Our new guy is home. 
: I posted about him a week or so ago. (See pic in post #5) He is a 2ish yr old Golden Retriever from a rescue. He is nameless at the moment. (We are calling him by the name the foster family has been calling him for a month now but we might rename) So far, he's been doing great. He is undergoing heartworm treatment right now so we have to keep him calm (so we can't work on his leash manners yet). But, so far, his house manners are great. Someone has obviously worked with him in the past. I admit to being slightly in love already. 
Now to the questions... 1) We are using a crate. And, having never used a crate in the the past, we don't know what to do about water. Do you leave water in the crate with them if you are going to be gone a fair amount of time? Do you use on of those clip-on bottles like rabbits/gerbils use? Or a clip-on bowl?
2) How long should I let him keep eating his old food before I start transitioning him to what I want him to eat? I figured we would keep feeding him his old food for a bit while he settled in and then start mixing in the good stuff slowly. But, how long should I wait?
And, 3) Do dogs eventually get used to hardwood floors? Well, make that Pergo floors. Our old dog passed away before we moved here and we had carpet in the old house so I've never had to watch a dog slip and slide on the Pergo. It's not too bad as long as he doesn't try to take off quickly, but he does seem to walk a bit gingerly. Would clipping the hair from his pads help?
Thanks!
: I posted about him a week or so ago. (See pic in post #5) He is a 2ish yr old Golden Retriever from a rescue. He is nameless at the moment. (We are calling him by the name the foster family has been calling him for a month now but we might rename) So far, he's been doing great. He is undergoing heartworm treatment right now so we have to keep him calm (so we can't work on his leash manners yet). But, so far, his house manners are great. Someone has obviously worked with him in the past. I admit to being slightly in love already. Now to the questions... 1) We are using a crate. And, having never used a crate in the the past, we don't know what to do about water. Do you leave water in the crate with them if you are going to be gone a fair amount of time? Do you use on of those clip-on bottles like rabbits/gerbils use? Or a clip-on bowl?
2) How long should I let him keep eating his old food before I start transitioning him to what I want him to eat? I figured we would keep feeding him his old food for a bit while he settled in and then start mixing in the good stuff slowly. But, how long should I wait?
And, 3) Do dogs eventually get used to hardwood floors? Well, make that Pergo floors. Our old dog passed away before we moved here and we had carpet in the old house so I've never had to watch a dog slip and slide on the Pergo. It's not too bad as long as he doesn't try to take off quickly, but he does seem to walk a bit gingerly. Would clipping the hair from his pads help?
Thanks!
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