New puppy thread, where new puppy owners can come for help and advice and hopefully clever people like minimu, midori et al will check regularly (please) to help us...

[Happymm]

Exactly what it says on the tin really. Kings idea, that we have a thread where we can all come and ask for help, advice, support or just to vent and that the much more experienced people will come and help us out :)

Morning all! Well, we didn't actually go to bed until after 11 and my husband set and alarm for 6 to take him out for a wee. Of course, being utterly exhausted from puppy class he was fast asleep at 6 with not a wee in sight... So he did his stuff and back in crate with kong til 8.

Good news Spam!

I have now decided I can't wait til we can get him out for walks to tire him out - hope that will help the nipping as he'll be too tired when he gets home. Today I will be going super hard core on nipping. Even more so than before - Happy, you with me?

Getting better at night - we're leaving him to bark nowadays - now that we know he's not distressed, just used to us visiting. Went through til nearly 5 this morning, 7am on Sat/Sunday. I am just SO TIRED (hope there are no parents with newborn babies on here ) and am trying to write school reports at the moment. Monty sits by my feet while I write.
He regulary poos on the kitchen floor each night. I've sort of been regarding that as the pay-off for not being prepared to get up and hang around in the garden in the dark, but am wondering if we're somehow teaching him that it's OK to poo indoors??
Going to do the mother-of-all socialisation training today and take him into school to visit my class of 10 year-olds, who have been following his progress since we picked him at 4 weeks. They're desperate to meet him. Thing is, he's grown so much it's a bit of a squeeze fitting him in to the car crate. Need to work out what's next on that front.

Re: nipping, was talking to my vet friend on Sunday who said same thing as your trainer. It's VITAL you teach him that it is NEVER OK to touch you with his teeth AT ALL. And if he does, even accidentally, you must yelp, loudly, and fold your arms, turn away and ignore him completely. Game over.

I'm wondering if the same applies to him hanging off our clothes by his teeth. Hard to unhook him!

Clam, to housetrain him quicker you are going to have to take him out regularly and praise highly for a result, just ignore the ones indoors - sorry I know it's miserable when it's dark and raining.

Re the biting I yelped really loudly and made such a fuss over my arm/ear whatever it was she bit and she has never done it since. I felt like a bit of an idiot and also felt a bit mean when she went into her bed and looked very forlorn, but it worked.

I do take him out regularly! Hence, most of yesterday spent outside. If he clearly wasn't interested, I came back in, then tried again 20 minutes later.
He doesn't tend to poo indoors when I'm in charge apart from at night, but I'm back to work tomorrow and it's DH's turn! Hmm!!

Ahh thing I understand are you saying he is pooing on the kitchen floor during the night i.e at sleep time, I read it as at night when you are with him doing your work etc.

Yes, sorry if I wasn't clear. Overnight, when he's on his own in the kitchen.

Anyway, the trip into school was great! He wasn't fazed at all by all those kids (my class, next door's, half of Year 6 on their way to play, the staffroom etc..) although I kept him in my arms most of the time. He didn't let me himself down by weeing everywhere either!

I don't think my pup is very well again She had a bit of breakfast, not much and has been sick a little. She did a poo this morning and has been drinking and wee'ing but not any more poos which is a bit unusual, was sick about 10.30 and been asleep all morning which is nothing new.

Will keep an eye on her and see what happens.....can't think what she could have got as I am so vigilant. I am constantly on snail hunt but I did find a crushed shell just now on the decking...snail in tact but she had obviously picked it up and mouthed it at some point.

Oh dear Spam - sorry to hear she is unwell - maybe the cause of all the sleeping yesterday? Hope everything is okay. What breed is she btw?

Clam - I don't let him go to bed unless he has done a poo - do you make sure he always has one before bed?

He is in his crate (door open) and went in by himself as he has been exhausted by his jabs and kennel cough and worming and flea treatments and rabies jabs and probably still from yesterday!Glad he is now taking himself in there. She said have to be super strict re biting but not to worry as it IS normal. And he seems to especially like chewing. I asked if it's mean to keep him in the fenced off area down one side of the room - so about 10/11 feet long and 3/4 feet wide for most of the time, esp when my daughter is around. ( I think I am being a bit silly as he is yapping but of course he is). She said it is def not cruel and a good idea as then he is supervised and he will get used to it and you can get him out when she is in highchair or asleep or for very closely supervised interaction (as obv good to get them used to being around each other so he also learns not to nip her).

Spoke to vet re food too. I am going to try JWB. There seem to be different schools of though (of course) on high protein and no grains vs lower protein and grain, say rice as that is thought to be much better than wheat for eg. JWB seems to be a middle ground between something like Orijen and Burns which has a v high rice content (pet shop said 63%) and therefore keeps dogs a lot leaner. he also said lots of trainers he has met have commented that JWB calmed down some of the more hyper dogs. Which could be total bullshit but who knows?! There's just so much conflicting advice and of course there are loads of good arguments for both. There's only so much more research I can face doing do!

Maybe we should start a list (god this really is like a newborn thread) of who has which breed and age (and location if people want) so we know what stage everyone is at? (Do please tell me to bugger off if not interested! )

Kingsroadie: Male Choc Cockapoo, 10 weeks, London

Clam: male golden cockapoo, 10 weeks, Herts

Last night DD reported a poo at around half nine. So he was unlikely to do another one at 10.45pm. Hard enough to boot him outside for a wee!

He's on (Purina) Beta puppy food. That's what he was on with the breeder. Anyone have any idea what's it's like in terms of "healthiness?" Vets always seem to recommend Science plan, and I now have 2 sacks of the stuff.

Spamspamspam: female Parson Russell Terrier, 15 weeks today, Surrey

Kings - pictures of her on my profile page, she is getting beardier I have noticed also although she had brown patches on the skin of her ears, the hair was white but over the last week or so the hair is starting to turn brown so she will have patchy brown/white ears soon.

Clam - great news about the school visit - what a star

I switched mine to JWB at the weekend, well actually not switched yet am still doing 60% Hills and 40% JWB, am gradually going to wean her onto the JWB over the next four/five days - I don't think this had made her sick as she has had it since saturday, I just think she has picked up something she shouldn't have! she is up and about now and looks perky enough so will see if she deigns to have any lunch.

shufflebum temp is nearly bk down to normal, she is eating and drinking loads and the pups are eating constantly. they look like they have doubled in size since yesterday (they havent).

Yes, Kings, am going v hard core on the biting. The thing is, she seems to have nearly got the message with me, it just with my DC, especially the little one, she can already put her two front paws on his shoulders, so is nipping close to his face. As son as she sees him she jumps at him :(

Took DS swimming this am, so Summer was in her crate for another couple of hours and was fine. She's just scavenged the rabbits hutch and taken her litter tray out and ate the contents And yes, is weird, can housetrain the rabbit but struggle with the bloody dog

So, no to the Fish4Dogs then Kings-stil on the hunt for something other than pro plan, but have sacks of the stuff so wil keep on for now. I think Science Diet supposed to be not too good-and from what I read on here, pro plan isn't either!

How's the pup now Spam? Glad could help with night time!

Can't get into puppy class till September . full next month, we're away in August...

Anyways, Happymm female Labrador (red fox) 10wks Worcestershire

He's started humping his teddy bear! Is't he a bit young for "that sort of thing?"

Eugh! Glad we have a girlie-no help I know! :o

Well, he's going for the snip at 4.5 months!

Um Clam, last night he was humping all the girl dogs there - v embarrassing!

Happy - yes he bites me less although still does try the odd nip. It's my daughter, as you say they are on a similar level. He hasn't had a chance today and it will stay that way.

Re food - it's odd as fish4dogs gets great reviews and recommendations on here but just from tasting it I will not be feeding it again as that amount of salt can't be great?! Obv am no expert though. Have a bloody 15kg bag! What about JWB or Royal Canin? Have you read about high protein (ie Orijen/Acana) and made a decision re that or a more grain-based/ lower protein one? BTW JWB do an adult turkey and veg (ie no grains). We're going to see how it goes anyway!

Calm - sorry can't help re pro plan although I have heard that vets often get commission therefore recommend science plan. Ours stock Royal Canin and that is because they feed it to their dogs and like it - my vet also tried orijen but her dog didn't really get on with it.

Spam - yes SP supposed not to be great - sugary etc.

He just woke up so I let him out as the baby is in bed and he was okay at first then careered up the stairs into sitting room and proceeding to run around barking and growling and generally going mad so I eventually caught him and he is back in his pen (with full run of the outside too if he wants it). He needs to learn to calm down.

Happymm - how do you housetrain a rabbit? My friends have one that is weeing everywhere.....

Puppy is fine, she had a good lunch (after I bribed her by putting some cheese in the bowl) she's had a poo - took herself outside good girl and is now back in bed. Going to take her out for a walk in a bit.

Clam sorry to laugh but ha ha - so pleased I have a girl!

Yeah, until she has her first "season!"
Do you have wooden floors?

Hello All!
Quick message from me to check in - hopefully will get a bit more time later! With a 19month old that no longer sleeps in the day and now a puppy - time is not my own at the moment!

Last night there was less howling! Hooray!! Settled down pretty quick and stop howling within 20mins (poss less) heard some crying at about 6ish but I ignored it and there was a mess in the crate at 7am today Not a great job at 7am...

So i am pleased that there was less howling, she hopped into 'bed' withoout any fuss/being dragged/put in there - if there is still a massive mess each morning in a week or so I might not be quiet so positive

Hi alp - oh how annoying your 19 month old isn't napping anymore - I am not looking forward to when mine gives her up - hopefully not for a while yet!

Have you thought about going down at 6am when the puppy cries? She might be desperate for the loo and that is her only way of telling you ( I know it's at odds with not going to them when they cry but on this one I tend to respond - only first thing in the morning) . She's still very young. We were up at 6am for a while and he was desperate for a poo/wee. Now he has been weeing in crate still at night but not letting us know! We then put puppy back in crate with some of his breakfast in his kong and leave him until about 8ish.

Just because it sounds like it's a nightmare to clean up for you!

Re: the dog food, the problems with higher protetin foods is when the protein comes from soruces other than animal sources, so from beans/pulses etc. When people feed raw, a huge amount of protein is involved and virtually no carbs, but IMO, this is the healthiest way to feed dogs, they are not designed to eat or digest large amounts of grains, the only reason it is present in any dogs foods is because it is cheap compared to meat. Rice is definitely better than maize/corn or other cereals and potato is a bit better than rice, but I would disregard the protein content and look for the highest meat or fish content you can find personally.

I would be particularly wary of dog foods precieved as 'premium' that have a long ingredients list with some sort of meat or fish at the front, but that don't reveal the actual meat content of the food, as it is probably much less than you'd imagine.

I have found JWB OK in the past, but found a huge difference when feeding raw to my dogs (although for various reasons I can't feed raw at the moment) and Fish4dogs has definitely been the next best thing to raw. Plus, they love it so much I can use it for training treats with much better effect than cheese, livercake etc and also it's not messy. I won't be tasting it myself though, it absolutely stinks of fish.

Alp, I also went down at six for the first couple of weeks and then if I was really knackered would put her back in her crate until 7.00/7.30. I have only just recently managed to extend her sleeping time to 7.00am - last 5 days or so - she is 15 weeks today.

Read somewhere that Royal Canin is also v bad and contains lots of crappy ingredients. Stocked in my Vets though...why is this so difficult? Though Summer currently happy outside eating an apple.

The rabbit was somewhat lucky. She decided that she preferred a particular place, so we put a "litter tray" there, and she carried on. Wish the dog were so easy. Just came in with her after 40mins outside and several pees. Came in and did one on the floor next to me she knew I was too, and scuttled off pretty darn quick!