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The doghouse

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

New Puppy Mummies, Part 3

999 replies

DharmaLovesDraco · 09/11/2013 21:30

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

OP posts:
NigellasGuest · 15/01/2014 19:34

Talking of walks, my lovely lovely puppy has made me enjoy them again! I HAVE to walk him despite having found walking boring and pointless in the past (since having children, how weird is that)? But now it's a joy again.

Moose, that's interesting about the owners who walk on rainy days. Perhaps I will wait for a rainy day to let him off the lead for the first time. I'm terrified of him being attacked by some fiendish hound! He's my PFB after all. I'm going to invest in a whistle...

NigellasGuest · 15/01/2014 19:36

and Mint i'm like you in that I like the solitary walk. i chat away to hiim as if he's a 2 yr old child! Blush

basildonbond · 15/01/2014 19:50

Thanks all - Fitz is ok - missing a bit of skin on his nose but otherwise fine physically

However he's been nervy around other dogs all day - there was a new puppy at training tonight - a quarter of Fitz's size but a bit barky. He barked at Fitz who charged straight over to me, tail between his legs, squealing Hmm
Thankfully his best puppy friend the whirrier was there so he had a lovely romp with her during playtime

He's been knackered today though - I had to go out for a couple of hours around lunchtime so popped him in his crate with his kong - when I got back he was fast asleep, woke briefly to wag his tail and then conked out again for another 30 mins! He's always shattered after puppy class so I should be in for a quiet evening (apart from the dc...)

basildonbond · 15/01/2014 19:53

Oh and although he is very bouncy when playing he's always very wriggly, approaches sideways, play bows or sits and watches if he's feeling unsure

basildonbond · 15/01/2014 21:45

Last one from me tonight I promise! He's six months old tomorroe and has suddenly really clicked with training (no pun intended) ... We were doing 'proper' heeling tonight and the trainer said Fitz was v close to competition standard! Now if I could just get him to do 'down' from a distance I'd be happy :)

NCISaddict · 15/01/2014 21:54

Well done Fitz! We've got training tomorrow night and after last weeks embarrassing session with Finn I'm hoping for better results. He's nearly perfect at home but acts like a teenager in class. Have taught him to only bark when he needs to go out and when the doorbell rings this week so he's not stupid.
He's also not food orientated when out on walks but is pretty good on recall and doesn't move more than a few metres away. He becomes instantly obsessed with a toy if I produce that on walks so i don't know quite what to do.

mintchocchick · 15/01/2014 22:11

Hi NCIS - how did you teach Finn to only bark on those two occasions? I'd love a bit less barking in our house!

BB what a relief that there wasn't worse damage to his nose

NCISaddict · 16/01/2014 06:56

Every time he barked when we didn't want him to we said quiet and asked him to sit and then treated him. I was really surprised at how quickly he got it. You can see him go to bark now, think, and then come running and sit at our feet. Sometimes he gets a treat now and other times he just gets a big fuss or a quick play.
He give a single'woof' to go out and we always let him out instantly for that and praise him when he barks at the doorbell. Am very shocked but pleased, we live on a main road and the barking at everyone passing, lorries etc was getting a bit wearing.Smile

DharmaLovesDraco · 16/01/2014 08:07

Hi all, I need some feeding advice please. We have spilled into that bad habit whereby if O turned his nose up at his kibble we would add a bit of something more tasty (cheese/primula/ham/peanut butter) in order to get him to eat it. Problem is now he is turning his nose up at pretty much everything in his morning feed and there are some days he doesn't have any breakfast at all :( Evening he is much better and will eat it no worries but I'm really concerned he's not getting enough to eat. He is supposed to be on approximately 550g of kibble over 2 feeds and he really isn't getting that. In even more concerned today as he refused breakfast yesterday and then for some unknown reason (he'd had a new fish naturaldiet dog food in his tea) threw up his tea and has refused breakfast this morning :(
He is right as rain in himself though, how long not eating before I need to worry and what should I do about his fussiness?

OP posts:
barbarianoftheuniverse · 16/01/2014 09:07

Meg, border collie nearly seven months is being spayed today. We feel very bad about this but have been advised over and over that she will heal faster and have a lower cancer risk if it is done now. And advice about how to keep a bouncy young dog very quiet and on lead in garden only for next week or two?

NCIS, Meg is still chewing everything and quite mouthy. Is Finn the same? Will be very glad when teething is over.

needastrongone · 16/01/2014 09:26

Dharma, would you consider raw? I have yet to meet a dog that doesn't go for raw feeding. Try a chicken wing and see how that goes.

Our dog refuses nothing and is a gannet, but is raw fed in the main.

NCISaddict · 16/01/2014 09:31

When my previous dog was spayed at 6 months we just walked her on the lead for a week, she healed really quickly and lived until she was over 14 dying of old age I think.

Finn's pretty good at not chewing but is nearly always around us so we can 'redirect' him. He has lots of chew type things including an antler, we've also worked hard on the leave command. The mouthyness was stopped by my sisters three year old border collie staying for three weeks, he was very firm with Finn when he nipped too hard and I think that really helped, they played more or less constantly so it was reinforced all the time.

His lead walking ,on the other hand, is dreadful. Any ideas how to change that? He isn't food orientated when outside.

barbarianoftheuniverse · 16/01/2014 09:58

Thank you NCIS. I thought we could lead walk after a day or two, but vet said not at all for a week which is going to be hard/impossible.
Did you have to have a cone to prevent stitch licking?

Lead walking- Meg is not good at all, despite endless rewards, turning back, standing still- all the training class things. However on halti she is a different dog- she hates the first ten minutes, then forgets it. I only use it on outward walk- collar/harness home when she is usually much better at not pulling. I am hoping to only use it as a training thing. Meg knows not to pull, but constantly forgets. Trainer recommended treat reinforcement but it doesn't work for us as getting a treat makes her leap forward with pleasure. Like Finn, a ball means more to her than any treat so sometimes I carry it in my hand where she concentrates more on that than pulling. We find she needs a good off lead high energy run every day which we do in local forest. Her recall is not perfect, but good enough for that.
Also find she walks slightly better on harness than lead.

Meg has antler plus other chews but still prefers shoes, coffee table and carpet. Also (very bad) although she does not defend food any more after a bit of training there, she does defend sick. Cats and hers. Curls her lip and snaps when hauled away.

reup · 16/01/2014 10:13

Lol at defending sick! Am impressed by stopping barking. We started putting ours on a lead when he's gets bitey. Its helping.

He had as walk this am with his double but 5 weeks older. He was scared a bit and hid between my legs and the rest of the time he was chased or they spent a lot of the time rolling around with mine mainly on the bottom. There was some yelping and growling. He tried to scrabble up on me a few times. It was hard to tell if it was normal puppy fun or if he hated it? He did go back for more.

Now I have to find some way of removing poo under the dead centre of the trampoline which doesn't involve me on my hands and knees in the mud.

NCISaddict · 16/01/2014 10:14

We did have a cone but only used it when she was alone or at nights. Both my previous two bitches were spayed at 6 months with no problems, they didn't seem bothered by the stitches.

Finn's recall is not perfect(apart from in classes where he is spot on for recall) but he only goes a short distance away and circles us, he now comes back to us if anything scares him so I'm not so worried. I think I'll try a whistle as he recalls to that much better.

We use a harness and he is better on that, likewise we've tried all the training tricks but nothing seems to work. Treats work in the house but not outside and if I try a ball he just grabs at it which is not ideal. I know it will eventually click but it's so frustrating waiting as I know he has picked up other commands without any effort. Like Meg, Finn knows where he should bel and returns to the correct place when I stop and tell him but then instantly plunges ahead.

Pufflemum · 16/01/2014 14:36

Thanks for your tips everyone. I have been to the breeders today and selected our pup who will be coming home with us on Saturday. I'll add a picture on the profile. We are thinking about calling her Coco.

Can you tell me more about socialisation please? How do you do it before the final vaccination? Do I have to carry the dog everywhere?

Also with toilet training do they usually prefer to go on grass or would an area of the patio, private behind a wooden house, be a good place to encourage training? Our grass is quite a long way from our back door so mid night trips could be interesting.

Thanks in advance, your comments and these threads are excellent.

FiscalCliffRocksThisTown · 16/01/2014 14:43

Dharma,

Our breeder said it is good to give an egg (raw) 2 or 3 times a week (not more). Should be a fresh, organic/free range egg (i.e. one you would not mind eating the yolk raw yourself).

Our pup is 5 months, she loves an occasional egg. She sometimes skips a meal (kibble) but makes up for it later.

Little Roo has lived with us for a week now. We love her so much already! She has eaten one of my hand creams (vaseline), only a tiny bit was left in it, so she was fine. She has bursts of manic activity followed by conking out anywhere.

moosemama · 16/01/2014 19:05

Puffle, yes - you carry them absolutely everywhere and make sure they experience as many different environments and meet as many different people as possible. You can give them treats if/when they respond well to the new experiences, as that helps reinforce positive associations. Then as soon as they've finished their vaccinations, get them out and about meeting as many different sizes and breeds of dog as possible - although obviously trying to stick with the best mannered, most friendly dogs you can find. Puppy classes are an absolute must imo and check them out early, as some allow pre-vaccinated pups to come along in owners arms.

Toilet training is really down to your choice. It's easier to keep a patio area clean and preferable not to have them going on your lawn if you have dcs (wish I'd taught my dogs not to go on the grass - hindsight is a wonderful thing). My old gang of dogs had their own fenced off patio area, we dug a trench around it and half filled with gravel, before adding the topsoil on top, then another shallow layer of gravel. It was fantastically easy to keep clean, we used to just give it a quick sluice down with a bucket of water with added tea-tree oil daily and give it a quick scrub with a yard broom. That kept it clean and fresh, even in the height of summer.

If she's been used to going on puppy pads, you can just transfer the pads to the area you want her to go and then get rid of the pad as soon as she gets the idea. If not, just take her there at the times she would be most likely to go, so after sleeping, playing, eating and roughly every hour - more frequently if needs be - and praise and reward enthusiastically when she goes in the right place.

DharmaLovesDraco · 16/01/2014 20:35

Thank you re feeding. I'd never considered raw egg (he's had scrambled) he's fine today and eaten his evening meal, I'll see how he is with breakfast. I am considering raw feeding but it just seems do complicated in relation to kibble, as in getting the right ratio of bone etc.

I still haven't managed to catch up on the rest of the thread, life is just madly busy!

OP posts:
NCISaddict · 16/01/2014 21:55

Finn was the star of training class tonight Moose you were right, the only way was up. He did perfect sit and stay, and sit and wait, I could walk across the room and then go back to him. He was even asked to demonstrate doing a recall from a sit and wait, he came straight to me into a perfect sit. I'm ridiculously proud of my gorgeous boy. Smile

sweetkitty · 16/01/2014 22:27

Hi all visit to the vets today for a check up. She's managed to get one of her stitches out, 4 still intact. Cone of shame to stay on until Tuesday. She is so depressed with it on. I think we all are, were all fed up being battered on the legs with it.

The vet did say I could let her have a run without it as long as she doesn't get at her stitches. Poor baby had been on lead walks for a week and no walks before that.

A neighbour had just got a Rottweiler/collie cross, lovely little pup but she got it at 6 weeks. At least she was out socialising pup in her arms.

Pufflemum · 17/01/2014 15:41

Hello again, puppy due home tomorrow. Can I ask a silly question? When you take the puppy out to toilet do you out a lead on her? I'm worried mine will make a run for it at 3am!

Also, I have a crate and was advised to buy a plastic bed. I have put this bed ( with blanket and cushion) in the crate and the crate floor is full, but the bed looks huge. Will she potentially sleep in one half of the bed and use the other end as a toilet?? As you can see I'm worried about toilet training the dog as I don't want my DH to get put off by any bad smells.....that's his biggest worry.

NCISaddict · 17/01/2014 17:32

I still have a lead on mine when going out for 'business' trips to the garden. Seems to focus his mind and you can give treats and praise more easily.

I didn't have a plastic bed in the crate just a big dog cushion thing. It looked huge but they grow so fast. FWIW mine has never had an accident at night and went from 10.30 until 6.00am without a peep right from the first night but I realise that this is unusual. I did (and still do) put the radio on for him.

sweetkitty · 17/01/2014 19:08

I had a plastic bed in the crate to start off with, very rarely did she mess it. Now she have a dog bed mattress thing.

I never put her on a lead for toilets. At the start I went out with her, with big jacket and wellies. Now I can tell her quick pee pee and she will go and do it. During the day she'll have a run about but usually goes.

Just take them out every hour, after waking, after eating, after playing. If they do anything, treat, loads of praise etc like a toddler potty training. Nala now goes and sniffs the door if she wants to go out.

Pufflemum · 18/01/2014 08:49

Thanks Sweet and NCIS, only three hours to go. I'm more excited than the children!