Ideal first day for Shikoku Puppy
Hey! I'm getting prepared for a Shikoku puppy at some point within the next year. I was wondering if folks could share their experiences on their first day with a NK puppy, from the drive (mine will be about 8 hours) to introducing the puppy to your home. What worked well? What would you change if you you had it to do over? What's on your list of essential supplies to have ready at home (besides the obvious food/crate/collar/etc.)? Thanks in advance!
Comments
It was so much easier introducing a puppy vs. when I brought a 2-yr-old ex-show dog home.
The only thing I wished I'd done different is read this book before my JA pup came home:
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Puppy-Days-Start-Right/dp/0964151871/
Also start looking and interview local puppy training classes and availability of pup socials, see which trainers you liked and didn't like, and get your pup enrolled as early as they are eligible. Even if you're fully capable of doing obedience training on your own, this provides puppy with an environment to socialize w/ other puppies of similar age. NK just seem to need more socialization than your typical sporting/floppy ear breeds.
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/150657/#Comment_150657
Jesse
@rikumom - I managed to read that entire book on the plane Monday when I was heading east for the holidays. It had some great info. I tried out a few things with my parents' adult dogs and it worked well and was really fun