Everyone needs to talk about a spay/neuter... while in Europe it is not the "norm" to do so... however in the US it is.... that said waiting till the pup is mature is the best... but in the US we have issues with puppymills and Backyard breeders that breed/sell pups for profit... My contracts say that the pup needs to be spayed/neutered... and we talk about the age. Again, I will say that my puppy people are "Vetted" before getting a puppy, but many Puppymiller puppies and/or Backyard Breeders could not care if those pups were bred or not... nor are they health tested... so as they say "buyer beware". Responsible breeders stay in touch with the pups they place... the others... NOT... could not care less... OK I said my 2cents... And many in the US are not ready to keep a female that is in season... a short story about a friend that had 2 German Shepards... Male/Female in tact.... female came in season, so they locked to male in the backyard, female in their garage... the male "ate down the door to the garage to get to the female..".... puppies happened... no health testing either... IT HAPPENS... DO NOT THINK THAT IT WILL NOT! And I can tell you stories about males coming through windows in the home to get to a bitch in season....years ago we had a 12yr in-tact male lab 3 blocks over, he knew exactly when my Basenji bitches were in season... thankfully we had 12ft fences... but he was there every single day... not so for many homes that have fences this big... and if this boy was younger... I can bet he would have found a way over the fence
Paco's First Puppy Social
-
There is a local pet shop here that does "Wine with Your Pet" the last Wednesday of each month. We had been told about it when we went to go buy some stuff there before bringing Paco home and had decided last night to give it a try.
We had our reservations; not so much because of Paco, but because the store was located in the middle of one of the more high-end shopping centers on island, and we suspected that we'd get there and meet a small crowd of semi-formally dressed women with tiny dogs in outfits running around their ankles. Not that we would have minded…we just weren't sure if we, casually dressed and unsure of Wine-Pet party etiquette, would quite fit in.
Turns out, we had nothing to worry about. We had also greatly underestimated how many dogs would be at this event. I think Paco met somewhere around 30 dogs as he darted in an out of the store, greeting everyone, wagging his little curled tail, and patiently pausing here and there to let the fawning humans pet him.
Even though I had taken him on a walk and let him play with the chihuahua upstairs for an hour, and even after two car rides for the day, he still decided that he wanted to run and play. Of course, he thinks he's a big dog, so he picked a huge German shephard mix to rumble with. The shephard, being an 8-month old large pup, absolutely loved it...and they knocked stuff over all around the store, much to everyone's amusement.
I am so proud of him and still kicking myself for not taking pictures even though we had the camera! Chris and I were so busy explaining what breed he was, where we had gotten him, what he's like, how big he'll get, etc. that we just didn't get the chance! Plus, there were two gorgeous Huskys as well as couple Pugs, toy breeds, and even Dalmations! I was having an amazing time meeting all the dogs myself; and I know Paco was, because it's 11am and he's still simply moving from spot to spot around the apartment, sleeping.
Okay, okay, next month I'll be a better sharer and make a point of taking pictures. I'm just so glad that Paco behaved so well around so many strangers, dog and human alike.
-
Sounds like he had a field day at the puppy meet.
Yes, please take pictures next time, we would love to see his happiness. -
Sounds like great fun!!!
-
What a cool event! Dog lovers think up the neatest things. This being said by someone who currently owns three senior cats.
-
Sounds like you all had a ball. will have to suggest it to our local pet shop
Do you not find that Paco plays a bit rough for other Dogs. Malaika hasn't met many yet but so far she is a realy rough player with my parents Papillon and a king Charles, we even had to use a spray bottle as the Papillon was becoming distressed. Roll on Puppy classes. -
There have been a few older dogs we've met that Paco wanted to romp with, but who pretty much ignored him or gave him a warning bark. I think he's learned from that, because while he'll jump the chihuahua upstairs in a heartbeat and they'll both have a ball for hours, while at the puppy social he kind of "asked" each dog if they wanted to play by sniffing around a bit, then striking his "play pose" (front paws down, but in the air, tail wagging).
Most dogs turned away, but a couple dogs did want to play (both huge, lol). One was leashed and the Shephard wasn't…so Paco would just tease him, then dart around the store to start a chase, and the Shephard happily obliged.
-
Its so important for puppies to learn their dog manners…This is a great way for them to be socialized for human and dog companionship.
-
Paco sounds like a well mannered boy
Malaika doesn't ask, she just dives in and when Reuben snaps and chases she just comes bouncing right back for more. I can see we will have to work realy hard with her.
Coincidentaly my parents have just been with Reuben (Papillon) and there was a bit of improvement although she's still to rough.
