New Puppy Mummies, Part 3

[DharmaLovesDraco]

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

Thanks Moose. He was fine on route to the park on the lead & then went wild when I let him off. He is usually so good! Even the behaviourist was impressed last week when she walked with me, his recall is usually very good.

Today he just didn't listen at all. When I finally caught him (with the poor woman clinging onto a tree!), I put him straight back on the lead, which is what I've always done when he doesn't come back to me.

Trouble was he was even worse on the lead and he pulled me along, he's so strong now & I got tangled up with another lady's lead and she fell over!

Honestly I felt like I couldn't control him at all! (must find higher value treat maybe?!)

Perhaps I need to up the length of his walks now too? I do one walk of 40 mins and then every say third day he gets 2 walks, one 30 mins and one 20 mins. He is still very calm in the house, and today he slept a good part of the day after the walk.

Just reading the kong stuff..............any good fillings I could try? I haven't been able to use them much because Legend had a sensitive tummy but I think we're past that now (except he can't seem to tolerate cheese). So what do you put in the kong?

I use pilchards or sardines in tomato, mixed with his usual kibble. I put dry kibble at the bottom and in the top quarter-ish, then plug the hole with fish4dogs salmon or trout mousse.

The other one I do is to drop kibble in, then drop in a raw egg or two, mix up and microwave for about 50 seconds. The egg turns into scrambled egg and sort of binds the kibble together. It fluffs up out of the big hole, so you need to stand it thin end down in a bowl or mug but then you can wait for it to cool a little and really squash it down, then top with dry kibble, followed by mousse or whatever you're using for the plug. That one takes Pip much longer to empty than the sardine one.

If you scroll up the thread a bit, needa typed up an excellent list of great kong fillers.

It was just one bad walk, we all get them, even the best behaved dogs have off-days. Do you have a longline for him. Just thinking you may be more confident letting him off on your next walk if you use one.

Picnic - I have this with minty too. Sometimes he's great and other times really wilful, like he's choosing whether to listen to me or not. The not-listening times can be really worrying - poor woman by the tree!

I try to go back to a really tasty treat for the next walk so I've cooked a sausage today ready for tomorrow's walk. Might get some cat feed in pouches and the primula tube works great. I also do loads of recalls for no reason at all, just to remind him how tasty my treats are and I go for the jackpot every now & then. The Total Recall book suggests that if you're going for a big, wow treat, you feed it slowly and continuously so the dog gets a minute or more of tasty eating so I try that sometimes and only release little bits but keep it up continuously as long as I can! I can't really do recall using fun games as motivation as my loopy puppy gets way over-excited and leaps about barking so that really doesn't work for us.

Hope your next walk is better .

picnic - I posted a huge list re kongs upthread, have a scroll back

Life is chaos here with a puppy and a dog who is pretending there's no puppy!

We decided one more night in the crate Moose as the puppy kept getting in bed with Harry and Harry kept barking. Settled immediately with the crate next to him, although I will keep training the crate with the clicker.

He had one tiny wee from 9.30 till 6am. A cocker puppy's wee is a few drops! We decided we would rather have sleep to be honest and accept the accidents, as he's 'getting' training really well anyway. I know that's not exactly 'to the book', but it's what is working for us at this stage.

Took the puppy out with us this morning as there's three of us doing the walk, so lots of spare hands to carry him and to walk Harry. Trying to keep the routine going. Puppy is zonked now but was like a whirligig this morning after a feel nights sleep

We have had our first play, quite short but definite invitations from both dogs and a little whirl round the kitchen, Harry would have continued but Hector was shattered anyway from being in the garden.

Moose - interested in your opinion here, I am on a Facebook page about positive training, Sally Bradbury is the founder and lead for the site.

She recommends not letting two co owned dogs walk together for a year!!! Bonding with owner, minimal play etc. I CANNOT walk them individually for that long!! Trying really hard to give our older boy the love training and attenti

Attention that he needs, but really? What do you reckon?

Ps. The site is fab and I like her suggestions, but I am not sure such separation is reasonable/practical in reality, tis all about bonding with owner etc.

Sorry, specific to getting a puppy with older dog in situ situations.

Needa, good to hear they are playing together. Harry came round much faster than Lurcherboy did, but I suppose Lurcherboy was 7 and a half, had lived with two old lady dogs for most of his life and is/was probably set in his ways.

I can understand why sherecommends walking them separately, but as you say, it's not really practical for most people. Mine get walked separately and together and I feel we get a good balance, although ideally I'd like to be able to get Lurcherboy out on his own more often, but it's difficult, as I can't leave Pip home alone without Lurcherboy at all, as he starts yelling before we've reached the front door.

I think as long as they both get a healthy amount of individual/1:1 time with you that should be enough and that what she's recommending is really an 'ideal world' scenario, that won't be achievable for most people. I've never known anyone do it, yet have known plenty of extremely highly trained dogs, who are very closely bonded with their humans.

It's just another one of those things we can either tie ourselves in knots about or accept that we do the best we can for our dogs and that is a million times more than the average pet dog owner does. Our dogs are loved, healthy and happy and that's all they need, anything more is a bonus.

I say this as someone who is never satisfied with what she does and constantly berating herself for not doing enough for/by her dcs and dogs.

Thanks, I cooked up a burger for Legend for todays walk & it went much better, came back every time:) I will delve back in Total Recall as I must admit I stopped bothering to practise because he was good enough, maybe got a bit complacent!

Great Kong tips, thanks:)

We are the same, you and I moose , reckon we think too much! Thank you. I did think about you, and the separation thing, but also, she advises not to leave a puppy at all initially, then build up gradually etc. How that would work with a Springer, who needs 2 hours or so exercise a day I don't know, even on reduced walks you would have to leave them. Chuck in the cocker being fully grown by a year pretty much and needing similar amounts of exercise, socialising the puppy, training etc and I wouldn't have time for the poor DC!!

I am conscious that I am 'supposed' to get Hector used to being alone totally. Again, in reality, I am not actually sure when I would go out with just the one dog, and someone wouldn't be around for the other, emergencies excepted. So I will think about that one some more too

First jabs done, then stopped at local playing fields where I could fling the ball for Harry and carry the puppy, both asleep now!

Glad that you've had success picnic.

Ok, they are officially friends. My kitchen will never be the same again, the noise!! It was the puppy that gave up and ran off in the end

Had an awful day today with 12 WK old puppy.

He squeezed through a fence when on walk, he came back but it was scary.

He pooed when I was at shop. I got home let him out, went out with him, he ran back in and weeed.

Later on he was really snappy and bitey for ages.

He dug a hole in garden and got really huge clumps of mud stuck in his furry paws. So I had to wash them which he hated.

Later I dropped my hat and I had to wrestle him for it.

He yelped every time I went upstairs. I'm worried that he's like that whenever I leave. He's getting better with kongs but not sure how long they last.

He chews everything but dog stuff. He ignores the nylabones,puppy antler chews and healthy type chews but does like the rawhide scary chokeable ones, He loves breaking off the brittle edges of plant pots and tries to eat the broken bits of pots.

I asked the trainer about his rough play session with an older puppy (he spent most of the time on his back as other dog was more dominant) and she advised against it. Its a shame as I like the owner and am feeling a lack of conversation in the day.

When we do training he almost snaps my hand off for the treats. I knew the puppy thing would be hard but never envisaged it would be this hard.

Rant over - a quick flea question. We gave him a treatment today- does it make them smell?

Hi all just checking in been reading but not posting.

Today was a big day for Nala she finally got the buster collar/sick off her right front leg, she's been going mad at the stitches but hasn't got them out yet, the get said they are slow dissolving.

We also got our first delivery of Millie's Wolfheart today she lived it is an understatement as she's been trying to get in the cupboard all day. I wasn't happy with Burns at all, despite her being on a lot more than the recommended amount you could still see her ribs and after researching and speaking to a few RR owners who said it just didn't have enough protein for a large breed. Got great help from Millie's too. At 19kgs at 6 months she is small.

Trying to up training sessions too as she's getting a bit wilful need to work on her jumping up as well. Met a 3 year old Labradoodle and it was more jumpy than Nala which isn't good. She's going to be a big dog too.

Reup, don't worry. Chalk it up to a bad day and move on. He's just gaining in confidence now he's been with you a while - it does get better, hang in there.

What flea treatment did you use? Advocate can give off a sort of burned fur smell if you get lots of it on the fur, rather than the skin. Frontline has a distinctive, aromatic smell.

Hi sweetkitty Good to hear Nala is healing well. It's awkward with a front leg injury, because it's so easy for them to get at the wound site. Hope the stitches get change to dissolve before she removes them herself.

I was looking at Millie's Wolfheart the other day. It does look good.

Pip was 20kg(iirc) a couple of days before Christmas, so probably more now and he's a real lightweight.

Needa I feel your pain, only it was two large Lurchers charging around my living room this afternoon ... total chaos, but they were having such fun I didn't have the heart to stop them. Especially as Lurcherboy doesn't usually pay Pip any attention whatsoever in the house.

I've noticed a definite shift in their relationship this week. Lurcherboy is starting to put Pip in his place much more firmly when he oversteps the mark with too much over-exuberant puppy play or constant nagging - but - Pip is actually listening to him now. They had a hilarious 'conversation' over an antler earlier today. Pip really wanted it, but Lurcherboy had his paw on it (even though he clearly didn't want to chew it). Cue much posturing, playbowing, puppy licking, lying on his back etc from Pip - all done whilst doing his ridiculous Saluki 'singing' (). Lurcherboy was answering back with the odd yowl and grumble and Pip was desperately trying to work out a way of getting the antler from under his paw without getting himself into trouble. He kept circling him, tentatively putting his paw out towards the antler to gauge Lurcherboy's reaction, then running away and trying playbowing and rolling around being cute. Lurcherboy was having none of it though!

Now you know why I worry about my neighbours!

That saluki singing was fantastic. My dog was very interested.

It was advocate flea treatment. It was sort of a flowery cleaning spray smell but its gone now.

Thanks moose. Am going to do a long lead walk today instead to calm me. Also try and walk on his pulling on lead and jumping up at everyone.

Wow at all the big dogs. I was used to big ones and wasn't sure about smaller one. But now having got used to it they seem enormous!

Hah! Moose - you think that's bad - check out the

Thankfully Fitz has only done this a couple of times ...

Hello everyone, so busy with pup that I don't know what's going on with the thread but I did look at needa 's picture of Hector - how gorgeous is he!!
And reup likewise what a cutie ... I saw your post saying you'd had a terrible day - hope it's improved since

reup - we all have bad days in the early weeks, it does get easier and it gets easier much faster than with kids. Just up the training, do some work on being left alone and, as moose says, chalk it down to a bad day.

I disagree with your vet though, did your puppy go back for more play? If he did, then he was enjoying it and happy with the situation. Not sure at all about the dominance thing, I don't believe dogs have that perception at all.

oh my goodness at the singing!! Love the description of the playing. Harry hoards all the toys, even if he has no interest at all in them, just takes them because Hector is playing with them. We are restricting the dogs to the kitchen at the moment, just until Hector is older, calmer and house trained.

First accident last night, bloody DH's fault. Hector was dancing at the patio door and DH had locked up and couldn't find the keys, hardly his fault. Toilet training has been amazing, just this and one accident in the night first night. No poo's in the house at all, just jinxed this haven't I?

In fact, I thought Harry had a reasonable level of intelligence, Hector is astonishing, although I fear him being very active as he grows. in addition to the toilet training, we have sit, wait, settle, 'find it' and he just adores clickering, he do a sit behaviour just to get a cuddle or a bit of chicken. Managing to clicker both by reinforcing with Harry and working on transfering 'touch' to a piece of card.

Much much easier puppy than Harry was, like having your second child, your more relaxed and happy to enjoy it.

Reup, if it smelled like floral cleaning products then you've applied it correctly.

Oh basil, my Border Collie x Belgian Shepherd used to scream just like that - I've never heard another dog do it!

Needa, I am so pleased things are going so well for you with Hector. Despite all the illness etc, I felt the same with Pip, it all just seemed to click and I do think a large part of it is staying relaxed yourself.

My news today is that I have 2 out of 3 dcs back at school, but have now come down with some sort of horrible d&v bug myself. I wouldn't mind so much if I'd actually been somewhere to catch it, but I guess spending an afternoon with 10 reception age 'fairies' is probably high risk at this time of year, especially as the school newsletter says they have both Noro and full blown flu going around the school at the moment.

So, apologies if I'm not around much for the next day or so. Only came online to see if I'd had a reply to the email I sent to ds1's school.

Yes it was floral, thanks moose.

Re playing with older puppy - he sometimes went back to her and sometimes scrabbled up at my legs as if he was scared. The trainer said it was more a problem for my neighbour's puppy than mine as he may learn to do that to all smaller dogs. Not sure what to do or what I say to my neighbour if I dont meet her again!

Tried to work on pulling on lead - was very tedious but there was a teeny improvment. Then rounding the block near our house he went mad pulling and choking himself to get back home. Desperate for some quality sofa time.

I might try with a clicker as we bought one but haven't used it yet.

Well, that's what our puppy does with our existing dog. There's never any growling or telling off, just an occasional whine if the puppies been rolled a bit too roughly. Can't send either back!

Pulling is the hardest thing for me, even now.

Clicker training is great fun and really great for bonding and them understanding what is required of them. DH hates it, because he doesn't understand what to do!

Had a walk over a deserted golf course this afternoon, carried the puppy, the dog charged around.

ps - the picture on my profile is Harry, I've updated with Hector now.

moose - so sorry that you are poorly, hope you feel better and get some good luck soon!

Hope you feel better soon moose.

The older puppy growled a bit and was biting my ones ears. It's hard to tell what's fun and what's not! Mine did spend most of the time trying to get away.

Will go and look at everyone's cute puppies now.