- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
Awe! I still remember the night I got my first pet EVER. A Yorkshire Terrier. Watching her sleep next to her little brother-also yorkie brings tears to my eyes. My advice- it's okay to be nervous! I was nervous both times. With my first, she didn't bark. at all. I thought I had been scammed (even though I used a show breeder straight off AKC website). But, eventually when I took a shower the next day she immediately ran to the bathroom door and I heard this little bark! With the boy I was worried how she (being the alpha diva she is) would respond to a new little brother. She picked up his leash off the floor, put it in her mouth and started taking him around the house showing him the different rooms. Now, the breeder said she would do this and I thought she was crazy, but it happened before my brother and I's own eyes! Whew, that's a novel. Savior the time as it never gets old and will always be great.
Oh, and take a potty pad outside that is scented to attract pets so the dog can begin to learn to pee outside. Ours are indoor/outdoor trained. Give plenty of time to use bathroom too. Puppy is just as nervous as you!
CONGRATULATIONS!
ETA: If you want more like useful advice- show the dog it's food and water bowls early in addition to where it will use restroom. Don't take the dog into rooms they won't be allowed in. Show the dog to it's bed/sleeping quarters, and allow them to just explore their new environment. Mine waited until I was in bed and that's how I learned she could jump from the floor ALL the way up to my bed (and it's really high.) If she had those kind of ups I thought she deserved to sleep in the bed with me. Now little man....had to buy him some of those pet stairs as he acts like a helpless little old man. If you have ANY questions at all let me know. I'll be glad to try to help. I've had my dogs for 5 1/2 years now in apartments and a house.
Aww, congrats! No real advice, just try to gauge what he wants and needs and try to make him feel comfortable. He will love you in no time!
Thanks everyone! So far we have had a pretty successful first night ( fingers crossed).
He LOVES me, if I do say so myself lol, he follows me around constantly and cried when I went to take a bath. I think my FI feels slightly jealous. We left him in the kennel for about 5 minutes to take out the trash and he freaked out, started barking and whining. As soon as he heard us come back he was fine.
@lawgirl12: we did buy some of the mats to put down to help with pottie training, but he hasnt had any accidents in the house yet and went when I took him out. I think he could sense I was kind of nervous at first because he was so rambunctious! Right now he is sleeping next to us in his bed, but we still want him to be kennel trained so we will move him to the kennel when everyone goes to bed in a few.
He took to the water/food bowls pretty instantly, and he did some commands like "sit", so we gave him a small treat when he obeyed. So far, so good! I just hope he is OK to be in the kennel by himself
@PitBulLover: we think he is mixed pit... you can see it in his jaw/mouth! Our apt doesn't allow "aggresive breeds", although... I wouldn't consider a 30 pound terrier/pit mix aggresive at all!
Congratulations!! He is so cute and seems so loving! If you're crate training him (which I highly recommend), I would put a shirt or something that smells like you and/or your FI so he feels comforted while you guys are sleeping or working. Thats what I did for my dogs and it seems to help any anxiety new pets might have. Good luck and have fun!!
@Amanda_Rae: I definitely see pit in him but I'm sure you can pass him off as something else too. Youre lucky he is on the smaller side because anything 40+ lbs and I feel like apt complexes start becoming more suspicious. I'm sure you will be fine! He is so cute!!
@zoesmom126: that is a great idea! I will have to try that
@PitBulLover: thank you! I think he should be fine, we adopted him at 2 years so he shouldn't get any bigger really.
He loves his bed, so I am very happy about that!
Awww congrats, what a cutie. It warms my heart when people adopt 'older' animals. Zues is super cute and he's lucky to have you guys in his life! Are you crating him or will he sleep with you?? I honestly cant remember what happened when we got our pups that first night lol some whimpering but nothing too crazy.
@MissTX: well, we TRIED to crate him but he cried and cried and cried, so he ended up at the foot of the bed and slept like a baby. He and my FI were snoring so much they were startling one another!
Oh my goodness, what a cutie! Well you made it through the first night but my advice in general is to expect your dog's behavior to change as your bond continues to change and grow. We thought we had the most chill dog every for the first few weeks until she started to come out of her shell in her new home and display what a confident dog she is! Maybe this is rare for a shelter dog but boy, were we shocked!
The crying will probably ease up as your dog realizes that you can leave his sight and it doesn't mean you're leaving forever. For sleeping, we started out great on the floor in our room but it didn't last, so we switched over to the crate and that's going really well. Expect changes and don't be afraid to try new things to find what works! He is so adorable!
@phillygirl629: thank you!
We are all getting used to one another... and I think so far he is happy :)
We have been working with him a lot just introducing him to what he can/can't do. He is smart so he is picking it up. He likes to play bite a lot when he gets riled up, so we try to be firm with him when he does that.
No accidents yet in the house, but he will go in his crate again tonight.
Soooo awesome! Keep up the good work! You guys are doing great as parents ;)
He is too stinkin cute!!!!!!
Congratulations ! He is so cute !! :) Did you ask the person you got him from what his sleeping habits were ?
@maudemaisha: we adopted him from the local animal shelter and they didnt know much about his previous owners. They must've worked with him some because he knows how to let us know he needs to go out and he also knows some commands.
@Amanda_Rae: I'm glad things are going so well! Our dog also used to play bite a lot with us at first when she would get really excited but a firm NO and a minute or two break from play has really helped us. She does it much less now and when she does, accepts correction quickly. It takes time for them to learn impulse control and restraint but it's so fun to see them learn and grow (in my dorky owner opinion!).
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| MissBoPeep | 94 |
| ndreighton | 77 |
| hisgoosiegirl | 56 |
| beargoose | 55 |
| Mrs.KMM | 46 |
| akp0702 | 42 |
| BetterSherm | 42 |
| MrsBlueSeptember | 41 |
| MrsPom | 37 |
| Beckster329 | 37 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| capergrrl | 6 |
| Natalieh86 | 4 |
| jaguar | 3 |
| CallmeC | 3 |
| Cady | 3 |
| oracle | 2 |
| LAZB | 2 |
| Mrs.KMM | 2 |
| SoupyCat | 2 |
| Gabrielle123 | 2 |
My FI and I adopted a terrier/pit mix today, his name is Zeus and he is FULL of energy!
giving daddy some love!
So.. any tips on the first night of pet ownership??? I am prepared to not sleep a wink!