I would suggest maybe having the puppies with there mother until they are atleast 2 months old. I would also observe the puppies behavior and there enviorment. There are a lot of backyard breeders who claim to know everything about dogs or the specific dog they are breeding. A lot of them challege vets and have that reputation of being know it all. They are to young for vaccines wait until the puppy is 8wks old, then start his vaccines serries, vaccinate the pup every 3 to 4 wksLdepending on the vets vx system) some do 3 others suggest 4 wks but regardless be consistant. He would need usally 4 sets of dhapp, 2 sets of bord and finally rabies when he is about 4 months old. Make sure you deworm the pup and run a fecal test to see of the pup has any parasites, some of them are zoonotic meaning we can get them from the pup..... practice good hygine... and SOCIALIZE THE PUPPY AND TRAIN HIM !!!!! I can't tell you how many time owners came in with there annoying and untrained puppies especialy LABS and G. SHEP. It was really annoying and sometimes hard working with them. As far as geting them nueter (males) and spayed(females) spays cost more the n nuters. Aster the surgery you have to make sure to KEEP THE E COLLOR OR CONE ON YOUR DOG TO PREVENT HiM OR HER FROM LICKING THE INCISION SITE AND CUASING AN INFECTION OR REMOVING THE SUTERS AND SOMETIMES STAPES. feed the pup premimum food like science diet, eukanuba, royal canine, natural selection or even iams. And please don't fall into the hype of barf diet, hollistic or what ever these scensters people feed and claim to be the best, a lot of these companies are new and don't know sh!t. They can't back up there info. Just listen to what your vet suggest about dieting. But do make sure u feed ur pup atleast 3 times daily. Feed the pup. According the his or hers weight catogory. Don't let ur dog become obese especially labs, sheps, rott, sm breed dogs, they can devolope artherites or hip dysplacia.
And DON'T WALK UR PUPPY, TAKE HIM OR HER TO THE PARK, BEACH, INTRODUCE IT TO OTHER DOGS, AND KEEP ANYTHING HARMFULL AWAY FROM IT. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY IMMUNITY AND HAVE A WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM. THAT'S WHY THEY ARE GIVEN VAX TO BUILD THERE INMUNE SYSTEM. PARVO IS SOMETHING PRETTY SERIOUS AND CAN BE FATAL, DISTEMPER IS A LITTLE LESS COMMON THEN PARVO BUT IT AFFECT THE NUEROLOGICAL SYSTEM. BORDETTELA IS BASICLY KENNEL COUGHT. THE PUPPIES FIRST YR OF LIFE IS VERY IMPORTANT AND EXPENSIVE......... I'M SURE UR VET WOULD ANSWER ALL UR QUESTION. MY SUGGESTION ALWAYS LISTEN TO UR VET. THEY ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT AND SPENT 6 to 8 YRS IN MEDICAL SCHOOL, SOMETHING MOST BREEDERS NEVER DID ALTHOUGHT THERE ARE SOME BREEDERS WHO AREN'T FULL OF SH!T. Good luck.

 

You can start training pups at 2 weeks old on a very basic level. Yet like said above. Don't pull em from the mom before 8 weeks.

Also good advice on the vaccines, wait like he said. My own $.02 here is that less vaccines = better. Just do the major ones he listed, don't be sold on pumping your young pup full of vaccines and crap early.

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For food, I'd start feeding raw if you can afford it and have the time. Raw meet + raw veggies is far better than any kibble alone. I feed 66% raw and 33% blue buffalo brand (has a wolf on the front at petsmart) which has the highest protein content you can buy and ABSOLUTELY NO GRAIN FEEDS SUCH AS CORN!!!. I give vitamins as well and especially vitamin E. Also VEGGIES! My pup loves her broccoli and other common veggies. In the wild dogs will kill their prey and will first eat the stomach region of their prey which typically includes partially digested veggies! This is the BEST POSSIBLE, mother nature knew best. We can't replicate partially digested veggies however, so the next realistic bit is veggies steamed for 1 minute on high. I never give my dog doggy treats, a simple piece of frozen broccoli in very small pieces will have the dog doing any tricks you ask. She doesn't even know what treats are and I'll keep it that way.

The debate of BARF/RAW diet goes on forever. Go to Europe and you'll find the top working dogs in the world are all fed this raw diet. It shouldn't take a genius to look at a dogs teeth and recognize they shouldn't be eating grains or things like corn. Have you ever seen a dog grazing in the wheat field like a cow? NO!!!! The dogs digestive system has changed very little since it's ancestors the wolf etc. ALSO!!!! YOU WON'T FIND NATRUAL/RAW/BARF FED DOGS THAT ARE OBESE!!! You also will find less of the typical probs, cancer, arthritis etc. by feeding raw. The truth of the situation is these dog food companies could give a shit less about your dog, feeding grains in their product is cheaper then protein and they make more money this way. That's all there is to it. Don't be fooled, follow instincts and look at the teeth of this animal. This isn't hype IMO, it's very straight forward.

10000000% AGREE ON NO DOG PARKS ETC! Keep your puppy safe at home, playing around the house and yard is plenty of running for these joints that aren't ready for work yet.

 

[QUOTE=05TurboS2k,Jul 16 2010, 11:57 AM] You can start training pups at 2 weeks old on a very basic level.

 

Some other answers to your questions:

Neutering should cost you $30-70. No more.

Pet Insurance is a waste. It does not cover routine visits, minor illnesses (because of the deductible) or genetic diseases. It only pays off if your pup gets some weird serious disease or a major injury like a broken leg, hit by a car, etc..

A puppy is like a newborn baby that already walks!! Yes it will be a FULL TIME JOB!!

The average annual cost of a dog is several thousand dollars. This includes food, vet visits, toys, treats, bedding, etc.. It all adds up!!

 

[QUOTE=OverBooster,Jul 16 2010, 01:15 PM]

Pet Insurance is a waste.

 

When I get a pup, I think I'll be sending you some PMs.

Any thoughts on a Schanuzer? I really want one of those

 

My thoughts on a Schnauzer?

8/10 for tenderness but a 3/10 for flavor, they taste like cats nearly.

Generally I'm more into bite work (shutzhund) like you see police dogs doing, as well as Search & Rescue (missing persons, finding people in earthquakes).

HOWEVER.....Obedience is obedience, certainly happy to help you out with that. On rare occasion I see a small dog that's actually well trained and it's quite refreshing. Schnauzer is a great small dog for the house or apartment, plenty smart enough to learn things and a good alert dog if nothing else....sometimes too good haha.

The #1 problem w/ small dogs is because they are small and cute, people forget they still need the same (but smaller) corrections that big dogs do. I wouldn't know where to direct you for one nor what a proper one should look like other then general proper function of the animal.

If you do get one I'm happy to help though like I said!!!

************************************************** ********
REMEMBER, the "show" dogs you see on TV are sometimes horribly bred in terms of the animals actual healthy and effectiveness. This is why I like "working" dogs, they are bred to be very healthy and strong as well as having fantastic mental abilities.

Function>Form.

-Greg

 

[QUOTE]Have you considered rescuing one? Just hear me out for a second. Getting a puppy for a first dog is a lot like becoming a first time parent. Sometimes you mess up on the first kid, but start to get the training right by the 2nd and 3rd

 

I'd say almost NEVER get a pitt from a place like that..... and I'd generally avoid all dogs from places like that if it will be around family etc..... regretfully so

Highly doubt it'll even be a pitt when they say so it'll just be some bully breed that was bred by morons.

** Crate training is using a little crate to potty train and train other things.

Just put the dog in the crate at 8 weeks. Take the dog out every hour after saying something like "need to go outside?". The dog may or may not go but try to make them just go a little no matter what. If you feed, within 10min make sure you try again to get them to go #2. Keep taking the dog out every hour as much as possible. The dog will start to associate the idea of outside = potty time. By 2 weeks later you should have a pretty well potty trained dog. If you'd like to have it ring a bell like mine, simply jingle the bell a few times yourself before opening the front door. You'll be excited the first time you see your dog jingle the bell on it's own to go! NEVER EVER PUNISH YOUR DOG FOR A MISTAKE IF YOU WEREN'T THERE TO OFFER A SOLUTION!!!! A puppy is only going to understand the punishment if it's done within 1-3 seconds after the mistake. Otherwise you are being mean to your dog!!!! Focus on rewarding good behavior instead of punishing bad if possible. Also you and physically punish a dog better by multiple quick short pops of the leash until it does what you want rather then striking it out of anger. They will respond much better and not take it personally.

Generally speaking for ALL training the more the dog sits in that little box, the better. Working dogs like mine get about 15 min morning and 15 min night out of the crate. This is normal and expected for under 1 year especially. Working dogs don't get to "play", instead they consider work to be "play" and thus work harder and learn faster because its directed well. They tend to also be very happy dogs which might come as a surprise. My dog gets a day off because I'm too nice and she gets to go on a walk with me or something of that nature since shes now almost 9 months.

** KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEASH AT ALL TIMES! EVEN IN THE HOUSE IF POSSIBLE!

The more consistent you are with heeling etc. the sharper and faster this dog will respond. You can't expect a dog to understand WHEN it is time to mind and listen to you so don't be unfair, teach your dog to listen at all times instead. After a year or so you'll be able to trust it off leash and when a car comes down the street you'll know you can safely call your dog out of the road!

 

Thanks for all the great advice! How much will it run me to get the full board of vaccinations and neutering? Why do you say don't walk the pup but go ahead and take it to a beach/park? At what age should I be fine with introducing it to other dogs and such?

What type of raw meat? White or red? So I guess raw steamed veggies + raw meat + supplementary dog food =

Thanks! I'll definitely make sure the living conditions are up to par. The guy says he has the dogs staying at his mother's place so I hope she's been taking good care of them. I'll definitely check the dog I choose upside down and will plan a vet visit very soon to get things started with a proper medical history and whatnot. No other dog has been in this house for at least 7-8 years so there should be no virus worries. How long should I quarantine him inside for?

As far as health insurance goes I guess it's either the full coverage ~$65/month or bust?

The time commitment I'm prepared for, I'll have to double check the money situation if it's gonna be a couple G's a year though

Thanks for the training tips, I'll keep all of that in mind if I bring one home. I know this litter isn't from a professional breeder but the pups should still be okay right if they're from good parents?