Family's First Puppy.........

[paul collins]

Hello everyone

This is our first post as new members on this great site.

We will be bringing home our first family pet as an 8 wk old I.S. Puppy boy called Ronnie in less than 5 weeks time.

What do we need ? 

What size crate for the house should we be getting?

Every book we read gives different advise for the first few nights?

It will be a long journey home any advise?

Raised food bowls?

Any tips or advise would be great 

Thanks

Paul & Family

[Jean Lippett]

When we'd had our first Irish Setter for a week or so we took him to the vets. He said ' Oh look, you've bought yourselves a manipulator' . Then he asked me to lift one ear whilst he shone a light in the other to check there was no obstruction and that the light could travel through. ' His parting remark was that the baby would spend his entire life trying to convince us that what he wanted was what we wanted to give him!  A and C weren't far from the truth.

What we have found with youngsters is that the first time he persuades you to do what you didn't mean to, its a chink in your armour. The second times means its worth a battle to persuade you again. The third time, that's what he'll have for the rest of his life, thank you very much.  My ID picture is of my two curled up on my best leather couch, the one they're not allowed on, the one where I'm now squeezed in a tiny corner.

[Louise Perry]

Hi Paul and family,

How exciting for you! My Reuben was my first dog and I read and researched for a year before getting him and was well prepared. And then this whirlwind small, funny, cheeky pup arrived and my world changed!!! But for the better, was just a tad shocked for a bit, hehe.

Anyway, I had a crate in our downstairs hallway and had an old sleeping bag over the top which I would pull down at night time. It was like his cosy den and I was lucky that he settled into it immediately as i made it a special nice place to go with treats etc. I would close the door on it at bedtime and when I went out and he got use to the routine - there is loads of literature on crate training that is worth looking at to help you. Reuben used his until he was about 15 months old as it was his safe haven.

I was also lucky that he was not sick on our 4 hr journey home but was sick on other journeys for the next 5 months. But he grew out of it and I just kept taking him out in the car and associated the trips with nice things, like a lovely dog walk etc.

Hot tobassco sauce on items ( like my wall corner) that they want to chew! Well it worked for me anyway, especially after he ate my passport newly delivered one day!

There is loads of info here on recall training and many other things that will help you and obviously a good training class for you and pup. Setters are stubborn and you just have to be consistent in your methods and even then they can still be a bit cheeky, lol. But such a happy breed and loads of affection to give and receive.

I tore my hair out sometimes and remember thinking what an awful mistake I made but now I look back and think what a state I got into over silly things. Reuben is 4 this June and he is a lovely, well behaved, loyal companion who makes us laugh everyday with his antics. He still is a counter surfer and would steal food at any opportunity but I guess I have got use to not leaving anything lying around and if I did then thats my fault for being a daft human!

Enjoy your puppy and like many members here, I too am so jealous and cant wait for pictures

Louise

[Sue Paterson]

Ha ha! I was reading Louise's comment about Reuben being a counter surfer...well I made some meals for the freezer and left them to cool down at the back of the work surface last night. Bridie is in season and so is confined to the kitchen away from the boys.I guess she felt a bit peeved. Went in to find she'd turned up her nose at the Chilli con Carne, but sampled the Bolognese!!! She had actually left some  so perhaps it wasn't up to scratch!!!

Oh and that's my nearly 11 year old puppy:)))

Oops its arrived above Louise's post...see below!

[Carmel Murphy]

Love your 11 year old counter surfer Sue;o)))) My 8yr old Megan has no shame and counter surfs even when I am standing there in the room?? Such cheek;o))) But, part of her charm!!

[Ellen Turberfield]

Finlay did the same the other day, i was leaving chicken in black bean sauce to cool down to freeze he ate half of it and the black bean sauce was splashed half way up the wall as he was licking it (",)

[Louise Perry]

Hey Sue, Carmel and Ellen - counter surfing is in the IS genetics I think. If Reuben didnt do it , I would think he was broken, haha

[Pippa Wheater]

All my Setters are surface surfers Bronte our 4yr old has had everything going she's quite partial to my beef stroganoff and the topping of lasgne. One day not so long back she ate all the raw chicken my husband had chopped and placed in the frying pan at the back of the stove ready to fry off for a curry covering it with a tea towel. This is no ordinary frying pan the sides are about 3" in height and has a heavy cooper bottom and very wide. He left the kitchen to do something had been gone about 20 minutes he shouted me and asked whether I had put the chicken in the fridge as he had been gone for longer than he thought. I hadn't touched it. Every single piece of diced chicken had been eaten and the tea towel had hardly moved ??? 6 chicken breasts I was not amused.

Our boy puppy Oscar has her genes as he has done similar goodness how he manages their not even 6 months yet !!! Yesterday I had a bit of a boob and burnt my homemade curry anyway I did my best to rescue it and did an ok job checking everything by placing on a chopping board. Well silly boy thought it would be nice to eat all the burnt pieces of chicken and of course any of the onions, chillis, ginger by jumping up and helping himself with me stood right next to it I turned away slightly and it was gone. I then tried scraping it into the bin and he shoved his nose straight in and gobbled most of it out of the bin right in front of me the cheeky boy. He is so quick I should have called him Flash not Oscar.

Setters seem to have a neck that stretches like a hoover hose and a tongue of a griaffe !!!!

Thing is you can never be mad at them for long as they look at you with those big eyes..........

[Susan Stone]

Hi Paul & family,

I'm sure you want the best for your pup. Reading here I have seen so many conflicting views as to what is the best way to start off that I'd be feeling quite confused! I'm afraid that is what you will encounter in the dog world as many paths lead to Rome. Rather than adding my own view I'd simply suggest you stick to the recommendations you receive from your breeder in whom you trust. With time you will find what works best for you, your pup and your family.

Relax and enjoy!

[Ann Carter]

Wholeheartedly agree Susan Stone, very nicely worded, too much info all in one go sounds so daunting to me...

Just relax and enjoy and take each event and day as it comes, and above all listen to your breeder as Susan Stone suggests. 

Have fun :)

[paul collins]

Thanks Ann

[paul collins]

Thank you Susan..

[Howard Glansfield]

I had posted a reply but it seems to have gone missing,anyway, I just know you will enjoy Ronnie.He will tire you and frustrate you at times but he will be well worth it.The love of and from a setter cannot be quantified!

You have already had lots of advice but I would stress that a crate is important,if only because it gives you peace of mind when you are in bed or when he is on his own.

I look forward to hearing of his arrival.