New Puppy Mummies, Part 3

[DharmaLovesDraco]

New thread, because quite frankly I can't do without you all :)

Congratulations Fitz - and Basil!

Pip was the same after his class on Wednesday. First lesson post-puppy classes and he was totally exhausted. He fell asleep in the car, then again as soon as we got home. I woke him for his afternoon meal and kong while I did the school run then he had to be woken again for his dinner!

Toomanybuttons pointed me over here. I'm getting an 8 week old puppy in 2 weeks time. Its a cocker spaniel boy. We've met both his parents and an older sibling and they were lovely.

I have been doing way too much shopping as its quite exciting going to a different sort of shop.

We are visiting him again on Sunday.

We have a crate and we have puppy proofed and we can isolate an area of these kitchen for him.

Have found some training classes bizarrely close to us. We even managed to find some friends to puppysit as we have one outing prebooked. I didn't manage that with my kids for months. I think people are much more willing to puppy sit!

Finn got his certificate last night at the end of puppy training. I was ridiculously proud as, of course ,I think he is the best in class.

We let him say hello to one of the GSD outside the class, she is one who he loved at the first class but hasn't been at any of the other classes and she really had a go at him, proper growling which didn't stop despite him giving all the right signals. It was quite a shock as we've only really met well socialised adult dogs before who 'read' him and respond accordingly.

This GSD is owned by a man who seems to think he knows everything, he seemed pleased that his dog was showing a bit of aggression so think it might be one to avoid, pity as I love German Shepherds.

Well done Finn!

Poor Fitz just got attacked by two terrier type dogs - completely unprovoked - he saw them approach, did his usual sit down while he observed what was going on and one of them suddenly barrelled up to him growling, teeth bared, really aggressive, then while he was on the ground squealing the second charged in to have a go too

He was absolutely terrified and they just wouldn't stop - owner yelling rather ineffectually at them - I managed to pick Fitz up and they were still trying to get at him :(

He doesn't seem to be hurt but it was a really horrible experience and made him very wary for the rest of the walk. Thankfully we saw a lovely cockerpoo puppy at the end who restored his faith in dogdom

We've just been for a walk and met an enormous labradoodle who very politely greeted Finn and then proceeded to gently lick all the cheese spread that Finn had managed to get all over his head from recall training.

We've been so lucky and have yet to meet an aggressive dog on our walks. Pity it had to happen at training but was outside so trainers didn't see it or I think they would have said something.

Poor you haggis! Hope you're on the mend soon.

Well done Finn, sadly I can't ever imagine Stanley getting a certificate for anything, unless they start rewarding rolling on back, legs in the air, chewing on a leaf at puppy class.

basildon that must gave been as scary for you as it was for poor Fitz - hope you're both ok.

reup does your puppy have a name? What colour is he? Stanley is blue roan and is the most handsome dog in the entire world.

I agree that puppy shopping is so much fun, I daren't add up how much I've spent on Stanley!

Stanley's lovely and was on my list. My dh teaches one at the moment so wasn't keen. Our current favourite name is Marlowe. He's black with some very white patches. They had almost every colour in the litter. We were there an hour dithering! I really liked the orange and white ones (and the chocolate one, golden one and black and white ones!) but they were all girls and we had decided on a boy.(£50 cheaoer- I'm so thrifty!)

Very small white patches I meant. Is blue roan black and white?

Blue roan is black and white, but both colours are mixed in together, rather than being seperate patches. I love orange and white ones, I've decided that's what colour my next one will be

They looked like miniature cows, very sweet.

Okay, need puppy help!

We've had ours for a couple of days now. He hasn't been outside before so as soon as he goes out with my other dog, he cries at the door. He won't wee or poo outside. Last night at 2am I stood outside for 40 minutes - I knew it was at least 4 hours since his last wee, but nothing. Though last night was also the first time that I hadn't taken him back in for him to wee in the house.

Any ideas for overcoming the first hurdle? I really (naively!) thought the other dog would help show him what to do.

No the other dog is a distraction I think. You need to take lots of snacks and praise him as soon as he does anything. Good tiddle etc followed by a treat as soon as he's done it. Not while he's doing it - too distracting. Also I would get used to walking in circles as dogs tend to walk in a circle before doing a poo. You will spend the next two weeks being outside I'm afraid!

Have you got any Simple Solution? Pet shops sell it. Spray on the wet patch if he pees in the house. It breaks down the odour. Also good for poo and vomit.

Golden rule. Lots of praise and reward and he will get the message.

I've invested in a pair of those hideous gardening clogs you can get to keep by the back door so that I can get puppy out quickly without getting wet cold slippers. Also if you do step in poo(delightful experience) in the dark then they rinse off.
I've found Finn 'performs' much better if I take him out on the lead so all the business trips to the garden are done on lead.

Thanks

Managed to get a poo and a wee outside after his breakfast - I took him out onto the front grass rather than the yard at the back on his lead and he did it. He got a piece of cheese for each.

I'm going to keep him on his lead indoors for the next few days I think, except when I'm out doing the school run and overnight. At least that way I can keep an eye on him whilst trying to amuse the toddler too, and he gets used to the lead as an additional bonus.

I have a huge bottle of simple solution. I really like the smell which is probably a good thing, as it's all I am likely to smell for the next few weeks

He's curled up on my knee at the moment, sleeping and twitching. Back to pets at home later for a nylabone as he's very chewy.

You'll get there Mimsy, a few more repetitions with a nice piece of cheese for reward and he'll soon catch on.

Keeping the lead on in the house is a great idea and really helps you get use to his routine/body clock.

Well, Pip was 6 months old yesterday! He is definitely starting to get a bit teenagery, being deaf to some cues and doing things like ignoring me if I call him in from the garden and pushing through the living room door and charging upstairs even though he's never been allowed up there. I hate this stage, it's like they've forgotten everything you've taught them and you're back at square one.

He's currently in a time out in his crate because he's been a complete nightmare since 6.30 this morning and I've had enough. Not helped by having a stinking cold and ds1 off sick, which means patience is already running thin.

Dread to think what he's going to be like with the Christmas tree. We usually put it up on the 1st, but dh and the dcs went to a family party so we're going to do it one evening this week instead. Can't see the baubles on the lower branches surviving. Never had a dog that so much as looked at the tree before, but I have a hunch he's going the be the one that does. I've had a few trees slain by wagging tails, but never anything chewed or stolen by a pup before.

We put water bowl outside because drink and wee seem to be linked. Also clicker trained Meg (Border collie) to hop backwards and forwards over door step to 'outside ' and 'in' commands which she sees as a game and gets her used to be outside.
Still not totally reliable but much better.

NCIS- I am running out of ideas of what to teach Meg- she is up to about 30 words and phrases now. Would welcome any suggestions.

Moosemama my parents once had a border collie they trained to be gentle with the Christmas tree and not to pull things off. He didn't pull a single thing off but one afternoon he gently sucked all the chocolate out of the choc decorations and left the soggy foil hanging on the tree. It must have taken him hours.

I've got my DD a book for Christmas '101 tricks to teach your dog' am hoping that it will have some ideas.
Also thinking of getting a food maze for Finn to keep him occupied for five minutes.

Barbarian, that was one determined dog - gotta love those collie brains!

Meg sounds very clever. Have you taught her to tidy her toys yet? That's the next one I want to work on with Pip. I'm so sick of treading on blooming antlers etc. I would also love to teach him to close the back door after him when he comes in from the garden!

Sadly, I think we're into remedial training for a while till he gets over this hormonal surge.

Moosemama- thanks, clever at some things, but still not fully housetrained or walking nicely on a lead. Working on toys in box because she knows half a dozen now by name but still haven't cracked general-clutter-and-ripped-off-wallpaper-in-box...
Working on 'look left, look right, look at me,' and 'sit' at a distance (very hard).
Teenage rebellion going on here too- things she knew a month ago she now queries and decides whether she will or not. How long does this last? I've forgotten.

Hope you are all better soon. Pip is beautiful.

NCIS thank you, I will look up that book. And find out what a foodmaze it. Meg has a kong with half the hole blocked off to make it last two minutes instead of one.

I think the 'clever at some things' applies to most dogs. Pip can walk nicely on the lead, was housetrained the first week we got him and had a fantastic recall, but he still yells every single time I go up stairs and I can't leave the house for longer than an hour. He's not overattached either, just doesn't like to think he's missing out on anything.

As for the teenager stage, it varies from dog to dog. For some it's just a quick blip and as long as you are calm and consistent, passes fairly quickly, for others it can carry on for a few months. Praying Pip is in the first category, but have a horrible sinking feeling as he's been so good up until now. Great timing getting it across Christmas when we're already up to eyeballs in it. Why didn't I think of that when we were planning to get a pup - doh!

Thank you for the compliment. He looks nothing like his profile pictures now. He's actually overtaken Lurcherboy in height (Lurcherboy is 23" to the shoulder) and is a sleek a handsome Lurcher - with a scruffy face!

I have developed a kong stuffing technique that makes Pip's kong last 45 minutes to an hour. It's taken a lot of perfecting and is a pain in the proverbial because dh can't do it, so it always has to be me that stuffs the school run kongs, but it's worth it.

Not sure what Meg can eat though.

I stuff mine in batches on a Sunday evening and freeze them so I have enough for half a week. I could do with buying some more and freezing a week's worth, but annoyingly there's not enough room in the freezer.

First I get a big bowl and mix up one kibble feed with two tins of sardines or pilchards. Then I spoon this into the kong, using a latte spoon to press it down regularly so I can fit more in. When I get to about 3/4 full I put in a spoonful of fish4dogs salmon mousse or smushed fresh chicken and really squash it down, then a layer of dry kibble goes in (this makes him feel like he's had a quick reward and keeps him going at it longer) followed by another layer of mousse or chicken, then more dry kibble then a small layer of the sardine mix, then plug the top with either the salmon mousse or cream cheese. I do use peanut butter sometimes, as it seems to take longer for him to get it out, but it makes him produce the most foul wind I've ever smelled, so it's a rare treat these days.

Pip wouldn't touch them when they were frozen at first, but now he's used to them he's happy to get stuck into frozen ones. In fact I gave him an XL and L this morning and he only managed to get half the plug out of each while I was on the school run (20 mins) so he can have the same ones back this afternoon. I also feed his kibble in a green feeder because he's a high risk for bloat and used to practically breathe it in. He can empty his green feeder in about 5 minutes though, so now I smear it with salmon mousse or cream cheese and then add the kibble to slow him down even more. If I'm going to be out for the whole hour I give him his green feeder, an XL kong and a large Kong and he generally finishes the lot at around the hour mark. As soon as he finishes eating he starts yelling.

There's a maze for sale at Pets at Home. You just put food in the compartments and the dog has to press/slide doors to get at it. The tricks book should be delivered in the next couple of days. I'll flick through it and let you know if it's any good.

I'd like to join this thread as I got a 9 week old pup yesterday. Her mum was a soppy Pug x Pomeranian and her dad a copper Pomeranian x Chihuahua so she is a mongrel really.

She is golden, looks like a mini Labrador with longer fur coming through. Cobby body and shortish legs, she isn't going to be too small.

Coming home for 40 minutes in the car she didn't make a sound, eventually settling in a box in the passenger seat. At home she wee'd outside, then twice before bedtime, a loo [poo] break at 4am....she slept till 9.15am, then weed outside.....wow what a clean girl!

I just had to go out urgently and unexpectedly just now and had to crate her [she slept in her box last night beside my bed] as worried about wires/furniture etc.....she created hell but I had to go. I was back 20 minutes later and she was asleep in her box [in the crate]. Felt awful but as it went well I'm thinking this is what she will probably do when I go out - create for a bit, then give up? I can live with that.....

She doesn't seem that food orientated though so tempting into the crate with that and a bone didn't work, she was too worried...but early days?

Everything about her seems great, I just have a dread of separation anxiety forming as it's only me and her here - which is why I want to leave her regularly [short periods, building up as she grows] so no dependency grows.

Am I doing ok? Thanks for advice/opinions.