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Hi Everyone,
I will never forget the very first day our cute little bundle of fun joined us in the 'burley' residence, i can remember it so clearly.
We had chosen a name about 4 days before collecting him, and couldn't wait to have him home with us. He was 10 weeks old when we got him, and it was love at first sight. He had a little porky belly, floppy ears, a wet nose and mischief written all over his chops!
As we were travelling around Europe (and still are) it wasn't a house he was going to be living in, but a large motorhome. The motorhome was only a year old, and all clean and tidy inside - so of course we wondered what a state it would get into moving in a young puppy.
The first afternoon was filled with cuddles, play sessions and frequent naps. We introduced him to his 'pre made up' toy box, and he loved every single one. I have put away his first toy, to keep, it was a soft toy in the form of a tiger, that squeaked. It went through the wash loads of times but always came up smelling fresh, well for one day anyway! lol. I had to remove it from his toy box when his adult teeth came, as i didn't want it to become shredded!
When he first entered the motorhome, he explored every corner, even trying to scrabble up on to the seats. We had moved everything that could be considered 'hazardous' to a young pup previously, and the floor was a haven for pups, just doggy toys and fun stuff! His breeder had given us a large sack of puppy food, Royal Canin, which he had been used to, so we carried on feeding this to him. He loved his food, and happily ate small meals throughout the day.
The first night, we had prepared the motorhome with special 'toilet' puppy pads, and expected a few accidents. So far, he had been remarkable with his wees & poo's, doing them all outside each time we took him out on the grass. As he settled down in his new bed, which was a hard plastic bed with a removable, washable cushion inside - he snuggled up to his toy tigger. His bed was placed next to ours and he drifted of to sleep no problem at all. Looking at him sleep was amazing, we couldn't quite believe he was ours.
Just as we drifted of to sleep, we heard movement. Puppy boy was up! And sleep was the last thing on his mind! We didn't mind of course, and were both eager to get out of bed and play, cuddle and fuss him - afterall, it was his first night away from his mum and littermates. We took him out to the loo also, where upon he went both no.1 & 2! We of course praised him like mad, and made such a fuss of him!
After 20 mins or so he was ready for another nap, and once again settled down into his bed..and we did ours. Throughout the night, we got up about 4 times to do exactly the same each time, and then he woke up nice and early about 6am. However, he had no little accidents whatsoever! To this very day he has only ever had 2 accidents in the motorhome, and each occured after a visit to the vets! (He's not keen on the vets)
We have photos of him which were taken hours after we had first met him, which i will post soon.
I think having Brad has been one of the best decisions we have ever made, thanks Brad - for being our special little boy. :wink: When we return back to the UK next month from our long european tour, we will be bringing back more than just happy travel memories, we will be bringing back our companion, our much loved lab who we adore - Bradleybear!
What was your first day with your labrador like?
We would love to hear your stories.
Julie
I will never forget the very first day our cute little bundle of fun joined us in the 'burley' residence, i can remember it so clearly.
We had chosen a name about 4 days before collecting him, and couldn't wait to have him home with us. He was 10 weeks old when we got him, and it was love at first sight. He had a little porky belly, floppy ears, a wet nose and mischief written all over his chops!
As we were travelling around Europe (and still are) it wasn't a house he was going to be living in, but a large motorhome. The motorhome was only a year old, and all clean and tidy inside - so of course we wondered what a state it would get into moving in a young puppy.
The first afternoon was filled with cuddles, play sessions and frequent naps. We introduced him to his 'pre made up' toy box, and he loved every single one. I have put away his first toy, to keep, it was a soft toy in the form of a tiger, that squeaked. It went through the wash loads of times but always came up smelling fresh, well for one day anyway! lol. I had to remove it from his toy box when his adult teeth came, as i didn't want it to become shredded!
When he first entered the motorhome, he explored every corner, even trying to scrabble up on to the seats. We had moved everything that could be considered 'hazardous' to a young pup previously, and the floor was a haven for pups, just doggy toys and fun stuff! His breeder had given us a large sack of puppy food, Royal Canin, which he had been used to, so we carried on feeding this to him. He loved his food, and happily ate small meals throughout the day.
The first night, we had prepared the motorhome with special 'toilet' puppy pads, and expected a few accidents. So far, he had been remarkable with his wees & poo's, doing them all outside each time we took him out on the grass. As he settled down in his new bed, which was a hard plastic bed with a removable, washable cushion inside - he snuggled up to his toy tigger. His bed was placed next to ours and he drifted of to sleep no problem at all. Looking at him sleep was amazing, we couldn't quite believe he was ours.
Just as we drifted of to sleep, we heard movement. Puppy boy was up! And sleep was the last thing on his mind! We didn't mind of course, and were both eager to get out of bed and play, cuddle and fuss him - afterall, it was his first night away from his mum and littermates. We took him out to the loo also, where upon he went both no.1 & 2! We of course praised him like mad, and made such a fuss of him!
After 20 mins or so he was ready for another nap, and once again settled down into his bed..and we did ours. Throughout the night, we got up about 4 times to do exactly the same each time, and then he woke up nice and early about 6am. However, he had no little accidents whatsoever! To this very day he has only ever had 2 accidents in the motorhome, and each occured after a visit to the vets! (He's not keen on the vets)
We have photos of him which were taken hours after we had first met him, which i will post soon.
I think having Brad has been one of the best decisions we have ever made, thanks Brad - for being our special little boy. :wink: When we return back to the UK next month from our long european tour, we will be bringing back more than just happy travel memories, we will be bringing back our companion, our much loved lab who we adore - Bradleybear!
What was your first day with your labrador like?
We would love to hear your stories.
Julie