New Greyhound Checklist

Checklist For New Dog Arrival

Before Arrival

1. Get details (tattoos, name, age, vaccination & season dates, any other medical information, contact details of trainers, owners etc., kennel routine, current food)
2. Arrange handover date and time
3. Book vet appointment
4. Get flea treatment & preventative (Frontline, Program), wormer (Lopatol) and shampoo (Dermolene)
5. Get extra toothbrush or toothbrush head, and dog toothpaste
6. Get live yoghurt
7. clear calendar, stock up on books, videos (for you! not the dog!) etc
8. Make sure camera is ready to take photos
9. Get indoor collar and tag ready - should be engraved tag with your name, address and phone number on
10. Set up extra "den" for new dog downstairs and upstairs (ideally in your bedroom at first)
11. Stock up on dog treats, chews, and low residue dog food
12. Stock up on carpet cleaner, plastic sheeting, kitchen towel, plastic bags and other handy items for coping with, er, "confused" dogs (you may never need them - but just in case!)

When Picking Up Dog

1. Put indoor collar and tag on
2. Put on outdoor collar and lead, harness too if the dog is shy or skittish
3. Finish taking any details
4. Take photo. (Dogs are most likely to get lost in the first few days at a new home, so it is vital that the dog has its ID tags on from the very start and that you have a clear photo of it plus any identifying details)

After Arrival

1. Take out into garden with treat and use elimination phrase. Stay until they "perform" and give them a treat when they do.
2. Shampoo dog with flea shampoo (e.g. Dermolene) or spray with Frontline, before they go indoors
3. With treats and on lead take round every room in the house, explaining how much we like this room, and give dog a treat in each room
4. Keep on lead for first couple of days and take out to widdle frequently, using elimination phrase, + phrase and treats when they perform.
5. Supervise feeding with other dogs
6. Put harness and muzzle on for walks initially, until you are satisfied they are not needed
7. Let out:
· first thing in the morning (you may want to set your alarm to make sure you wake up before the dog does!)
· after each meal
· after being left alone for any period
· after arriving anywhere
· after any games
· if they haven’t been out for an hour or two
· if they start pootling around in a "suspicious" manner
... and give a treat and praise each time they "perform".
8. Add live yoghurt to food for first few days to aid digestion.
9. Observe poop closely for first month - if you see anything moving, time for the worming tablets.
10. Take the dog to the vet for a check-up. (You may want to take an early-morning urine sample with you as testing is cheap and housetraining a dog with a bladder infection is tough - try using a large, shallow container like a sandwich box to catch the wee and put it in a small, clean glass jar). You'll want to talk about neutering and micro-chipping (if either of these has not yet been done), and discuss care for any injuries or illnesses the dog has.
Please mail suggestions or comments about this article to: Maria Hamilton (mailto:maria@gurk.demon.co.uk)

this page last edited 24 March 2002