New Puppy Owners

[kid]

I know there are a few of us that have recently picked up new pups.
Were your puppies lovely and calm when you first got them or were they mental straight away?

I can't believe how calm Teddy is being so far. He has slept a lot but even when he is awake, he just nibbles gently on your fingers or rolls his ball with his feet.

He has not had any accidents in the house yet which is a miracle.

I am wondering if this is the calm before the storm?

He chews during the night when we are in bed, it's the only time he goes upstairs. He will happily chew on shoes but we are now in the habit of keeping them
out if reach.
I do have a crate for him, but I feel it's a bit small now. I leave the door open and he will lay in there during the day. I have also put him in there with the door closed a few times while we eat dinner and covered it with a blanket. He doesn't make a sound which really surprised me.
I don't know about locking him in it at night, because of the size but also because I've never locked him in overnight before. He usually sleeps really well, he just wakes up a bit too early for me.

I just took him for a walk on lead and I am amazed at how well he responded to my lastest tactic which is to turn back the way we came, walk 5 steps and then continue in our original direction. It took me ages to get past our neighbours door, but we did manage to go on a walk with some pulling but not constant. I think he was weary of the dark and there weren't many people about so that worked to my advantage.

Thanks minimu - I will try that. It is only in the mornings at the moment when I am the only one up that he is being such a pain. When we eat at lunchtime or in the evening, he is quite happy to lie under the table or chew a chew etc.

No updates from anyone today, so let me add a message to bring us back up the top lol

I was feeling all pleased with myself with my success on stopping teddy pulling on the lead. Well my success was very short lived. Today, he has been a total pain. I carried on doing the same tactic but when I turn
back and start walking in the direction we just came from, he just starts pulling that way instead!
He went for a run offlead over the park and he really did run! He was slightly better on the way back from the park, but only slightly.

I left him at home tonight with dh fir a few hours. Since I got back, he has been my constant shadow. It's really cute and I'm glad he appears to have missed me.

I put his bed (that us usually kept in my bedroom) in the kitchen today. I'm not sure if I should leave it there and see if he will sleep in the kitchen or whether to put it back in my room. Actually I think it should go in my room as I won't hear him get up in the morning if I leave it downstairs. Trouble is, he now knows he can jump on my bed. Not that he is allowed on my bed!

We have booked a holiday for next month in Dorset, Teddy is coming away for the weekend with us

Me again lol
where is everyone hiding?!

I almost lost teddy tonight and it really scared me.
He got scares of a tiny little dog and ran off yelping when the dog started running towards him!
Nothing I did could get him to stop, he was just running for the gate and I was really starting to panic.

Ds ran after him and teddy kept stopping to look around him so ds pounced on him and held him until I reached them. Teddy went back on the lead and won't be going off lead for a little while, just until I get my confidence back again. I really trusted him off lead, what a litle sod he was. I wouldn't have minded had it been a huge dog, actually I would have been even more terrified but at least I could have unstood why he bolted. The dog was no bigger than a football!

kid - I'm glad you caught Teddy again before he came to any harm.

I think you are brave going on holiday with him .... I wouldn't be able to relax in the accommodation!

I have been up since 5.36am (yawn!) - Rory's body clock hasn't changed to GMT yet. He keeps thinking we are late with his meals - following us around hopefully for longer than normal before he gets fed. Attempts to keep him awake later in the evening appear to be failing.....

I'm not sure how we are going to cut him down to 2 meals a day in 6 weeks or so. I think we will have to gradually shrink his lunch, making his other meals larger at the same time. I cannot see him naturally losing interest in one meal as WTWTW suggested might happen!

Ages since I posted, but reading just now - and kid, we had JUST the same thing today. Lola also springer now about 5 months. Fled, shrieking and barking, away from a v large friendly ball of black fur charging happily towards her to play (pryrenean mountain dog?). Away from me, straight towards a car park and road at high speed. Recall useless, I ran like crazy after her, she stopped, I grabbed her.

She has been the most confident puppy, lolloping up to large dogs of all kinds up till now, and has never had a bad experience. Though I'd say some of the rough and tumble has got heavier as she gets less leeway now. Suddenly she seems to have realised that some of them are much bigger than her. Adolescence?

After we both calmed down took her on the lead to say hello to a tiny puppy, then a v friendly GSD with me encouraging her and holding on tight. Then off lead again, well away from the road, with friendly boxer we know. Keeping a v careful watch. Didn't want to lose my nerve. She was great after that.

Bloody hell. Never seen anything like it. Sounded like she was being murdered. Right, moving on. Good to read thro the last few posts. I can't keep up tho! Somewhere there was useful discussion abour rawhide. Must go back and look for it.

Glad you got kola back safely ilove. I can totally understand how you felt. What's going on with our pups, is it an age thing?
I haven't ventured back to the same park yet but I did let teddy off lead on a small grass area behind my house. I only trusted him because no other digs ever go there and I had a handful of very yummy chicken. I did a little hide and seek with the chicken. I thought springers are meant to be good sniffer dogs?

I got my furminator comb back and used it on teddy for the first time tonight. He loved it and I got loads of fur off which means less hair on our clothes.

I have also found a way of getting to sleep linger in the mornings. I let him get on my bed when dh gets up to go to work. When I have to get up (7am latest) teddy literally huffs because I make h get up too!

I have also managed to get teddy to roll over for a piece of chicken, I'm well impressed

*lola

6.15am this morning!

I have more confidence now that we will start nudging towards 7.00am again. I was just feeling that I had my evenings back. I really don't want to have to start heading off to bed at 9.30pm again.

We have our puppy class tonight so that should tire him out!

iloverhubarbcrumble - I don't think Pyrenean Mountain Dogs usually come in black - perhaps it was a Newfoundland? There is one of those at our puppy class. There is also another large black puppy - looking like a cross between a Giant Schnauzer and a Standard Poodle. I had to admit defeat and ask the owner what it was - turns out it is a Russian Black Terrier. I had never heard of them before, but she has another, an adult, which she shows...... I googled them when I got home and they are BIG dogs.

Ha purple frog - not unless they are going down the coal mine! Just googled a russian black terrier - no, whatever it was was much bigger and rounder! A kind of v large ball of curly black hair on legs. If we see them again in less fraught circs I will find out.

Know what you mean about the hour change. All v tired. L has the runs (another story) and had an accident last night all over rug (old and tatty), as we didn't go down till the new 6.30. Poor thing. Now starving her for 12 hours. Can't sit with her, it's too mournful. She eats such alot of rubbish. On mumsnet to distract. If it's not one thing it's another. Think I got too smug last week...

Hello everyone. Sorry I have be absent, I spend a lot of my time on the Husky Forum now!! Anyways Storm is ok, 4 months now and his first tooth is wobbly . He was doing great on his training but has just hit the defiant toddler stage. The hour change affected Storm too. Overall he is turning into a pretty well behaved dog.

Hope everyones pups are coping with the fireworks.
Teddy has been okay, he can hear them as he will stop what he is doing briefly to listen but then continues eating, playing, being naughty or whatever it was he was in the middle of doing.

I've just gone up to bed and I can hear louder fireworks now as the tv is off. I hope teddy will be okay during the night. He sleeps in my room on the floor so I'll soon find out if he isn't okay.

Mally didn't batter an eyelid or should that be ear ?

But as weather was rather crap last night I suspect more fireworks tonight

I keep getting insurance renewal quotes for moby through a search site that I used even though my baby is no longer with us

I've been feeding teddy a salmon and rice dry food and he smells very fishy!
His next pack of food is chicken so I'm hoping it smells a lot better lol

he is responded really well to my latest training task which is to sit before I will stroke him. He does it brilliantly for me because when he jumps up I turn away. I also know a spot on his ear that he can't resist.
Now I've trained teddy, I just need to train my dc.

Hi, a bit of wet weather advice needed please. Belle, my 18 week old cockapoo, hates being dried with a towel when she gets back from her walk or after doing her business. She chews, grabs, jumps etc., etc.,. I have tried giving a treat when I am drying, but obviously doing something wrong. The hairdryer also freaks her out, but if some one tells me how to get her used to it gradually, then I will do it. She has become really chewy and latching on to everything again, plus she never bloody sits still in the evening. She chewed her bed cushion and eats the stuffing, she chewed the zip through the bean bag cover and she chews the really soft old mattress protector ripping and swallowing. I give toys instead, but she immediately goes back to it. Do I just remove everything? It's all driving me a bit mad at the moment. Plus she is finding old bones in through the bushes in the garden that must be dragged in by a fox. Of course when she has them I can't get her back, or catch her for love or money. What do I do about this. I do a check for everywhere I can get through, but I am not the size of a puppy! Sorry, but everything is going belly up at the moment. Help greatly needed.

Teddy is also being a bit of a pain at times.
I was told how to get him used to the hairdryer, not sure if it will work though.
Start off with just having the hairdryer in the same room. If She lays down and ignores it, give a treat. Once that is achieved, try turning it on (lowest setting) and ignoring belle. If she settles, give a treat.
Keep doing this until you are able to blow the hairdryer on her (not when she is wet) and treat when she doesn't struggle or fuss.

I did try these with moby but we hadn't mastered it when he died.
Teddy isn't scared of the hairdryer so I'm lucky!
I do have a microfibre towel from the pound shop which seems to dry him instantly.

Excellent ideas kid. I will try both. Sorry about your puppy. So sad :(

Hello, how is everyone?

We've passed 18 weeks now, and things are going well. He can be a bit barky, but toilet training in the house seems touch wood mostly sorted now, just the old utility room where we put puppy pads to start with is the only place I don't trust him alone.

Pup is now big enough to get his paws on all work surfaces/tables/climb onto sofas etc, so we're going to have to work very hard at 'Off!' 'Stay' and 'Wait' work like a charm though. He's starting to figure out retrieving, and he's off lead (me armed with chicken!) quite a lot. Has still never shown any real nervousness around any people or dogs - will get submissive around some dogs, but still runs up to them to play. To my shame, the one thing he does seem a bit scaredy cat over is the hoover, probably because he didn't see it very often when he was younger .

How's everyone else getting on?

We are fine. We have passed 22 weeks now!

Mornings have gradually improved again after the blip when the clocks changed. I have been up around 6.45am at least 4 days over the past week - since I used to set my alarm for 7.00am on a school day anyway, that is perfect!

We have started leaving Rory a bit more and he seems quite happy in his crate whilst we are away. I think 1hr45mins is the longest so far. We have also left him in his car crate a couple of times for short periods, and he is happy there too. I know a number of people have advised against this on another thread, but in daylight in a small car park next to a restaurant I feel is OK in this area.

Rory has been able to get his paws, nose etc. on all work surfaces for a while now. Most of the time he is very good, though. He has stopped trying to squeeze into the fridge every time you open it and things like that.

He still has his "crazy five minutes" where he chases around the house at top speed. This can be quite dangerous now if you get in the way - his steering and brakes are not very good. I imagine that WTWTW's Rudy's "Whippet Wall of Death" is a very graceful and elegant affair, whereas our "Mad Lab Lap of Terror" bears more resemblance to a baby elephant crashing through the jungle. His skid turns are not timed very well and he has crashed into the porch door on a number of occasions. Sometimes now he gets so excited when he is chasing round that he leaps on to the sofa, which he is not allowed to do!

He has lost all his baby canines this past week (Hoorah!). I am not sure how many baby teeth he still has left, if any. He no longer bites at you when excited. Sometimes when he is grumbling at you he will mouth your arms/sleeves but with no damage now - thankfully!

Rory is always over-excited with other dogs. He is all over them, and doesn't take a hint if they are not interested. I think he will get a fright sometime soon when an older dog decides to put him in his place.

Toilet training is reasonably OK. We haven't had a poo in the house for weeks - he always asks out for them. Wees are a different matter - his asking out for them is usually non-vocal and when everyone is busy he sometimes doesn't bother asking, so we have had some accidents, mainly at the weekend when people are going in and out and no-one is quite sure when Rory was last taken out to the garden. We know this is our fault, not his.....

hello everyone. How is everyone and all the pups?? Storm has started teething. purple Storm is exactly the same when he meets other dogs. Storm weighs 16 1/2 kg today at vets. he is almost biger than the inlaws border collie now! Nightimes are great now, some nights he wakes me, some he doesnt. Maybe wees a little bit in his crate but no more poos in there. He sometimes wees in the hallway but not on carpet anymore.