New puppy coming, what is your favorite dog kibble, best way to train to brush teeth and clip paws?

[LuvOrlando]

It's been a few years since we lost our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and are preparing for a new little bundle of love, another Cav. It's been a very long time since I've had a puppy so wondering what the new buzz is for food and care? Considering Red Barn kibble, I think kibble is better for the teeth. Thinking of getting a grooming harness to lift and make nail grooming easier, I don't want to need to bring this one to the shop all the time. Not sure about best way to train such a teeny mouth for brushing, this dog will be younger than my other Cav was when we got him. Going to train to be comfy in a travel carrier and wear teeny booties right away. Picking out gates and a new car seat too.

 

[easyas123]

We feed Zignature brand (kangaroo protein) for our bull terrier and Purina Pro Plan large breed for our great dane. They get a bit of raw venison and duck here and there but not every day. Ironically they are both at the doggy spa as I type getting a well-needed scrub down and nail clip.

 

[bdrex28]

If you figure out how to train your new puppy to brush their own teeth, let me know

In all seriousness, we have 4 dogs. We feed them a mix of food. In the morning we use NomNom. Then in the evening we do a mix of Fromme 5 star kibble and Sundays.

Odd, yes, but the vet recommended it and they consistently eat well and it's a good mix.

 

[Christine]

Various vets over the past few years have all been consistent on one thing: don't solely feed a grain-free diet. That's a "human" fad and dogs need some grains mixed in. This has come from various vets and various practices and the grain-free diet seems to be a pet-peeve for many of them.

I've had at least 3 vets advocate for Purina Pro Plan as it's one of the most scientifically "vetted" foods on the market with a lot of years and science behind the nutrition. But there are many other brands that are probably just as good or better.

 

[NannyBeBe]

My vet, who has been practicing for over 50 years, encourages her clients to feed only three dog foods - Royal Canin, Purina, or Science Diet. Her reason for this is because those three companies are the only three that actually do field trials on their foods. I've been feeding these foods to my dogs for over 40 years and have never had issues caused by food. And I am convinced that the Royal Canin that I have been feeding my Griffon for most of her life has kept her healthy. So I highly recommend those three brands.
May you have many happy and healthy years with your new puppy. I also recommend health insurance. I use Trupanion and they have been wonderful through the years.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

My vet, who has been practicing for over 50 years, encourages her clients to feed only three dog foods - Royal Canin, Purina, or Science Diet. Her reason for this is because those three companies are the only three that actually do field trials on their foods. I've been feeding these foods to my dogs for over 40 years and have never had issues caused by food. And I am convinced that the Royal Canin that I have been feeding my Griffon for most of her life has kept her healthy. So I highly recommend those three brands.
May you have many happy and healthy years with your new puppy. I also recommend health insurance. I use Trupanion and they have been wonderful through the years.

Ours did something similar. It was a slightly longer list, but it was the only brands they trusted based on research, development, testing, quality control measures, long term data, etc. For Purina, they noted specific lines (Pro Plan and One) that were recommended. I know Royal Canin and Science Diet were also on their short list. We ended up trying those three (they were at the top) and Purina One was the winner for tummy and skin issues in our case.

 

[unrequited23]

Playing with your puppy's feet/pads several times a day and holding the clippers near them (but not using them) is a really good way to get them ready for nail clipping. The same goes for teeth brushing. Just start young and make it part of your day.

 

[Christine]

Every dog is different on the nail clipping. I have had some that don't care about it ever and others who never got over it and it was a chore.

My latest rescue came to me at 7 months old and a terrible fear of nail clipping. I managed to be able to work with her by lots of rewards and praise (she's praise motivated) and taking very small amounts off. The real key was never to screw up and go to far. While I don't get the nails as short as I'd like, I can now at least get her to come to me and tolerate the nail clipping.

I agree it's best to start young but you must be very careful in the early days to not hit the quick or you've done a lot of emotional damage that apparently gives them all PTSD!!

 

[petrola]

we don't feed the dogs kibble. (I'm afraid of the high-heat cooking process because of the carcinogens). Our larger dog eats Farmer's Dog - (chicken, beef and pork flavors) and our mini poodle mix is on a special kidney diet called "Just Food for dogs". Both get delivered to our door frozen.

 

[Rogue1677x]

Every dog is different on the nail clipping. I have had some that don't care about it ever and others who never got over it and it was a chore.

My latest rescue came to me at 7 months old and a terrible fear of nail clipping. I managed to be able to work with her by lots of rewards and praise (she's praise motivated) and taking very small amounts off. The real key was never to screw up and go to far. While I don't get the nails as short as I'd like, I can now at least get her to come to me and tolerate the nail clipping.

I agree it's best to start young but you must be very careful in the early days to not hit the quick or you've done a lot of emotional damage that apparently gives them all PTSD!!

This is so true! My dog is nearly 14 and still panics at the very site of nail clippers. When she was able to tolerate walks that would wear her nails down, but her arthritis is bad and she's losing mobility in one of her hind legs, so walks are short and not wearing her nails down.

 

[sarahann77]

All of the vets I've gone to prior to getting my cavie this year recommended the major brands - Iams or Purina. I've stayed with Iams. Since our other dog gets soft food she also gets a bit of Fresh Pet. Her vet only suggested a sprinkle of it so that her diet consisted mostly of the kibble.

Nails - agree with the others of playing with the feet each day. I can only do a little bit but I've only just started really.

Grooming - if you can get them used to clippers or scissors that would be good too. Mine has now gotten scared so she bolts as soon as she sees them or I touch her with them. She doesn't like when I use the clipper on the other animals either.

Training - mine really likes the Buddies Training Bites I think it was. Purina has some training bits too which were fine also. She now only half looks for the treats when going pee outside but is now pretty consistent with asking to go outside.

My first cavie after wanting one for many years so I'm still learning the breed a bit.

 

[CynBeth]

We have never had a puppy just rescue dogs of mixed breeds from a shelter and WTH the first one they gave us a little goody bag and it contained the Science Diet kibbles so that is what we have always used. We have the nails clipped at the vet.

 

[nene0182]

My boys have been eating Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach salkin since we brought them home. They are both horrible at getting their teeth brushed and nails clipped even though we started introducing it to them as soon as they came home. I’ve given up on the nail cutting and just take them to a groomer a few blocks from us that does walk in nail trims every day. For the teeth we brush them once a week and also add a teeth cleaning powder to their food. The vet says they have great teeth but they are still pretty young.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I just got a nail grinder delivered as some people say their pets like it better and it is less likely to hurt them, anyone feel the same way?

 

[Christine]

I just got a nail grinder delivered as some people say their pets like it better and it is less likely to hurt them, anyone feel the same way?

It didn't work well for my dog but if you start as a puppy it could work fine.

 

[slo]

How fun - post a picture of your fur baby when you have him/her at home.

We fed our last dog Science Diet for 14yrs and we are now feeding our 6 month old Science Diet.

We just bought a nail grinder, but haven’t tried it yet. I am always so nervous cutting dog nails, so the grinder is more for my benefit than for the puppies - LOL!

I am going to start brushing our puppies teeth after the first of the year. I bought him those Greenies, but he won’t touch it, so they are going back to the store.

Have fun with your new little bundle of love. Adjusting to a new puppy was kind of hard for us after 14 1/2 years of being with our other dog. Then we took two years off after she passed. We are back in the swing of things now and life has gotten more smooth and easy.

 

[DCLMP]

I feed my puppy and dog Canadae.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

With nails & teeth, just start casually & make it positive. Handle the feet / lips / ears while you're sitting on the couch together. Touch nails with clippers a few times, casually, no big deal, isn't that fun that you get cookies when the nail clippers are around? Clip a single nail & give a treat, end on that the first time.

Put the dremel / grooming clippers on the ground (supervised) so they can be sniffed. Turn on the dremel or grooming clippers, leave them sitting there on while you two do something fun nearby (practice sit, fetch, roughhouse, whatever). Pick them up and move them - they're not scary even when they move, they're just a weird noisy thing in the room. Keep it light & positive. Touch with dremel / grooming clippers while they're off, maybe "brush" with turned-off clippers. If needed, a pretzel stick globbed with peanut butter is an excellent distraction for clippers touching the body. (Pretzel stick so it's not harmful if it gets bitten).

Also, the first few times it thunders, if it's safe to do so, go outside & play some games in the rain. Thunder also isn't scary! Yay for not-scary things!

 

[goofyernmost]

If god had meant for dogs to brush their teeth they would have been born with apposable thumbs to hold a tooth brush. There are a lot of treats on the market that are specifically made to be teeth cleaners and take the place of chewing on hard objects, like bones of other animals, to naturally keep them clean without outside unnatural procedures. Just my belief that nature can take care of itself when not prevented by caring but unnecessary intervention.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We’ve fed Pro Plan dry for years, and we buy Aldi canned. Our dogs LOVE the salmon and like the rest. We mix them together. We bought a different brand on sale a couple of years ago and it caused major skin problems.

For training I love My Smart Puppy by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson. And group classes are great for helping your dog learn how to behave around distractions. I don’t use a lot of food to train, just one treat at the end of the session. I use my voice and make it fun for the dog. Training can not only make them a welcome member of your community, it can save their life if they get away from you.



For teeth cleaning I like the finger brushes, but the last puppy I had (who’s 11 now) would never let me near his mouth so it was tough. His teeth are still in good shape, though, vet looked at them recently and said he didn’t even need a cleaning. I think the dry kibble helps, he has a small dental stick every day, and we don’t give him sweets, just some crunchy things for treats.

Nails, honestly, if you’re not really sure how to do them, I’d leave it to the professionals - either a vet tech or groomer. As others have said, if you hit the quick, it’s super painful (think of yourself if you cut your nail too low) and will cause them to fear having it done. I’ve always done nails but even I have hit the quick a couple of times and felt awful. (I’m sure it happens to the pros too.) These days I have them done by the pros too, especially on my smaller dog. If I do them at all I just take a tiny bit off, then give it a week where the quick retracts, then take a little more off, rinse and repeat. If I was starting out I might try to get them used to a grinder instead of a cutter. Touching the mouth and paws helps desensitize them to that, but not always. Try to keep everything fun.

Good luck with your new addition! Do we get to see pictures?