know when you first get a dog it's pretty overwhelming! When we got Chloe, she was 5 already, but it was still strange because she was our first ever dog,and I was always like, "Goodness! What do I do?!" But it gets pretty routine after a while, and you two will get used to each other, and it will all be normal. :) Good luck!

P.S-I think she definately looks like a Gizmo!

[apcrs5122]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!:D She is adorable! I don't have any advice (right now, I may later;)), but I would love to see more pictures;) :p She is gorgeous, so unique looking. Her ears look Papillion-ish. Anyway, congrats again!:D

Oh and what name(s) are you thinking about calling her?

[Rachel]

Originally posted by apcrs5122
Her ears look Papillion-ish.

I thought that as well.

Come on now...we must have an uppydate. I prompted myself to clean my bedroom with the reward being able to check out what's going on with you and your new doggie. :D

[wolflady]

Thank you so much for the great advice all! I made it through the first night. Actually, she did so well. She cried for only a little while in her crate, then she went to sleep and slept through the entire night! Aaron and I slept in sleeping bags next to the kitchen, because we both didn't know what to expect. I took her out this morning and she made her pee pee's and poopies! I was so proud of her! :o LOL

I can't believe how exceptionally well my 3 kitty babies are doing about this new addition. Actually, the new pup is the one having issues. She sees the cats and starts barking at them. In the shelter she was scared, but she had no reaction to the cats there, but now she's barking at them and seems to want to go after them. I hope I wasn't wrong about her prey drive. :( She was probably scared in the shelter, so when we tested her on Bob, she just looked at him and that was about it.
Her tail is wagging, but the barking and lunging on the leash is no good. What should I do about training her to accept the cats! LOL I thought it would be me training the cats to accept the dog, but it seems it's the other way around :rolleyes:

When we came in with her for the first time yesterday, Marius was right at the door being really curious. The little pupster just started barking and went behind my legs, but continued to bark. Marius just kept looking at her probably thinking, why is this cat barking at me?

Any tips in the arena? I sure hope she can get along with the cats!!

As far as names, I'm still not sure. I have a list of some that I have been thinking about:

Mishka
Kali
Miaya
Matoki
Kashka
Roxy
Lakshmi
?????
:confused:

**hugs**
Karen

[cocker_luva]

Originally posted by wolflady
http://www.fosmas.org/dogs/dog_images/86231.jpg
Still no name though! I'm thinking!

what about Ebony or Butterfly. (ebony b/c she's black or butterfly b/c of her ears.)

[Rachel]

I would use the command *Leave It*, said in a rather stern voice when she starts barking at the cats. *Leave It* means don't mess with it, don't touch it, ....just leave it alone. You might also want to use it with NO. *No, Leave It*. Again, you tone of voice and a tug on the leash at the same time should convey that the cats are not to be bothered.

At PetSmart yesterday, they had one of the cats sitting in a cage on the floor as Hannah and I were walking through. Hannah came eye to eye with the cat and started barking. I immediately commanded *Leave It* and she knew exactly what I was talking about.

Other than that, I will have to let the people with dogs and cats chime in here.

[Tina]

Congrats!! She is so adorable!

[cocker_luva]

Originally posted by cocker_luva
what about Ebony or Butterfly. (ebony b/c she's black or butterfly b/c of her ears.)

or what about Raven. i've always loved that name!!! :rolleyes:

[magcpen]

Of your list, I think Lakshmi is a cute name. Though I might start laughing every time time I called her, if that was my dog's name. :)

[lizbud]

Karen,

Happy congrats on the new addition. She's adorable.:D :D
On the issue with the kitties, Rachel suggested the "Leave It"
command & that's exactly what I did with Smokey & Buddy.
The stern NO, with" Leave It" as Rachel explained worked very
well for us too. She's bound to be a little nervous still & it will
take some time till she learns the kitties live there too. She
might even be a little afraid of them.Everything's still so new
for her right now. You might want to sit with her on leash for
awhile and went the kitties come around her, give the command
and offer treats right away if she stops the barking,etc. Reward
the good behavior & prevent a bad habit from forming. Best of
luck getting everyone acquainted. :) She's a cutie for sure. :)

[NoahsMommy]

Karen, she's such a cutie!!! :) I can't wait to meet her!!

OK, names:
Miaya (cute!!)
Raven is really cute, it looks like it would suit her

I went to the Indian names site and found these that I thought would fit her:
Asha - means hope
Charu - means beautiful, attractive
Daya - means kindess, mercy, pity
Dhara - means constant flow
Harshini - means happy
Hemangi - means golden
Indrani - means wife of Indra (I know, but the name is cute.) ;)
Indira - means Lakshmi
Jaya - means victory
Juhi - means a flower
Kala - means art
Kalyani - means blissful, fortunate
Kamala - means lotus
Kasturi - means musk, fragrant
Kshama - means forgiveness
Malati - means Jasmine
Marala - means swan
Maya - means illusion
Nidhi - means treasure :) awww.....
Priya - means loved one, darling :) awwww...again!
Rajani - means night
Sarala - means dream
Sumana - means good natured
Urja - means energy
Uttara - means a star
Vijaya - means victorious
Vinaya - means modesty

Like any of those? I never realized how much I like Indian names, Karen! Look at all you're teaching me! :D

Can't wait to see more pictures of this little precious!! My new furry niece!! Yay!! :)

[NoahsMommy]

http://www.indiaexpress.com/specials/babynames/

Just in case you want to search for more. :)

[Uabassoon]

Congrats on your new addition! She is so cute!

[Karen]

I like Ebony or Obsidian (Siddy, Silly for short) - more elegant version of Inky ...

[Rachel]

Originally posted by lizbud
give the command
and offer treats right away if she stops the barking,etc. Reward
the good behavior & prevent a bad habit from forming.

Duh...how could I have forgotten the most important part? Good work, Liz!

[Logan]

KAREN!!!!! Congratulations!!!!! She is just adorable!!!

I have no advice for you. My cats have always done a good job of disciplining the dogs and training them all by themselves!!! LOL!!! In time, the curiosity will wear off and your girl will be ok.

Best of luck!!!! :)

Logan

[krazyaboutkatz]

I normaly don't go to the dog side but I'm sure glad that I did. CONGRATS KAREN!!! She's adorable. I can't wait to meet her some day. I like the name Raven. How old is she and how did you finally convince Aaron to get a dog? :)

[dukedogsmom]

She is so cute! Will look forward to the pics you took. Once you've had the love of a dog, cats won't even come close! Don't get me wrong, I like cats, too. Nothing like a cat's purr. Congrats on becoming a dog mama.

[tatsxxx11]

Congratulations, Karen!!! And welcome to the world of woofers!:D OMG, what a precious little one! You've gotten great advice re: the kitties. As one who has for years had to introduce new doggies to kitties and vice versa, I can tell you that with a little time, training and patience, they'll all adjust. Usually the kitties end up laying down the ground rules!:D Love so many of the names...wanted to add one more to the list "Sensei" (Pronounced sen-say) In Japanese, it mean's wise one/teacher!:)

[TheAntiPam]

So glad to hear about having a good first night together at your house. I don't have any doggie advice to offer, but in terms of naming your new sweetie, just remember this: The name you pick needs to be something that you can yell at the top of your lungs when she's running the wrong way! And, it should be a name that, when shortened, doesn't sound silly or like alphabet soup.

For instance, the name Fatima might sound great, and maybe "Tima" for short - but do you really want to say "Fat, Heel!" ???? Just practice the new names for a bit, the right one will come out!

Good luck and keep us informed!!!*tapping foot impatiently* Where ARE those other pictures? :p

[Kater]

How exciting!!! I agree, she sounds like a "little gem!"
She had no idea how lucky she is to be adopted by such a caring furmom! :)
Personally, I'm in love with the name "Kashka."

I hope in time she will interact with the kitties in a more gentle manner. Besides that, sounds like she is being a very good girl!!!

[lizbud]

Originally posted by Rachel
Duh...how could I have forgotten the most important part? Good work, Liz!

Rachel,

You taught me well. LOL.:D :D Really, it's the same method
that I used & it works. I knew what you meant.:) If it would
work with a GSD/Husky, it should work on most any dog. Good
luck Karen. Your patience & constant repetition of commands
to mold her behaviour & earn her trust can work over time.

[lovemyshiba]

Congratulations Karen!!!!

She sure is a doll--I just love those ears!!!

I can't wait to hear more!!!

and welcome to the Dog Side!!!!:) :) :)

[IttyBittyKitty]

YODA!

How ADORABLE :D

Happy to be in my forever home, I am :D

[Rachel]

hmmm, I wonder what's going on...

Do we have a name? Are the cats still in charge? How are the new mommie and daddy holding up? Do we need to print out the MY BAGGAGE poem?

[wolflady]

Hi everyone! Gosh! I haven't had much time with the excitement of a new dog and a new job, to get online! :o

We're still debating names, but I think we're down to
Priya and Mishka

I think she looks more like a Priya though, so I'm leaning more that way:)

Thanks for all the suggestions on names! They were all adorable! She has been doing really good, but I can see her "big dog attitude in a small dog body" coming out! :rolleyes: She was so calm and quiet with all the dogs and even the cats at the shelter, but now she's just a little fierce girl! She barks at other dogs and her hackles raise, and she's still barking at the cats. :( Gosh, I sure hope I can train this out of her.
She has been sleeping well through the night in her crate. I know all of this is new to her, so I know that the adjustment period is going to take some time.
A friend of mine came down to see her today and he brought his very patient, very large dogs with him. They are exactly what Priya needs, because she was being all big and fierce with them, and they didn't even care. They were so good and patient with her. Eventually, she got it out of her system and she stopped. She is now sacked out at my feet while I'm here working at the computer trying to get a website done.

My "dog neighbors" just adore her. Aaron and I went out for a few hours in the evening, and my neighbor wanted to baby-sit for me. She was so excited about it and she said that Priya did well. I like that my neighborhood is such a dog-loving neighborhood. It will be good for her to interact with people, kids and dogs. I want her to be well socialized. In fact, I am going to take her on Wednesday night with my neighbor and his dog's obedience class. It's something I would like to do with her.

She hasn't been eating much, but then again she's small and maybe little dogs just don't eat a lot. I'm sure she's also excited/stressed, so that probably plays in with her appetite as well.

So, I've made it a couple of days now! We're both learning along the way;)
**hugs**
Karen

[anna_66]

Glad to hear that things are going well with your new little girl:D

[shais_mom]

Sounds like things are going well!!!!
Glad to hear it!!

[K9karen]

OMG! Priya is SO adorable! I love her ears! In time, I'm sure everything will work out just fine! Priya will learn to love her siblings!!! I couldn't be happier for you!!!

[andrea_NMAggie]

what an adorable pup! Congratulations on finding such a cutie pie!

[Rachel]

Originally posted by wolflady
, I like that my neighborhood is such a dog-loving neighborhood. It will be good for her to interact with people, kids and dogs. I want her to be well socialized. In fact, I am going to take her on Wednesday night with my neighbor and his dog's obedience class. It's something I would like to do with her.



See, you have good instincts. The more she is around other dogs, people, kids, etc. it won't be such a big deal and she will calm down.

Thanks for the update. We will wait patiently for more pictures as we know you are very busy.

[Christiansmommy]

Ahhhh!! Congrats!! So happy for you...doggies are great!!! Yeah!!


:)

[Kona & Oreo's mom]

Congratulations! It sounds like she'll fit in to your family and neighborhood just fine.

[Rachel]

We need an uppydate!

[aly]

Yes! I'd love to hear an update on how things are going :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Me too!:D Where are you Wolflady?

[Foam]

Aww! Look at her! She is so cute! Congratulations, Karen! Good catch! :D

[wolflady]

:o
You all are all so sweet! :) I have missed Pet Talk! I can't believe how much I let time slip away and haven't even had the chance to get on here to give updates!
Priya is doing fine and she is very much a puppy! She chews on everything and I mean everything! :rolleyes:
She is doing so much better with the cats. She just wants to play more than anything. Sergei seems to tolerate her the best, but I wonder if that's because they're so close in age that all they both want to do is play.
She started puppy class 3 weeks ago this wednesday. The first time in class, she was the worst one :o She just has no attention span, she just wants to see what everything else is, and she wants to play with the other dogs and she barks. Oh how she barks! :rolleyes: So, we've been working on her with the barking, and last week in class she was a lot better about it. I didn't realize how hard it was to train a dog until I got one. It's hard to train her because she doesn't focus. She's just too distracted, so if anyone has any tips do let me know! :)
Everything is going well at the vet's office. I am still looking for a full time computer job too though. I do have an interview on Thursday, so hopefully I'll find something soon. If not, at least I can work at the vet's office until I can find something. I did get to have some computer exposure at my vet's office as I offered to redo their website (the old was was really bad, so I just took it down and redid the entire site, design and all). If you all want to see it, the URL is www.gilroyvet.com (http://www.gilroyvet.com/) . I'm still working on adding more content and prettying up the site, but the basics are there. Iof you look at my Links page, you will notice that Pet of the Day was added! LOL ;)
Priya sends her kisses to everyone! :) I promise I will try to be better about updates!
**hugs**
Karen

[Cincy'sMom]

Glad to hear things are going well with the puppy!! For some reason I was thinking of your pup today and wondering how things are going...thanks for the update!!!

Biggest trsiing tip I can offer, is find out what motivates her...a special food, a certain toy, being petted, ect. String cheese worked wonders with my dogs :)

[Pam]

Karen, I know you are a big asset at your new job! I just visited the website and it is really, really nice. Thanks for keeping us all up to date with your new pupster! I would LOVE to see more photos when you get a chance. :) Andy sends his condolences to Marius on the addition of a DAWG to the family! LOL! :D