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KobayashiMaru86

KobayashiMaru86

Totally Hooked
Apr 14, 2022
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Swansea, Wales
Should be getting my first pup soon so started looking into what to get etc. Food seems to be quite a contentious point. Lot of mainstream stuff seems crap so want to stick as natural as I can with things high in meat and veg content. Any recommendations? Will also need a good treat for training, something for teeth cleaning, etc. Also after suggestions for any "must have" kit. Have a crate for house already but want to start a bit of a shopping list and buy what I can before I get it.

Post pics of your doggos too.

Thanks in advance.
 
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https://www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=21 I use this for my lab, he absolutely loves it and is very healthy:
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I get puppy toilet pads from B&M (£14 for 100 I think) for night time and our Daxi puppy uses them nicely. Amazon sometimes have them on offer too. Wormer and Flea treatments I shop around for, Amazon or other online vet places are so much cheaper than going to the vet. Get insurance if you don’t have the savings to cope with veterinary bills; consulting fees alone can be expensive! Food is a minefield. It depends on breed, size, working/pet etc.
If you have to feed ‘dry’ get a good quality brand like James Wellbeloved or similar. All of our dogs are fed a raw diet, which we get from either ‘The Raw Factory’ or ‘The dogs Butcher’ (both brands can be found online at Raw Dog Food Company) to which I add a scoop of cheap frozen mixed veg.
Most of all just love them. Animals are innocent and loyal. There’s nothing better than a waggy tail greeting and licky kisses every morning - I do wish the wife would stop that though 😁
 
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My spaniel was on kibbles for a few years but last Feb had to be carried into the vets as she couldn't walk. It was a yeast problem caused by the high carbs and seed oils in kibbles. I bought a book called "the forever dog" and this changed my mind completely on food. I should have already known as I myself went whole food years ago and am now 8.5 stones lighter.
She now gets a raw food diet. A local farm has a proper farm shop that sells meat from its own animals and have set up a department that makes the dog food. Its a mix of beef, offal, chicken and the minced bone which is ideal as she is a gulper and can't be trusted with a raw bone. I add a few berries, chopped veg, raw egg / sardine, sea salt, olive oil and mixed herbs - all explained in the book. 2% of her body weight in food. She has lost weight. Not limped sinse and she went pale coat on kibbles and that is now coming back dark golden. She seems to be thriving and the raw meat meals costs about £1 per day (meat is £9 for 25 days + rest) and is very easy to prepare. They sell a lot of it and is becoming very popular. Buy the book by Dr Karen Becker and watch her videos. You will then also not want to give it powerfull chemicals for worming and fleas when natural food does the job. I have to give the yearly injections as I want her to go into a family home (one dog at a time home from home) on the odd occasion but the council insists on over injecting each year when those jabs are actually a lifetime jab. No wonder 55% of dogs die of cancer and live half the time they used to with things like arthritis and diabetes. I would rather use the titre test to check imunity and jab when needed after the initial jabs at one year old but their licence from the council insists yearly. real food keeps the teeth strong and clean. Junk food cloggs them up. She poops very little on real food.
My mistake was I should have trained her about being left alone at home so watch videos about separation anxiety if you don't get them used to it early it will be a problem later. I now use a Furbo so I can watch her when out. I should have also found a good place to leave her and kept putting her in there for the odd day and nights from the start even when I wasn't away so she got used to them and accepted it when I go away for a few days.
Hope this helps.
 

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The plan is to come back on my dinner hour for the first few months, mainly to feed but also so it gets used to it's own company and I'll stick a Tapo camera up so I can keep an eye when I'm not there. In Winter it will have back room and Conservatory to itself then when it dries up a garden too which is contained. I'll be sticking to raw as much as I can. Any specific treats good for training?
 
Congratulations on your forthcoming new pup.

Our border terrier is fed on Cannigans having moved over time away from cheaper brands and as he is gluten intolerant like many border terriers. Lot's of other breeds also have issues with grains and gluten so keep an eye on that. Luckily lots of companies do grain/gluten free.

Our dog chewed up puppy pads so we gave up on them. We just learnt to be hyper vigilant. It's amazing how soon you learn to spot the need to go to the toilet. It was hard at the beginning during toilet training though. I even had a diary of events :oops: so we could spot patterns.

Once possible to start socialising it is a great idea to get your pup to meet lots of other dogs. Also we found it useful to introduce audio of thunderstorms and fireworks though our lad is scared of real fireworks.

Training was fun and frustrating in equal measures. Walking loose lead took over 2 years to master but was worth it.

You'll have a great time though.

I've not found suitable car covers yet for the GR86 and have to use a bunch of towels ;)
 

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robster said:
Congratulations on your forthcoming new pup.

Our border terrier is fed on Cannigans having moved over time away from cheaper brands and as he is gluten intolerant like many border terriers. Lot's of other breeds also have issues with grains and gluten so keep an eye on that. Luckily lots of companies do grain/gluten free.

Our dog chewed up puppy pads so we gave up on them. We just learnt to be hyper vigilant. It's amazing how soon you learn to spot the need to go to the toilet. It was hard at the beginning during toilet training though. I even had a diary of events :oops: so we could spot patterns.

Once possible to start socialising it is a great idea to get your pup to meet lots of other dogs. Also we found it useful to introduce audio of thunderstorms and fireworks though our lad is scared of real fireworks.

Training was fun and frustrating in equal measures. Walking loose lead took over 2 years to master but was worth it.

You'll have a great time though.

I've not found suitable car covers yet for the GR86 and have to use a bunch of towels ;)
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Border terriers are great dogs. At 10 years old Bruce has finally started to use his own bed.
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This is Juha the Finnish lapphund (named after Finnish rally legend Kankkunen). Somehow he will fit in my GR Yaris when it eventually arrives.

As other people say; pads down for potty training. Chew toys for tooth development are a must if you value your furniture. Read up on what is recommended for your breed. My boy loves a pigs ear for a good chew too.

I use Virbac HPM dog food (for first few months it needed soaking for a minimum 4 hours to mash it up for pup). I recommend it.
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2x 3 Peaks Non Slip Mattress a great fit to cover the loadbay with the rear seats folded.

Size: Large. L:100cm x W:65cm x H:4cm - available from Petsathome.

Fabricating a dog guard on my to-do list.

Dog pics to follow
 
TheRealMyodo said:
Get a VIP account at your local PetsAtHome. You'll use it!

I got this for the backseat. Secured to the top isofix latches under the covers on the back shelf with a pair of bungie balls. Works well.

Dog seat cover

Doggo loves the car! ( this is in the GT86 I had before the GR l

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How many lessons did Doggo have before he passed his driving test? 😉🤭
 
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