New Puppy Mummies Part 2

[SallyBear]

Just thought I'd start the new thread!

Toby (foxy coloured yellow Labrador) is now 13 weeks old. Long, lean and lanky. Still wonderfully tempered and is sleeping through and no longer messing in the house.

Someone sent this to me today. db.tt/YbqmS7cg

Question - Toby has been on Advocate for fleas. I've noticed that two weeks after both applications he starts scratching and nipping himself. We always had our old dogs on Frontline, and I'm wondering if maybe we should change him to Frontline as well. What's your experiences???

That's a funny cartoon! I have an image in my head of our puppy shrieking across our tiled kitchen when he hears the click of the dishwasher door- he often whizzs so fast he comes sliding and crashing into me, so funny!

We use Advocate and it seems our puppy scratches as much after it as he did before so I was imagining it was just normal itches - he bites his paws from time to time. Boredom, playing, don't think fleas though as I imagine Advocate is effective in lasting 4 weeks.

A great book for Puppyhood is called Life Skills for Puppies for Helen Zulch and Daniel Mills. Wholly recommend it. There is also an awesome Fb group called Dog Training Advice & Support. The Admins are fantastic, have oodles and oodles of experience across a number of breeds. Request to join and add another knowledge string to your raising puppies bow.

Puppies are HARD work. As you crack one unwanted behaviour another pops up. There aren't any quick fixes and if you believe you've found a quick fix then its likely it will be short lived and you'll be back to square one perhaps with a bigger mountain to climb than you originally had.

Hope all your puppies sleep well for you tonight.

An ok day here, been working hard on the leave command, she's brilliant when I have the food in my hand am now working on food on the floor.

She's so funny she has two modes, crazy, mad, biting or I'm sleepy and want to cuddle you, she is so soppy and affectionate, she was the cuddle monster in her litter, loved being snuggled up with you, her favourite is to lie with her head across my neck, how this will work when she's fully grown I don't know

One poo in the house today I was on the phone and saw her I'm the other room but couldn't get to her in time, it's great hearing about the toilet training triumphs.

I'm trying to be positive tonight, she is lovely and hopefully the jumping and biting will stop soonish.

RRs apparently do not deal with harsh training anyway, they can be quite aloof and are sensitive dogs that need a lot of positive reinforcement. Someone today told me to hit her on the nose with a rolled up newspaper if she nips

Sweetkitty was the rolled up newspaper person of an elderly persuasion??

Feeling very at all of you with your puppies! We brought home mistlehound last October (11 months ago) and found out that she probably had never been in a house - and that she certainly thought 'inside' was where you did things. It wasn't that she did things anywhere.. she would be taken out every 30 mins and for some decent walks and still end up coming in and having a wee on the hall (or the sitting room) rug. I ended up with her on a lunge rein in the garden - just so that I could keep her to the boring part of the garden and see what she got up to...

She had worked out lead walking - so I suppose I'm ahead of the game...

I introduced Finn to my sister's two collies one of whom is 14, the other 3. It was amazing to see Finn's response to them and how different it was. The older one, quite naturally, didn't want to play and gave one short growl and Finn promptly sat down at a respectful distance and wagged his tail. He didn't force the issue at all although didn't appear scared.
The younger one of the two was climbed all over and his tail was pulled and they both had a whale of a time.
Lovely to see how gentle but firm the three year old was with him. See this is his holiday home it was good to see them get on so well and also that Finn seems to understand doggy etiquette.

Poor old Toby, heard the nasty dog barking yesterday as we walked down the wooded path to the park. When we got into the park we could see the three dogs in the next field - Toby wanted to leave. So we did. Poor baby. Then DH took him out and met an older dog who was friendly. It was a nice positive experience. Off to puppy socialising today, so I hope it will be a good experience for him. I told DH that the lunchtime walk needs to be earlier as he can't just think that dogs are unfriendly as he's so friendly!!

How awful for Toby. Hopefully with lots of good meetings with friendly dogs, he'll forget that experience. Tough though if they walk near you.

The rain is a killer for house training! No desire to stand outside in the rain and puppy shares this reluctance. I've decided to put newspaper down for today as we'd already had one accident by 7am. We had two walks yesterday so I think I'll miss today and stick to garden.

Hello can I join in. We put a deposit on a miniature schnauzer yesterday. There were lots of puppies in the litter to choose from so it was harder than I thought it would be. We had read online that you should go for the puppy that is neither too shy or too forward but in the end we did not follow this advice we went for the shy one! First time I held her she was trembling poor thing but second time she was quite happy on mine and DS's lap. DP was really keen to get a black one and I was leaning towards a girl and plus we are quite a quiet family and have a cat so I think she will fit in well. Anyone have any experience with miniature schnauzers.

Welcome kerstina and congratulations!

What do people do if they're going to be out over the feeding time? I'm going out an hour before feed time and will be out for 2 hours. Don't want to leave a hungry puppy but not sure whether to give whole feed an hour early or half the feed and half when I get back.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but I have a breed that is susceptible to bloat so I'm really cautious and have always fed exactly on time

Toby was praised for being the calmest Labrador puppy that the veterinary nurse had ever had in the 16yrs she'd been running the socialisation classes clever boy! On the other hand the two ten week puppies were very bitey and barky. Toby played and then got fed up with being bitten and barked at, so parked himself under my chair and sat their quietly.
How's everyone else's day been??

Well apart from the two completely manic 30 minute bouts of puppy mayhem this evening Fitz has had a pretty good day - he had a fantastically successful puppy play date yesterday with a little cocker spaniel puppy who's exactly the same age. Today was a bit more sedate but had a food trip to the park where he was fussed and cooed over by all and sundry. He's walking very nicely to heel in the house and garden (as long as I keep shoving chicken in his mouth ...)

I would like to find some puppy socialisation sessions for him though - he's booked into puppy training at the local dog club but they don't start until he's had all his jabs - not sure what they'll be like - they do KC good citizen awards and flyball for older dogs

Toby is indeed a typical Labrador. Loves fetching, tearing about the garden with ds3, food - lives for food, exercise and my slippers! We spend a few minutes every morning playing 'hunt the slippers' as they're never where you left them. He also HAS to sleep near you. Did this from day one. I pegged washing out on the line when he came home, felt him on my foot and he'd fallen asleep on it!

The 20foot training lead arrived the other day - thanks Moosemama for the eBay link. It's very good, though I do have to loop it over my arm as its so long. Gives me more confidence with recall training.

Are we doing something wrong with housetraining? He is brilliant at night, no accidents from day 1 and he has only ever had one poo accident in the house but he wees where ever and whenever. We're taking him out after play, when he wakes up and at frequent intervals in between.

He is only just nine weeks though so I hope it is just a case of time.

Previous puppies were too long ago for me to remember.

Best advice I had was to put Toby's water and food bowl outside. We then left the back door open and he'd hop out for food and drink and then have a wee. I also chose a command so he goes out for a tiddle (DH's choice) and will also poo on command. As soon as he'd weed we would praise "good tiddle!" and then reward with a treat. The bowl outside made the connection with drink and weeing in the garden. Also get Simple Solution for the house. It's good stuff to clean up wee. I also washed the floor with it and that's helped too. He will get it, it just suddenly clicks and as you say he's only 9 weeks old. Being pretty clean all night is brilliant at this stage - imo!

He doesn't drink much even with free access to water, possibly because he's on raw food so doesn't need to. He certainly doesn't seem dehydrated!

I think it's just because he's very little still, and as you say dry/clean every night from 9.30pm until 5.00am is pretty good for his age.

Hi mint

re feeding when you're going to be out I've had this a couple of times and have done half and half but put the first half in a kong so he doesn't scoff!

Sallybear - I think Nala must be a lab, she spends every waking minute on the scrounge for food, if I'm in the kitchen I'm falling over her as she's learned that I may drop food. She has to sleep on me too and loves to run.

DS isn't well today do the 3 of us are curled up on the sofa. She is a typical RR though they hate the rain, she goes out pees right next to the house and straight back in, no messing about at all.

11 weeks today

Thanks BB - I did the half and half feed. But while I was out I suddenly worried that half a feed before being left in the kitchen might not be good if his bowels started working, but all was well!

What are people doing about bathing puppies? We've done one bath in our kitchen sink a week after bringing him home and feel ready for second bath this weekend but maybe we're overdoing it. I hate doggy smell but I've read conflicting reports about how it can strip the hair of oils, but others say this is rubbish.

I'm not bathing Nala she's very short haired. I find if they are outside a lot they kind of get aired and the smell isn't so bad IYSWIM?

I would have fed early and taken her out before I went out, she tends to go straight after a feed (I wasn't fast enough getting her out this morning )

not bathing Fitz if at all possible - his adult coat will have 'waterproof' qualities and bathing will strip the oils too much plus we'd have to use conditioner afterwards!

when do you stop 'lifting' puppies for a midnight-ish wee? Fitz is going out at about 9-9:30 just before he conks out for the night. I've been rousing him when I go to bed and putting him on the lawn for a wee but last night he was so sleepy and desperate to get back to bed so am wondering if he could possibly last till morning ..

That's very sweet BB - you lifting him! I hadn't thought about doing that. Zebo is nearly 12 weeks and goes for final wee at 10pm then we're down to him at 630am. He wees on newspaper in the kitchen - very accurately but twice recently he has been dry all night.

I think I might put off the next bath - everyone is clamouring to do it and help with it, but we do have to realise he's not a toy!