Best Time to buy a Pup?

[take4roll10]

I got Bailey in August. It was great because it was nice and warm, so potty training was easy. The only problem was, my vets don't administer the last round of shots until she was 16 weeks old. So by the time she was able to go to for long walks and to dog parks, it was starting to get cold. Those two months of not being able to go beyond my front lawn were torture. Bailey would literally bounce off my bedroom walls. Therefore, the next puppy I get will be around March or April. It shouldn't be too cold for potty training and he/she will have all his shots around May or June. That'll leave plenty of warm weather for parks, socialization and leash training.

 

[Megansmom]

I got Bailey in August. It was great because it was nice and warm, so potty training was easy. The only problem was, my vets don't administer the last round of shots until she was 16 weeks old. So by the time she was able to go to for long walks and to dog parks, it was starting to get cold. Those two months of not being able to go beyond my front lawn were torture. Bailey would literally bounce off my bedroom walls. Therefore, the next puppy I get will be around March or April. It shouldn't be too cold for potty training and he/she will have all his shots around May or June. That'll leave plenty of warm weather for parks, socialization and leash training.

My DH thinks I am completely crazy for even considering another dog . I will seriously thinking about it when Megan is trained..The weather isn't that much of a factor as it's almost never below freezing here in Houston, it's the summers that are stifling!!

 

[Strider]

My DH thinks I am completely crazy for even considering another dog . I will seriously thinking about it when Megan is trained..The weather isn't that much of a factor as it's almost never below freezing here in Houston, it's the summers that are stifling!!

You could send some of that up here!! Sigh.. It's cold again..

 

[Phebe*DD]

Thanks guys!


That sounds about right for me Barb!

MoonshineDad, as much as I am up for adventure the idea of standing outside in the middle of night in snow waiting for a pup to pee somehow doesn't appeal.

I think I will stick with a late Spring/early Summer pup, unless fate takes a hand and my ideal pup is born on a cold winter's night. Thanks for all the insight and advice.

Pups that are born in March and April will be ready to leave their litter in May and June.

Phebe was born in February and came to me in May. My timing had nothing to do with any considerations about house training, but was driven by the fact that I lost Foxy on April 29 and I found Phebe's breeder in mid-May.

 

[RetiredProf]

I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before on another thread, but I definitely wanted a Spring pup when I bought Gus. My previous Dobies were all Winter babies, and after doing four rounds of standing, walking, and pleading for "potty" in the snow and rain, I was over that.

Gus was a joy. Born last March, he arrived beginning of May. Door to the yard was open while I played in the garden and he spent most of every day out there with me. I got him at 8 weeks and he has never had an accident in the house.

By the time this winter rolled around, it was a non-issue. And thank God for that! We've been plastered by snow for over a month. So nice to just open the back door and tell him "Go potty, Gus!"

 

[SheltieGuy]

easy answer: as soon as you find one that you have to have no matter what!!!

 

[SheltieChe]

we got Che mid November, and there was about 2 weeks of nice weather, it was enough to get housetraining out of the way... Che had very few accidents in the house. I like winter time also because he can not dig in the garden, soil is frozen so hopefully we would learn few commands before it thaws...

 

[mbfrench]

I definitely recommend getting a puppy when the weather is warm, for housetraining.

I wouldn't do anything because of Guy Fawkes Day (or the 4th of July) but that's just me. No matter what you do your dog will probably be exposed to loud noises at some point - it's not something you can control.

I've never heard of the 4th of July refered to as Guy Fawkes Day~
As far as timing,we don't have a preferance. For us it depends on finding the right puppy,every thing else fall into place.

I don't fret about potty training,as far as weather here in the south.Other than this winter,it has been unseasonably cold,and places have got more than thier share of snow,but we don't get snow here.

 

[Fergusmom]

The shelties I had before Fergus I got in mid February. Winters in the UP are brutal. I had to paper train them as sub zero temps are much too cold for 8 week old pups. I vowed to never do that again. I had a terrible time getting them to potty outside. I lost the last of those shelties the end of June and got Fergus the end of July. He was a dream to train, a few days and we were good.

 

[labgirl]

I'm liking the sound of how easy Shelties are to house-train. Cadbury was an utter nightmare.

MbFrench, Guy Fawkes day is 5th November
"Remember, remember the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot"

Guy Fawkes being one of the people who tried to blow up the houses of parliament - an early terrorist attack that was thankfully foiled, but for some reason we celebrate it

Gosh that was a long time Bailey had to wait for her jabs! Cadbury was done and dusted by 10 weeks and in his first puppy playgroup - but then I am incredibly impatient.

Well the sun is out today and it definitely feels like Spring, still don't fancy housetraining in the winter! I think it will be a case of wait and see...