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 :)

Tried doing some lead work with my bloody nutter pup this afternoon in the garden. She went nuts. Jumping, launching herself around, trying to strangle self....Gave her lots if encouragement and didn't let her off till she calmed down.

A little better on the nipping front. Have been shouted ow! If she does it to me. Actually allowed her outside with DC this pm and she was not too bad at times. Also distracted her with a bone from the butcher which she really loved.

Only the one accident................................so far.

Actually eating! Only taken 12days! Will eat by herself! Progress at last, in something other than sleeping!

From talking to puppy trainer earlier, she said that when walking or training out of home situation, use high value treats that slip down easily, like frankfurters, cheese, chicken etc. And in house/garden, just kibble or similar.

Our puppy's breeder recommended Royal Canin or Beta puppy complete food but we couldnt get any of that so have Applaws Chicken which was the only thing in the shop (75% chicken and 25% vegetables). Will start looking more closely at the different types but have just ordered a huge bag of Beta Lamb and Rice so will have to wait until that is finished, but it sounds like thats not great for having rice in it. I dont know what kibble is either for treats so will look into that too.
Our pup isnt too keen to walk when she's on the lead (so far just too and from the car) so will need to read up on that - only 10 days to go until we can start taking her out for walks - cant wait!
I'm thinking our pup seems to have been quite easy so far [smug emoticon!] but we havent done any training yet so need to start that soon. Everyone has told me that they will do anything for cheese so was planning to get some cheap cheese in.

Aaaaarggghh!!!!

He cried and barked all night except for an hour again last night. I am really losing the will to live without any sleep.

Oh two, feel for you. I'm crazy if I don't sleep. Can you sleep next to the crate somewhere for a couple of nights till he settles? :(

Well, we had another 10:30 - 6 (when my husband woke him up to try and avoid accident) and no wee in crate. Then back in til 8 with a kong. He has def been drinking less since we took him off fish4dogs. And therefore weeing less I think. No accidents inside (our house) for 2 days - let's see if we can get a third!

Twojues - what misery - I too am totally beside myself with lack of sleep. Have you got heat pad/hot water bottle in crate? Ticking clock? Radio on? I have all of those (didn't stop him crying at first though). Is there any mess in the crate? The first few nights my husband and I had to get up and spend some time cuddling him downstairs as he was sad but he hasn't made it into a habit. I was just desperate for sleep so thought "sod it" - am going to go and cuddle him for a bit.

Nospring - there are differing views on whether grains are okay to give. JWB, which we have decided to try, does have rice I think it has a meat content of 26% and overall protein of 30% which is due to extra potato protein I think. I think Arden Grange is similar and actually has a lower ash content which is something else to consider apparently!

I have read that if your dog isn't a working dog it doesn't need as high a quantity of protein (I suppose it makes them bigger if they don't burn it off). But then again, that mimics natural dog style feeding. But equally wild dogs will have done a lot more exercise than our domestic ones. It's a bit of a minefield and we have sort of gone with a middle ground. I have heard of applaws (re my cats - we actually feed almo which is good quality dry with no added ingredients - I did find though that when we fed almo wet and dry our boy cat got very dry skin and greasy tail which the vet said could have been due to the lack of extra vitamins and veg). I think puppies should ideally have about 28% protein www.dailypuppy.com/articles/dog-food-protein-requirements/d6339fe8-c118-e3c1-1e9d-ec1662b186ba

Just found this if anyone is interested: common fallacies of dog food reviews

choosing the right food

I am clearly overthinking this - it's just a dog for god's sake !

Hope everyone else is well!

Twojues - sorry - that sounded patronising! You have had puppies before clearly as you have a lab, and have read your other thread and have a wheatie in there - I still put the radio on for my puppy - worth a try? Btw he wouldn't go into his crate by himself fot at least the first 10days/2 weeks - he has started doing it finally now (at 2+ weeks of being with us) so hopefully he will, it might just take a bit more?

Had the radio on all night, got ticking clock. He's not a cuddly puppy. He prefers to be on his own to sleep. The breeder even said he didn't really cuddle up with his siblings. He would for a little bit but would then go off on his own.

I fed him at 7.30, took him out for a wee and then got him to go in the pen with a treat. I sat outside giving him treats through the bars. He went to sleep and was quiet until I got back from the school run at 8.40!! So he can do it.

I've been trying to work out why he sleep the night before for longer and all I can think of is the crate was under the breakfast bar with the pen round him and Bailey was on his bed close to him outside the pen.

I moved the crate and pen as there wasn't really any room to get round the pen and Baileys bed wasn't near him

So I am going to move Baileys bed near the pen and maybe, maybe that will work tonight. If not, I think I am going to have to try sleeping in the kitchen and gradually work my way out over a few nights.

King - I am just grateful to get some ideas to help him sleep. Don't worry

Oh two what a pain! It sounds like you have a plan which I find always helps me. If I have a plan for a problem I feel like I am in control (even if I'm not!)

Our night was moaning free! (Sorry) I was prepared to get up at 6am if I heard any crying but when I got up at 7am it was all quiet. There was a poop and pee in the crate, but it wasn't spread over the place so it was a quick chuck of puppy pad away and I was done!

I hope everyone has a good nip,pee and poop free day

Hi twojues, it does sound like its worth going back to what you did on the night that he slept well even if it means you having to limbo around the pen etc! Our pup is really knackered by evening time after running around a lot during the day (maybe too much?) and it is a struggle to get her to come out for a pee - would tiring your dog out more during the day help? [not that I have a clue about puppies - trying to learn as I go along]

Thanks for all those links about food Kingsroadie - will look into them. Our pup does seem to like most things but she does end up drinking loads of water which makes me think they must be quite salty.

Nospringflower - I found with my puppy that she slept a lot better the more rest she got during the day. I thought the same as you at first but after some advice I toned down her activity levels throughout the day and she sleeps a lot of the day and is now sleeping (touching wood) from about 10.30 - 7.00am.

I generally take her out for a walk of about 30 mins and she has some other form of activity, playing in the garden, a puppy playdate, puppy class or another walk in the evening, pretty much the rest of the day she sleeps, unless at the weekend where she is playing a bit more in the garden but generally she will then curl up with someone on a sofa somewhere.

This seems more than enough for her at the moment - she is 15 weeks, she generally doesn't get up to anything too destructive in the house with this level of activity, there are times when she will roll around the kitchen with a toy but she soon tires and takes herself back to bed!

Guys - just had a bit of a scary experience with the puppy - see my other thread! Perhaps I am being totally pathetic but I was a bit afraid, especially as I have a toddler.

Read your other thread Kings. Am sure he wouldn't have gone for you, especially as you were able to pick him up and treat him away from the bone. Summer loves her bones, but tbh I haven't tried to remove it as she was in sight and safe, and I'd given it to her to keep her away from DC and their friends who were running around like lookers. That worked!

Thanks for the food links. Going around in circles, but since I ordered such a load of pro plan, will have to keep going with it for now! But does give me more worrying research time!

Hello! Going to puppy class with puppy tonight- she is hopeless on a lead so really got to get that sorted!
Re. nipping and biting. I have read Ian Dunbars theories on bite inhibition, and am doing the following. I am encouraging puppy to play with my hands and mouth them, so that when she does it a bit too hard I can yelp and ignore her for a few seconds. I then get her to sit before resuming play again until one nip is slightly harder than the rest and yelp again etc etc. That way I can play a game with her only mouthing softly, and not nipping at all. She is never allowed to bite my clothes or any other part of my body (e.g. ankles!) Ian dunbar's theory is that if you stop a dog from mouthing or biting altogether, they will never learn proper bite inhibition, and one day when a toddler steps on their tail by mistake (or other similar situation), they could turn round and really bite hard, because they have never learnt to use their mouths softly. I can play a game with my older dog with her mouthing my hands and she will never bite me. Once my toddler fell over her by mistake and must have really hurt her because she whipped her head round so quickly but didn't bite, more sort of bumped his side with her head and her mouth was open. I do believe that maybe if I hadn't done this sort of thing with her, then perhaps that would have been a bite. Anyway, I think Ian Dunbar talks a lot of sense but that's my opinion. See youtube link which explains it much better than me!!
By the way, we must all be crazy. How many of us have toddlers????

I have a 2yr old DS at home, with a 5yr old DS and 7yr old DD. Massively crazy IMO :o

Thanks for that info as well ell an, as you can see from above Kings and I seem to have big problems with the biting lark.

All puppies are like flipping crocodiles with their teeth aren't they! I am no dog expert, but this approach made a lot of sense to me when I first heard about it.

Will def have a look at that technique. Need to get a plan in place to stop the nipping. Even DD who is 8 and very confident around dogs of all sizes is struggling with the nips.

Yes I have been reading that too and have been trying to do it when my daughter is in bed. Just letting him mouth and yelping if too hard. He is a bit better, but I think only with me... He has been better with my daughter now as he hasn't had much contact with her at all really, and if it is, they are very closely supervised...

Ps - how pathetic am I being scared of my puppy growling (admittedly very loudly) at me?!

Any ideas as to how on earth I can get mine to poo?
Last time, to my knowledge, he went was in the kitchen overnight. DH swears he's been taking him out very regularly all day, incl after all meals, which I've also been doing since 5pm today. Zilch. He just lies down in a flower bed and chews stuff!
And now it's raining again, which he's not mad keen on at the best of times.
On the bright side, night-times seem sorted. He went from 10.30pm to 6am last night. Not a peep.

Hmm really? Mine does about 6 a day! Is there any chance his food is making him constipated? Does he poo lots when he does actually poo? Apparently rawhide can give them a slightly runny tummy - you could try that and see if it makes him go?

Great news re night times!

Well, it's the same food he's been on from the start. There's quite a lot, yes, when he does go. Firm. (sorry, tmi!!)

Crap crap crap.

Two things.
One-going on the lead. Has a collar on all the time, no problem. Attach lead bucks and thrashes around like some crazy bucking bronco. When finally managed to calm that down enough to walk around garden having treat in my hand but just kept launching herself at my hand snapping :(

Two-became a complete lunatic tonight. Normally as she has a comfy beanbag type bed in the sitting room, she comes in with us during the evening and sleeps away the evening on bed at my feet. Tonight just went mad, running around jumping up onto sofa, which she never does, biting and snapping away. Kept having to jump up, shouting OW! But that didn't seem to phase her much tonight as she carried on as soon as I sat back down. FED UP. :(

What's going on? No change in diet or routine...

Put her to bed early as was so fed up with her. Hope that doesn't bite me in the bum with her howling and wanting to get up early.

Happy - how about attaching the lead while she's being fed so she can get used to having it on but not attached to you.

Hope you had a good nights sleep and she wakes up calmer.

Tell me to shut up if you've already tried this, but in addition to twojues suggestion, did you attach the lead but just let him wander around dragging it (making sure he didn't get tangled up in anything)? Followed by holding it and letting him lead you? And then gently leading him?
That's how I began (thanks to a book) but then mine didn't have a huge problem with it, so less of an issue. SIL's dog was similar to yours - she found herself almost dragging him down the road o his bottom as he point-blank refused to follow her! He got over it but it wasn't straightforward at first.

(Another good night, folks!! 10.30 to 6.15!!!! YAY. And he came straight out for a poo after breakfast, as well. What a star).

Breakthrough :o

Fed him at 8.45 and he ate quite well, although had to soak the kibble so I could mash it up with the meat!!!

Then had the hard task of keeping him awake for an hour. Put him in the playpen with a few treats. Made Bailey go on his bed which I put right next to the pen outside.

I didn't hear him until 5.45 and Bailey barked first!!! Went down and he hadn't been. Let him out, made a cup of tea and sat down to drink it. He went back to sleep at my feet, so I crept out, shut the kitchen door and went back to bed for half an hour.

I hope it lasts more than the one night!!