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 :)

he he, he doesnt half make a bleeding racket, but should be fine in a couple of days, mainly just putting him in crate to sleep, will need to put him in for at least an hour tommorow while we take cherry on one of her walks though, will leave her long walk until dh back from work.

Just put him in as he was trying to go to sleep in cherrys bed again, whined for a minute, if that and is now asleep.
I thought the night time bit would be easier with him being in the room with another dog.

no accidents in the house so far, really impressed with that.
I have always stuffed kongs with kibble and then kind of sealed it in with primula and frozen it, keeps cherry going for hours.

much better night last night, up at 2 and then 6.10, want to know how I settled him, the shipping forcast. going to buy a little radio from somewhere today, had to get the radio up on the computer last night.

I use the radio too Dita although I stick Absolute on for my pooch.

I think things are getting better on the house training front, still some accidents but not as many as before - he's so fast and the thing is I can think I'm safe because he has just been outside and done three wees so I turn my back to put the kettle on or something and then another wee magically appears on the floor.

Taking a puppy for walks is like having a newborn with you everybody stops and chats to you - it's lovely. After having had a springer for 16 years this puppy is completely different, I let him off his lead in the woods this morning expecting him to go crazy running through the bracken and he just ambled after me having a little sniff here and there. He's in his cage now having a snooze and I'm supposed to be using the time up here on the computer working.

I don't know whether the VERY expensive Royal Canin is a hit - he's definitely not eating as much as the vet has said he should be, but he hasn't really eaten anything at all this morning, his breakfast is still in the bowl. I hope he gets a taste for it soon, I can't really afford to change it now.

Right, I need someone to talk me down! Pup would not settle to sleep last night at all He barked and howled for about 40 mins when I went up to bed. I came down to check on him, and he had pooed in his crate.

I cleaned up, took him out, but he would not wee. I put him back in the crate, and he howled again for the same amount of time.

I came back down and took him out again, then ignored him until he went into crate himself. He was fine, and went to sleep, but again began the howling and barking when I left the room. I ignored him, and he eventually went to sleep after about half an hour.

I would have preferred to ignore from the start, but we live in a semi, so I have to consider my neighbours, as well as my own kids. I am exhausted, and really annoyed with him.
The night before he had gone to sleep without a peep

When I let him out this morning (before he started to bark) I let him out in the garden straight away, he ran around for a bit, then came back in to pee on the floor in the living room .

He has slept most of the morning on the rug. He just woke up and went into his crate to pee in there, then came back out

He has barked every time that I have gone out of his sight today, and not stopped until I returned to the room, so I've not been able to even have a pee in peace

My plan for today is to try to wear him out with some training, feed all his meals in the crate and start keeping his water in there. I am also planning to let him sleep only in the crate, and move him if he goes to sleep anywhere else.
Also I am going to get a kong which he can only have in the crate. Any other ideas?

Your ideas all sound good, just chucking you some quick sympathy and s.

Been there, done that!! Sympathy and shudders in equal measure.
I was feeling just like you, and beginning to seriously wonder if he was developing separation anxiety and I'd never be able to leave the room again, let alone the house.
The solution I stumbled upon quite by accident was when I left a pile of dirty laundry on the floor by the machine and he snuggled up on it and was totally quiet. It was our/my smell! He then developed an attachment to my fleecy dressing gown so I donated that for a couple of weeks. He slept like an angel with that. Worth a try?
We also got him used, during the day, to us wandering in and out of the kitchen (stairgate closed - watch your groin muscles!) without making any fuss or acknowledgement of him. Tried to get him to see it was normal practice for us to come and go.
A few weeks on, and he sleeps through from 10.30/11ish to around 7.30am, whereby one of us lets him out, does breakfast, bit of fuss and attention, then goes back upstairs with the teatray and papers and he snoozes at the bottom of the stairs until we're ready for our day. Quite civilised!

Okay, I've had time to read your post again and think a bit, can't remember how old your pup is but I read somewhere that a pup can hold his wee an hour at one month approx and two at two so because of wanting to crate him while I'm at my very part time job in a week or so I've been doing the feeding, treats, daytime sleep in his crate and the schedule goes something like this:

Pup wakes up, taken outside for wee and/or poo, play for about 30 minutes to an hour depending on how quickly he tires (trying to get him to entertain self a little bit if pos so he's not reliant on me) either inside or outside depending on weather, then as soon as he flops down for a sleep I move him into the crate then repeat as soon as he wakes up (preferably before he starts whining) as having a full bladder and bowels is probably waking him up.

So far this has worked really well, we actually went all day yesterday without a single accident and only one wee accident over night, it was actually at 5 in the morning while he was waiting for us to get a move on and get our slippers on to take him outside (so he must have had his legs crossed for a while). I think the proof in the pudding is that I relaxed the routine a bit this morning and let him snooze on a cushion on the floor while I did some house work and he just got up, stretched and pee'd on the floor. My fault, I dropped the ball, he's now sleeping in the crate again. It's restrictive and boy I've spent a lot of time playing dumb browser games because I need to keep an eye on him, but it does seem to work.

Good luck!

Of course I completely suck at getting him to sleep in his crate at night, so no help for you there at all I realise!

Annnnnnnd now I'm sucking elsewhere, two pees on the rug today. Oh well.

oops, never mind, I took the rug up on tues. we have only had 2 accidents in teh house and 2 poos in the crate at night, my god he howls even louder then (which is actually reasonable). need to go out and feed my friends guineapigs so hope he is not too bad for 30mins.

Thanks all. he was perfect the night before so I think thats why it felt worse.
I've been on my own now with 3 kids who are off school, and the pup for 10 days and the lack of sleep is starting to get to me

Ok so I have just bought a bowl to attach to the inside of the crate for water, and have fed him in there. I am hoping that having his water/food inside will stop him wanting to pee/poo there.
I've put some more perfume on, and am now wearing an old t shirt under my top. I'll donate this to him at bed time

The pet shop had no Kongs, so I will make him walk to Pets at Home with me later to wear him out and buy one as they are open until 8 (evil). Fingers crossed that it works

fingers crossed for you, I am a bit worried for tingiht as eric has been asleep an awful lot today, when he has been up he has been haring about like a nutter but he has been asleep for several hours at a time. he is doing so well though, learnt sit, and not had any accidents inside today.

I hete to say that Jake napped most of yesterday with short bursts of energy, and I think that may have contributed. I have only allowed him to sleep in the crate today, so they have been less frequent.
We have had 3 pees in the house though, I think the last one was because the weather was so bad. He was not keen to go outside in thunder and lightening. The streets around me are flooded, so I think our planned walk to buy a kong is off

Hi ditavonteesed and tooearlytobeup

Hope your nights go well, sorry to hear about the flooding tooearlytobeup, weve just had loads of rain and it seems my pup's not to keen on getting wet, he took a lot of persuading to do his business.

Have either of you, or any of the kind folks on here, had trouble with over excited tugging and nipping? We've had an evening of it here and I think it's over tiredness, we twice put him in his crate (not in a "naughty boy" way, more time out) and he pratically fell over asleep. We're ignoring mouthing and yipping/withdrawing attention for nips but I think he was like a toddler in a tizz.

We're going in search of Kong's and smooth peanut butter tommorow.

Two more weeks before I can take him walkies and wear him out that way.

Sleep tight all, and your puppies.

WyrdMother I am very happy to say that nipping and tugging has not been an issue (yet) it's just everything else that we have a problem with

We seem to have had better progress with peeing and pooing this afternoon, for some reason he is always worst at this in the morning

I've been trying some training today instead and he has picked up come, sit, lie down, stand and shake paw pretty well. We are late starting, as he was banned from treats or extra food because of the stomach problems he had. I've ordered a training lead, so can't wait till we can practise recall properly.

I've tried my best to keep him awake this evening (it really is like having a baby again!) in the hope that he will be too tired to put up a fight when it is crate time

Hi all, hope your having fun with your pups.

Daytimes are going pretty well but we are definitely suffering from over tired toddler syndrome in the evenings, he forgets everything he's learnt and goes loopy cookoo la la. I think he's not getting enough sleep during the day, we were trying to keep him busy to get better sleep at night. I must admit when he was going bannanas last night I left him to DH, lovely as he is I've been dealing with him almost solidly for almost a week and I needed him to be someone elses problem for a little bit.

How are you all?

nights are definatly ging better, was up once last night for a wee and then got up at 6.30. seem to be managing to get him to sleep plenty in the day, cherry is knackered although has now realised that if she gets on the sofa he cant follow her. dh has taken the kids ot for a bit so I had a lovely nap this morning. I love the mad half hour in the evening, has me in stitches.

Dita, I'm jealous. Nightimes are a nightmare here
I ended up coming downstairs at 4 this morning, and sleeping on the sofa with pup on my feet just to get some sleep and stop the barking I know this was the worst thing to do, and he will now be twice as bad, but I couldn't manage with another sleepless night. He is now avoiding the crate, and will not go in there at all. I am feeding all his meals in there, but he comes straight out afterwards.
I've bought a kong today, so will stuff that for tonight and put it in with him. I really really need some sleep

Hi all. It's going good. Our lab pup is 10.5 weeks now, had his 2nd injections. Crate is not dry and clean in the mornings. Almost reliably house trained.
And gosh do we know we have a lab, he was hoofing in the kitchen the other day and pulled out the end of a chilli from under the counter. His face was a picture. Although did promptly encourage him to drink some water. Poor pup.

*meant to say crate is NOW clean and dry in mornings.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that tooearlytobeup It's difficult but constant lack of sleep is a killer, it's all very well for for training gurus who are a nice distance from the problem and don't have to deal with pissed off neighbours and familes who want our attention too. Thankfully ours will still behave himself in his crate during the day, it's just the nights.

Glad it's going well dita, I think I'll get to love the loopy period when he's older and can jump on and off the sofa himself, at the moment it's something he's not supposed to do and he gets too nippy when he's handled in this mood, It's been smoother tonight, didn't completely ignore him but didn't pay a lot of attention as he was looning around.

Vera I can see your pups face now, that'll teach him .

Wrydmother - I'd like to say that it did, but he is a lab after all, so it didn't.

too early hope you had a better night last night.

Vera my 5yo dd did that at a bbq the other week, she thought it was a pepper and came out telling me her lips hurt but wouldnt tell me why, dont think she will do that again in a hurry. when I walk I have a treat back attached to my handbag and every lab we have ever met finds it immediatly, one even jumped up and stole the apple out of dd's hand the other week, she was not amused.
Wryd I do keep having to split them up at mad half hour as I think eric is so manis that cherry is going to end up losing her temper with him, she is still pretty manic herself though.
well we had a much better night again, went to bd at 10 last night and didnt hear a peep until gone 5 this morning, however the crate was completly covered in poo so took me a long time to clean up by which time eric was wide awake. he had it all over his paws and had jumped all over the crate, anyway clened up and went back to bed, up again at 6.30 and he had done the same again (I did tak him out at 5.30) so yankee candles lit already. whiffy.
We are going to my mums for a roast dinner today so I need to leave him fr a couple fo hours, cant wait till I can take him out, If I ever need to levr cherry for a few hours I take her out for a really good walk first and she just sleeps. Going to put kong in freezer now.

Thanks for the good night time vibes eeryone, we did have a bit of an improvement last night
My husband is home for a few days, so I think just having someone here with me to help is making me feel better.
I hope you all have a good day today with your pups

Hi all, hope everything is going well with you all.

For those with night time problems, I think I've discovered something (quite by fluke) but it seems to be working. I have a very manic kitten and last week the vet prescribed Feliway plugged into a diffuser in the room he sleeps in, which also happens to be the room Monty sleeps in. Since having the diffuser installed Monty has gone to bed at around 10.30 - 11.00, settled down instantly and slept until around 7.30 the next day and the cage has been clean and dry when he's woken. Before the Feliway he was waking at 5.30 - 6.00 so this added bonus of a lie in is wonderful. The kitten is still very manic so I don't think it's working on him! You don't need a prescription for Feliway and you can buy it on the internet too.

My problem is the house training he just doesn't seem to be getting it and I'm finding I'm having to put him in his cage more often when I can't keep my eye on him 100% of the time. Last night for example, we took him for a long walk along the canal for an hour, he did several wees and I thought when he got home at least he would be tired. Straight after the walk DS1 did 10 minutes piano practice and literally in that 10 mins Monty walked into the hallway and weed and pooed. I don't know what to do about it.