Kopii the Goldie : Issue #001 - Getting a New Puppy

Kopii The Goldie

Issue #001 - Getting a New Puppy

Intending to get the puppy you saw at the Pet Shop / Pet Farm?
Planning to adopt a dog and let it be your life companion?

A dog has been historically well proven to be a man's best friend. Regardless of their breed, they stay loyal to their owners, providing us the support emotionally along with companionship and love. Unconditional Love. Because of the fact that dogs loves their owner unconditionally, many considered their furry pals to be part of the family and could not imagine life without them.

There are hundreds of dog breeds which we can choose from, from the tiny Chihuahua to the large Irish Wolfhound. Regardless of their sizes, getting a puppy requires lots of commitment. Time, work and RESPONSIBILITY. A dog needs aplenty of our time, nourishment, training and companionship.

Many times, when we set foot into a Pet shop, looking at all the adorable and cuddly puppies yelping, 9 out of 10 dog lovers will melt when they look into the puppies cute puppy eye.


However, before getting the puppy out of impulse, there are many points to take note of.

• Family members - If you are living with your family (ie: doesn't have your own pad), does your family love dogs as much as you do? Will they be ok to let you have a dog?

• Size of dog - Considering the size the puppy will fully grown to when they mature into an adult, puppies do not remain the same size forever, they might be cute and small at the time we saw them at the Pet Shop, but they will one day grow bigger and less cute when they are an adult.

• Available space - All dogs requires living space, they will not be willing to be crate up forever.  One thing to consider is if the living space that the dog can have access to will be spacious enough to allow the dog to move around freely without clutters.

• Condition of home - Dogs loves to lick, bite things especially when they are teething. Some breeds might be even more destructive as compared to others. Therefore it is very important to assess the condition of your home before bringing the puppy home. Is the floor free of wires and stuffs which might pose a hazard if your puppy bites on them?

• Commitment - Ask yourself, will you be willing to sleep late and wake up early daily if you need to spend time with your dog? Will you be ok to clean up his mess if he poos and pees at the wrong area? Will you be patient to train it during the initial stages?

• Health - Some dog breeds sheds a lot of fur during different time of the year. It is best that people at home doesn't have any health conditions that could be aggravated by the fur.

• Other pets - Do you have other pets at home? Like children, some dogs might be friendly with other pets but not all. 

• Lifestyle of owner - This is the most important factor i considered before i got Kopii, our lifestyle might have to change because of our new furry pal. Different type of breeds require a different lifestyle. Some dogs love it outdoors, some love it indoors. Some requires a large amount of exercise and some will be contented to just be a couch potato.

• Maintenance - Dogs needs maintenance to keep themselves clean and healthy. From grooming to weekly baths, all this requires TIME.

• Medical Fees - Yes, this might not apply for healthy dogs, but however it is still best recommended to put aside a small sum of money monthly for their medical funds.

Above are just some points to take note of before getting a puppy, i have read stories of how fully grown dogs are abandoned or given to the shelter just because they have grown too big and the owner did not anticipate the growth. Most reasons people give up their dogs are because of new child in the household or they are moving home and their new house could not house the dog. Personally i find it downright stupid because you wouldn't give up your child if you get a new puppy, so why give up the dog because you are expecting a new child? If the dog can live with you for years, they can live with your kid too. If the dog can love you unconditionally, it will love your child with all it can too.

Always consider for a while before getting a puppy or adopting one so as to prevent cases of abandonment. 

The dog would not abandon you because you had grown fatter / thinner, the dog wouldn't abandon you because you have body odour or stinky feet. So do not ever abandon your dog if you decided to get one.

The above points mentioned mostly requires commitment of time. Therefore be prepared that if you have a dog, you might not be able to go out that much as you need to spend time with your furry pal. You might lose sleep because you wanted to play with them before bedtime. You might have to wake up early everyday for work because you have to clean up their mess before going out. Everything needs time. So unless you can commit the time, do not get a dog.

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Finally, if you have decided to get a puppy after much considerations, start by preparing a spot at home to house your pup. If the breed you are getting will grow much bigger, be sure to find a roomy cage or fencing that is fit for bigger dogs. Have everything prepared before bringing the puppy home.

• Create an area at home just for your puppy. Puppy needs ME-TIME too. Usually i reckon people put the crates / fencing in the living area or kitchen. This way, your pup will have a limited area to explode when they comes home and a place to feel safe. most importantly, with a limited area, even if they poo or pee on the floor, it would be easier to clean up too.

• Puppy proof the area which you plan to put the crate / fence by cleaning the floors well, removing any wires or clutter that might be dangerous to your pup if they chew or swallow it. 

• Puppies love to bite, so be sure to watch over your pup like a hawk when you are home, if she will be alone, use non-biting fluids on anything that you wouldn't want destroyed. My friend recommended using Medicated Oil, apparently dogs hate that smell.

• Get a few toys ready to let your pup chew. Puppies love to chew, it is not their fault. They just need to be taught not to chew on anything and everything except their own toys. Have a few spare ones available as toys gets destroyed very fast. Kopii loves her cloth toy, rope toy and a rubber dumbbell with bells inside. 

• Buy a collar or harness and leash in the correct size for your puppy. Do not get a bigger one thinking they can still use it when they grow bigger. I made this mistake and i have to go out and get another harness correctly sized for her. When choosing a harness or collar, do not get a velcro-ed one unless you don't mind your pup breaking out of it and running away. I actually got a choke collar for training purpose but i did not use it at all for fear of breaking Kopii's neck. A harness is good enough. 

• Buy the correct shampoo. I bought mine before Kopii came back and im glad she likes it. Shampoos and conditioners have to be trialed and error-ed. Like humans, some dogs have sensitive skin, so a shampoo suited for sensitive would be recommended. Some dogs have dry skin so you would need an extra conditioning one solely for dry skin.

• Get brushes. One brush is not enough. We only bought a pin brush for Kopii and she hates it. Probably because the pin hurts. Went to get another deshedder and a soft brush. If your pup breed sheds lots of fur, you would definitely need a de-shedder, a soft brush for daily combing to prevent tangles and mats.

• Purchase a high quality food. I read on the internet that many dog food have questionable ingredients. it would be best to get one highly recommended by friends or one with good reviews on the internet. Wellness brand of dog food is recommended by my friend and Kopii loves it. If in doubt, can consult a vet or pet food supplier.

• Buy 2 bowls. One for water and one for food. It is best to get a heavier one and stainless steel with rubber base so that it wouldn't move around when your pup pushes it. For food bowl, it would be best to get one with ridges in it to prevent fast eating. You wouldn't want your pup to gobble down its meal and have digestive problems. For water bowl, its best to get a big one so that your pup can keep itself hydrated if you are not at home, if water is not adequate and with the kind of weather in Singapore, it might lead to heat strokes. I got Kopii a water dispenser, it can contain 2 litre of water and it dispenses by itself when the water level in the bowl runs low. 

• Prepare an old shirt. put the old shirt together in the crate with your pup while you travel home for the first time. The old shirt could be used to let the puppy get use to your smell while on the way home.

• Potty training. If you intend to potty train your pup to eliminate in its crate, its best to get a pee pan, pee pads and potty training spray ready. Its always best to train from day one.

Get ready other necessities needed to welcome your new pup home. Main thing is its food. Usually the place you get the pup, they will get you a sample of the food they feed your pup. If you intend to change its food to another brand, it will be best to have a transition period, mixing in the new food with the old one, increasing the new food's portion daily.
(Eg: 3 cups -> Day 1 - 0.5 cup new, 2.5 cup old, Day 2 - 1 cup new 2 cup old).

Get ready a pee pad if your pup is too big to be put inside a crate while going home. The pee pad can be placed on your car seat so that if the pup eliminates, your car seat would not be soiled.

After getting everything ready, its time to bring your puppy home!
Have fun, give lots of praises, love them!



So..... before i end this post, anyone keen to buy a carpet? Puppy design.

Week 1 with Kopii

Today marks the first week Kopii came back with us. This one week is a tiring one, waking up early and sleeping late because i find that time spent with Kopii is never really enough. 

I have to constantly be alert so that i can correct Kopii once she did something wrong and praise her when she did something right so that she can learn the correct traits instead of being all naughty and crazy. Glad that Angry Smurf is extremely committed to Kopii, otherwise i guess i will lose even more sleep.

Over this one week, Angry Smurf wakes up at 6am daily to feed Kopii, give her her medicine, change her water dispenser's water and clean his pee pan before he prepare for work, my job is just to wake up 30min earlier than usual so that i can spend some time playing with Kopii and clear her poo if she poop.

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Kopii is obedient and smart, over this one week, she learnt how to sit, how to hand hand on cue, how to come and knows exactly where to pee and poo except that sometimes, accidents happen.

On the first day we left her at home in the afternoon while we go to work, she poop all over her fenced area and we realised that she doesn't like to pee and poo at the same spot. So when her pee pad is filled with pee, she pee at the slightest corner where it is not stained.

She's extremely smart which makes me really proud to have a baby like her albeit sometimes she does go crazy while playing with her blanket (a tee shirt) and she still doesn't like to sleep on her bed. All the time she just bites it, then sleep on the floor. Oh ya, another irritating thing about Kopii is that she always whine when we put her back into her fenced area after playing for a while. 

The floor at home is too slippery for her too. Usually when she sits, she tend to slide backwards and just lay on the floor in the end. One thing i do not understand too is that she LOVES BITING Angry Smurf's Mum Bedroom slippers... Tried telling her NO and asking her to let go of the slippers but to no avail.. I reckon that Kopii loves shoes as much as i do. LOL. 

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Wants to know what your furry buddy is feeling? 

Check out this chart. 

Not sure if its accurate but at least we can have a rough gauge of how Kopii is feeling at sometimes.

When Kopii came home with us last sat, she probably belonged to the <Very Thin> category, we fed her more than what the pet shop asked us to and now she's somewhere between <Underweight> and <Fit>

Kopii is usually very whiny during the day when we put her back to her fenced area, its quite rare to see her sleeping so soundly during the day time unless she's really tired.!

Another funny thing about Kopii is that she always sit down with us near the sofa to watch TV, like as though she understands what's going on! hahaha!

Tried to train Kopii on a couple of nights on how to walk with her leash.

Initially she kept trying to bite the harness cos it is way too big, went to buy a smaller one but still too big for her, luckily Serene gave me one and it fits Kopii perfectly. She seems to be comfortable in this harness.
In the beginning when we put it on her, she seemed to feel weird and just sat still but after just a few minutes, i guess she forgotten that she have a harness on her.

Our leash training was short, Kopii follows us when we walk for a while, it only lasts for about 10 min and she will just sit/lie there refusing to budge an inch. walau.

Kopii tried to take a selfie the other day with my phone's front camera.
The result is hilarious! (when i see the pic one after another like a comic)

Despite her rare craziness, most of the time she's a Guai Bao Bao, lazing around with us lying on her favourite spot in the living room area. Just laying there, doing nothing, occasionally looking up to the sofa to see what i am doing. haha.

Anybody cares for some Croissant? 

Puppy Flavoured.

Shall SPAM Kopii's pictures i took over this one week!

Most of them are of her laying on the floor (what she always do when we are not playing with her), or those of her in a weird position. LOL.

She really loves chilling out with us just like how we love having her by our side.

 

A Nicer Selfie!

The toys we bought her one week ago are mostly destroyed, went over to Pets Lover yesterday after work to get her some new toys hoping that while she chews on them, it helps to lessen the pain/irritation of teething. The rope toys we got her earlier are her favourite, but after a day or two, the strings started to come out and i took it away from her as i am afraid that she might swallow all the strings when left unattended.

The red Chomper Gladiator from Pets Lover are her favourite, she can play with it the whole day and it will be all soaked up in her saliva... The cow toy is also one of her favourite but i took it away from her after a few hours as she bitten off the 'strings' on the tennis ball (the legs are tennis ball).

 Selfie failed again. LOL.

Ok, a better one finally.

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For the few days Kopii is home, we soaked her food for a good 10 minutes before feeding her as the Pet Shop instructed us to do so. Asked the members of the Golden Retriever Club in FB about when to stop soaking her food and most advised us that usually can stop doing so when they are 5-6 months old as their adult teeth would already been out.

2 days ago, i gave Kopii her dinner without soaking and her tooth fell out! 

I panicked totally! ALMOST CALL 999 TO REPORT POLICE! HAHAHAHHA!

Luckily Serene and Cindy (Wellfond Pet staff) told us its normal and the tooth that fell are her Baby tooth.

SCARED DIE ME!

This morning (Saturday 25 Jan 2014), i woke up early at 8am in the morning as we are going to give Kopii a bath and some basic grooming!

Before we bath her, Angry Smurf trimmed her nails while i carry her so that she won't struggle.
Used the deshedder to help remove the dead fur on her so that it would be easier to blow dry after her bath.

The deshedding tool we used is Brand Foolee Deshedder for large Dog (up to 40kg)

Retailing for $82.45 at Pets Lover.






Its the first time we are bathing her and also the first time ever we are bathing a dog. I was expecting a mess and struggles in the bathroom cos all the youtube videos i watched shows how much Dogs hates to POMPOM.

Kopii proved me wrong once again.

Carried her into the bathroom and as we wet her, she walked around curiously because she had never step foot into the bathroom before. After wetting her, we applied her Shampoo on her and she just stand there calmly and patiently without any struggles at all. i was thinking all is fine and everything is done smoothly BUT after her bath, the most difficult time is when we need to blow dry her. Kopii is super afraid of the hairdryer, i do not know why, she keeps running away from the hairdryer, slipped and fell a couple of times as she's still wet. She even refused to eat her treats when i on the hairdryer. We had no choice but to put her back into her fenced area and blow dry her there, so she would have no where to run except staying still and letting us dry her...

Bathing her took only 10 minutes, drying her up took up almost half an hour because of all the escaping and running around.

After finally drying her totally, Angry Smurf clean her teeth and ears. Thereafter, we Spritz on her conditioner for her and Kopii smells extremely GREAT! No more 'dog smell'.

That didnt last though, while im writing this post now, her shampoo smell is all gone. LOL.

Kopii looking clean and feeling shuang after her bath.

 Mesmerising eyes. (half closed)

All tired out after her morning bath and basic grooming.
She spent the afternoon napping and playing on her own while we go out for some CNY shopping.

This one week spent with Kopii is seriously tiring for the both of us, but we enjoyed her companionship very much. She's a real silly puppy, always doing something funny to make me laugh.

We love the Dog Smell on her

We love how she learn new things so fast

We love how she always follow us around the house 

We love how she always whine when we put her back 'Home'

We love how she wag her tails when she saw us

We love how excited she always is when we came back from work

We love how she never fails to brighten up our day after a long day at work

WE LOVE HER, for everything she is.

Last but not least, WE LOVE HER CUTE PAWS!!!