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10 Posts
Hey Everyone!
I'm on the forum because my husband and I just adopted our first dog yesterday, so I'm sure we'll have loads of questions!
We've both had dogs growing up, but this is our first as independent adults. It took about a year of begging and searching, but finally I got my husband to agree to getting a dog. While we were looking for a "medium-sized, hypoallergenic" mix breed between 1 and two years old, when I saw our little coconut I just fell in love.
She's around 4 months (they're not sure) and 6-7 lbs. Some kind of mutt--she looks like a pug with scruffy hair. They said pug schnauzer, so I was hopeful that she'd have a lower level of allergens. I'm not allergic to all dogs--really not most dogs, but some, like Rottweilers really do me in.
We adopted from Tracy's Dogs. I've dealt with about a dozen shelters, and they were the best!
So, we brought coconut home and within a few hours it was clear I was having a reaction to her (itchy eyes, sneezing). Some might think it's irresponsible to get a dog when you know you might be allergic, but I just love them so much I knew I'd be willing to go to great lengths to live with one. I bought allergen reducing shampoo (used it that night) and a brush that supposedly helps with shedding and dander. I also have an appointment with an allergist on the 19th and I'm prepared to go through immunotherapy (shots) if that's what it takes.
Anyway, coconut is just the sweetest little girl. She loves to play and lick. In just 24 hours she's already learned to sit pretty much. She and her siblings spent the first 2 months of their lives together in an outdoor cage with a concrete floor, so she's very very into human attention, hates to be alone, and has absolutely no house-training.
I've been putting her in her playpen every half hour to hour. Leaving her in for a half hour at a time. If I'm within eyesight, she seems okay. She plays with her kong toy and lays down with her face on the cage. But if I leave the room she howls for a while and eventually settles.
She's peed in the house twice, once on a doormat before I could stop her and a second on a pee-pee patch (fake grass patch in her playpen). She's only defecated outside, which I take as a win!
There's a few things I'm concerned about. She's been furiously biting near the base of her tail a lot. And there's a very tiny pea-sized lump on her side. I plan to bring all of this up at the vet when we go next week.
The other thing is, I bought her a bob-a-lot feeding toy. Despite showing her how to use it--using her paw to knock it over and spill food--she hasn't seemed to figure it out yet. I know it's only been one day, but I'm not sure how long most dogs take to learn this sort of thing.
Anyway, I look forward to talking to everyone!
I'm on the forum because my husband and I just adopted our first dog yesterday, so I'm sure we'll have loads of questions!
We've both had dogs growing up, but this is our first as independent adults. It took about a year of begging and searching, but finally I got my husband to agree to getting a dog. While we were looking for a "medium-sized, hypoallergenic" mix breed between 1 and two years old, when I saw our little coconut I just fell in love.
She's around 4 months (they're not sure) and 6-7 lbs. Some kind of mutt--she looks like a pug with scruffy hair. They said pug schnauzer, so I was hopeful that she'd have a lower level of allergens. I'm not allergic to all dogs--really not most dogs, but some, like Rottweilers really do me in.
We adopted from Tracy's Dogs. I've dealt with about a dozen shelters, and they were the best!
So, we brought coconut home and within a few hours it was clear I was having a reaction to her (itchy eyes, sneezing). Some might think it's irresponsible to get a dog when you know you might be allergic, but I just love them so much I knew I'd be willing to go to great lengths to live with one. I bought allergen reducing shampoo (used it that night) and a brush that supposedly helps with shedding and dander. I also have an appointment with an allergist on the 19th and I'm prepared to go through immunotherapy (shots) if that's what it takes.
Anyway, coconut is just the sweetest little girl. She loves to play and lick. In just 24 hours she's already learned to sit pretty much. She and her siblings spent the first 2 months of their lives together in an outdoor cage with a concrete floor, so she's very very into human attention, hates to be alone, and has absolutely no house-training.
I've been putting her in her playpen every half hour to hour. Leaving her in for a half hour at a time. If I'm within eyesight, she seems okay. She plays with her kong toy and lays down with her face on the cage. But if I leave the room she howls for a while and eventually settles.
She's peed in the house twice, once on a doormat before I could stop her and a second on a pee-pee patch (fake grass patch in her playpen). She's only defecated outside, which I take as a win!
There's a few things I'm concerned about. She's been furiously biting near the base of her tail a lot. And there's a very tiny pea-sized lump on her side. I plan to bring all of this up at the vet when we go next week.
The other thing is, I bought her a bob-a-lot feeding toy. Despite showing her how to use it--using her paw to knock it over and spill food--she hasn't seemed to figure it out yet. I know it's only been one day, but I'm not sure how long most dogs take to learn this sort of thing.
Anyway, I look forward to talking to everyone!