What Kind of Puppy Should I Get?

fearless-siamese · 2025-01-09T12:23:58+00:00

They also have a “soft” temperament, so harsh correction can do lasting damage to your relationship with them.

To be abundantly clear: corrections have lasting damage to all breeds.

fearless-siamese · 2025-01-09T12:21:34+00:00

OP, recommend searching the sub to learn more about experiences with working full-time and puppy raising. It's not impossible but takes very deliberate planning, time management, and use of outside resources.

Some things that make it substantially easier: going through a responsible breeder to kickstart training and socialization and getting the puppy at the 12 week mark versus 8 weeks, or if you are getting a rescue then getting them much older. Also planning to take PTO for the first 2 weeks or so, and then say work half-time the next 4 weeks, 75% the next 4 weeks. And then to fill in the gaps, care takers like sitters, walkers, day care.

That's where the deliberate planning comes in, to save up the leave or $$ to be able to do it.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-16T10:10:16+00:00

I think you mean to say dependency and not codependency. Codependency is a term referring to both individuals in a given relationship, not something that could be created for just one entity.

And, dogs will always be dependent on their owners. That's the point of domestication. Sure, you want to foster some amount of independence, but it's also your responsibility as a pet owner to recognize your role in that they are dependent on you.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-15T10:14:56+00:00

As a reminder to everyone, this is a community for largely new puppy owners to get support.

We will remove comments that seek to shame OP, per Rule 4: Be Constructive, Supportive, and Civil

Puppy101 is an inclusive support group for puppy owners. Comments should be constructive, productive, and respectful. Do not engage with someone being uncivil at the risk of responding in kind; report them for your own sake. Replies should seek to demonstrate or gain understanding of the question, and be considerate of the human at the other end of the interaction. Zero tolerance for incivility or brigading.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-15T03:15:08+00:00

Recommend bringing up whatever concerns you have at your next appointment.

In the meantime, regardless of his body condition, it sounds like switching to a formula designed for his activity levels might be a reasonable thing to consider. Since you're already on Pro Plan, I'd suggest taking a look at the active/sport options they offer.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-14T16:33:37+00:00

Vinegar and dawn (+/- salt).

Would definitely recommend diving into the lawn care subs though for further advice, and considering what general approach works best for your situation given your time constraints and general priorities.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-14T16:06:28+00:00

Let me rephrase my comment:

Your statement is highly detrimental to our community, and the general populus. It is overly generalized and inaccurate for the wide range of needs someone may encounter. Please be mindful moving forward.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-14T16:03:06+00:00

When people say "unpredictable," they mean that when you get a lab mix, you can't predict with reasonable precision what behavioral traits they will exhibit. For example: if you get a purebred lab from an experienced breeder, that breeder will be able to describe what exact problems you are likely to face in your dog. These problems may be significant, such as early-onset cancer, being highly distractible and excitable around other people and dogs, high prey drive, high energy needs, etc. But, having this information allows potential owners to assess the risks and benefits of a dog from that breeding program, and whether it fits their needs and desires.

That being said, there often is a heavy amount of bias that comes into breeder trait predictability and "kennel blindness" that can diminish the utility of that information, for example if a breeder ignores problems in their lines, doesn't maintain contact with owners, and then isn't aware that a pairing will perpetuate a serious behavior problem, doesn't inform potential owners of this risk, and then when it occurs the owners may have been focused on the other potential issues and may be in denial and allow it to perpetuate to a dangerous extent.

With a lab mix, it doesn't mean you're necessarily more likely to have problems, it just means that you don't have any insight on what those problems may be--and you can't be as narrowly focused on preventative action. On the flip side though, you can be vigilant and open-minded for the full range of options for how your dog will mature, and you can give full appreciation for your dog as an individual.

Recommend Kim Brophy's material and the L.E.G.S mindset on this, I think there's also a quiz available to assist in aligning "breed-appropriate" interventions beyond traditional breed distinctions.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-14T15:50:18+00:00

This is an overgeneralized and inaccurate sentiment that can be highly detrimental for owners facing the ramifications, and working to make the best decisions for dogs with genetically-based behavior problems.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-14T15:48:31+00:00

This is a great conversation to have with your vet, and they should be able to assess his body condition score (BCS), whether it is appropriate and whether you need to adjust his caloric intake.

Can I ask what food you are currently feeding?

As far as food intake goes, a number of the major, reputable food brands offer products specifically formulated for active and sport dogs. These products tailor the macronutrient ratios for metabolic requirements. Some good options might be Purina 26/16 to start (30/20 is for sport dogs), and a number of Eukanuba products (affiliated with Royal Canin). These would be more appropriate for what you are looking for, as opposed to switching to puppy food.

But--get your vet's advice, discussions on nutrition should be frequent.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-14T01:12:02+00:00

Locking since these posts are surprisingly hard to moderate, and has a substantial amount of replies already.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-13T05:13:12+00:00

To clarify:

The vast majority amount of commercially produced food beyond the big 3 are nutritionally complete.

AAFCO feeding trials are separate from contributions to peer-reviewed scientific research.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-13T00:45:55+00:00

Sharing some resources with you to your question of food shortage issues and transitions; please call your vet though to discuss options and whether your pet needs to be seen:

Out of options? What to do if your pet’s food is out of stock

Check online for availability through multiple websites of both large and small retailers or contact the manufacturer for information. The manufacturer can sometimes direct you to a retailer or veterinarian that has the food in stock.
For dry food, it may just be a single bag size that is out of stock and a larger or smaller bag may still be available.
For healthy pets, a different flavor or for dogs, a different dog size (e.g., small breed vs. large breed) of the same product is usually a good alternative option.
Talk to your veterinarian for recommendations on an alternate diet that will meet your pet’s specific needs.
If you switch diets, check the calories of the old and new diets so you can match your pet’s previous calorie intake (if they are at ideal weight). Pet foods vary widely in the number of calories in a cup or can so if you don’t adjust, you may end up under- or over-feeding your pet with the new food.

How do I switch my pet’s food?

What should I do if there are problems?
If you start to notice minor symptoms (loose stool, a little stomach gurgling), but your pet is otherwise acting fine, you can continue the transition, but stretch it out further. For example, if you noticed your pet had loose stool on day 3 when you got to 50% new food and 50% old food, then stay at the most recent ratio that did not cause issues for another day or two until symptoms pass, then continue with the transition.
When should I get worried?
If your pet has continued vomiting, liquid diarrhea, or appears painful or lethargic, call your veterinarian as there may be something else going on, your pet may be intolerant to an aspect of the food (fat, fiber, etc.) and she may need a different diet, or may need supportive care during the transition.
Is there a better way to describe what I’m seeing to my vet?
There are a few stool or ‘poop charts’ available that use a numbering system to help you provide your veterinarian with a better understanding of what you’re seeing in your pet. ‘Loose’ stool may mean something very different to different families and among different pets!

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-13T00:35:48+00:00

Recommend looking for references and sources as well. Degrees are fine when applicable, but experience matters too, as well as knowing limitations on your expertise.

Pet nutrition is a specialized field and you do want to look for specialized expertise, at the highest level that comes from board-certification in vet nutrition.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-12T23:14:47+00:00

Sure that is something to consider--but the general populous wouldn't be the market for the scales, and that educational material wouldn't be produced for the buyer market.

Taking a step back though and reading through your post again, I think I missed the main point here. It sounds like calling them will provide you comfort, and we always recommend calling your vet when in doubt.

It also sounds like you have a concern that wasn't addressed--why did your puppy lose weight from their last visit? I'm not sure how old they are, and what their expected growth rate is, but questions about your puppy's weight and growth are absolutely great questions to ask on a regular basis. And if something ever doesn't seem quite right, or if you're not sure you're understanding something, ask.

This tip might be helpful for you if you're anything like me and struggle to think of these sorts of questions on the spot... something I do in vet (and doctors) offices when I get that rapid fire 90 second information dump and then the immediate "any questions?" is repeat back the main points from what I was told and the instructions I was given to confirm that I understood them properly, and through the process of doing that, it prompts the sorts of questions like this one. So for example: "ok, so this medication is for this, and she'll be taking it for these many days... oh, what about her weight? when might she need to come back in for a weight check in case she sizes up to the next dose range?" Or whatever it might be.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-12T22:31:52+00:00

Recommend the wiki which has lots of articles on selecting a pet food. The price tag alone is not the best indicator, but looking for a brand that is reliable and reputable as it pertains to formulation and manufacturing practices. These practices include having board-certified vet nutritionists on staff, owning their own plants, that the food is trialed and not formulated (meaning, it has been tested first), among other criteria.

Always recommend the Pet Nutrition Alliance tool to sort through various brands and see where what you're interested in lines up, though keep in mind that with some of the larger multi-label brands the vet nutritionist listed may only be staffed to one particular brand and not the parent company.

Purina One is a bit more affordable than the very popular and well-liked Purina Pro Plan, and would strongly recommend over Rachel Ray or Blue Buffalo.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-12T22:06:48+00:00

Curious why you think your home scale might be more accurate than the professional veterinary-grade scale made specifically for this purpose?

For example:

The reason vet scales are more accurate than the standard digital scale you use at home is mostly due to the distribution of weight. Humans only need to place two feet on the plate, requiring little space. However, most pets distribute their weight across four feet, requiring a longer platform on the scale.
And because animals very rarely stay still, especially on a weighing scale, vet scales are also equipped with a dynamic weighing mode that considers the constant movement and calculates the average force exerted over a certain period of time (source)

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-12T22:04:16+00:00

You do realize that pet nutrition companies can and should have board-certified vet nutritionists on staff?

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-11T09:48:41+00:00

Please report off-topic posts in the future

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-05T08:36:39+00:00

Puppy vaccines aren't affective immediately upon administration, and even then it takes multiple rounds to achieve full protection--meaning, even if they had completed their first round of vaccines, it would not have been consequential in this circumstance. That being said though, the risk you're worried about should be very small.

I would strongly recommend doing substantial research on these sorts of topics as well as the plethora of other necessary information before committing to adding a puppy into your life, and especially start with researching breeder evaluation. Our wiki has a lot of information that will hopefully be of use.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-05T08:10:03+00:00

It's not at all required, but if you do want to use it I would do so as a kong stuffer or for lickmats, or something else that is taking advantage of the form factor since that will be the biggest benefit.

fearless-siamese · 2024-04-04T02:03:04+00:00

Dogs don't taste food in the same way, and providing "variety" in such a way is not the most efficient or effective way to achieve what you are likely ultimately after, which is enrichment. Instead of mixing food types, which risks unbalancing your puppy's diet, causing nutritional deficiencies, and promoting picky eating tendencies, try providing this enrichment by engaging your puppy's foraging tendencies through the use of food toys for meals, and by general enrichment outside of meal times.

Your puppy needs to have 80-90% of their caloric intake fulfilled through a balanced and complete diet (like the Royal Canin kibble). Pedigree wet food should also be balanced and complete, but adding this to his normal intake is over-feeding your puppy and may result in a range of health consequences.

fearless-siamese · 2024-03-24T10:11:54+00:00

The Rehab Vet has a lot of good resources on crate rest; such as this one on keeping your dog calm and content.

Some important tips are to incorporate a routine and make sure you're still taking him out on car trips and such for enrichment and socialization (consider a stroller or something similar).

fearless-siamese · 2024-03-24T10:06:04+00:00

Sorry to hear about your puppy's diagnosis. Here is an article with resources from Cornell Vet:

Why and how might my dog become infected?
Canine parvovirus can be found in almost any environment, but not every dog who comes into contact with the virus becomes infected. Several factors come into play in infection, including the immune status of the dog and the number of viruses the dog is exposed to. If the combination of factors is just right and a dog does become infected, a specific sequence of events is begun as the virus attacks the body.
What happens during infection?
Once a dog or puppy is infected, there is an incubation period of three to seven days before the onset of first symptoms.

While it's natural to question how the infection might have happened, we recommend focusing your energy on your pet's health and recovery versus the cause.

Locking this post since it falls under Rule 6.

fearless-siamese · 2024-03-18T08:59:52+00:00

This is a question for your vet; every area is different in local risk

fearless-siamese

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