Bichon or Bichi-Poo for Christmas *UPDATE* 1st post

[chrissyk]

Congrats on your new little guy! I have one recommendation, and that is to buy a health insurance policy for him. I bought my sis's bichon's policy through www.vpi.com for about $200/year, and she has had to use it plenty. Her dog has allergy problems.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Congrats on your new little guy! I have one recommendation, and that is to buy a health insurance policy for him. I bought my sis's bichon's policy through www.vpi.com for about $200/year, and she has had to use it plenty. Her dog has allergy problems.

Chrissy- what made you choose that company? Why them over another company? Do they cover well-puppy visits for immunizations and things like that? Thanks for your help!

Jackie

 

[chrissyk]

Chrissy- what made you choose that company? Why them over another company? Do they cover well-puppy visits for immunizations and things like that? Thanks for your help!

Jackie

I chose them because they seemed to be the largest and they had a good reputation from the research that I did. I didn't buy the well-visit policy, although it wasn't that much more expensive. I figured that my sister could spring for 1 well-visit a year. I was more concerned with BIG veternary expenses, which we have had with one of our cats. I chose the best policy that didn't include well visits. It's called something like the "gold level" I think I know that my sister pays a $50 deductable for non well-visits and that VPI reimburses her for the remainder. Because of the dog's allergies, the policy has paid for itself twice over at this point. I think that the policy pays for something like 70% of the cost of surgical procedures too, which is HUGE. That is really why I bought it in the first place, although it has certainly come in handy for the non well visits.

I bought the policy as soon as my sister was allowed to bring her puppy home from the breeder, and my sister has kept the policy up annually since then. Once the animal is covered, they can't drop him/her for "preexisting" conditions, and they can't randomly raise the rate on you. That's why I covered the dog as a new little puppy. I covered our other cat at the same time...unfortunately, they wouldn't cover our cat that already had preexisting conditions and he has needed very $$$ surgery since, so I learned about pet health insurance the hard way This is something that you will be SO glad that you have if you ever need it.

While you're at it, also find out where your nearest emergency vet is, and where your nearest ACVS surgeon is. Trust me...you don't want to be searching for this info in an emergency.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't have any comments about the breed, but I did want to say that 10 weeks old in a puppy is one of the "fear periods" that dogs go through when they are learning about the world around them. Tread VERY CAREFULLY in the way you treat this dog right now - fears can be imprinted for life during this time.

Fear Period: http://www.geocities.com/mistybluecollies/criticalperiods.html

I don't know how old your kids are but kids of any age should be taught to play fetch games with the dog and never wrestling/roughousing which pits the dog against the kids. Also, dog teeth on human skin is something that should never be encouraged, so make sure the kids understand the pup should not be biting them (very challenging with a pup).

There is a wonderful book which takes a common sense approach to having a great dog and I highly recommend that all dog owners read it. Here's a link. http://www.geocities.com/mistybluecollies/criticalperiods.html

Not all families have craziness in their households during the holidays. Since the dog is already home, try to keep things as normal as they would be were it not the holidsays for the sake of the dog. Remember the responsibility you have at home and don't leave the dog for long periods of time if you are out visiting. And lastly, if you have lots of company (or if you take the dog out with you), protect the dog from them and don't let everyone handle it, tease it, etc.. Best of luck, hope to see some pictures soon!