Preparing for our new arrival

[Trace]

We will be picking up our new girl in about 2 weeks at which time she will be 8 weeks old. If you read my post in Rainbow Bridge you will know I made just about every mistake possible with our first girl who turned out wonderfully inspite of me but I don't intend to let fate take the wheel a second time so I have TONS of questions.

I've been reading through this forum little by little and I've ordered some books as well but of course there is always more.

I have purchased a crate and set it up in order to give me time to get use to the idea because prior to joining this forum I always believed it to be cruel to crate a dog but I now see that it is for their safety and how it can actually be a comfort to their den dwelling nature.

I'm very concerned about choosing an appropriate vet as I never did like the one we had, fortunately Basia was never ill and only needed routine check ups and boosters but I don't intend to leave this to chance again.

I know I will need assistance in obedience training and I'm not sure what to look for in a Trainer. Any advice?

I've pretty much made up my mind that initially I am going to try Canidae but I was wondering if its advisable to change her food as soon as we bring her home or allow her time to adjust?

As far as vitamins, what should I look for? Any recommdations?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you very much for reading!

[groupieindenial]

Just keep reading the puppy forum. Do searches on key words. There is LOTS on crate training. There's lots on just about everything in the archives.

As for a vet, I'd look for a holistic practitioner. You might want to call up a few local Kennel Clubs for recommendations on either trainers or vets. Above all, your pup should like his/her experience at the vets. If not, find another one. The worse thing is having him/her grow up giving the vet greif. With any trainer, if their methods don't make sense and you don't feel good about their techniques, look for another trainer. Don't make the mistake in staying and trusting one you didn't have a good feeling about. You want to train right in the first place, not try and fix mistakes after - too hard to.

A super premium food will not need supplements. However, i don't think its a bad idea to add glucosamine to their diet in the first few months, especially if you've got a monkey, one that likes to jump and climb. As for food, I'd recommend looking into Timberwolf Organics, its made in Florida (I think!) Excellent food! www.timberwolforganics.com

Post some puppy pics when you can!! We LOVE puppy pics.