labrador or retriever

[meatismurder]

Got one. he,s coming home thursday. 1st lot i saw werent happy with,lovely pupps but the mum was a bit small. Went to see the second lot and wow what a difference,took ages to choose,so i picked them all up and decided when he licked my face,thats the one for me i thought. when he comes home thursday i,ll get a pic and put it one here. Im gonna call him CLINT,after a actor I admire. welll that could change.roll on thursday. thankyou for all the advice.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[bigmamma]

Oh wonderful , do tell us all the details , golden , brown , black , how old ? I bet you are excited , have you got all his things ready ....:-Dx

[lankeela]

Congratulations, please feel free to ask anything. There is no such thing as a daft question, only a daft owner who is scared to ask!

[wolf63]

I really hope that you and Clint have a long and happy life together. It will be so nice for you to have a baby around the place. I envy you so much.

:-)

Susan...and her evil kitties.

[meatismurder]

7 weeks. dob 14/2/08/ golden. male. totally lush. blew me away. the kids were like so happy. the first lot we saw were great,2 labs,a jack russel,2 pupps all running around like looneys,wot a shame to break that up. the staff was wondering round with half a brick in his mouth,the jack russ was riding the lab,it was wonderfull. the puppies were hanging off my little girls cardigan by their teeth,but she thought that was so funny,(not me mind,it took my mum 3 weeks to knit that one). moved on to the next lot and that was it,picked him up he licked my face,the other one bit my toe,that was if for me,your coming home with me! my boy said "mum i feel like crying but im so happy" thats emotions love i said. oh cant wait,off to the pet super store tomorrow to get alll the gear. Ive been told to take a blanket or towel to the puppy tomorrow so when i bring him home he will have all the smells?? that a good idea? roll on thursday,watch this space for pics! thanks again. crufts next year,look out for clint! he he he

[lankeela]

What a good idea to take a blanket or towel, obviously a caring breeder. Don't buy expensive toys at first, give him empty plastic milk bottles (without the tops), kitchen roll middles, plastic plant pots. They don't cost anything and can be easily replaced. Don't buy an expensive dog bed, get a big cardboardbox and put a blanket or towel in it with newspapers in the bottom. He will chew a proper bed to pieces. Do get him some pigs ears and big hide chew bones, or knuckle bones. Have a look at what the breeder has for the puppies to play with/chew on, that will give you some idea. Make sure you get an adjustable collar as he will grow quickly and you will be forever buying a bigger one. Get a nice strong lead, please don't get a harness, they don't stop them pulling. Use the collar and lead and when you walk him out once he's had his jabs if he tries to pull just turn the other way and go back. Book him in at the vets for a check up and his first jab - usually at about 9 weeks with the second one two weeks later.

[lankeela]

Do you know what his pedigree name is?

[~max~]

How exciting! I bet you can't wait to get your new baby home!
I'm with lankeela on the toys and bedding. Where you have to spend money is the vet's fees and food. Anything else, your new dog will make do, believe me! :O)
I was brought up with Boxers, but I now have a cat (by myself, and in a flat), and I made the mistake of buying her loads of expensive toys when she first arrived.

Result: she steals my washing-up sponges and will ONLY play with those (albeit leaving loads of wee bits around..sigh).

My dogs, when I was a kid, used to mostly play with each other, but my dad gave them pig's ears to chew on too, and that kept them from chewing on the furniture! lol You know what Boxers are like! :O)

[meatismurder]

I did see it but cant remember. Im getting the papers on thursday. i,,ll ask tomorrow. got to pop up to put the deposit down,cos i took your advice and went with no money and no cheque book. and after speaking to family and friends i now know ive made the correct decision. No point rushing in with wodds of cash. after 3 hours of non stop dog puppy talk i feel at ease,was really nervous when i woke today,but now everything feels like its fallen into place. roll on thursday. xx

[lankeela]

See he was born on Valentines day, wonder if he is named something to do with that. At least you won't ever forget his birthday!

[wiggal]

Lankeela, I so wish I had your advise when Cleo first came to us and I had asked more questions!
I am one of those who dont like asking some questions because of looking silly or people saying I dont know anything about animals and so on!

Cleo was bought 3 different beds in the first 3 weeks, only to sleep on the bean bag! we spent a small fortune on dog toys and so on, for her only to find a love for toilet roll tubes and empty drinks bottles!!

[lankeela]

Crufts next year - well he will be six months old just in time for the Welsh Kennel Club Championship Show on 17th August at Builth Wells, so if you get him to a ringcraft club and get him show trained he could well qualify and be at Crufts next year!

LOL to jules, bet you had that one worked out too!

[garner]

How wonderful...Hope you have a very happy and long life together, it's so lovely when you have a new baby to care for and all the little puddles are well worth it. So happy for you .g.

[lankeela]

Can we have an update how you are getting on with your new baby? Please let us know (put it on a new thread so it goes to the top).