Our newest addition

[Doctor Jackson]

I'd like to introduce you to the newest intern in the Doctor Jackson household (not that kind of intern, gutter brain). Last night we adopted a 7 week old bundle of joy. She's gorgeous, and that's not just the proud Papa talking. She's part Lab, part Golden Retriever.

The kids pounced on me before I even got out of the car. Three voices in perfect harmony "Can we have a puppy, Daddy? Momma says it's OK with her if it's OK with you! The lady across the street is giving them away FREE! Can we, Daddy? Can we, please?" I had a choice: 1) be a hero to my chidren and ever after loom as a giant in their eyes, or 2) crush their little hopes and dreams while ripping each heart out and stomping it into the asphalt. I chose option 1. My decision was not, however, entirely altruistic. It gets lonely in the doghouse at night, and I could use some company.

The dog came to us with the name 'Daisy'. This would never do. Daisy happens to be my grandmother's name and she happens to live next door. I, for one, will not be heard late at night screaming for all the neighbors to hear "Shut up, Daisy, you mangy mutt!". I don't think Grandma would see the honor in it. So, the search for the perfect name began. The dog is black, with white markings. What to name a black and white dog? My first suggestion, 'Logic', was immediately shot down. I mean, what's more black and white than logic? Oh, well. My next thought was 'David Bea', but I didn't think the family would get the connection. It took long enough to explain the concept of logic, I wasn't about to try to explain David. After other suggestions were discarded ("I don't think the Principal of your school will appreciate our dog being named after her daughter" or "You know, she just doesn't look like a Lassie") we arrived at the right answer.

Fellow Dopers, I am pleased to introduce.....Oreo. May she live long and not piddle on my furniture.

[Michi]

Congrats!

Make sure you take her to the vet right away for a check up.

Feed her premium brand PUPPY food.

Get her enrolled in puppy classes. Number one reason animals are dumped at the pound are behavioral problems.

Crate train!

[missbunny]

Everything Michi said plus:

Get her spayed as soon as she reaches the appropriate age!

Don't let her roam around on her own - even when she's spayed - too many cars, weirdos, puddles of antifreeze, etc.

Enjoy many years of pure unadulterated unconditional love - it's darn hard to find anywhere else!

P.S. Invest in a good lint brush

[Dinsdale]

Congrats.
Keep us posted.
I was going to be creative and suggest "Spot."
My golden is named Daisy (or is my golden your mother?)

I don't think obedience classes are needed at all, if you are willing to put the time into teaching her yourself. That way, you train the dog to do what you want/need, and not a bunch of other things. IMO, one of the most important commands for a dog is "Move" (when you don't care where they go but just want them somewhere other than where they are.) Never heard of a school offering that one. "Other room" is another good one. Personally, I could not care less if my dog never did a "Down Stay." Also, train her to listen to you both on and off leash. The earlier you start off leash, the better. I am astounded when people say, "I could never trust my dog to not run away." Lab/golden mix - better get in a stock of tennis balls. You'll have fun swimming with her too.

And I often run into people with poorly behaved dogs. They don't understand it. They went to two terms of obedience school! Yeah, but they don't realize that they have to do their homework with the dog every day. Work with the puppy for many short sessions every day.

IMO, one of the most important things is to be physically close to the pup as much as possible in these early weeks/months. If watching TV, get down on the floor with her.

Remember, it's a pack thing. Make sure you, your wife, and your kids all establish your dominance over Oreo.

And ALWAYS clean up her messes.

Enjoy and, like I said, keep us posted. Disappointing to pass up an opportunity to "crush their little hopes and dreams while ripping each heart out and stomping it into the asphalt."

[omni-not]

Don't happen to be a veterinary doctor, do you?

[Jman]

Ahhh...lab and retriever...what a mix! I have 2 goldens (Liberty and Shiloh...sisters), and my uncle has a lab named Dixie. All awesome dogs. Have a blast with em.

Jman

[Doctor Jackson]

I knew a dog thread would bring Michi out!

Make sure you take her to the vet right away for a check up.

Got business cards from two vets, calling today.

Feed her premium brand PUPPY food.

Purina Puppy Chow, beef flavored, 17.6 pound bag.

Get her enrolled in puppy classes. Number one reason animals are dumped at the pound are behavioral problems.

I've never had any of my dogs professionally trained, but then I would no sooner dump Oreo at the pound than my kids. Hmmm....

[quote]Get her spayed as soon as she reaches the appropriate age![quote]
Yup. I don't intend to raise no hussy.

Don't let her roam around on her own - even when she's spayed - too many cars, weirdos, puddles of antifreeze, etc.

She'll have the run of a one acre fenced yard and a barn for a doghouse.

Enjoy many years of pure unadulterated unconditional love - it's darn hard to find anywhere else!

Well, the spaying and fence should cut down on the adultery part, don't you think?

P.S. Invest in a good lint brush

No, no, you don't understand. I'm the only animal who lives in my house.

My golden is named Daisy (or is my golden your mother?)

And just what are you trying to say about my mother?

And ALWAYS clean up her messes.

That's where the kids come in...

Don't happen to be a veterinary doctor, do you?

Nope, but I did read all of James Herriot's books so it should be a snap.

[JimmyNipples]

I love dogs....Congratulation Dr. J

Naming pets after food is always a safe bet. We named our cat Snickers....only because she's filled with a creamy nugat (sp?)

[Vestal Blue]

Fantastic! may you have many happy years!

We have two Goldens, Abbie and Lacey.

Wonderful dogs!

[lolagranola]

You sound like such a good pet owner...

Say, can I move in?

[Michi]

Dogs can mate through chain link fences.

Purina is one of the better brands you can buy at a grocery store. Premium diets are Iams, Science Diet, Eukanuba.

While it is true that many dogs fail puppy class, they usually do so because the owner doesn't follow through with the training at home. But I don't know of any vet or vet nurse that would not suggest some type of formal class, led by a qualified individual.

I'm not a fan of outdoor animals. I'm certianly not a fan of outdoor PUPPIES. Anyone remember Cornflake's thread?

Invest in pet health insurance. A well kept dog can live 13-15 years, maybe more. At some point, an accident or serious illness WILL happen. Emergencies are not cheap. Be prepared.

Although I am semi-retired as unoffical Vet Nurse of the SDMB, please feel free to e-mail me with any specific questions you may have.

[Dinsdale]

Michi, I agree that all animal care professionals will recommend obedience school, but I suspect that is because their experience tells them that the vast majority of pet owners will not do an adequate job on their own. Yes, I totally agree with you about owners failing to follow through. That was the meaning of my "homework" comment.

But the mere fact that the vast majority of pet owners don't put in the effort, doesn't mean Dr. J will be one of them. With no intention to insult any professional dog trainers out there, it ain't exactly rocket science! With few exceptions, I would figure it is pretty safe to assume that most of the posters to SDMB are a bit smarter than most dogs.

It is astounding the number of books any library or book store has on this topic. And frustrating how many different theories/approaches they advocate. (The same might be true of classes. Do your research first, before enrolling in any particular class. Get recommendations, and spend time with the owners and dogs who went through the clases.) You can learn a lot about how to do it from reading, once you figure out the approach that makes the most sense to you. Then you just have to put in the time, remembering above all else that you are Oreo's God, and you have to remember and express how much you love her. If you succeed in communicating that you love her and will take care of her, she will do just about whatever you ask of her. The only limit to what you will get out of it is how much you put into it.

Gotta go, now. That idea of mating through chain link has gotten me aroused!

[Michi]

Yes, experience does teach us professionals that most owners don't do a good enough job on their own. Even the owners with the best of intentions. Taking classes benefits the owner as well as the pet. Learning the best methods to train your dog will make things so much easier on everyone! Heck, even vets and vet nurses will take classes with their pets! As a matter of fact, one of my coworkers has a Golden puppy that she is taking to class right now.

It can indeed be frustrating to find a good book on dog training, but one I can recommend is by a man named Kilcommons. I don't remember the EXACT title, but it is something along the lines of Good Owner, Great Dog. Most vets will also be able to recommend a good class.

[dragonlady]

I'm not sure why everyone missed this one, but GET HEARTWORM MEDS. Depending on where you are, I hear it's not such a problem in some areas, but I just watched a friends dog die from them. Particularly gruesome, I don't recommend it. And my Vet recommended Purina products.
Good luck. My puppy is about 12 weeks and still not totally trustworthy in the housebreaking department.

[Dinsdale]

Even if you decide to go the Barbara Woodhouse route, if I hear you say "walkies" in an annoying high pitched voice, I'm gonna bitch slap you.

Couple of weeks ago my wife taught my dog to bring in the paper. Talk about cliches come to life. It cracks me up, and the dumb dog gets such a kick out of doing it. You should've seen the look she gave me the first time she went out and saw the Sunday Trib! No way, Jose!

What are your thoughts on this - I prefer teaching my dogs commands that are phrased the way I say things, instead of a standard dialect. For example, instead of "Heel" they respond to "Right here." "Stay" and "Sit", of course, but my release from stay is "Okay." And the direction to move quickly, when crossing a street, for example, is "Let's go." I already mentioned "Move" and "Other room." Add "Come," "Down" in case of jumping, and an all purpose "No!" and that just about covers everything I need a dog to do. I'm not a big fan of teaching "tricks" like shake and roll over. Figure as long as the beast does what I want it to do, it can spend the rest of it's time being a dog.

Another thing I thought was kinda funny (sorry if I'm kinda hijacking this into an "I love Dogs" thread). My previous dog, Bowser, was incredibly well behaved. When he was 11 or so, I realized that when I dropped food on the kitchen floor, or dropped those little chunks of kibble into his bowl, he didn't come bolting from the other end of the house. I walked behind him and said, "Want a biscuit?" (Guaranteed to send him nuts). No reaction. The sonofagun (I guess I can accurately say SOB) was stone deaf. I started noticing how he compensated, and it was incredible. I never used a leash on him when not absolutely necessary, and I realized that he always kept one eye on me, even if he was at a distance. And I realized that when I said "Come," or "Stay," I tended to make subtle hand or body movements. And the dumb dog was responding to those! Also, my take is that I made a point of taking him as many different places as I could throughout his life, and made sure he knew how I wanted him to behave. So after he went deaf, he still knew what he could and couldn't do. What a dog! Man, did I cry when I had to have him put down.

Please be assured that I use "dumb dog" as a term of affection.

P.S. I thought it was chainlink but it turned out to be chicken wire.

[Nika]

That's wonderful Dr. J!!

Congrats and enjoy the wonderful company!!

[Doctor Jackson]

Michi-

Dogs can mate through chain link fences.

Ouch!

I'm not a fan of outdoor animals. I'm certianly not a fan of outdoor PUPPIES.

She'll be inside for awhile, but big dogs live outside. She'll have plenty of space to run and shelter when she's tired. I would think keeping a retriever indoors would be cruel. They're very active dogs.

lola inquires:

You sound like such a good pet owner...Say, can I move in?

Are you housebroken?

Dragonlady - Believe it or not, but first night home there were no accidents! I'm so proud!

Thanks to everyone for the best wishes. I know pet ownership is not something to take for granted - it's work, but well worth it. It's early yet, but Oreo seems like she's going to be a big, happy, laid back, dumb as rocks dog - that's my favorite kind!

[Michi]

I'm not sure why everyone missed this one, but GET HEARTWORM MEDS. Depending on where you are, I hear it's not such a problem in some areas, but I just watched a friends dog die from them. Particularly gruesome, I don't recommend it. And my Vet recommended Purina products.
Good luck. My puppy is about 12 weeks and still not totally trustworthy in the housebreaking department.

I didn't mention heartworm prevention specifically because I would like to assume that the vet Dr. J chooses will advise him on that. Also, since I don't know where he lives, I don't know how much of a need there is for it. Some places, Like here in FL, HWP is needed year round. Farther north it may only be needed seasonally, and in places where it is cold year round, it may not be needed at all. Same holds true for flea control.

As for indoor vs outdoor, I will never advocate animals being left outside. I have had people tell me it is mean to keep pets indoors, but spend one night with me at my job and you will want to re-think that. If an animal is given the attention that it needs, it does not need to live in the yard.

Going back to training, someone mentioned training a dog so it will behave off lead. If an animal is loose someplace in public, it should NEVER be off lead. Besides the fact that this is probably against your state's leash laws, it is downright dangerous. Again, come visit me at my job and see what can happen.

I wish Dr J and his family years of happiness with Miss Oreo. If I sound a little too serious it is only because I love animals and care for their well being.

[lolagranola]

You sound like such a good pet owner...Say, can I move in?

Are you housebroken?

Almost!

[AuntiePam]

Invest in pet health insurance. A well kept dog can live 13-15 years, maybe more. At some point, an accident or serious illness WILL happen. Emergencies are not cheap. Be prepared.

[minor hijack]

A woman at work (I swear I am not making this up) recently asked if she could put her dog on her medical insurance. I said no, and she said she didn't think so, but it never hurts to ask.

Turns out her dog is having a knee replacement, which will cost $1,800.

Is this an extraordinary dog lover, or are all dog lovers like this?

She also threw a graduation party for him when he completed obedience school. Now a party I can relate to, but medical insurance?

[end hijack, and apologies all 'round]

[Michi]

Auntie Pam, I work for a specialty practice. All the doctors there are specialists in internal medicine, surgery, cancer treatments (radiation and chemotherapy), dermatology, critical care, things like that. We do total hip replacents, back surgery to help paralyzed animals, CT scans, you name it, we can do it. Almost anything that can be done in a human hospital can be done for a pet at my hospital. An average course of radiation for a pet with cancer can be five thousand dollars. Bone surgeries can be about 2,000 or more. High quality medicine such as this does not come cheap. Yet we are in no danger of going out of business. Even clients who chose more conservative methods of treatment can expect to pay out a lot of money, especially if a pet's illness is not life threatening but still long and drawn out. Many pet owners may view this whole situation as crazy, and would just as soon put a sick animal down, but there are also many pet owners out there who greatly appreciate the fact that these services are available to them. For people who want to do everything they can for their pets, health insurance can be a wonderful thing.

[lolagranola]

You can buy health insurance for your pets here.

[lurkernomore]

...to keep out other dogs. Grew up next to a German Shepherd who HATED to be alone. Dog used to scale 6 and 7 foot stockade fences when he decided he wanted to find a playmate (dog or human). Fortunately, he had a Lab type heart in a maneater body. Used to see him led back by neighborhood 5 year olds, hanging his head. He wasn't vicious, just wild and a bit lonely.