Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Is there a new puppy thread?

330 replies

FiveHoursSleep · 16/09/2012 18:42

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?

OP posts:
fanoftheinvisibleman · 06/10/2012 11:22

I'm so disappointed really, as much about the two week delay as the additional cost.

The behaviourist rang me last night and was really helpful and sounds lovely. She does 6 week training courses through the vets and unfortunately one starts today which we will miss as not fully jabbed. However, she said it would be a shame not to get cracking and was on phone giving me advice and reassurance I'm doing things right. It gave me the confidence to get much stricter last night and read ds and dh the riot act too as the vet commenting on his dominant personality really brought it home to me we need control now, not on 6 weeks! It may just be a fluke but he seems so much better already. He still barks at me in the garden but calmed down quicker. She did say it'll take time and patience but he is a lovely dog most of the time so it'll be time well spent.

She also invited us to come to a puppy party next week and says she'll have a good chat again there to give us something to work on till the next course starts in November. I liked her and she freely spent lots of time giving advice without me formally committing to sign up so I liked that too.

His poo problems seem to be improving now we've dropped the JWB too. I got him a puppy Kong yesterday too and he loved it. I just put his kibble in there but he was fascinated. I had alreagy bought it but behavourist did say such things will help as terriers are bright and like a challenge.

My puppy is in his crate overnight (about 6 hours as we're not big sleepers) and has only cried once. He seems to be happy enough going in there but I'm trying to keep use of it to a minimum as I don't want to abuse it and make it seem a 'bad place'. He's just slept in it for 2 hours voluntarily with the door open so I don't think he dislikes it. He has a larger crate than needs at the minute (30") split 70/30 with bedding and paper. He's only wee'd in there three or four times.

caraway · 06/10/2012 17:10

Hi! I've recently got an Irish Wolfhound (late puppyhood- so playful, quite large, and so adorable) who we adopted alongside a very elderly GD. Big dogs, great personalities. The Irish Wolfhound's called Emma. I've chased her around the garden about twenty times, the RSPCA (as well as a very helpful poster on here, in a previous thread) reccommended a horse lead. I've needed it- she's strong as a bull! Three people have asked to be stopped and have their pictures taken with my Great Dane, who loves the attention and is a very placid, docile thing- and about nineteen photos with the pup! I've fallen in love!

applegate · 06/10/2012 19:22

The crate is quite big (I didn't measure as accurately as I had thought!), so I had put newspaper in half assuming he would use it but as he hasn't and has been so good I feel I probably should get up to take him out if he needs to..... only just got ds to sleep through though so hoping it won't take too long. I saw a friend with a collie today who said it took 6 months for him not to wee at night and I don't really fancy wandering the garden at 3am for that long so fingers crossed!!

ijustwant8hours · 07/10/2012 09:07

Wahey, we had no wee this morning! He has been savaging my leg this morning though so not all good.

Fan that behavourist sounds great! Do you know how much the course will cost?

Caraway - i have no idea how you cope with such enormous dogs! They sound fab though.

fanoftheinvisibleman · 07/10/2012 12:26

It's £65 for 6 weeks, one and a half hour sessions weekly. She spent a good 15-20 minutes chatting on the phone too. He has been so much better though last couple of days. I actually felt sorry for him yesterday when I did yet another growly 'No' at him for biting and he just slunk down in his bed as if if to say 'what exactly can I do?!'

That's good news about yours lasting all night. Let's hope he can keep it up.

We took him for a carry round the car boot this morning so lots of sights, sounds and people to soak up as it is a large busy one.

I'm off back to work tomorrow so he's off to grandmas with ds!

ijustwant8hours · 07/10/2012 12:44

Mine just ignores my growly no's!

Its good you have a grandma - will she do growly no's too? The behaviourist sounds very reasonable, I need ti find some puppy classes as well.

fanoftheinvisibleman · 07/10/2012 12:58

Yes, she will. I got the same eye rolling I used to get from her when I started leaving ds, you know, the one that says for god sake I have done all this before you know!.

My No's have got a lot growlier, louder and more business like. She told me to put him down and make a point of totally ignoring him if he does something I don't like but not to crate or physically leave him. She said he needs to see he is being ignored. It does work because he does pathetic little baby whimpers trying to make me look at him. But she did say to balance this by lots of happy voices and fuss when he is being good. And to make sure everyone is absolutely consistent at all times.

I know it is only what's in the books but if was nice to be able to chat about the specific problems we are having.

I hope you find something in your area.

Original poster
FiveHoursSleep · 07/10/2012 19:01

Have just come home from a weekend away where I left DH to look after all 4 kids, the new puppy and our Lurcher. Everyone seems to have survived.

OP posts:
ijustwant8hours · 07/10/2012 21:29

Hi Fan, well i did the ignoring and he immediately went and weed on the floor. Hmm I seem to remember my kids doing very similar things! She does sound great.

Wow 5 hours!

fanoftheinvisibleman · 07/10/2012 21:48

Fivehours you and your DH have my utter respect! I can manage my puppy, one ds and a hamster but I think I know my boundaries!

Well, it's got to be better than a savaging 8hours! Only time I've been barked at today is when trying to encourage him to do the back door step. This was after he'd shot half way upstairs to greet ds this morning.

He was very popular at the carboot this morning and met lots of different types of people so that was good. The ones who wanted to stroke him or ask about him were lovely and also got some good advice about local services. But I swear, the next person who bellows from a distance that a dog like him isn't a bloody handbag dog and is capable of walking may well be the straw that breaks the camels back. How I managed not to scream 'feck off moron' I'll never know!

tabulahrasa · 08/10/2012 00:00

Funnily enough no-one said anything when I was carrying mine round - possibly it was obvious that you wouldn't lug a big lump like him round out of choice? Lol

TeaOneSugar · 08/10/2012 14:14

I'm very relieved to read some of you mentioning snappy, snarly tantrums, my 11 week old cocker spaniel is being a monster.

JethroTull · 08/10/2012 17:25

My boxer was doing the whole snappy snarly tantrum thing last weekend. We had a 1:1 with a dog trainer (he did it to her as well), since then he's been so much better. She said he was associating our garden with us leaving him on his own as we always take him out for a wee before we leave the house. So we've been playing with him in the garden, leaving the back door open more so he can wander out there for himself and we take him for a wee 10 minutes before we leave now which is giving him a chance to calm down.

Might all be complete rubbish but it's working! Also we've been giving him 3 smaller walks a day. He's just been snoozing for most of today Grin

ijustwant8hours · 08/10/2012 21:55

We went to the vet tonight for second jab and microchip. The nurse was all prepared with a muzzle after last time and had a long talk about his behaviour as she had been warned by the nurse and vet we saw last time about how aggressive he was.

Pup was an angel, didnt flinch with any jab. Licked the nurse all over, absolutely noaggression at all. So no muzzle of shame!

Unfortunately he has spent the evening hanging off my shirt sleeve - but youncant have evrything!

I think i definitely need to find a trainer / behaviourist....

Tea what is your cocker up to?

fanoftheinvisibleman · 08/10/2012 23:12

Glad he behaved himself at the vets 8hours. Hopefully it'll sink in.

Ours is improving no end and has had a whale of a time at my mums today. She has got a huge garden full of huge shrubs the kids have made dens in. She is just as crackers as she was when she was the young cool mum on the street as she has encouraged them to carve out doors and windows in her gorgeous bushes but it's like wonderland for 6 year olds and adventurous puppies alike. Slightly more worried about tomorrow when she's going out leaving my Dad in charge!

Tabulahrasa, there are lots of people around me with working Terriers. I can only presume that they took me for some sort of idiot who wanted to go all Paris Hilton on a feisty terrier!

Mosman · 08/10/2012 23:36

Crate training is not going well here, between 11pm and 3 am she howled relentlessly only broken up with the odd bit of barking.
I went and let her sleep on the floor in our room at that point and she was out like a light but this cannot carry on I need her to be able to go in the crate if she needs to get away from the kids and when we go out.
Any tips

ruledbyheart · 08/10/2012 23:52

Well I have had a rollercoaster few days, my breeder phoned and basically said I can't have the puppy now as she had the vet checks done and puppy has a heart defect and is now keeping him as he has a short life expectancy and all other pups are sold, absolutley gutted.

On the upside of this I was speaking to a friend whose mother had a pup and couldn't keep her as she has just lost her job so I went tonight and came away with a 12 week old jack russel crossed chihauhua.
She is so beautiful and fairly calm at the moment so so happy with her, a little older than I was looking for and the wrong sex but that's not important, looking forward to going and exchanging all my blue stuff tomorrow for pink.
I put her in the crate tonight and all she has done is cried so have opened the door, think its because my other 2 are out and about so shall see how it goes.

Original poster
FiveHoursSleep · 09/10/2012 14:40

Mosman, Our lurcher never got the hang of crate training either. Is there any chance you can move the crate into your room for now, just so you can get some sleep, and move the crate out once she's used to it.

OP posts:
ijustwant8hours · 09/10/2012 21:43

Well pup has just got up off my lap and scratched at the door. Been out had a crap in my herbs and put himself into his crate.... So success all round there!

Mosman and Ruled could you try not crating overnight and see hoe they get on in the day maybe?

Original poster
FiveHoursSleep · 11/10/2012 14:38

How are the puppies doing? Mine is going through the ankle biting and terrifying children stage now. We have taught the kids to sit down immediately until I can come and lure him off with a toy.

OP posts:
ijustwant8hours · 11/10/2012 15:07

Hi Fivehours, mine now has a playpen in the sitting room as well as his crate so he can be put of harms way! Has drawn blood twice today... I thinks it helps if the kids fold their arms as well (reduces things to grab hold off!)

doublemocha · 11/10/2012 16:08

Playpen - what type 8hours? As you know, this is interesting me but haven't quite made up my mind yet. Is it working?

I am getting nervous about getting our puppy you know with all this biting malarkey!

ijustwant8hours · 11/10/2012 20:14

Oh Doublemocha dont be put off! If it is any comfort the vets clearly had mine down as unusually aggressive!

I have just used a baby dan playpen that we had for one of the DCs, never used it for them though! It isn't set up Gwen Bailey style really as it is more a holding area for solitary confinement and when I have to leave the room for a couple of minutes and everyone is in the sitting room. He still has his crate in the kitchen.

He has been using an old sofa cushion as a bed so that is in there and takes up most of the space!

Not sure if it is working yet, he was doing dive bomb attacks on my feet earlier and stopped after being put in the pen 3 times... He might have just got bored of it though!

fanoftheinvisibleman · 11/10/2012 21:12

I hope the playpen helps him to cool down 8hours.

We went to our puppy party tonight. I kept him on my lap ay first as wasn't sure if we were moving elsewhere or if it was ok for him to be on floor there (pfb puppy!) So he was really nervous and hiding from other puppies at first. Then he found his feet and was the one bouncing off the walls. He has been a little pest at home but I figure he's wired.

We've signed up for puppy class. Our first one is Nov 17.

tabulahrasa · 12/10/2012 08:48

I got howling last night after I went to bed, proper full on big dog howling... I think he woke my neighbours up Sad

And, I know he's going to be a complete nightmare today because it's raining and he still won't go out in the rain.

My plan for today was to take him to the market so I could do a bit of shopping and he could see lots of people - I'm now thinking about taking him to the market and selling him, rofl.