New dog owner to be!

I have my breeder selected, and I will be getting a female American cocker spaniel. (Disclaimer: I admire those who rescue their pets, but I've decided to go the breeder route, and yes, she will be spayed as soon as she's mature enough).

Any advice on initial pet supplies? I grew up with dogs, cats, hamsters, fish and horses, and I've been dog-sitting and dog-walking since I was in college. I do want to crate-train her; any tips?

Also, I plan to be home a lot, but I want to look at doggie day care for the first year-- I just hate the idea of puppy sitting at home alone-- I don't want to sequester her in one small area just because I'm not there (but I don't want my home to be eaten up, either). Has anyone taken their dog to these places? What does it cost?

Thanks! Looks like the move may happen early this summer!

I have taken my Yorkie to doggie day care before. She loves it b/c she gets to be around other dogs and it gets all of her energy out. Sometimes I board her there overnight for weekend getaways. I would recommend doing some research for the best ones in your area and asking for recommendations from friends. In the Denver area, day care costs about $20-25/day. Doggie daycare isn't for everyone, but it is definitely worth looking into.

At her daycare, they have an enclosed outdoor area (w/wading pool) that they play in a few times a day; the big dogs are usually separated by the smaller dogs, but it depends on their personalities too. The staff is really friendly, which helps me to be more comfortable leaving her with "strangers". Eventually they are no longer strangers. Some daycares are more elaborate than others and of course they will usually cost more.

BTW, I would definitely recommend puppy training! It helps to socialize the dog and you learn many techniques for training and raising your dog.

Best of luck and enjoy!

Hey everyone!

I know it's been awhile! I got the cutest puppy in the world and I wanted to share her pic with ya'll!

Her name is Violet & she's a Lhasa Apso.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...rl/violet1.jpg

Who could possibly say "no" to a face like that?

T*P - she's ADORABLE!!!! And, what ADPi wouldn't love that name! ;)

O.Mi.Gosh! Violet is soooooo beautiful!!! What a lovable face!!! Maybe someday she could have a playdate with Buffy? :)

As for doggie daycare, we always take Buffy to Happy Tails when we're in DC. Happy Tails is a franchise, in several cities. They do an evaluation first, then he can stay by the day, half day, or be boarded - the costs depend on how often they're boarded. They separate the dogs according to size & activity level, and they all need to be neutered after seven months. We did a full examination of the premises, and it really does look clean and happy. The biggest problem is how tired Buffy is after a full day - I think he should be with the sedentary dogs, not the active ones, but that's my only complaint!

While I'm thinking about it, when I had Buffy's tag made, I put BUFFY - REWARD and then a couple telephone numbers. I read about that in Dog Fancy (the Reward part).

I noticed at Convention that Gift Mart has dog collars that say, "An ADPi Loves Me." They are so cute but I just got my dog a new collar from the Red Sox- I'll have to wait awhile before purchasing another one!

Jennie showed me that too at convention. I just bought a new puppy, Shelby, and she said I could get one for Shelby. But then I wouldn't want to leave Dalon (my foxhound) out so I would have to get one for both of them. But since I spent a bit more than I should have at convention I really couldn't afford the dog collars. At least once I have more money I can just buy them online. ;)

hc - we could definitely do a playdate someday! I know Violet would love it! She's a fiesty little gal and always wants to play!

I just updated her puppy page on Dogster with more pics. I'm such a huge nerd when it comes to my puppy!

That Happy Tails place looks like a super fun place for dogs! I wish there was something like that in my area.

... and those ADPi collars sound entirely too CUTE!!! Are they one of those "Convention-only" type items right now? I can't see what they look like on the giftmart website.

Maybe Fido will tear it off and chew it up.

(sorry - yanks fans, here. PLAM)

they grow up so fast!!
 

Violet is 6 mos old now! She will be graduating from puppy school this Sunday!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...violetpic1.jpg

For some reason, she likes to jump inside the bath tub? I'm not really sure why!

T*P, my Riley is 4 months old and does the same thing! She esp loves to jump in when I'm drawing a bath (grr!!!) or if the shower is running. I have never had a dog that likes water so much!

At least she likes her bathtime!

My Missy is Spider girl! We have a garden tub and I was in the shower and she must have wanted to be with me because she climbed her way into the shower. I just let her stay with me and gave her a bath. She is only 6 1/2 pounds right now, but she is so strong. She also learned how to climb out of her pen and she figured out how to jump over her baby gate! She sized up the gate, walked away from it backwards, then made a flying leap and got her front legs over the gate and them pulled herself over the top. We have since put the gate away and she had run of most of the house while we are work - we didn't want her to hurt herself on the gate. I'm amazed at the things she comes up with! I'd post a pic of her, but I have no idea of how to do that! She's a cutie!

t*p, Violet is sooo cute! I just want to scoop her up and give her kisses!

Those are such cute dog stories!

Violet has learned that with a running start, she can jump over anything!

When she was younger, I would let her play on the bathroom floor while I was in the shower, and one morning I heard her little dog tag clinking really fast (she was running) and the next thing I knew she was in the tub with me. It was very funny.

Another morning she did the same thing lonestaradpi's dog did -- she sized up the puppy gate, backed up, ran and jumped it.

I think she is training for the Kentucky Derby or something... :p

LOL - Buffy can be SOOOOOO conceited!! He is so sure that everyone who sees him wants to pet him, he is absolutely stunned when they don't! This is especially true for the first couple days after he's been groomed - "Pet me, pet me!" He actually will stand at "Show Stance" for as long as 10 minutes at a time, just to impress!

So I finally got a photo of him, blowing the horn because we dared to leave him in the car alone for a minute or two! If I can figure out photobucket or such, I'll post it.

t*p - Violet is such a cutie pi!!!! How big will she get? I don't remember seeing a Lhasa Apso with a curly tail, but I haven't seen that many. Buffy's does the same thing.

hc- right now she's about 8.5 lbs. (she was barely 2 lbs when I got her!) The vet says it looks like she will be a petite lhasa, but that it's still to early to tell.

I think most lhasas generally end up being 10-15 lb range, but I have seen other sites that said they can get as big as 20, so I guess we will see!