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.

Picnic, my main reason for getting the green feeder is that Pip is a deep chested large breed that wolfs his meals down almost in one intake due to being emaciated when we first got him.

It means he's at a high risk of getting bloat and the best way to avoid it is to slow down his eating. I also thought it might be useful for while I'm out, to keep him busy on top of his kongs.

He doesn't have that many toys, just a couple of rope knotty things and a squeaky furry one really - and his antler chew. He adores destroying cardboard boxes, so I keep most of our packaging for him now. I sometimes put treats in the smaller boxes and leave him to work out how to get them out and he just likes charging around biting the bigger ones. He also likes to chomp on milk cartons and other plastic bottles.

He does have rather a lot of kongs and treat dispensing toys, but that's because he can empty them so fast, I have to leave quite a few with him if I want to be able to go out for longer than 20 minutes.

Well we collected Angus yesterday. He's a nine week old Tricolour rough collie adn is absolutely gorgeous! Breeder is in Yorkshire and we're in Scotland so it was a 6 hour drive home but he was a star. Cuddled into dd on teh back seat (but didn't sleep as much as I expected). He's not eating much but I expect that's normal - how long do you leave it before taking teh bowl away? I have to admit I've left his breakfast down and he's been picking away at it all morning. He slept in a box in our bedroom last night and after some crying (well quite a bit actually!) he fell asleep. Woke twice and I took him outside to pee. He's currently curled up in his bed in the dog pen beside me. He's being really good! Cats not impressed however. They're watching from afar and the Maine Coon growls and hisses every time we go near him. I'm sure they'll settle eventually..

We left Jack's bowl out for the first day and he hardly touched a bite. We left it out all morning on Saturday (only picked him up Friday) and again hardly touched it so from his third meal Saturday, all day yesterday and breakfast today we put him in his crate with it for 15 minutes then take it away. The last two meals have gone down quickly.

I'm having a panic now. I'm properly leaving him this afternoon for the first time, I'm going to work at 1.30 and DH will be home at 4.45/4.50 ish. I don't want to leave him, he's so sweet. I'm sure he'll be fine but I just hate the idea of leaving him!

Puppy hates his crate :( I know it's because he equates it with being left :( feel such a bloody failure. I've tried treating in there, and he's ok until I shut the door and he just goes mad, barking and howling. He'll go in there eventually at night (have to treat him to get him in there though) and he doesn't cry. It's the same with the school run if I give him a kong, he's ok. I just wanted him to see his crate as a refuge, hence trying to put him in there for a sleep whilst I was there with him, and he doesn't at all. Ugh.

Dharma, mine does not choose to sleep in her crate. She is perfectly happy to be put in, sleeps all night, can be left for a few hours etc but will always sleep on the sofa elsewhere during the day and evening when someone is home. I'm perfectly happy with this arrangement so long as she is!

I think Sebastian, that I've made it worse by trying to get him to love it agh, I am an idiot.

I'll take a step back and just relax about it and just treat it as a necessity for a few more months.

I find it invaluable for going out etc, but equally cant wait till i can get rid of it! Hulking great thing in my kitchen:)

Welcome haggisaggis love the name were in Scotland

It's not uncommon for them not to eat for a few days when they first come home he'll not starve himself he'll be fine in a few days.

Hi to all the new puppies and owners!

Moose - I might try an antler chew thing that you have for Pip, as we definitely need something to help with teething. What do I ask for in the pet shop?

We lasted 4 days with a crate- I was really hoping it would work for us as well as it seems to have done for a few of our friends. So I was really positive about it and treated it in first day with door open etc. but minty cried, chewed at bars, yelled, howled whenever door was shut, day or night. I could not stand putting him through it and as he slept happily on a pillow on the kitchen floor in the day, I thought we'd try that at night. Worked fine and he's loads happier. We got rid of crate, nearly reclaimed an entire room as it was so big and love having minty in the kitchen, feels like his castle now! It's nice that when we have to leave him, he has a good amount of space to potter and stretch his legs.

But big disadvantages are that I have to mop the floor every morning due to pee on the newspaper (toilet training is slower with no crate) and we have nowhere to place him when he's getting bitey. Behind kitchen stair gate doesn't really work as there's always one of us in there so they just come under attack! I'd keep the crate until teething, nippy biting stage is over.

I ordered mine online here. £2.70 delivery and they came the next day as well. I bought the easy, large chew for Pip and extra large for Lurcher boy and they were the perfect size. I also bought a fallow antler strip but they seemed less interested in that, so I've put it away, assuming they'll be more keen having got to grips with the split ones.

They sell Stagbars in PAH, but not sure if they do split ones.

I'll be getting into trouble with your dh for encouraging puppy related expenditure again!

I agonised for ages about whether or not to buy them. I read such a lot online about possible tooth fractures, but decided that as my dogs have been raw fed for years with no problems, I was being daft. From what I've seen of the split ones at least, there's no danger of tooth fractures, as they sort of scrape at the marrow, rather than biting at the outside. I am so pleased I bought them now, as both dogs love them and Pip hasn't chewed anything he shouldn't - yet - despite being well into teething. (I'm probably going to regret that last sentence aren't I?)

Wow they look great. My DH will be delighted with you Moose as he hates being the target of puppy teeth and equally hated the smell of pigs ears!

My problem is I'll be late for school run now as I've checked out the website but worth it as they look perfect. Thanks again!

Moose - sounds a silly question, but do you take the tag off them before you give them to the dog? I wondered if it was part of the whole thing so it was too big to swallow?

I needed a present for the dog who lent us her crate so I've ordered a puppy antler chew and a small split one for minty and a medium for the present, it's for a 3yr old lab so I thought medium covered it.

I took the tag off, it's just thin cardboard. I did leave the string on for a while, as Pip liked chewing it, but removed it as soon as he'd chewed through enough to swallow it.

Nala's not that bothered with her antler. I posted a pic to her breeder tonight and she said up her food she looks too skinny I've been thinking this too. She's on 300g Burns which is the high end for puppies 10-20kg (she was 8kg) a week ago and has more for training treats and has tripe/ham/chicken etc in her kong as well. Her breeder says she thinks Burns is a good food but the feeding amounts are wrong I'm upping her to 400g in four feeds again with half a pack of tripe a day on top.

Oh if anyone wants to add me on FB PM me, I'm not a mad stalker honest, loads of puppy pics on there.

Good morning everyone, how are you all. Pixie slept through again last night thankfully. She had her first lot of injections yesterday afternoon and everyone in the vets cooed over her"! Thought she was so cute ha ha. Then we went up to the shops (carrying her in a blanket) and everyone in the village commented on her as we walked past. I feel like i have a newborn as a friend visited yesterday and brought her a present!! Hope everyone has a good day!!

Morning!
Thinking about those Antler chews moosemama, which one would you recommend for my pup, 18 week old GR weighing 11 kilo's?

Also I think (but not sure) that he ate a snail this morning. I have a big problem with slugs too in my garden in the evening and they get into the kitchen at night. I don't use pellets or anything like that. How can I stop them getting in the kitchen? I'm worried about Legend eating them. How bad is it if he does?

ps bought the antler tips today! Good advice Moosemama, ordered 5 for £13.00 inc postage!

Picnicin thewoods i bought the puppy antler tips!!!

Going to take Fitz out for his first proper walk today (boo for the rain ...). There's a big enclosed field where my mum lives so were going to take him there, let him have a gambol and hopefully work on his recall

No poo overnight for the last few nights so it must have been a post-vacc blip, phew

This morning's challenge is the sofa - we've got a rule that dogs don't go on sofas (I know not everyone has that rule but I think it makes it easier to take him round to non-dog households). Anyway, he's got two beds in the kitchen but today he's realised his legs are now long enough for him to be able to jump up onto the sofa, which of course is now the only place he wants to be. I've been clicking him for staying on the floor and treating when he moves away but he's taking the treat and a few moments later jumping right back on - how do I reinforce this??? (It's getting exhausting ...)

Beware of dogs eating slugs and snails. TV vet said they can cause Lungworm in dogs.
Please ask your vet about a lungworm cure, not all dewormers include lungworm.

Sweetkitty, I've had to up Pip's food as well. He's on way over the usual amount for a pup of his size now, but has finally started to fill out on the extra. The feeding guidelines are a sliding scale, so some will only need the lowest amount to meet their needs, whilst others will need the top end - or more in our two's case. I suppose it's like people, some are naturally skinny and others (like me) seem to put weight on just looking at food. If you are at all worried though, I would ask your vet to run some blood tests, just to make sure she's absorbing the food she's eating properly. Pip was thoroughly checked out when we first got him, due to his infection, so we're pretty sure his skinniness is down to his breeding and 'type' rather than an underlying problem.

Picnic, I'd probably go for a medium split antler. The mediums aren't all that big really and I always thinks it's best to go for a little bit larger, rather than too small and potentially have them a choking risk.

Slugs and snails - is your pup wormed using Advocate? If not and they eat slugs and snails, they need to be. The only other worming treatment that prevents against lungworm (transmitted not only through eating slugs and snails, but also by ingesting their trails from grass or toys etc) is Millbemax, but I don't know much about that. Advocate is only available from your vet, as it's prescription only. It's a spot-on treatment (back of the neck) and needs to be given every four weeks.

Basildon, it's just persistence.

We have the same rule in our house and my boy, being such a lanky thing, realised he could jump on the sofa by about week three. I did a lot of work on teaching him the 'off' command and making it far more rewarding to be on the floor than on the sofa. You do have be careful not to make it rewarding to jump on the sofa just to jump off again for a treat though.

I did lots of suddenly, accidentally dropping a handful of treats on the floor on the other side of the room and things and cueing 'off' as he chose to get down, rather than luring and rewarding.

He will get it if you're consistent, it will just take a few days.

Pip's green feeder arrived this morning. It was hilarious. Lurcherboy worked it out straight away and has the advantage of a ridiculously long tongue. Pip shoved his nose in it a few times, then sat down, looked at me with a pained expression on his face and cried. I only put half a dozen training treats in there and it must have taken him at least 20 minutes to get them out. I'm sure he'll speed up as he get's used to it, but it certainly bodes well as a bloat preventative.

We use Advocate for same reason - lots of snails and you can't follow them round garden, wouldn't be good for them to not be allowed free time, so vet said Advocate was best thing.

They get in our utility too and I hate it - I put salt around the door frame every now and then and it stops it for a while but obviously you couldn't do that if your puppy has access to door.

I'm having a really low puppy mummy day! Feel so tired with it all - had awful school pick up yesterday as minty pulled SO much it was horrid. He stood quietly and was adored by the children who stroked him so that was good but as soon as no one was stroking him, he was barking like mad and jumping up at huddles of children, really scaring the infants. I was trying to talk to people which didn't help I suppose. Not relaxing at all and I'm really worried about how I'll manage the pulling when he's twice the size. The harness doesn't stop him now he's used to it.

That and him barking at me and DH last night, just trying to have a conversation but apparently that's not allowed, minty just seemed unable to settle at all in the evening.

sorry you had a bad day mintchocchick:( Think its a long, sometimes weary road until we have our lovely family dogs, but we'll get there! I must admit I am feeling really tired too, theres so many extra things to think about and do and all the normal things you did before need so much more planning etc We are starting training classes with him this w/end & I feel its come just at the right time for us as he has really begun to settle and his intial timidness has been replaced with a much more confident puppy!

For worming we are giving Panacur. So looks like a trip to the vet? How much does the other wormer cost, Advocate? I don't like the sound of Milbemax, have heard not so good things about that one on one thread or other.

Medium split antler it is then:)

Just remembered, snails/slugs won't cross copper tape. You can buy it in garden centres to stick around plant pots. Could you put some just under the threshold of your back door perhaps?

Mint, do you have him on the front D-ring? The harness is just a tool really, you need to do lots and lots ... and lots of work on loose lead walking - first in the house, then the garden, then out and about. Use his harness on the D-ring in each situation and work on turning him back towards you as soon as he moves ahead, before he starts to put strength into the pull. Then, only reward when he's in position by your left leg. You can also get him used to the cue 'close' by doing lots of little sessions of encouraging/luring him to walk close to your leg and saying the cue then treating every time he's in position. Try using top-notch, super tasty training treats that he only gets for that exercise to help keep his attention.

The most important thing for every behaviour we teach is to fully 'proof' it against distractions before upping the ante, so don't move on to the next level of distraction until the one you're working on is bombproof. If he's finding the school-run overstimulating, you may need to leave him at home for a few days and go over the basics with him again and again, upping the distractions gradually until he can handle something as distracting as hordes of adoring children.