ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/11/2012 2:45 PM |
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Howdy. Besides family pets as a kid, I am a first time dog owner. I am picking up my 8 week old GSP, Manziel, on Friday and the wheels are-a-turning.Find a vet, get a leash, etc. I want to be ahead of the game so Ive read a lot of stuff and would like some direct advice from yall please. Here's what I know right now. Manziel is AKC registered. His mom is 48lbs and his dad is 78lbs. He was part of his mom's first litter at age 2 and a half.
So, my most important conceern right now is his health, maily food and proper healthcare. Any advise is greatly appreciated especially on the food. I imagine my vet will put me on a healthcare schedule. Thanks. I'll post pics when I get him. He's liver. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7864
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| 12/11/2012 4:53 PM |
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| Basic stuff is dog bed, crate, toys, leash and collar, water bowl and feeding bowl. Find out from the breeder what dog food they are feeding and feed the same thing until you have a chance to do the dog food research and decide what you ultimately want to feed. Lot's of discussions on this forum on food. When you do change, change slowly. Take your puppy to the vet as soon as you can for a check up and a shot schedule. The vet will tell you when you need to bring your puppy back. Be sure you get the AKC paperwork from the breeder so you can register your dog. Pick out a name and ask the breeder if they have any name requirements like do you have to use the kennel name in your name. Start looking for a puppy obedience class and talk to them and make plans. Start obedience right away and socialization, but keep in mind you dog has not had all their immunizations so do not take your pup around allot of strange dogs. Get some dog training books and start reading now. Oh, and don't forget to post pictures when he gets home. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/11/2012 6:53 PM |
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Texas Belle- You're the reason I joined this site. With thousands of posts, the fact that I live in Kyle and work in Austin, and the great info you gave others I thought I might be able to contact you eventually. You were the first reply.....awesome!!!! Thanks for the insight. I have chosen the name Manziel after my alma mater's recent Heisman winner Johnny Football. haha I am a little unclear on how the name I've chosen needs to be cleared with the breeder or for AKC registration. Did I read something wrong? |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 12/11/2012 7:09 PM |
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| Some breeders have a theme for their litters others leave it all up to you... if the have a theme they will explain it... welcome to the site cant wait for puppy pics... |
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ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/11/2012 7:52 PM |
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| Thanks Splat! Manziel's pics coming Friday. He's a Christmas gift from my gal. Maybe I'll post her (surprise) Christmas gift too, the ring... :-O |
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NixiesMark
Texas
MH
Posts:120
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| 12/11/2012 8:06 PM |
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Just from your name I knew you were an Aggie! I'm a former student myself so welcome! I have an 8 month old myself and she's my first pup too. I didn't do a lot of research other than on the breed beforehand so I had a lot to learn (still am). It's a great thing you're on here so you can get some great advise! One thing that helped when I first brought her home was putting something with my scent on it (an old t-shirt I had) in her crate. I thankfully didn't have any crying problems during the nights.
Also, the breeder gave me about 10 cups of food they fed their puppies so I could wean her onto the other food like Texas Belle said. And definitely do the obedience training. I regret not starting them when she was younger (classes). Fortunately my sister is great with dogs and helped me tremendously but I'm working on not being a push-over!
Most of all, have fun and enjoy little Manziel!  Looking forward to pictures! |
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ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/11/2012 8:26 PM |
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Thanks and Gig em,Nixies! My gals an Aggie too and this has been a great season. We talked about names for 10 seconds. Johnny, Heisman, Manziel???? Manziel it is. I plan on taking him to the vet and classes ASAP according to yalls advice. Cotton Bowl Bound too!!!
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1197
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| 12/11/2012 9:43 PM |
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Welcome, ManzielsDad! Congrats on your Christmas gift and new addition (and when the surprise is no longer a surprise, congrats to you and your girl too!). OH MAN, the natural feel good of an engagement and a puppy is going to give you guys one incredible Christmas this year  ENJOY the puppy stage, it goes by WAY too fast.
With the naming...our breeders didn't require it, but I noticed from Bella's family history that most of the dog's names contained a bit from both the father and mother for the AKC name (doesn't have to be their everyday name). Bella would "officially" be Bella Mae's Rusty Royal. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7864
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| 12/11/2012 10:23 PM |
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Congrats on the new puppy and the engagement. As for the naming, as splat said some have a theme, but they also require the kennel name in the registered name. My kennel name is Yellow Rose so when I sell my puppies I put in the contract that they have to use Yellow Rose as the first part of the name, then they can use anything else. I named my girl Yellow Rose's Gift of Song and I call her Fauna. Her sister is Yellow Rose's Sleeping Beauty and she is called Rose. The theme was Disney/Sleeping Beauty. Your breeder might not care, but you should probably ask. The call name came be a part of the official name or not. In the two examples I just gave the call name was something totally different from their registered name. With my male his registered name is Madrone Johnny Ringo. The kennel I got him from is Madrone, the them was any name with Ring in it. I call him Ringo. Anyway you get the idea.
Can't wait to see puppy pictures too. Are you planning on doing anything special with your new puppy? There are some hunt tests coming up at the shorthair lease in Cibolo, TX in March. I plan on running my baby girl and hopefully finish her Junior Hunter. If you are interested I will let you know exact dates and you can come down and meet allot of shorthair folks and see some nice hunting dogs. And it is always allot of fun. Also, there are some dog shows coming up in Feb and March in San Marcos and San Antonio. Again, I can let you know when if you guys are interested.
I am glad you joined, but would you have joined if you had known I was a Longhorn? LOL. Yep, I bleed orange and we bled pretty bad this year. Welcome again to the forum and look forward to meeting someday soon.
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Chimi-Changa
Westborough, MA
JH
Posts:36
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| 12/12/2012 9:14 AM |
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| Good luck with the pup! Have fun, and don't forget to take a ton of pictures- they grow up real quick. |
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therozypozy
MH
Posts:471
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| 12/12/2012 10:28 AM |
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Congrats on getting your first puppy and it is awesome you chose a GSP! Congrats too on the engagement. Wow two big steps in life all at once!
You are right about Texas Belle . . . she is where I got my second GSP Java from. Lots of good information from her.
What I try to do with a new puppy is to introduce something new every day. It can be anything, a different type of surface for them to walk on, like tile, laminate floor, sandy beach. It can be a new sound, a new person, new place, etc. It is just a good approach to socialization.
And yes, we all can't wait for photos. Love those liver pups as I am partial to chocolate labs too!
Roz.
PS And while I am not a Texas fan, I can still appreciate them. My mother was from Texas and my father from Arkansas. They were both die hard fans from their states although we always lived in Louisiana! |
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ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/12/2012 1:10 PM |
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All this is really good stuff. Thank yall so much. Looks like a little delay in getting Manziel. It won't be until Sunday now. Lots of pinned up excitement right now. I grew up in Austin so I am very used to yall Horns Texas Belle. And I'd love to get Manziel out with some of yalls events.
Quick question about changing dog foods gradually? Is this a mixing current with new food thing or is it an entire meal replaced with the new stuff gradually? Also, Do I need to feed him 2 or 3 times a day? Thanks again. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7864
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| 12/12/2012 1:20 PM |
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Yeah the last couple of days waiting is the hardest. As for the changing of the food, I would keep him on what the breeder is feeding him the first couple of days and then start gradually changing him over by mixing the new food in a little at a time. So maybe mix in a quarter of the new food with the rest his regular food for a few days and if he has no problems then go up to half and half for a few days until you get him switched over. At 8 weeks I feed 3 times a day. You can go down to twice a day at about 4 months. Ask your breeder what they recommend too.
By the way what kennel are you getting your boy from? Just curious if I know them or not. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/12/2012 11:26 PM |
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The breeder is feeding him Purina Puppy Chow. I've read some articles lately regarding supermarket bought dog food. I couldn't tell if these were dog food snobs or if it was as unhealthy as they say. I'm really concerned about feeding him healthy food but probably cant do the high end price. Any advice?
Also, the breeder does not have a name requirement and is not registered as a kennel. He does have the akc paperwork and the shots he got him. Should I be concerned? He posted some videos on youtube of some training he was doing with a rod and reel and toy bird. So far he has seemed like a nice guy that probably just decided to breed his hunting dog.
Lastly, he had two males and asked if we were ok with the bigger male.....didn't know if I should be...
Thanks for the continuing advice on this! Oh and a photo is available on my profile. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7864
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| 12/13/2012 12:12 AM |
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I wouldn't worry too much about size because just because they are big as a puppy that does not necessarily mean they will be big as adults. Your pup will likely grow to be about the same as the parents.
As for food, I am not a fan of puppy chow, but there are worse foods. I personally us Purina Pro Plan Performance. It is an all life stages food so you could start your puppy on it now and you wouldn't need to change again later. It is also pretty reasonably priced and easy to get.
As for the rest I wouldn't worry as long as he is getting his shots and he has the papers. Did the breeder do any health testing before the breeding? Hips would be the main thing, but there are some other tests as well that I do on my females I breed. I suspect he didn't do any testing, so I would just inquire as to any issues he may have seen with the parents. I would also take the pup to your vet right away too. Ask the breeder if he wormed the puppies. It is very common for puppies to get worms and I always worm my puppies a couple times before they go home. If he hasn't been wormed definitely worm him. Do you have a vet picked out? If not, my vet is on William Canon and IH 35 which is in South Austin and convenient to Kyle. The clinic is Century Vet Hospital and the vets there are all excellent. If you go there tell them Bev Quarles recommended them. They are used to shorthairs because they take care of my 4, my dad's girl (she is one of the pups from my last litter), and one of my puppy buyer's boy also from my last litter. They also did the c section on my girl with my last litter.
He is a cutie, and from the picture he doesn't look big. If you have any more questions just ask. Also if you want to talk offline you can call me, just PM me and I will send you my phone number. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 12/13/2012 5:23 AM |
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| I also use the purina pro plan performance... it isn't found in my grocery store I have to get it t farm and fleet or petco/petsmart... |
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ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/13/2012 8:57 AM |
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| The grandparent had been tested for the eyes and hips but the parents have not been tested yet. Also, he added that they've only had their parvo and distemper. Does that mean he has not been wormed? Any concern there? I have not official chosen a vet but there are two here in Kyle I'm considering. I appreciate the reference to the William Cannon vet. Is there any benefit to the vet being within a mile of my house for emergency reasons or would it be worth going to the William Cannon one if they're excellent vets? They're probably all Aggies regardless is a benefit. Haha. Thanks again and again!! |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7864
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| 12/13/2012 9:20 AM |
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I wouldn't worry about the worming, just get the vet you go to give you the meds to worm him yourself when you get him. As for which vet, pick one you like and trust. For emergencies (and you will probably have some being a shorthair owner) the regular vets are not usually open on weekends or evenings anyway, so that doesn't really matter with regard to your vet selection. You might want to get a vet closer to you, but know that if you ever need a second opinion or anything like that that the Century Animal Hospital is good. Also, there is an excellent specialty hospital in South Austin too, but hopefully you will never need a specialty vet.
Just to clarify my comment on needing emergency vets with the shorthairs, they are fearless and seem to get themselves hurt someway or another when they are younger. I have visited the emergency vet up by me several times with my dogs, mostly for nasty gashes. They always manage to get hurt after hours. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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ManzielsDad
Posts:17
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| 12/13/2012 9:44 AM |
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| Haha I was a little worried there for a second about emergencies being a staple with the GSP but I get it now. Just got back more info from the breeder. Said the grandparents were certified as "all good" and that I can start him on any brand of heart worm medicine that I choose. Any suggestions. Also confidently said they were healthy dogs and if anything happens this first year that he'll buy him back. I thought that was a decent guarantee. So now for that list of puppy "stuff". I gotta buddy that offered his medium dog size crate for free. Everything else pretty self explanatory but the dog bed...any specifics? Size or material from allergies? When I drive him home from Hillsboro, should I crate him in the truck, in the bed of the truck, or just let him play around in the truck. I have a new truck so I can only imagine the claw damage if I let him run free. Just want him to be comfortable but not be a pushover and let him reign free. Also figure the crate in the bed would be cold and ill prolly want to talk to him haha |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7864
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| 12/13/2012 9:59 AM |
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I would crate him in the truck. In the bed my be a bit scary for a puppy first time away from his family. As for a bed I just get some inexpensive blankets or quilts and use those in the crate. That way they can rearrange them and snuggle into them and if they chew or tear them up it is not a huge expense. I also have a wide variety of dog beds in the house in various rooms and I work with them from the get go on not chewing on dog beds. Get a dog bed that you like and one where you can remove the casing and wash it. Other than that there are no real guidelines. You might also want to ask the breeder to throw and old rag or something in with momma and the siblings. Something you can take home when you pick him up. Then he will have that with his families smells on it for the trip home and the first few nights. Makes the transition a bit easier. I would get the large size of beds as he will grow into them.
And for advice, remember that what you allow him to do now he will want to do when he is bigger. So, I start mine from the beginning riding in the back seat and that way they never want in the front see with the driver. I also discourage jumping as puppies and biting. Both become bad habits when they are older. Get him on a leash as early as you can too and if he pulls on the leash in fear talk to him calmly and let up the pressure on the leash and getting him following you with your voice and a toy. It will make his leash training much easier. Start his obedience training as soon as he gets home, but make it a game and use dinner time as there is no better reward than dinner. Finally enjoy his puppy stage because it goes by so quickly. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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