Question for dog owners

10 comments

1. [insurance ](https://www.petinsurance.ie/) is what we have get it early before any treatments occur as treatments you get prior to insurance will not be covered if they occur again.

2. Check with your local vets about multi visit plans. If you pay for a year in advance with one of our local vets you get the treatments you’re looking for there and his yearly shots included. Shop around.

   Can’t speak to the dog tag really. The gps would be handy if he was lost but if the worst happens and he’s taken, the collar and tags are the first things cut off and thrown away.
   Make sure to get him chipped if he’s not already. You can even buy a portable chip reader these days.
   Congratulations he looks smashing. Remember with Retreiver pups, whatever colour his ears are now will be the colour of his whole coat when he grows up.

3. There’s no insurance that covers what you want, and as an fyi nearly all insurance is the same price as the providers use the same underwriter.

   I don’t know about that tag, it looks cool, and the gps is handy! We have a collar with our puppies name engraved on the clasp and phone number. There’s also an AirTag attached ad my fella is a bit of a runner at any chance (he’s getting better at coming back though!).

   It is definitely the law to chip the dog – so go get that done and registered.

   I would recommend finding a decent dog food brand and not going the pedigree brand way.

   And finally, enjoy the cutie!

4. Other than the advise you’ve already asked for, as the owner of a now 1 year old golden start training from day 1. Particularly leash training and *definitely* resource guarding. We’re having awful trouble with our 1 year old resource guarding now.

   Check out Zak George on YouTube, he does very good training videos.

   Oh, and the biting will stop. Ours stopped around 10 months old. Lots of clothes absolutely destroyed, countless numbers of toys. And lots of scratches. But it will stop, they’re just teething and playing and they don’t hate you.

5. Insurance doesn’t cover vet visits or incidentals; it’s more for proceedures down the line. Get it now – pet surgery is *expensive*. It pretty much all costs the same, nomatter who you get it from.

   There’s no legal requirement to having a tag, but there absolutely is for having the dog microchipped. Jury’s out on whether a tag with your own or your dog’s details on it is even a good idea or not, but get one if it makes you feel better. The idea is not to lose control of your dog in the first place, and if it’s robbed the tag will be ditched.

    

   Extra stuff:

   Find a local kennels because you’re going to need one. There are some right cowboys out there, so maybe ask around online, or ask at your local SPCA. Do *not* ask your local dog warden or pound.

   Use a harness instead of a collar when walking.

   When you come home, ignore the dog for a minute or two – if you get all excited about saying hello they interpret this as you being relieved to be back in the safety of the pack. This makes them anxious about you when you leave.

   If the dog is going to be on its own for prolonged periods of the day (e.g. both of you are gone to work) you should get a second dog. You can foster & adopt one from the SPCA for the cost of a donation. A dog should not be on its own.

   EDIT:

   If you’re having trouble with it chewing everything (including doors, skirting boards, & furniture) because of teething; if you get a little bottle of clove oil with a dropper you can put a few drops on whatever surface they are bothering. They can’t stand the smell. Obviously, you need to provide a proper chewy alternative. ‘Kong’ toys are very good; you can fill them with food or treats and one can keep a dog occupied for hours.

6. Unless you have 6 to 10 nipples and four paws your not the dogs Parents, but congratulations on becoming a dog owner. you only need to chip your dog by law, no law for needing name and address on a name tag, but do it anyways so if someone finds your dog they can get your number off it faster than taking the dog to a vets to scan the chip.

7. INSURANCE: I have my pup insured with An Post, the main difference in plans I notice was premium vs standard. On the standard policy if my pup developed long term condition his expenses were covered for that year but would not be covered when it renewed. The premium option included ongoing cover for an conditions that may develop.

8. Insurance won’t cover annual vet visits, vaccines, elective procedures like spays or teeth cleaning. It will come in handy if your pet ever gets sick or injured. Most insurances will cover the costs once you’ve hit around 100. Usually it will work by reimbursement, but some do pre-authorisation.
   Lots of vets will do some version of a pet plan, whereby you pay eg 20 per month, and that’ll cover yearly vaccines, a certain amount of vet and nurse visits, usually a discount on food and meds. Village vets and Highfield vets are corporate vets who both do this if there’s one near you, or alternatively just call up your local vets and ask.

9. I was advised to not put your dogs name on their collar. That way if someone steals them they wont know their name and be able to call them. Most dogs will know their name.

10. Something the vet said to me recently when I brought my pup in is that people get too caught up in what brand of food they buy. He said if the dog’s poo is good and solid and easy to pick up, the food agrees with him, and if it’s runny then it doesn’t.