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We\'ve purchased a 7 month old Soft Coated Wheaten from friends. Their 2 young children have allergies and the doctor insisted that the dog had to go. Does anybody have any advice for bringing a 7 month old to a new home? We don\'t have any other pets. We do have a fenced yard. I\'m planning to take the week off work to help \'River\' become familiar with his new home and family.
Thanks in advance....Mary

Don\'t take my word for this, because I may be wrong, but taking a week off work seems more counter-productive than anything. You want him to get used to the fact that you do have work and won\'t be home 24/7, right? Then isn\'t it unfair to start off by giving him the impression that you will always be there? (Edit: Just to add to my point, this is also why I\'ve heard that it\'s usually a bad idea to get a puppy during the summer, because it will get used to the kids being home and the parents being on vacation, then when September comes, all of the sudden everyone is gone all day. I don\'t know how true this is, I don\'t think I\'ve ever heard Brad talk about it.) You making a big deal out of him being in a new home will probably only stress him out even more. Just treat him like everything were normal.

On that note, crate training him is a good place to start. It will be very useful for when you are at work, and will also give him his own little retreat while he\'s still getting used to the new environment. It should help him to know that he has somewhere to go when he wants to get away from everything for a little while.

Good luck with him, Wheatens are beautiful dogs. Even if they do have some of the worst hair imaginable to try and groom. xD

Hi and congratulations on your new addition!

Do lots of umbilical training with your new dog so that it gets used to following you and respecting you as leader, not to mention it becomes good fun training! Do it in the house and on walks.

Remember that the yard is not a substitute for walks and your guy is still young so probably full of energy to boot!

I wouldn't be too worried. He is young and looking for leadership and I bet the transition goes smoothly. You are getting a pup though so expect incidents as a regular part of his growing up.

Can you bring the dog home over the weekend and then just naturally move into the work week? If you were taking holidays anyway then cool, but I wouldn't stress about taking days off and losing money to do this.

I took "caternity leave" when I adopted my cats. I'd never had cats and I had a dog that I didn't know how she was going to adapt to them. Within 24 hours we were all snuggled up together in the bed and the dog was part border collie and she totally stopped rearranging my house when I was out once I got them because she had her herd to take care of. Funny how they figure things out.

I guess I just mean to say I bet it will go more smoothly than you think but it's cool that you are so caring to be willing to take the time off.

OH and keep him off the bed. I didn't know that with my last dog

Anyway, have FUN!!

Hello and Welcome!

I agree with Scout6, I think taking a week off is a good idea to get the dog used to it's new environment. A week is not too long for it to get used to you being there but long enough to deal with any anxiety it has over the change of home on the spot rather than when you come home from work. Years ago when we adopted our Rottie, he was about 7 months old at the time, and I worked shifts..someone was always home to get him used to the place and establish what good and bad habits he had ( like chewing up my underwear!). Take the time to read about training and observe your new dog. Test him to see what he has learned as in sit and stay etc. Get him used to your way of doing things. Do umbilical as mentioned and keep him off the bed and couch! In some ways he will be a puppy and may rebel a bit and test you, in others you are over some things as he should have some manners and be able to hold his bladder for longer periods of time.

Good luck and enjoy him!

Come back any time as you can learn a lot on this website!

Wen in Ottawa.

I would recomend using the time off (if you take it) to do some intensive work with him. Being a Wheaton they have high energy (which for some reason everyone forgot about when the hypo-allergenic phase went through) and being a pup he is full of energy. If he is already kennel/house trained great but I would treat him like a new puppy (8 weeks old) just to be on the safe side and help him settle in.
Meaghan/DragonRider
P.S. usually the first thing everyone recomends is getting Brads book, first 2 chapters are free and even by themselves they are a ton of help.

Wow...I can't believe the response I've received to my posting! Thanks everyone for the great advice.

Our plans have changed and we're picking River up on Thursday afternoon. I work shifts so I have Fri, Sat & Sun off to be home with him and help him adjust to his new environment. (I may still take some time off on Mon,Tues but I'll see how it goes.) My sister suggested taking him for a long walk before allowing him into the house. I guess that's similar to the umbilical training suggestion which makes sense to me! Also, I like Meaghan's advice to treat him like an 8 week old...at least until we get to know each other better.

I will definitely read the first two chapters of Brad's book and probably end up buying it. I've watched his show a couple of times (and plan to watch it a lot more -that's how I found this forum).

What about treats?? Is it possible to train a dog without treats (especially getting him to come)?? Apparently River likes to chew ice cubes...any thoughts on that?? (Obviously not using ice cubes for training )

Thanks again everyone.
Mary

That's good advice...The long walk should be one of the first things you do to start establishing a bond with your dog.

It's better to train without treats! Just follow Brad's techniques and come back if you need advice!
Like others have said...It's nice to take time off to bond with your dog!
Good luck and have fun!

icecubes eh? my cats like chasing them on the linolium and then I forget about them and they melt and I stand in the cold puddles...

I know some people freeze those little carrots and then there would be some nutritional value added, but treats for the sake of training - no need. You can be the biggest reward for that dog.

I too walked Ella for like an hour and a half before we went through the front door of the house. Don't know how much it helped overall, but it felt good to ME. Got some of the nervous jitters out in that walk while I marvelled at my new dog and wondered what the heck I'd just done to myself by getting a rescue.

Tell us how it goes.

Your dog is a bit older, but that's fine, Brad's training applies to all ages. He does not believe in using treats to negotiate with your dog for the purpose of training. Treats can be food, toys, ice cubes, bones, anything you are giving your dog as a reward for doing something. You can give your dog treats for no reason, but praise them for doing something right instead of giving a treat. It helps you form a bond with your dog, and it avoids causing any food aggressive and obesity problems. As for taking time off, I think it's a great idea! It'll give you time to observe the dog in his new environment, and get him used to the surroundings. You can also leave for short periods during that time to start getting him used to being on his own, but it allows you to gradually ease him into you not being home all day. I would highly recommend crate training, as it creates a safe place for them to be, that they are comfortable in. Good luck and enjoy your new addition!