Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Introduce yourself here - Say hello

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old February 24th, 2014, 06:19 PM
Karl Portie Karl Portie is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Oshawa
Posts: 4
Smile 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.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old February 24th, 2014, 08:05 PM
pbpatti's Avatar
pbpatti pbpatti is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 2,874
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?
__________________
It Is What It Is
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old February 25th, 2014, 02:54 AM
Karl Portie Karl Portie is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Oshawa
Posts: 4
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 :-)
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old February 25th, 2014, 07:11 AM
marko's Avatar
marko marko is offline
Administrator - Pet lover
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada
Posts: 12,651
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.

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.
__________________
Please tactfully EDUCATE or IGNORE posters you don't agree with.
Please PM me & Include URLs and post #'s for any issues and it's my pleasure to help.
I'm firm - but fair. Mind the Rules and enjoy your stay.
Newcomers FAQ - How do I post on this BB?
Pet facebook group
Check out the Pet podcast
Follow me on Twitter
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old February 25th, 2014, 01:31 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4,371
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl Portie View Post
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 :-)
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.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old February 25th, 2014, 02:51 PM
Karl Portie Karl Portie is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Oshawa
Posts: 4
Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome.

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.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old February 25th, 2014, 05:07 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4,371
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.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old February 27th, 2014, 12:10 PM
Lynne&Co. Lynne&Co. is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Lindsay, Ontario
Posts: 497
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
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.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old February 27th, 2014, 08:35 PM
Karl Portie Karl Portie is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Oshawa
Posts: 4
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
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:06 PM.