Is there a new puppy thread?

[FiveHoursSleep]

If not, could this be one, please?
We have just agreed to offer a home to a 6 week old GSD x collie? pup whose mum was rescued from an Irish dog pound.
We pick him up in a couple of weeks. Time to drag out the crate and chew toys...
He's living in a kennel atm with his mum and siblings so we''l be starting from the top when it comes to toilet training too.
Who else has new puppies and what stage are you up to with them?

Great spelling mistakes in that, typing on phone one handed with a sleepy dog in the other hand!

We are starting to get into a routine now. The Puppy is being pretty good considering he's been living in a stable his whole life. Most wees and poos outside, even in the rain, quiet in his crate ( I slept beside him the first 2 nights, but last night I didn't and he was fine) and last night he was even dry in the crate.
ATM he's in heap beside the shoes as he went out for a 'walk' ( aka carry ) around the park this morning.
Can tick rubbish trucks, people on bikes and pigeons ofg the 'to meet' list!

Thanks Berry! My mutt has been a nightmare so far today with the nipping but you give me hope. I think I will resort to instant banishment.....

The thing I should have been prepared for but wasnt was the restriction on freedom, DS wants a day out for his birthday, easy enough in the pre dog world!

Our puppy hasn't been too nippy so far but our kids are pretty dog savvy and know to 'be a tree' when he starts running around their feet. We have a stash of toys he is allowed to play biting games with and redirect the teeth onto those.
Actually, this might be useful to all of you with kids.

This thread has made me feel so much better! Our Boxer pup (13 weeks) went a bit crazy yesterday & ended up biting me. I was devastated but reading through here (and posting for advice ) I realise he was just playing. It was just too rough. I might try the tennis racket thing!

I'm happy when I get half an hour with no-one getting bitten to be fair, at the start it was five minutes, now I sometimes do get whole half hours, so he's getting better, slowly, lol

Can I join in?
Posted on another thread that I have been and choosen my puppy a little brown and white Jack Russell he is only 4 weeks old so I have to wait nearly a month, but the breeder only lives around the corner from me so I can visit every week until then.

I'm so excited I have picked out his name (Joey) and been shopping already for all the supplies.
I have two rescue doggies but have always missed out on the puppy stage so figured nows the best time as I'm at home everyday whilst DCs are still young and by the time I go back full time the dog will be old enough to be left a few hours.

Ruledbyheart, have you had terriers before? What breed are your rescues?

FiveHourssleep I have a dacshund x and a miniture poodle x I had westland terrier who was PTS last year and he was a lil bugger right until the end so have a little experience with them but not with JRTs.

I love rescue dogs, but have always had big ones, not small ones!

I'd love a big dog but financially it terrifies me as the insurance and vet bills cost a lot more plus the food bills would probably cost me a fortune too lol

Eight days in and I now have no doubt that describing someone with dogged determination as 'like a terrier' is bang on the nose as puppy is absolutely single minded when he gets an idea in his head. He's asleep 75 percent of day, lovely for 20 percent and mad as a fish catch him if you can for five percent.

Looking forward to being able to go out walking in the hope that it'll calm down the crazy moments when he races round so fast he hits his head on the furniture. He has his second jabs on friday so that's another step closer. He's done well learning to sit today though, he's well motivated for chicken!

How is everyone doing with their new puppies? Sleeping? Nipping?

I took DPup for a walk on a popular dog field today and we met a Golden Retriever who could have been her older sister (she wasn't, they were just the exact same colour and very alike) They absolutely loved each other and played like mad for a good twenty minutes - it was great to see. The best thing was that she then slept for a solid three hours when we got back! I was still left feeling a little though because the owner of the other dog said that her dog had basically been a complete nutcase until she was almost two years old!!! Her recall is still pretty nonexistent and although the loves people she is overfriendly and will run a mile to knock over and lick any random jogger she sees.

It has left me feeling a bit despondent tbh. I know that the fact that this (very nice) lady hasn't been able to train her dog doesn't necessarily mean I won't be able to train mine, but...it's all a bit daunting isn't it?!

On the plus side she is getting to be very affectionate. I expected her to be a cuddly, loving little thing when she arrived but she wasn't interested - not unfriendly, happy to be around us, but not licky in any way. Recently, though, she keeps trying to sleep on my feet which is very endearing.

She sounds like she's doing really well though Berry. I'm sure the rest will come.

Mine slept last night but not looking forward to tonight as he has stuck his nose in the air and turned down two meals again today so half expecting him to wake up starving in the night. When is he likely to need to drop to three rather than four meals? He is lively enough though. Still sleeps lots inbetween nutcase moments though. Really surprises me just how much. I even managed an outing for breakfast with a friend today as he goes in his crate at half 8 for school run and never wakes again before 11 am. He seems to do an hour on and three off!

He is also like two different dogs. He's either cuddly lap dog who like to lick me (embarrassingly usually with his head nestled in my neckline!) as he goes to sleep or else he is trying to eat my feet. I've nearly fell over him a couple of times.

He has also started barking at me. I don't know how to handle this one because it makes me want to laugh. We have steps out of our conservatory and then a small patio with steps up to the grass. Puppy is still really little and cannot do the steps at all. So I carry him in and out. He comes over to me at the steps when he's had enough and whines to go in. But now when I put my hands out to get him he starts leaping about excitedly barking at me in a demented fashion. It's funny but obviously won't be if he's constantly backchatting when he gets bigger. He's getting rather vocal at the minute. He was all cute puppy earlier snuggled up with twitching paws in the air, growling in his sleep!

Hi all, I am struggling to be honest and not sure at all whether I should try and rehome him (which would be devastating). I knew the puppy would be hard work but I think I overestimated my ability to cope.

He is sleeping fine (at the moment) but I just seem to be spending all waking hours on puppy watch, the kids are feeling neglected and I am feeling guilty. I guess that I expected that they could be more involved but the nipping means they are terrified of him. He does sleep during the day of course but I feel really guilty putting him in his crate and I constantly feel on knife edge that he will wake up and I will need to entertain him!

He is in his crate at the moment as I just need a break from him.

I guess that I am struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, DH is annoyed as he sees the pup as having ruined our family life. Oh and I can't get him used to a lead so I am beginning to doubt my ability to train him!

Not a good day! Sorry! On a happy note he asked to go out when he needed a poo - so I guess that is something!

Sorry you're feeling that way 8 hours. If it makes you feel any better, mine has just done a stinking pile of lovely soft poo in two places on my living room cream carpet. Disinfectant and carpet cleaner later I think I have it out but the house stinks so I'm sat in the cold with windows open.

How old are your dc? Though ours is nippy he's more of an attach and hang on clothes. He's more mouthy with skin rather than full on painful biting. I have opposite problem in that ds (6) practically encourages foot chasing and biting which makes it hard foe being consistent.

I am sat on my phone pretending I haven't noticed he's trying to destroy a Boden catalogue next to me!

Hello ruledbyheart, our Vizsla puppy is 4 weeks old too, collecting him at around the same time as you then! Nice that you can visit often. Three dogs, busy life!

Berrypie - completely daunting and I haven't even got ours yet! Training seems so easy in the books... The 3 hours sleep sounds great, I used to love it when my DC's had a long sleep too.. the relief!

8hours - Oh, I don't know what to say as I haven't even got our puppy yet. Just sending sympathy. My DH will react like that too, I know this for sure, especially as he's the one who was the least keen on getting a puppy so I will have guilt too. Don't feel bad about putting him in his crate though. Better to deal with him when you are calm. Hang in there if you can.

Thanks! DS is nearly 6 and DD is3.5, they both love the idea of a dog....one day at a time i think!

8hours - it's hard going, I find it a full time job... He's like a hyperactive attention seeking toddler, but with teeth, lots and lots of teeth.

My DC are 12 and 16 - and don't cope with the constant biting well either.

He is though, I think, getting slightly better - but I've had to accept that it's going to be a slow process rather than anything suddenly getting it through to him that he's being anti-social.

He is definitely better when I've tired him out while the kids are at school - if I take him out for a carry or visit someone (he can go outside tomorrow, you've no idea how tempting it is to take him for a 3 mile hike, lol). I've also set up boxes with toys and chewy things that he doesn't get all the time for the DC to shove in his mouth when he starts at their legs, that helps a bit because it gives me a chance to intervene.

Towards the end of last week I was completely at the end of my tether with him, just about in tears talking to a friend and wondering if either I'd made a huge mistake or if I had a deficient puppy and then he was suddenly bearable at the weekend...He's been a wee toe rag again since like, but it's mixed with periods where he's almost well behaved. And you get 20 minutes at night where he's a bit sleepy where he's lovely.

I just keep hoping that the anti-social toe rag will eventually fade more and more and I'll get more dog behaviour rather than mad puppy.

Take the same approach that you have to with children sometimes 8hours. The old one day at a time and this too shall pass. I'm sure it'll feel better when we can all get wrapped up and booted and go tramping about in the woods with them. It's got to be better than the present stage of energetic indoor or small garden games that just get him too hyped up.

I think the smell is finally starting to fade. I badly hope so as work colleague/school mum with immaculate house is bringing he children to see him after school as their grandma had a Border and they didn't know her this tiny so she'd like them to meet a little one. I'm not exactly tidy either as I keep joking that these two weeks are my puppy maternity leave so I'm doing nothing but take care of the 'baby'! I've done bits and bobs but it is minimal!

I hope you enjoy it a little more tomorrow and it is just a bad day.

Mine has a bit of runny tummy from pinching the older dog's food so we've had poo in the lounge too. We are getting lots of toileting outdoors but just when I relax he skulks off somewhere and wees or poos without me noticing! Just as well the carpet was in a state to begin with! we are using simple solution spray to treat affected areas- it's pretty good!
Ours went out for a walk(carry) this morning so is pretty quiet after meeting a few friendly vaccinated dogs and being handed around lots of puppy friendly people. Of course the kids want everyone to come and meet him so we have to make sure we don't have too many excited kids visiting.
Our pup does bark and growl but my kids have got pretty good and standing still and bellowing SIT at him. If he does, he gets a game with Mr Squid, his favourite toy.

Oh, 8hours, it's so hard, isn't it? I certainly felt like you on more than one occasion. What made it particularly bad was that the puppy was completely my idea, I had worked so hard to convince my DH that it would be fine, and I had been very stubborn about the breed as well. I really felt like I had ruined a perfectly lovely life by bringing a small furry demon into it. Like you, I had less time for the kids and they were getting nothing out of it at all.

All I can say is hang in there. It will get better!! I don't know much about border terriers, but I am sure they wouldn't be as popular as they are if they never grew out of the horrible stage! So, just give it time. I found that things really improved once we could start taking her out - especially when she got to play with other dogs. Do you have any friends who could bring their dogs over, or go to their houses until your puppy is fully vaccinated? The stimulation of a canine friend to play with seems to wear them out as much as any amount of walking, in my (admittedy very limited) experience.

I really do sympathise. My puppy is incredibly pretty - think slightly fluffier, whiter Andrex puppy - and she would have people literally coming out of their houses and crossing roads just to stroke her and tell me how gorgeous she is. Meanwhile, I would just stand there nodding with a slightly forced smile, thinking "yes, she is cute, but you have no idea! she is actually a hideous crocodile who hates me and tries to kill me on a regular basis". I never said anything though! Luckily, things are so much better now, they really are. A the moment, I don't think I would ever have a puppy again though - but just like with babies, I will probably forget the extent of the horror!

DoubleMocha, I am really looking forward to hearing all about your Viszlas when he comes home! Viszlas were on my shortlist - they are gorgeous!

Fanofthe, my puppy is very barky too. I am trying to ignore her but it is hard because it's such a piercing sound!!

Just had more snarly growly barking at me when he needed help on the steps. I tried encouraging him with chicken to have a go himself but he won't. It sounds silly but it is almost like he gets frustrated that he can't do it himself and so takes it out on me. He looks so aggressive though but I'm taking heart that he is only a baby!

He was so bad though I daren't risk offering him my hands so I just turned my back on him and folded my arms, it took four attempts but eventually he sat there contrite but calm and let me pick him up. I think his sense of independence is bigger than his legs at the minute!

So feeling a bit better now, took the pup for a carry and dd for a walk so she could point things out to him. They both seemed to like that. Pup is in his crate now and crying but he must be exhausted as we also had a couple of big plays in the garden so trying not to feel guilty.

I think it is the restriction on freedom as well that is getting to and especially to DH, I knew it was coming and it isnt like I am off and about all the time but the thought that we cant just decide to have a day out without it being a saga is depressing. DS wants to go to London and we are supposed to be going to see room on the broom on our way to the coast at half term but not sure what to do with the dog!

The mornings are the worst bit, i get up to sort out the dog but that wAkes Ds and he starts yelling for attention and breakfast but I cant leave the dog... I end up stressed and angry. People must manage with a job and a puppy but I have no idea how!

Anyway, i will try to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with it! Sorry for the venting and thanks for the support!

Fan - biological washing liquid seems to help our smells?

Fan, mine looks aggressive too. Maybe it is a border thing. I don't think he is as aggressive as he looks though - small dog syndrom or something!