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Lots of Questions: Dog Adoption
Hey Everyone! I know many of you have adopted dogs in the past, and I figured this was a great place for some of my questions! The placement coordinator is coming for a home visit and so we can meet him as well; we're keeping our fingers crossed it works out and we can add this guy to our family!
This is the first time we've adopted a dog so I'd love any insight on things to keep top of mind from you more experieced pet owners! A few questions I have down to ask are:
- Vaccines/health problems/behavioral concerns
- Housetraining progress: is he used to a crate, roaming free, etc.
- Current feeding plan/preferences
FYI his background is interesting. He was given as a gift for a young child last fall. The child got sick of him and the family surrendered him :-( He's only 8 months old so we're prepared for lots of the "puppy" phase to still be there!
Also, any recommendations for must-have pet items or a vet/doggie day-care in the Maple Grove area? We're pretty close to a huge dog-park so this pup is going to be in heaven if it works out! Thanks in advance for any help!
Re: Lots of Questions: Dog Adoption
Ugh, pets as gifts are never a good idea! :-(
He is ADORABLE! Is he all yellow lab? Labs are the BEEEEEST!! :-)
Your questions are a great place to start!
The first thing I would do after the adoption process is find out about any food allergies and then choose a good food. (I'm going to assume he's not eating anything great right now, I could be wrong, but I doubt it.) It's a common misconception that the "major" brands (Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Science Diet etc) are good foods - reality is they are not. They are full of fillers and byproducts (yuck!). We noticed a huge difference in our guys when they got on better food. Do you know where you'll be doing most of your pet shopping? I'd be happy to help you find a good food.
I would start practicing NILIF right away (Nothing In Life Is Free). There are lots of resources online if you Google it.
If he's all lab I'd stock up on tennis balls. :-)
The Pets board is also very helpful if you have any more questions.
YAY!!! Fingers crossed!!!!
What is his name? Will you be changing it?
What a cute dog! Good luck!
If he's a lab, be prepared for a couple years of the puppy phase! It seems like mine was in that phase until she was 3 or 4. I can still see the puppy in her from time to time and she's 13.
If he has had any health issues, you could ask for a copy of his health records to take to the new vet.
Is he used to a routine and what is it? (feeding, walks, bathroom breaks, etc.) How does he adjust to change?
How is he with other animals, kids, strangers, etc.
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.
Why are people so dumb as to buy pets as gifts? Especially for children? Ugh.
But ... on the happy side ... thanks so much for adopting!
The questions you have are good ones. I might also ask about:
? Sleeping routine - in a crate or not? In owner's bedroom or someplace else in the house?
? How does he let you know he needs to go outside?
? How does he react around other animals? Children? Is he afraid of people in any certain categories (people of a certain gender or size?)
? Favorite toys or games? Labs usually love to play fetch, although somehow our dog fails miserably at it. Must be the rottweiler in him, he apparently didn't get the lab fetching skills. I digress. Also, labs can be big chewers, especially young ones, so maybe some kong toys or nylabones would be a good investment?
? If he's currently fostered, how long are they able to leave him at home alone without him getting stressed out or having accidents in the house?
? I'm on the complete opposite side of the metro as you, so I'm not sure about vet or day care options in your area. But as far as buying supplies & food, I would highly recommend Chuck & Don's, and they have a location in Plymouth. They have lots of high-quality food options.
? As for food - like Kiz said, ask about allergies. How much is he currently being fed? Does he eat once a day or multiple times? What food is he currently on? You can research food options at dogfoodanalysis.com, ideally you feed something with 4 or more stars. Does he get treats? What kind? Does he have favorites?
? Exercise/play routine ... is he used to getting regular walks? How far? How often? Does he walk nicely on a leash, or should you invest in something like an Easy Walk harness?
Mr. Sammy Dog
I worried about posting on the pets board as I'm sure they get these questions all the time! You all are the pros it seems like
We think he's a yellow lab, I guess you never can know for sure! Tennis balls are a great idea; we have a huge field in our neighborhood and I think it's giong to be our new favorite place!
Thanks so much for the NILIF recommendation; I'd never heard of that term but it makes perfect sense! Regarding the food, I'd like to do some at Target if we could just because we do our regular groceries there.
My blog: Lake Girl Loves
Unfortunately Target doesn't carry any brands that even reach the 'mediocre' category.
Most of it is downright garbage. (The equivalent of eating McDonalds every day. Barf. You're just asking for a fat dog who poops a ton.)
We buy Solid Gold brand in the Barking At The Moon (grain free) variety and they have a great rebate program. Buy 11 bags get one free ($60 value!!) OR, if you live near a Costco and are members they carry a decent brand of dog food called Nature's Domain. A 35# bag is only $27!!! I know Chuck & Don's carries a few brands that have rebate programs. You *might* experience sticker shock BUT in the long run you feed less because the good foods are more calorie dense so it all evens out. And you'll have LESS POOP! And most likely less vet visits over the life of your pet!!! :-) And it's weird but my dogs smell better overall on better food. They don't get the gross "dog smell." (If they do I don't notice it...maybe an outsider would.) Anyway...
Boston (our choc. lab) is an insane chewer. We get him antlers off Amazon as well as Nylabone chewies. He can destroy even "indestructible" things like it's going out of style!
I would test out playing fetch and if the dog takes to it then invest in a Chuck-It! It will save your arm! :-)
Unfortunately, Target doesn't have a very good selection of pet foods, at least of healthy options. I love Target for lots of things, but not dog food. They have all the brands Kiz listed above (Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, etc.) but those are not healthy foods, they usually have low protein content, animal byproducts not considered fit for human food, and lots of fillers. Read the labels - there are hints on what to look for and what to avoid at The Dog Food Project.
Trust me, after researching the brands of food sold at Target, you will not want to feed any of that stuff to your dog.
Also, better food doesn't have to be more expensive. There are premium foods that are reasonable in price, you just have to do some research. There are 4 and 5 star foods that cost less than Iams, which is a 1 star food.
Mr. Sammy Dog
Yay for a big field! I would ask the people if the dog has good recall. If you rename him you might want to keep him on a long lead in the field until you know he has good recall with his new name.
We LOVE Nilif at our house! When we adopted Renzo it became a lifesaver. Now I just have to look at him and his butt flies to the floor. :-)
Oh gosh....I could go on and on about doggies. :-) E-mail me any time with questions! tedandjenny @ hotmail dot com.
These are some favorites at our house:
Hurley. We've had this for 3 years and Boston has barely put a scratch in it. By FAR the most indestructible toy. (Click image for info.)
Zuke's minis - GREAT for training! (Anything by Zukes is good!)
Old Mother Hubbard treats - big hit at my house! A great dry biscuit treat.
Easy walk harness by Premier. We wouldn't be able to go on walks without one!
A MUST for a lab owner: A Furminator!! Order from Amazon as it is MUCH cheaper than a pet store.
ETA: How could I forget the Chuck It??
I'll second the Old Mother Hubbard treats, our Sammy loves those too.
For training, we give him Canidae Snap Bits. They're really small, but he goes nuts for them.
I used the Easy Walk harness with a lot of dogs when I was volunteering at a humane society - it's awesome for dogs who don't have great leash manners and tend to really pull hard on a leash. Since the leash hooks in front, when they pull, it steers them to the side instead of where they wanted to go.
Our dog has never been a chewer, but he has some pretty damaged teeth from his time as a stray, and he was around 6 when we adopted him, so totally out of puppy behaviors. Both of my parents' dogs are big chewers and they love kongs. They also like knuckle bones, which I think are gross, but if doesn't bother you, these are apparently good for chewers, according to their vet.
Mr. Sammy Dog
Yay for adopting! He's beautiful, hope it works out.
The pps covered everything pretty well. I would definitely ask about separation anxiety. Is he Ok to be left at home alone for long periods of time? If he does have separation anxiety, you can work through (we did) but it is good to know up front so you can prepare.
I completely agree on the food stuff posted by pps. My dog eats Wellness. To me the biggest benefit of good food is that my dog does not smell. At all. Of course it is great that it is so much healthier for her too!!!
The Kong is my dog's best friend. We fill it with yogurt/cottage cheese/wet dog food and freeze it and she gets that when we leave the house for work everyday. It helps her separation anxiety immensely. She gets so focused on the deliciousness she doesn't even remember we're gone!
If he is a puller on walks the gentle harness pp posted in a life saver.
That's all I can think of for now... come back if you have more questions!! (and lurk on the pets board, at least
)
- Martin Luther King Jr.
CUTE!!!!!
Is he in a foster situation or in a shelter? If fostering, see if you can talk with the foster family about behavior issues: jumping, walking on a leash, recall, sit, stay, etc... That will be VERY helpful.
Also, ask about where he sleeps at night - Rusty is still crated on weekends in our house otherwise he wakes us at the crack of dawn. He's either on his dog bed, in the crate (his choice during the week) or downstairs sleeping on the couch.
Routine: Ask about current feeding times and try to keep to those for the first week or so until he gets used to your house and your routine, the slowly start switching times if needed. Rusty goes berserk if he doesn't get fed by 7:15 am. He's nuts.
Chew toys: Ditto pps, especially Kiz's stuff that she listed.
Food: We feed raw. We fed Wellness Core Ocean when Rusty was eating kibble. Costco has the cheap stuff that's still good and healthy.
The first two weeks will probably be a bit stressful. The dog is getting used to you, you're getting used to the dog. The first night will be hard - he may be restless and will probably sniff everything. Just watch closely and tether him to you for the first week so you can get to know his "potty" moves (Rusty shoves his nose in our laps if we're in the basement, otherwise he goes to the back door). If he's already housebroken, I'd just walk around the house with a leash on him - not only do you get to learn about him and what he does, but the bond between you is stronger too. I guess a lot of people emphasize the potty aspect of tethering, but the dog will learn to follow you around the house.
Let's see... 8 months old, tons of energy so lots and lots of walks, dog park, obedience class will be AWESOME, you can play hide and seek in the house, get a tug-a-jug for when you need 45 minutes of freedom...
Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to make this so long!
I can't wait to see how everything goes!!
Thank you all SO much!!! The countdown is on....we should be meeting him in just a few hours. Hoping it goes well!
I have a laundry list of questions thank to you all! The food piece is one I didn't give enough thought to. I knew there were "better" brands but for a girl who buys everything target brand I figured it was a good place to start? Little did I know....
Has anyone had luck at petsmart for supplies/food? There's a huge one near Arbor Lakes and I'm thinking that might be a good place to check out. I know they also have classes which I'd love to do with him.
I also heard Fleet Farm is the best place to get a wire crate or kennel for a reasonable price. Anyone have experience with that? Would also still love a vet recommendation for the maple grove/plymouth area if anyone has one :-)
My blog: Lake Girl Loves
Born 37w4d on 09/27/11 - 5lbs 10oz 19 inches
He's adorable! It is great that you are adopting.
Petsmart has started to carry some better brands of food, including Wellness. They will start carrying Innova soon too, I've read. That said, I think Chuck and Don's is a better deal because of their quarterly rewards, as well as the fact that they will take back up to half a bag of food if it doesn't work for you. And they are SO knowledgeable about foods, treats, etc. They just carry better products. There's one in Plymouth, I think.
I do go to Petsmart for a few things (better selection of collars and leashes), but I'm very loyal to the local chain.
Congrats on adopting!
The other ladies covered pretty much everything, and I know that I am late to the party, but I just wanted to pipe in on a few things.
1) I cannot endorse crate training enough! It is a life saver. NEVER use the crate as a punishment, only as a positive experience, but I am telling you.....my dog loves his crate, it's his own spot, we were able to potty train him in 3 days using the crate, and especially during the puppy phase, it kept him safe while we were away. I know that some people worry that it is cruel to keep the pup "locked up", but if you make being in the kennel a reward, it is a very good thing for them. Pop couldn't be 100% trusted out of his kennel while we were gone until he was more than 1 1/2. This way I knew that he was enjoying being in his kennel with his Kong, and was at no risk of getting into anything that would hurt him while I was away.
2) Just wanted to agree with everyone about the food. We feed Popeye Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. It is a 5 star dog food, and is only like $37 for a 35 lb. bag. Totally reasonable.
3) Do your research on dog parks. Some people love them (myself included), BUT just because people bring their dogs to the dog park does NOT mean they are good dog owners. Many time people bring their pups there because they don't want to take the time to train and discipline them, so they just let them run free so they don't have to work at it. You would think that everyone at the dog park has awesome well behaved dogs, but this is totally false. Even if your trust your own dog at the dog park, you can't trust everyone elses. I would even recommend going on your own first before bringing your dog, so you can get a feel for the dynamic, and scope out any red flags. And I wouldn't ever use the dog park in place of regular walks. It is definitely a fun way to let your dog run free, be socialized, and burn some of that puppy energy, but don't forget that they need the discipline of walking peacefully by your side.
Good luck and have fun!
2.3.11: Started TTC
2.8.12:Initial b/w - Normal
3.7.12:HSG - Normal
3.8.12:S/A - Normal
Cycle #12/Month #15 - 50mg.Clomid CD5-CD9 - BFN
4.24.12: RE appointment - DX Unexplained IF
7.12 - 9.12: TTA
10.12 - 1.13: TTC Naturally
February 2013 - IUI #1 w/100 mg Clomid - 5 mil.post-wash: BFFN
March 2013 - IUI #2 w/100 mg Clomid & Trigger - ?? MY BLOG
Will you tell Renzo this please? Nooooothing helps his leash walking. So...we do use the dog park as his only form of exercise.
I do TOTALLY agree to use the dog park with caution. Anyone can come and it's not always a good idea for them to but there they are anyway totally ignoring their dog's bad behavior. It's frustrating at times. We're lucky our park is normally a-ok.
LOL. I should've added, that most dogs....mine included......are not born with the best leash manners.
The most important part is getting good exercise every day. 
2.3.11: Started TTC
2.8.12:Initial b/w - Normal
3.7.12:HSG - Normal
3.8.12:S/A - Normal
Cycle #12/Month #15 - 50mg.Clomid CD5-CD9 - BFN
4.24.12: RE appointment - DX Unexplained IF
7.12 - 9.12: TTA
10.12 - 1.13: TTC Naturally
February 2013 - IUI #1 w/100 mg Clomid - 5 mil.post-wash: BFFN
March 2013 - IUI #2 w/100 mg Clomid & Trigger - ?? MY BLOG
Exciting update everyone! We have exciting news. This guy is coming to our home!! Here's a pic from his visit to the house:
He's so great! 8 months old but kind of an "old soul". Surprisingly not as hyper as I was expecting and he's already potty trained! We really lucked out and are THRILLED to have him join the family. We just went to Petsmart for the first time (holy overwhelming!) First purchase was the harness everyone mentioned
We've also dug up every ball we can find in our house!
Tonight is his first night with us! Thanks again for all the great ideas. Feel free to keep the recommendations coming!
My blog: Lake Girl Loves