Puppy questions

[Puddingmama2017]

Our first puppy comes home on the 18th and we’re all really excited. I just have a couple of questions.

I joined the recommended FB dog training advice page and read the whole ‘puppy pack’. I just wanted to ask if anyone had used the crate training method as it seems incredibly long, and wondered if anyone had been able to skip steps (not saying I would but all dogs are different, so might not need such a long process). Or does anyone have any other tips for crate training?

Also insurance, is there any companies to be avoided? Any that you’d recommend?

[BiteyShark]

For insurance have a search as there are a few threads where people have made recommendations.

Don't scrimp on this. Get a life policy for the highest yearly amount you can afford. Look at the T&Cs closely as not all insurances policies are equal. If it's too good to be true it usually is.

I am with petplan and have claimed around £5000 and my dog isn't even 3 years old yet. I haven't used any other company so can't comment on those but whilst petplan is dear I have had no issues and my policies haven't increased much despite the high number of claims.

[adaline]

We use Tesco for insurance - never had any issues. Make sure you get a lifetime policy with a good level of cover. We pay around £30 a month for our beagle, which provides us with 10k/year of lifetime cover. Don't scrimp on insurance - even an MRI can cost in the thousands, and that's not to mention surgery on top where necessary.

We didn't crate train our dog so I can't really help with that bit. He's sixteen months and sleeps in our room at night - normally on the bed I have to say! We've dog-proofed the living room and leave him there uncrated if we need to go out. The worst thing he's ever done is pull the stuffing out of an old cushion! We do leave him with plenty of chews though.

[Puddingmama2017]

I’m going to be stair gating the kitchen off as his area so I wondered if it would be worth crate training. Just the method described sounds like it is for incredibly nervous dogs/puppies.

Will look at both petplan/Tesco’s. Thank you.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I've never crate trained. We puppy proof, and that seems to work.

One dog in his youth did dig up a sofa, but it had only cost £15 from a jumble sale and was on its last legs anyway, which was why he had unsupervised access to it.

So long as the dog has a bed where he or she feels safe, I don't think a crate is necessary. I think it's a matter of personal choice.

[mandajane71]

How do you get through the puppy stage? we are almost two weeks in after getting our cavapoochon and whilst he definately isnt the worst, hubby and I struggling to cope. Have an 18 and 1 yr old who love but have studies to work on... feel as if made really bad mistake...stressed, panicky, wondering if it will ever get better.. suffered with PND with both girls, scared heading back there.....

[BiteyShark]

mandajane71 I would join this thread Puppy Support Group www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/3600375-Young-Puppy-Support-Group

Puppy blues are very real and lots of us have found it hard and overwhelming. Don't give up. That feeling will pass eventually.

[Nettleskeins]

manda Vitamin D (for you) and crate training made such a difference when I recently had my poochon puppy. The other thing that helped was allocating a lot of time to the puppy, so I wasn't so stressed by all the other things that I had to do...so suspension of normal duties, easy food for family, not cleaning the house much, no expectations of me socially. A bit like a babymoon really. I used to sit next the crate with the puppy in it, so that he really really liked the crate and felt secure in it. For hours at a time watching him sleep. And then I used to spend hours (it was Feb so it felt like hours)in the garden when he wasn't in the crate, waiting for him to pee so I could praise him. I also read a lot of Mumsnet threads on puppies. I really knew nothing about how to look after a puppy except some half baked ideas relating to child rearing...routines, and attachment etc.

The thing about dogs are they use body language and very simple words unlike humans, so you have to try and come up with some words that make sense to them and keep using the same ones for each thing you want them to do. Puppy training said to me that Good Boy is the most overused phrase in the puppy lexicon and so many dogs hear it that they think their name IS Good Boy/Girl. So you have to be selective and directed and sparing in your language and your actions.

And puppies sleep a lot, but it is getting use of that sleep to get anything done...so I found a loose sleep routine really helped in the end (after dog was happy in the crate), so I got time off.

It will get better. Poochons are such sociable dogs too, mine absolutely adored meeting other young dogs and puppies to play with once he was over 12 weeks, so I made a point of asking people if they minded letting my puppy have a short play with their puppy. That really took the pressure of me to entertain him, back from a play in the park with carefully selected dogs he was easier to settle to sleep.

Mine is 7 months now, and I feel as if my day is still revolving round him (he goes to daycare once a week to give me a break/keep my sanity) but it is getting easier and easier to fit him in around our lives, and I can see that soon he will just be "there" and need to go on two walks a day but that is it, plus all the good things!!!