Hello from Kelta and me from Greece :-)

Theo · Post by **Theo** » Wed May 27, 2015 7:31 am

Hello all

my name is Theo, I am in my 30s, a lawyer by profession and I hail from Greece. This is my little jewel Kelta who came into my life only yesterday afternoon.

Kelta is Coming...(shameless Game of Thrones pun for those who watch the series or are fans of the books

)

I went through a serious medical adventure which left me unable to work for the past year but I am now on the path to recovery and slowly getting back to walking and going to the office a few times a week. I have always wanted a dog but first my studies then work and in between other interests such as girls

etc. conspired to prevent me from getting one. On account of the aforementioned medical hooplala I decided that it was now the best of times to finally realize what has been a lifelong dream as a) I would have time to train the dog to the best of my ability and b) the doggie would help me recover as I would be forced to exercise (I think of the whole things as more like her saving me actually but I don't say it often as people might find it too sappy).

For 2 months I read everything I could get my hands on in terms of books and watched all sorts of videos online. There is so much out there in terms of advice for prospective dog owners as well as for training said dogs but it needs to be filtered (that is how I found out about this forum; from watching Victoria's videos. A BIG thank you by the way Victoria if you are reading this). I wanted a dog small enough to live in an apartment but also not a lap dog as the idea was for us to be active and exercise together. I was between a Jack russel and a West Highland terrier and eventually settled on a westie. Hence my little Kelta

Kelta's arrival

My father brought little Kelta to my apartment and at once I saw this was no shy puppy

She set out exploring the place at once and eagerly responded to cuddles and games. Our first night together was uneventful and she did not cry at all and she even managed to pee and poop on the right spot (on some diapers I put on the floor sprayed with some oil to make it more likely that the doggie pees there) most of the times. I can't take her out to the balcony to pee yet as I want to put a plastic netting around the balcony bars so that she is not in danger of falling (I live on the 5th floor of an apartment building). This may be a silly fear; maybe dogs are smart enough not to do such a thing but I'd rather be safe than sorry. This netting will be put in tomorrow morning so then I can start training her to pee and poop outside by taking her out very often. Around every 1 hour during daytime and every 2-3 hours at night if I remember what I read correctly.

She LOVES to eat (really she goes crazy when she hears me opening the food bag) which will be good I suppose when we come to training as I can use that as an incentive for her. Today was our first visit to the vet and he declared her 100% fit and also put us on a puppy food called Science PLan Vet Essentials by Hills. I had read that doggie food should have no grain in it and I don't know if the above has grain in it. I will check online later today.

She is not loving her training crate. I put in a towel and a little bed and toys and I make a point of feeding her INSIDE the crate but she always pops out outside afterwards. Mind you she is not afraid when I close the door (not latch) while she is in there eating. I always open the door right after she finishes though tonight I will try leaving it closed for 30 secs to see what she does. I can coax her inside with food and get her to lie down in her little bed but in 5 mins she gets up and lies on the marble. That may be actually because it's summer and hot and the marble is much cooler than the bed? Don't know. Still I will keep at it. Rome was not built in a day. This is her crate (since I took this pic I have also put a towel on top to make it more like a nest):

Big points to my little bebe because both in the morning when I left the room to shower and get dressed and just 10 mins ago when I went to the kitchen to eat she did not cry or whine. I was well chuffed to find her sleeping on the floor when I came back from food just now. Of course I make no fuss when I leave, I don't even look at her so as not to make her think this is something terrible.

What else happened since last evening? oh yes! whereas yesterday afternoon and night she slept or sat under bed today she comes wherever I sit whether I am on the bed or the chair on the pc and sits next to me. When I am on the pc she plops her little head on my foot and just goes to sleep there lol I think I am falling in love with the little monster

Thank you for your patience in reading all of the above and nice to meet you all
Cheers,
Theo

Erica · Post by **Erica** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:50 am

Welcome! Sounds like you did good research.

Kelda is adorable!

As far as potty breaks during the night, it all depends on the dog - at 8 weeks, my puppy needed to go out at 11pm, 3am, and 7am. During the day I took him out more often - before and after eating, playing, drinking, and sleeping. Unless he was asleep, I took him out every half hour. But your pup may need to go out more often or less - the easiest way to know is to keep her crate (or, if she's not comfortable sleeping in the crate, maybe a good sized cardboard box, open at the top) right by your bed. As long as you wake up when pup stirs and whines, you can just let her choose when she needs to go potty.

Putting netting up on the balcony is a good idea - some dogs might avoid it, but some may not realize the drop is far on the other side. Even dogs who normally wouldn't try to squeeze through might try to chase a lizard...It's definitely wise to prevent that!

Hills usually sponsors vets, so they recommend it often - but in my opinion, it isn't the best option. I don't know which brands of dog food are available in Greece, but dogfoodadvisor is a good resource for telling which foods might be better or worse. Here is their article on choosing a dog food, in case the ones available to you aren't rated by them.

I think the most complete guide to puppy care that I've found is Dr. Dunbar's "AFTER You Get Your Puppy" (there's a "before" too which is also good, but "after" is obviously for after you have the dog!). It's available for free as a .pdf. Here is a link. Dr. Dunbar has a view of rearing puppies much like Victoria's, I believe.

Let us know if you have any questions! We love to help. (And we also love seeing pictures!)

delladooo · Post by **delladooo** » Wed May 27, 2015 12:33 pm

She is absolutely gorgeous! It sounds like you did a lot of research and are going to be an excellent owner with a brilliant dog.

I'd second Erica on the food topic, Hills seem to be very overpriced for what they offer and you can find better quality food for your money, although I have no idea as to what is specifically available in Greece.

Good luck with your puppy and I second the hint about pictures!

Theo · Post by **Theo** » Wed May 27, 2015 1:37 pm

Many thanks for the welcome to you both

and the kind words about the little bebe

I gave the Hills bag the vet gave me to my grandpa to give to any strays he might find in his neighbourhood and I popped down to a pet store and bought a dog food that is 100% grain free called Maxima. It is this one:
http://www.cotecnica.es/index.php?md=ar ... d=852&lg=3
I just kept a little Hills stuff to mix in with her Maxima food to start with so as not to change her food at once. I read that too abrupt a change of food might upset the puppy's tummy?

I may be going overboard with this in my effort to give little Kelta the best. I even read there is not enough scientific research into the subject of dog food and that possibly cooked recipes or even raw might be better? I have a suspicion I need to stop worrying about this so much and focus on building up trust first and then training her.

We had something of a setback with potty training as she pooped and peed outside the diaper this evening. As usual I made no fuss and picked it up. Hopefully from tomorrow when I can let her out in the balcony potty training will progress more successfully in that i will be able to take her out and hopefully often enough to poop/pee outside and learn to do it there.

Many many thanks for the pdf link. I am going to read that tonight. Very much appreciated!

Again thanks for the welcome and I do promise I will post many more pics of little Kelta

Here is the little monster just a few mins ago trying to jump on my bed.

best,
Theo

delladooo · Post by **delladooo** » Wed May 27, 2015 2:18 pm

I've not heard of Maxima myself but a quick click to the website shows a 70/30 ratio which sounds good for a dry food. Erica and myself are both raw feeders and, whilst I wouldn't want to speak for anyone else, I love it and I know a lot of other people here feed raw too but it's not for everyone. Abrupt change can cause upset for a lot of dogs, especially puppies, but other dogs seem to cope well so better to be safe than sorry.

You'll definitely have some set backs with potty training, so long as you're consistent and keep with it you'll get there.

She really is stunning and all pictures are a bonus

Theo · Post by **Theo** » Wed May 27, 2015 3:45 pm

After a busy day we are sleeping

Dee_Marie · Post by **Dee_Marie** » Sun May 31, 2015 7:31 pm

Hi and welcome. Kelta is super cute and it sounds like you are off to a great start. I'm also new here.

Theo · Post by **Theo** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:09 am

Thank you for the welcome

Kelta says woof woof!

Theo · Post by **Theo** » Fri May 31, 2019 6:11 pm

It has been over 4 years since I last posted here and my little Kelta celebrated her 4th birthday on the 8th of April. She is the joy of our household and I never imagined when I got her how integral a part of our family she would become.

I thought it was high time I popped in to say a thank you for your welcome and advice on those early days and to follow up on how we got on. Here are some pics of the little monster now that she is all grown up.

Best wishes to all,
Theo