34 days til I get my Cav! Couple of newbie questions :)

Hi everyone!

You have no idea how excited I am about getting my cav (actually you probably know exactly how I feel!!)

Ive been an avid reader of these threads on this site for well over a year now, and finally the time has come when everything is set for us to get a puppy. I'm picking my cav up on 6th Sept hopefully (my birthday!) and im hoping to get a tri. if not, then a blenheim.

I just wanted to ask a couple of puppy-related questions and thought it best to ask cav owners so that the answers are more suitable!

1, Vacciniations - when does he need them exactly, what ones does he have and how much are they?

2, Ive seen the lists of things we need to buy. Do we get a crate to ask as a sort of baby playpen? (ie to stop him sneaking around the house and getting lost!)

3, Should we start toilet training asap, getting him used to where he needs to go etc. How long on average will this take?

4, I know that we cant take him for walks etc until after the jabs, but is he safe to go out straight after these even if hes still quite little? or do you just just it off his personality?

I know theres a lot there but from what ive seen youre all lovely people and im hoping you can help me out with these questions!!

Look forward to posting more soon,
Laura Williams xxx

Welcome!

You also posted into the breed rescue section -- are you looking for a second dog, or were you offering to help with breed rescue? Sorry just a little confused there!

Given that you are a newbie to owning a dog, I'd urge you immediatey order from Amazon in the UK, Dr Ian Dunbars book before and afetr you get a puppy (title is along those lines). This is an excellent basic manual you can refer to over and over and will cover all these kinds of questions.

I would NOT get a second dog until your puppy is at least a year old and well trained and you are sure you want the responsibility, costs and can give the extra time to two. You will find that out over the coming year as you get used to your new pup, but your new pup will also be very time consuming and needs your 100% focus for his first year.

Briefly:

1, Vacciniations - when does he need them exactly, what ones does he have and how much are they?

He should have his first vax when you get your puppy (please ONLY deal with reputable, UK Cavalier Club registered breeder who can show you proper health testing certs -- also reputable breeders bdo not tend to home puppies before they are about 10 weeks so beware if you are being offered a younger puppy). He will then need either a second or third set of jabs depending on the vet and approach. You need to call a vet to get costs and further details on what he needs to have for your area.

2, Ive seen the lists of things we need to buy. Do we get a crate to ask as a sort of baby playpen? (ie to stop him sneaking around the house and getting lost!)

You should get a crate and an exercise pen is very useful. There are threads on crate training in the Library.

3, Should we start toilet training asap, getting him used to where he needs to go etc. How long on average will this take?

Of course unless you want him peeing and pooping on your floor! :lol: Please immediately order Shirlee Kalstone's book on housetraining as it will explain an excellent programme. On average your dog will BEGIN to be reliable around 5-6 months old. Most dogs will continue to have accidents til around age 1. If you can be consistent, never punish, always reward desired behaviour, and give 100% supervision and management 100% of the time, housetraining will go much faster. The reason it takes longer is because we owners fail to be attentive enough and assume the dog understands more than it can as a baby and has learned more than it has. BEWARE believing you have housetrained your dog simply after you get a few days of no accidents! It is a longish process (hence many people prefer to get an adult who is already through this time consuming task).

4, I know that we cant take him for walks etc until after the jabs, but is he safe to go out straight after these even if hes still quite little? or do you just just it off his personality?

No, he cannot go out til *two weeks* AFTER the FINAL jab in the entire series. This is usually around or just under three months of age.

we found a breeder but havent paid a deposit yet and i noticed the rehoming section and thought id post a quick message incase we can help out with a dog that needs to be rehomed!
Thanks so much for your reply, just what I needed. Ive printed off a lot of the guides you have posted in the the forum about caring for a new puppy and i will get that book you mentioned too

thanks again
Laura

Laura you sound so excited!!!

In all the excitement please, please only look for a puppy from a good breeder and by this I mean a breeder that has shown you all the recent health certificates for the bitch AND the dog.... eyes, heart and possibly clear MRI's for SM? is your breeder up to date with her knowledge on breeding recommendations on SM? is she following them?
Look for a UK club registered breeder and keep away from the puppy farms and back yard breders etc. Also make sure that you see mum with her pups, how old is mum? how many litters has she had? ask all these questions and whatever else you can think, a good breeder will be only to happy to answer and will be pleased to see that you have done your research.

I cannot urge you enough though to really think and find out about the health of this breed first, especially MVD and SM and make sure you really understand about it. Also don't forget the insurance, look for "Lifetime Condition Cover" try AXA, M&S, Pinnicle, these will give you cover for a lifetime on a condition not just the average 12 months, a must for MVD and SM. These companies can all give you an online quote and start up.

So good luck with some health research first, and when you bring that darling home we want pictures!!!

Alison.