Pandemic Puppy – Ben, Becca & Fin.
Introduction
Here at Three Spotty Dogs we are always keen to hear the dog owning experiences of our followers. So please feel free to email us with your tails!
Ben and Becca have recently ventured into dog ownership and we were interested to find out how they came to the decision that they wanted to share their lives with a canine companion, how they went about finding the puppy for them and if the Covid pandemic affected their decisions.
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The Interview
TSD: What made you and Becca realise it was the right time to get a puppy and did the Covid 19 Pandemic have any influence in making that decision?
BW: We both love dogs and have wanted to have our own dog for sometime. Becca, my partner, has a family that has a Border Collie called Oscar and we loved having him stay when Becca's parents were away on holiday. It effectively served as our dog owning test run! Although the pandemic helped us with becoming dog owners as we were working from home full time, we still would have planned to get a dog. Becca prior to the pandemic worked from home 3 days a week and we had planned for people to visit during days that we were not home.
TSD: Sounds like you had a great insight into dog ownership when you had Oscar to stay. Border Collies are very lively and need lots of exercise and stimulation so you had first hand knowledge of how much work dogs can be. You had obviously thought long and hard about the changes that would occur when you brought a dog to live with you. You were absolutely right to do this as it is a big decision and should not be made on a whim.
TSD: What was your process for finding a good breeder?
BW: The timing of getting a dog was determined by my uncle's amazing working Cocker Spaniel called Willow becoming pregnant in 2020. This took a huge amount of stress out of finding a trusted breeder, we had previously been contacting breeders on Kennel Club and signing up to waiting lists, waiting lists that were incredibly long.
TSD - Finding a breeder you can trust is paramount and you were in a great position to be able to have a pup from a family member where you know the history and at least one side of the parents. You also knew that the Kennel Club were able to provide details of assured breeders for you to contact. Breed Clubs can also do this as they have litter due lists and these are a good place to look too.
The Covid Pandemic brought new breeders to the puppy buying market and it decame difficult to differentiate the unscrupulous ones looking to make money off the situation, from the good responsible breeders. You are right though, waiting lists for good breeders can be long and for good reason. The breeder with the long waiting lists are usually sought after because they raise health tested, well socialised puppies. They will provide a lifetime of help and advice if you need it too. Sometimes you get lucky and someone on the waiting list drops out and the breeder may think the puppy suits you. So always worth having your name down when you start looking.
TSD: Were there any particularly good guides that helped you in training Finn?
BW: We brought the Cocker Spaniel Handbook by Linda Whitwam, it was a fantastic book that was easy to read and gave fantastic tips to follow. The book gave me confidence that what I would be doing was the right thing for our dog, rather than what I thought was right.
TSD: Thank you for that recommendation.
TSD: Did you attend any puppy training classes?
BW: No, we had a number of bad reviews from friends, reviews that suggested dogs picking up bad behaviour from others and that they wish they avoided it at all costs! Instead, we decided to educate ourselves as best as we could and train Finn ourselves. Thankfully, it seems to be paying off.
TSD: We are pleased that you are having great results from your own training. It can often be the case that puppies can be trained without puppy classes. However, always remember the extra bits that are gained from puppy classes, like socialisation, different environmental experiences etc. We agree though that classes that seem to develop bad habits in multiple puppies is not an ideal situation. We would therefore recommend looking into the trainer’s qualification and making sure they are members of The Canine Behaviour and Training Society, The Animal Behaviour Training Council or The KCAI.
The extra difficulty of course during the pandemic is that no puppy training classes were able to be run and people were avoiding close contact when out walking and so puppies were not getting the social experiences that they normally do. It is important that those dogs who ARE struggling with confidence as a result of the pandemic situation get the help that they need to overcome their fears. You can also find an appropriately qualified behaviourist on the above website links too.
RT: What do you currently feed Finn? Are you pleased with it? If not, what are you thinking of changing to?
BW: We feed Finn James Wellbeloved Junior Fish & Rice Dry Dog Food and Pedigree Dentastix. This seems to work well for Finn and he enjoys it, so I doubt we will change.
TSD: When a feeding regime works for you and your dog that’s a great start. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a good food that your dog likes or has no allergies to and you can go through so many brands before you find the right one. Always remember that if things start to change and they can for various reasons, look at what is going inside your dog. Something that they may have been happy with previously may start to cause issues. The manufacturer may change a recipe slightly and the dog may turn his nose up at the change or even something they have added may cause him to scratch or a behaviour change. It may be that a new treat causes an allergy. Food can be a trigger for many issues so always bear this in mind.
RT: How has having a dog changed your life?
BW: Every day you need to consider your dog, it's not something you can switch off and it is something that requires commitment from you as the owner for the duration of the dog's life. However, I certainly believe the positives far outweigh the negatives! The happiness a dog brings, enjoyment on walks and companionship is irrefutable.
RT: We totally agree. Having a dog brings so many good things to our lives and that greeting when you come home is just what you need when you walk in the door after a busy day. Yes, dogs do require commitment for many years, that’s why it is a big decision and also why so many dogs end up being rehomed when people realise that they are not able or do not want to put in that dedication for the dog’s lifetime.
RT: Have you checked out three spotty dogs website? Has it helped you in any way?
BW: Yes we have! We particularly enjoyed reading 'Your Pup and Canine Travel Sickness' and learning about how we could help Finn, as this is something that he initially struggled with.
RT: It is very common for puppies to suffer from travel sickness and as mentioned in the blog they usually grow out of it, but it is upsetting to see them suffer with it in the meantime. We are so pleased that it helped you help Finn and I hope he is now coping better.
Conclusion
TSD would like to thank Ben and Becca for giving us an insight into their new puppy experiences and we congratulate them for their forward thinking and the way they approached their decision to get a dog during the pandemic. We look forward to hearing from them soon with any updates they might have and anything they think might be interesting for the rest of our followers.
If you would like to send us your own dog owning experiences, then get in touch at contact@threespottydogs.com
