Becoming a Dog mum for the first time can be very daunting. You desperately want to do right by your new little pup, the first thing you can do, to do right by your new little friend is use an assured and responsible breeder. If your considering buying a purebred dog, i’d always recommend going for a Kennel club registered breeder. As stated on there website the aim of the Kennel Clubs Assured Breeder Scheme is to promote good dog breeding practices and to help puppy owners find responsible breeders.

This is exactly what i did for tally. I first had a conversation with the breeder, who had a few questions for me about my lifestyle and how my new little one would fit in! Turns out she would fit in perfectly and gave me a whole new purpose in life!

I would recommend purebreed or not, when viewing the little pup, seeing the mother and other pups at least, making sure they look healthy and in good condition. Sometimes the dad will just be a stud dog but some information about him would be fine! Ask lots of questions, about there health history, seeing how they are around people and other dogs, read up about the breed or even the breeds that the dog maybe crossed wth. Tally is the first ever ‘purebred’ dog i have ever owned, im used to terriers with everything mixed into them!

So the big day has come, your going to collect your new pup! Upon collection most breeders will give you a little welcome pack with some food that the pup has been eating, certificates of there 1st vaccination and microchip details which now is required by law at 8weeks old. I would always recommend asking for an item that smells like mum i.e blanket, bed or little toy. This will help your new pup really settle at a time of confusion, especially if the car journey is going to be a long one!

There home! So many new smells, things to explore, possible new animals to meet and lots of nice things to chew! One thing i really think is important about your first night with your new little one is crate training them. Sometimes the breeders will have them in a crate with there litter mates already. If not do not fear you have time yet! Lets get this over with….. they will cry, alot! They have just been taken away from the home they have been living in for the past 8 weeks. Honestly, ignoring the crys will help them so much in the long run, they will learn to settle themselves and figure out that the crate is there safe place where they can relax and snooze away. Placing a new toy and the item that smells of mum will help with this too!

If your having issues with your little pup getting into the crate at night, make it fun! Tally has her ‘bedtime biscuits’, when she goes into her crate at night, she jumps in because she knows shes going to get something very yummy!

Insurance, insurance, insurance, Please! From someone who has seen the nasty side of this where an owner simply gives up everything they have, when only if in the first place they had some sort of insurance it would be a different story. You pay for what you get with insurance in my opinion, tally is insured with  Petplan  and always will be! One thing i would strongly advise is whichever company you use, always get a ‘life time cover’ policy instead of a ‘12 month cover’ this will ensure your pet is covered for life!

Last but not least, enjoy your little ball of fluff whilst they last. Because they grow so quickly and before you know it, the little pup is now a teenage dog!

Lots of love.

Sophie & Tally X