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-   -   New here. Looking for advice (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=85178)

Karl Portie February 24th, 2014 06:19 PM

New here. Looking for advice
 
Hello I'm new to this forum. After 20 long patient years the time is right for me to get a dog and enjoy all the joy and perils that come with that journey. I have studied many breeds and due to my wife's allergies I went in the direction of Portuguese Water Dogs. After much research I've come to realize that this breed is a perfect fit for us. The next step was to see how my wife would react. So we spent quite a lot of time around dozens of porties. I glad to say it was a success. we have picked out our breeder and met the pups parents. The litter is due in 2 weeks and then another 8 weeks before i will be able to bring home my new best friend. It will be a long 2 1/2 months. In the meanwhile I am preparing as much as I can. Some questions I have, concern the puppy's well being. In particular I am looking for advice for which vet would be best for my Portie, anywhere in the Durham area would be great. Also I will be looking for help on finding a trainer or training classes. I have seen that I have a lot of choice in vets and trainers. I am just hoping someone will be able to guide me a good choice. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my long post.

pbpatti February 24th, 2014 08:05 PM

Welcome to pets. Karl. I live in Edmonton so no help with vet/trainers here. Congrats on getting a puppy I can't wait to see pictures of him/her when she comes home. Do you have any names yet?

Karl Portie February 25th, 2014 02:54 AM

Lol
 
That is so funny that you ask about names for our puppy. It is topic number 1
In our household. We constantly are adding and removing names from our list.
The list is full of scratch out and names squeezed in.

Our favorites for a girl are. Ripley,Finlay,Piper,Willow Quincy and Skyler
And for boys Cooper, Parker, Zig Zag (our sons favorite) Crosby ( thanks to Sundays game ) and Sawyer.

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. Also any opinions too :-)

marko February 25th, 2014 07:11 AM

First off - Welcome to the forum!

You are already SO ahead of the game because you are taking the time to research the best breed for your family in a thorough and intelligent manner. you get 5 high fives just for that. :highfive::highfive::highfive::highfive::highfive:

My best advice on a trainer is that the best ones will be referred to you by people you trust. (friends, vets etc). Never pick a trainer or a vet simply based on location - go with referrals or research. I'm in Montreal and don't know people in your area but maybe somebody on our forum will have a personal recommendation for you .

I like group obedience training versus private as the dog gets additional socialization w/other dogs. Lots of opinions on training though.

Barkingdog February 25th, 2014 01:31 PM

[QUOTE=Karl Portie;1064818]That is so funny that you ask about names for our puppy. It is topic number 1
In our household. We constantly are adding and removing names from our list.
The list is full of scratch out and names squeezed in.

Our favorites for a girl are. Ripley,Finlay,Piper,Willow Quincy and Skyler
And for boys Cooper, Parker, Zig Zag (our sons favorite) Crosby ( thanks to Sundays game ) and Sawyer.

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. Also any opinions too :-)[/QUOTE]

My last dog name was Finlay , he was a black Standard Poodle. I head it was best to use a name that has one or two syllables for a dog . They response to it better.

Karl Portie February 25th, 2014 02:51 PM

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome.:thumbs up

I do like the advice of training in a group. I know that porties really enjoy socializing so it will be a big factor in finding a training school. There is a great dog park near me, unfortunately I know that Puppies shouldn't go to the parks until they are older. So any other social options will be important

I will continue on reading the forums with all their great information. I'm sure a lot of the answers I'm looking for are on there.

The breeder has told me that she has a great vet. unfortunately he's an hour away. Although I want to make the best choice for my pet, I'm just not sure an hour drive each way is necessary.

Barkingdog February 25th, 2014 05:07 PM

You could see if there is a puppy playground around that you can be with your puppy too. I would go to the playground just to watch it before bringing your puppy then you could decide if it's a safe place for your puppy.

Lynne&Co. February 27th, 2014 12:10 PM

Congratulations on the new addition!
I'm familiar with your off-leash park in Oshawa and you are right to avoid taking your puppy there until he/she is older. I take my weim there and he just loves it (you are so lucky to have that beautiful park). I do not take my papillon as some of the dogs get pretty boisterous and can unintentionally hurt the little ones.
Maybe make a few visits to Harmony Valley and ask around some of the owners advice on their vet experiences would be a good start. I found the park to be great socializing time for both me and my dog:thumbs up
FYI if you are on or near the Whitby/Oshawa border, I would highly recommend Dr. Kathy Kivi @ the Brooklin Vet Hospital on HWY 7 & Thickson.

Karl Portie February 27th, 2014 08:35 PM

That's great advice about asking around at the dog park. Don't know why it didn't dawn on me.

It is a great park. We take walks through it regularly and we didn't even have a dog. It will be a treat to bring Portie when it's old enough. I'm sure he'll love the creek. :)

Brooklyn isn't that far so having that reference is a great start. Thank you


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