Yes, I am a new puppy owner!
I’m scared, excited, nervous and excited! He’s getting snipped today, then I get to take him home from the pound! He’s 5 months old, and already paper-trained, so it’s now on to me to house-train him. Just me and my crate, I hope I can handle it!
He’s a Tan Puggle with a black muzzle and he has no name yet, although I’m leaning towards Wash (from Firefly), becuase I’m hoping in less than a year he has a little Zoe to be his companion (wait a minute…Mal and Inara?! hmmm)
Or I’m going with Mercury since I like greek gods’ names. But I’m still open to ideas…
Anyway, I am debating on introducing him to his ‘second’ family today (my sister with kids) or letting him take it easy for a day. I’ll see how he’s doing when I get him I guess.
Yes he’s a Bug/Beagle mix and cute as a button, but somehow I left the pound without a pic. (It was on the web when I went in, but they removed him when I adopted him)
Hey you can’t do that, I already have a Zoe. And a Simon too. I was tempted to name the second one Wash, but it didn’t quite fit - he’s more of an intellectual snob type.
Anyway, congratulations. I’m waiting for a picture…
Ya, when will people ever learn? If they are going to broadcast to the entire world (okay, the Straight Dope) that they got a new puppy or kitty, they better have the obligatory on hand or else they’ll find a 1920s-style death ray aimmedin their direction
We have a new puppy, too. Loki was diagnosed with hip dysplasia in the spring, and when we notified the breeder, they offered us a new puppy. We picked up Pi twelve days ago and she’s fitting in just fine.
scr4, I love your dogs; Simon looks so much like my grandmother’s rat terrier Sparky. And of course, I love, love, love Zoe pics. I’m so glad you decided to become a dog owner.
Ok, here are 4 pics! He’s been a handful the past day and a half. Thanks for the well-wishes.
And yes, I’ve decided on Malcolm! I was reminded my very first dog (I was too young to remember) was named Malcolm, so I thought it fit nicely.
Hi FlightlessBird, another proud Puggle owner here (although I go out of my way not to have to say “puggle” - I say “Pug/Beagle” or “Designer Mutt.” It’s a ridiculous thing, I know, but people look at me funny when I say “puggle”).
Anyways, CONGRATS on your new puppy.
Some thoughts:
Since you almost named him Wash, I’ll let you know a little secret. Puggles are smart and cute and BAD. How bad? Oh god oh god we’re all gonna die bad. Ok that’s an exaggeration - they’re not bad. They are very mischevious, the teething/getting into things is a real issue, and they’re very headstrong.
Another issue here - pugs / pug crosses are notorious for being hard to house train. The crate really helps, but understand — no, accept — that there will be accidents.
If he’s anything like my precious puggle, you can introduce him to any one or any dog at any time. She just likes to play and meet people and be friends. And if they have a hot dog, then she’ll go home with them and live with them forever. Seriously, do not underestimate the food-driven instinct of the puggle. My puggle will follow her little beagle nose wherever it tells her there is food. That means into restaurants, into garbage bins, into neighbors’ apartments, etc.
Finally, be careful with his weight. I have met 4-5 other puggles since I got mine, and mine is the only one that’s not pug-fat. Pugs have a tendency to stock on weight, so you really have to watch it (your vet should tell you this). You should only be feeding him exactly what the vet recommends.
Peter -you are a fountain of information! Thank you.
I wanted to be able to train little Malcolm to stay in a “den” area (my kitchen), and the first few attempts ended in disaster. After climbing over the first gate I bought (and over the gate and through taller chairs!) I put him in another room with more doors, well he ate the door. So now I can’t trust him when I’m away. At least until he calms down being alone, so he’s in a crate for a few hours at a time during the day.
His big issue is being able to be alone. He can be in a crate or den as long as I’m nearby, but when I’m out of sight the barking starts. And if I try to ignore it for a while, the shredding starts in.
Any ideas on fixing this seperation anxiety?
Once he’s able to be alone, I won’t have to leave him in his crate (and then maybe he’ll choose to use the crate). I also think that once he’s ok being alone, I can start making progress on the potty training which is kinda hit-&-miss… no accidents inside the last couple days, but that’s due to constant supervision and multiple trips outside.
So today’s the first day I’m at work, I have a dog sitter coming to walk him in the middle of the day, then my sister will pick him up and play with him in the afternoon. So I hope he remembers me fondly when I pick him up.
)
