Dog name and other dog help (cute pics!)

[wildrice]

We got our dog! He's a malti-poo (supposedly) from the shelter and is about 1 year old. I am crowdsourcing names - any ideas? I don't have any specific parameters, other than that I want it to "fit" him.

I also have a few minor questions:

1. If you have introduced a dog to a cat home, can you tell me more about what you did? I'm trying to following recommendations I've read online by separating them - the dog is in a bedroom with the door closed. The cat has seen him going in and out of the house a couple of times but that's it. The cat has seemed more curious (and very serious face!) than scared, but I'm sure he's not ready to just be BFFs either since other animals are new for him. How long did you keep your pets separated, and once they met did you do anything in particular to keep the introduction slow?

2. I've never had dogs that ate on a schedule before, but this dog wolfs down his food so I am guessing that's what we'll do. How often do you feed your dog? And about how long after do you need to take them outside to pee/poop?

3. What do you do with your poop bags? Obviously they go in the trash, but our trash has to be tied up for them to take it so I can't just throw it in the can outside. Do you have a separate bucket or something? 

[lust2hart]

I don't have answers to your questions except with #3 - what do you do with your cat litter? When we had cats, we had a can in the garage that was lined with a bag and that's where we tossed the cat litter. When it got full, or too smelly, we'd tie up the bag and put it in the outside can for trash pickup.

For names, the first name that came to my mind was Freddy! Others:
Gus
Pip

[lavenderblue]

So cute! I'm so happy for you, I know you have wanted a dog for such a long time. As for a name, I prefer human names, and he looks like a Bernie to me.

1. Once he gets a little settled, can you put a baby gate in the bedroom door? That will allow them to see each other without having actual access to each other. And then as they get more acclimated, the cat can get in and out easily.

2. My dogs aren't on a schedule per se, but do get breakfast and dinner. They're usually ready to go out and do their business about 30 minutes or so after they eat, but we have a yard for them to go out so they just scratch at the door.

3. I do keep a small can on my porch for poop bags and then just tie up that bag and throw it in the bag can on trash day.

Congrats on your new edition!

[charlatti]

I love his ears!

1. We kept the dog gated or leashed when we were home, so the cat could always see him if he wanted to. When we were out, the dog was crated or in a bedroom (cat always had the full house). I can’t remember how long, though.

2. We feed twice a day. In the morning he eats at 6 and gets a walk at 8ish; in the afternoon he gets a walk around 3 and then eats after that. He also goes out to pee first thing in the morning, noonish, 6ish, and right before we go to bed.

3. We keep a smaller trash can outside for poop bags and empty that into the regular trash the night before trash pickup.

[TR]

I think he looks like a Simon, maybe.

[starburst604]

Awww what a cutie!! He looks like a Henry to me. ETA: He reminds me of Falkor from Neverending Story! 

We had our two adult cats before getting either dog. I don't know if we did it the right way, but we just let the cats basically advance as tolerated when we brought home the first puppy. He was only 10 weeks so he was limited in where he could go and was always crated if we weren't around. We made sure the cats could always get away from the dog and they just approached him as they felt like it. They hid for a few weeks. Two years later, one of them can be around the dogs fine and the other wants to fight anytime he sees them so we always keep them from seeing each other ever. We just figured out logistics that worked. Feeding, we feed twice a day (breakfast, dinner) with treats in between and they usually go outside right after to do their thing. Our younger dog is just turning one and he still needs to go out a bit more often than the other dog who is 2. You'll get to know his schedule soon enough. For poop, we now have a service that comes weekly to clean it up, but before that I was going to get a separate smaller trash bin for outside lined with a bag that I could remove and toss in the trash. We CAN put our bins out with loose trash but they aren't always great about tipping the can over completely and sometimes the poop bag were still stuck in the bottom, gross. When I was going to do that I was also thinking I'd use a poop scooper instead of baggies. But then we got the second dog and I was the only one cleaning up after them. I got tired of that real quick!

[icedcoffee]

No idea on #1.

#2---We feed our dogs twice a day first thing in the AM and around 5. They pretty much need to go outside right after.
#3 - We throw ours in our can, but if we needed to bag them first a lot of our neighbors have these mini metal cans they line with a garbage bag and then they take it out on trash day.

[gottadobe]

How exciting - he's adorable!

Has your cat ever been around dogs? I've had a *very* dog-savvy cat and cats who would run. Bring him out of the bedroom in a couple days and keep him on a leash, Let the cat make ALL the first moves. Teach your dog from the beginning to "leave" the cat if he shows too much interest.

I feed my dogs at 8am and 6pm - they go out right after.

I'd put a bag in a 5-gallon bucket (my dogs are bigger lol) and toss them in there for the week and then tie the whole thing up on trash day.

[buckeyegirl]

I don't have a cat but to answer #2 my dog has a breakfast/dinner schedule but not a specific time. I have a slow feed bowl because she used to eat so fast. My dog usually has to go out in the middle of eating before she can finish or maybe holds it about 5 minutes. We have a yard and just let her out when she sits by the door.

[mrsukyankee]

Names: Cooper (because he's mini) - I'm happy to share my dog's name with your dog. Or Benji, Dude, Dobby.

Baby gates are your friends. It gives your cat the ability to escape if needed. We put one on our stairs once the dog was allowed to go around the downstairs.

At 1, we fed our dogs 2x a day.

We have a dog poop bag bin that we put a bigger liner that is compostable. We empty it very regularly.

[sadie]

Awww! Adorbs.

We feed our dogs 2x a day- breakfast time and dinner time. I take them out right when they get up to potty in the morning, then feed them. They go out either right before or soon after they eat dinner. They're pretty regimented 2x a day poopers. I've taught them to pee and poop on command, so it shortens potty time in Chicago cold.

I bought an orange bucket from Home Depot for poop bags. When it's trash day, we just dump everything into one garbage bag for our trashcan.

[TR]

Oh and we feed twice a day, usually between 6am-8am depending on the day and when we get up and dinner at 6pm, earlier or later if we’re out or something. Donny used to have to go poop IMMEDIATELY after eating lol but that has changed and now it’s just sometime that evening usually. Unless it’s wet outside, then he’ll just hold it 🙄

Our dog poop bags from walks go in our big black trash can that H also uses for yard cleanup and when it’s full, that bag goes out with the rest of the trash.

[shopgirl07]

He is ridiculously cute! I think names for dogs are so hard because there are endless options. I like Owen, Wellie, Bowie and Lunchbox. Lunchbox is kinda out there but I’ve seen a couple of rescues use the name lately and for some reason I love it.

[shauni27]

I need to know his personality so far to give him a good name. But holy moly, he is so cute, I would want to name him cutie, lol.

[cleo29]

Fritz, Seamus, Loki, Fred, Dash

Ask the vet how much to feed him, do not go by what the food bags tell you. We kept our Pug quite trim by doing this and giving him healthier treats like baby carrots for rewards. Dogs get fed twice a day. Dog crates are great; they become their little dens and a safe space to be.

As for poop, poop bags would go into the big trash can just before collection day. If you have a yard, there are these things where you scoop up the yard poop, put it in this container in the ground and it is like a doggy septic tank. kind of cool and cuts down on plastic poop bags.

[hermione]

Looks like a Gus to me. Or Jasper.

We didn't phase in meeting the dog. We just let them explore each other as they chose.

[scm1011]

Sooo cute!! Maltese/Malti-poo are on my short list for when we get a dog. Name suggestions: Larry or Seamus.

ETA: cleo29 , jinx lol. My favorite mutt growing up was Seamus and I think its such a good dog name.

[lessel]

Jan 24, 2024 13:09:54 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Awww what a cutie!! He looks like a Henry to me. ETA: He reminds me of Falkor from Neverending Story! 

This was my immediate thought. 100%. Falkor.

[lust2hart]

Ooo, seeing cleo29's suggestion of Loki made me think you could go for irony:

Thor
Andre
Zeus
Vader
Hercules

[followyourarrow]

So cute! He looks like a Henry to me, but I seem to like old man names.

After 2-3 days, I'd bring him out on his leash, while giving the cat plenty of escape route, especially ones where he can go up. I'd increase the time outside of the bedroom each day. I'd use a baby gate so Galaxy can always escape.

I feed twice a day, morning and evening.

At one year, Mardi can go out every 4 hours, but can make it through the night.

[womet]

He's so cute!

When we got our dog, we introduced him immediately but on leash. But we made sure that there were places the cat could go and hide if needed. We never really needed it. They weren't best buds, but our dog maintained a healthy "fear" of the cat so he never tried to go after him. Our girl cat was never really a fan of the dog, so she wouldn't get near him. Our current boy cat loved the dog more than the dog ever loved him. We let the cat out of the cat carrier on day 1 and he walked straight over to the dog and hugged his face. If the dog would have let him, our boy cat would have snuggled with the dog.

Re: dog poop. We had a container that we kept in the garage that housed the poop bags. It was like a diaper genie, but for dog poop. It helped some but didn't eliminate the poop smell from our garage completely. Depending on your front yard, you might be able to put one in front of your door behind a plant or something.

We fed our dog in the morning and at dinner time. He got walked before work, right after work, and before bed.

[InBetweenDays]

No answer for #1.

2) Our dog eats at 7am and 5pm. He's 6.5 yo and 80lbs so I'm sure it varies by size and weight, but there is no rhyme or reason to when he needs to go out after eating. It's just whenever he tells us. And in the morning if the weather is bad there are times when he doesn't go outside for hours (I mean, he doesn't even go out when he first gets up). He has a bladder of steel.

3) We have a metal scooper we use to pick up the yard. When we pick up the yard we scoop the poop and dump it into a bag (usually a reused grocery or produce bag we keep in a container under our sink), tie the bag and throw it in the garbage can.

[expectantsteelerfan]

So cute! I think he looks like Falkor too!

We don't have a cat. We feed twice a day, usually right before I make my own breakfast and then after I make dinner but before we start eating. My previous dog used to throw up just liquid bile in the morning if we fed her too early because it was like she was getting acid reflux from having an empty stomach, and one of my dogs now does this occasionally too, so I always feed a treat at night after they go out for the last time. Mine go outside pretty much right after they eat (we have a dog door), and I think before we had the door, we'd take them out right after eating and they'd go pretty quickly.

We use poop bags when out walking if they go (I like the amazon essentials one better than most brands, they are black and just the slightest bit thicker). They are small, but they still count as a 'bag' for our waste removal so I just toss those right in our big can. I clean up our yard every other day, and I use store plastic bags (they haven't been banned here yet) and pick up multiples in each bag, then tie those and toss in our garbage can.

[k3am]

Jan 24, 2024 13:34:48 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

If you have a yard, there are these things where you scoop up the yard poop, put it in this container in the ground and it is like a doggy septic tank. kind of cool and cuts down on plastic poop bags.

We looked into this. The name brand of the most common one is a Doggie Dooley. And you have to dig a 4 foot deep hole, so DH nixed the idea. Our dog does 95% of his poop on walks, so bags it is. Like others, we have a separate container we use through the week, bag it up, and then throw it in the trash. 

Also not asked by OP, but this poop bag holder that clips to your leash is the best.

[sarahsays]

I'm terrible at naming things so I'll leave it to others.

Since your cat has never lived with a dog and you have no idea the dog's previous cat exposure, I recommend taking it very slowly. I would keep them fully separated for at least a week (and until you've had the dog checked out by your vet). After that time, I'd add a gate to the bedroom door and/or the stairs. This will allow the cat to escape when he wants. I recommend always having a safe space in which the cat can be separate from the dog. My dog is not allowed into my guest room and the cats know that is their space.

I recommend twice a day. If he's eating very quickly, use a slow feeder or puzzle to help him slow down. He might get better over time once he feels less food insecure. I'd plan to take him out 30ish minutes after meals until your sure he is housetrained.

I live in a condo so I throw my bags out into the main dumpster but prior to getting a litter robot, I used a litter genie for cat litter so I'd probably use that for the dog bags if I didn't have the dumpster option.

[bex1973]

So cute!

[jane6672]

I would default to more frequent bathroom breaks (every ~3 hours) the first few days, in case he regresses on potty training with all the changes. Once he’s more settled in your house, we did 4x a day: morning, lunch time, after work, before bed.

[waverly]

He looks like a "Lucky" to me.

My dog chases my cat, so I am no help there.

[devonpow]

What a cutie!!!

We feed our dog twice a day - breakfast is actually after her first walk (I wake up, throw gym clothes on and take her for a quick 10 minute walk first thing). Then she gets a long walk mid day, and her post dinner walk is basically right after she eats (breakfast is around 6:30, dinner around 6). I’m a SAHM so that’s what works for us

We keep a little metal garbage can outside the back door for poop bags, then just empty it into the main can on trash day

[mofongo]

Cute!!! Congratulations! We have always introduced animals Willy nilly!

We feed our dogs a 1/2 cup twice/day.

We have 2 cats and 2 dogs. We have the litter in what is built as a small office in the house. We keep a gate at the entrance, the cats jump over, and the dogs can’t get in. Dog LOVE to eat cat poop, so be on top of that!!

ETA: 1/2 cup