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Shit, I have somehow acquired a puppy...

377 replies

Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 25/03/2016 23:59

Help!! She is a teeny tiny baby shitzu crossed with something equally obscure. She is slightly larger than my foot. I have zero experience with puppies. What do j need to do? I've made her up a bed with towels and puppy food in a dish near her. I got her a baby bottle to try and get her to drink milk (kitten milk!) from that. She is ignoring all my efforts and is snoring on my foot...

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DixieNormas · 06/04/2016 19:45

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Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 07/04/2016 20:59

Hi, sorry for the delayed reply... The cutie is doing great! She is such a little sweetheart... Can't imagine life without her. I have had to pop abroad for three nights (was organised before I knew she was going to burst into my life), but been calling her every night to 'talk' to her!!! My mum is looking after her. I miss her so so so much. Have a gratuitous photo of her, she is going to be so big when I get back!!!! How are all the other cuties doing?

Shit, I have somehow acquired a puppy...
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DixieNormas · 07/04/2016 21:06

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Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 11/04/2016 18:17

Glad Alfie is doing well. Going home tomorrow, can't wait to see her little face. She is off to the vets for her first jabs on Thursday, last time I took her there she got microchipped so she is going to hate me!!! Miss her little face. Apparently she has been racing around the kitchen, weeing on her puppy pads etc. So I am proud!

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Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 13/04/2016 22:59

Just in case anyone is still here for any useful advice... Got back tues and had the biggest welcoming party I have ever had from a certain little miss waggy tail - she has grown so much, and I was only away for a few days! She is doing really well, goes outside and generally wees or poos straight away, bless her. Few accidents but we are working on that. She is getting on well in her crate as well, and chicken seems to be getting her to do things like sit and fetch. I am amazed. Quick question though (and it may sound really daft: just about to pop her out for bedtime toilet, and had a thought. We have loads of nasty fecking urban foxes around here, tried to pinch our bunnies on many an occasion, they wouldn't go for her, would they? (Or me for that matter - they terrify me!) i will put her on a lead for night time wees I think, just in case. Also, I know the puppy pads are a controversial issue, but they seem to be working for her at night, and in the day if she can't hold it in. How often should I change them? After every wee? Thanks if you are still reading!

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yoomoo · 14/04/2016 09:28

Hello! Aww bless sounds like she's doing well. Not sure about the foxes as I've never seen one near us but I expect as you are with her they wouldn't do anything with you about. Good idea on the lead though, we had to let Cooper out in the garden temporarily last week so I put him on a lead so he couldn't run off and hide in the garden somewhere. We used puppy pads, they were great for getting him to understand that if he did go in the house then that's where he should go. We then just started taking him outside and gradually removed them, by about 13 weeks he was able to hold it throughout the night so now he goes for a last wee at around 10/10.30pm and doesn't go again till 7.30am. We've had 2 accidents where he's obviously had a drink in the night but that hasn't happened for a couple of weeks now. In terms of changing pads, we changed them after a couple of wees. Cooper didn't mind using them with one wee and I think it was helpful as the scent was there. It's up to you though, others will probably say to change it after every wee.

Theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 14/04/2016 11:59

Hi yoo! Nice to hear that Cooper is getting on so well... Just took C to vets for her jabs, paid for her insurance and put her on the pet health plan for half price routine stuff - came to over £500 faints. She seems to understand the puppy pads as uses them at night and trotted over to the one I put down for her when I visited a friend and used it, she goes outside in the garden as well, but then when she is inside she just seems to forget and goes where she is, and doesn't give any bloody warning! Grr. I seem to spend my time on my knees scrubbing at the moment (speaking of which, how is your knee recovering?! That was you, wasn't it?) she seems happy enough in her crate in the kitchen, but I am still wary of leaving the door of it open when I am not in the room... So keep having to visit her every 15 or so mins and open it so she doesn't feel like a prisoner. I am probably doing this all bloody wrong, aren't i? Sigh.

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Gide · 16/04/2016 22:20

You're doing nothing wrong, sounds like you have been doing a fab job. Did you have the mad panic that she wouldn't be alive when you came down? I did with mine!

Pets at Home is my fave place to carry pups round, hand them to other people to get them used to it. Harness, not collar, I think you mentioned this. Tracheal collapse is more likely in small breeds, so harness is far better. Borrow the horse's lunge line to teach her recall from a distance.

Swap her biting hands for chew toys. Get her a puppy Kong and stuff it with her normal food (or peanut butter, tiny biscuits, cottage cheese, tinned fish in tomato sauce, Primula-which is fab for when out walking as a treat)

theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 17:48

Hi, tis me again, i Nc for another thread. Hopefully this is back to my usual user name?

gide I nearly had a heart attack when she threw up the other day. Three times. Was on panic mode and v nearly called the vet and was prepared to do puppy resus there and then, until my friend questioned my sanity and pointed out that puppies are sick all the time... I do wake up with the fear that she has died in the night, what the hell is wrong with us?!

My horse doesn't have a lunge lead (she is an older girl who thinks lunging is beyond her) but have taken a few of my lead ropes to attach to C's collar to give her further to go. Horse is most put out that she is now second best. Took C out in hand this afternoon, we I had a lovely walk for about an hour, then took her home and she did a lovely wee and a poo. V disappointed that only two people cooed over her. But then again, I coo over her all the time!

Back at work tomorrow, which means leaving her with my mother, which means undoing all the good work I have done with her, as the mothership does not understand will not understand that she needs to go out every hour or so. Stupid boyfriend who is supposed to help is away at the mo. He will be back at the end of April to help.

She is a happy little thing though, and full of beans. Can't wait to get her walking on the ground, although that is going to be another saga! She is due her second jab at the beginning of may, so fingers crossed. Need to get her used to the horses as well. Mine would probably trample her on sight, through equine stupidity rather than anything else...

Thanks for your advice and help. Oooh, while I am thinking about it, how often does she need to be wormed? She has been deflead and I need to give her her next dose at the end of the month, but I am clueless about wormer, unless it's for horses obviously. Thank you again Thanks

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 17:49

Oh and yes to harness. She has a crappy collar and lead at the mo, as obviously she is not out and about properly. It's just to keep tabs on her...

Any harness recommendations??

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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 18:05

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 18:16

In the nicest possible way... What the feck is that??? Looks like a mad nappy! But alfie is a shih tzu as well isn't he? C has been bouncing round the garden, wearing me out... Glad he is out and about, can't wait to get C pounding the streets...

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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 18:22

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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 18:23

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 18:47

c dances under my feet. I think she finds it funny... Until my foot (usually clad in riding boot) makes contact with her, and then whimpers and I feel awful. But she is learning to keep out of the way... Oooooh pink! May have to to purchase... Phone won't let me scroll down, do I remember correctly if you said you got it from pets at home?

Glad he had a lovely walk. Was inspired by your crate. C now has a lovely one, with blankets and toys galore. Plus we play 'find the treat'. However she was really sick the other day, as in thick foamy sick with lumps.... Ick. But my heart literally leapt into my throat as I didn't know what to do... Turns out I had given her chicken (tiny bits£, and the mother had given her massive bits. So think that was the cause of the problem.... I made her boiled rice and chicken, and now I think she expects that for every dinner, turning her nose up at her puppy food, the snob!

Totally need a harness for her. She is due her second jab in may... It feels like I am keeping her under house arrest! What lead did you get with that harness? An extendable one or just a normal one? I can see that lead training is going to be another nightmare...

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 18:49

Opps just saw what you said re the lead! Sorry

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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 18:52

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 18:53

dixie what size did you get? I really want the pink one (just to embarass her into good behaviour) but they only have the small in pink!!! Grrrr. That will be way too big won't it?

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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 19:04

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 19:07

Just bought her the one in the pic... And j swore I wouldn't get her anything in pink!!! Except now she is pink pink pink. Poor little ball of fluff. My horse wears purple... I love the fact that I inflict colours onto my pets... Poor creatures...

How many dc's do you have them dixie? Thanks for coming back to the thread, I am losing sleep over her at the moment because I am sure I am doing it all wrong...

Oh, and she is still refusing to eat her puppy food... I would love to have the time and the patience to lovingly cook her chicken and rice every day, but I don't have the time.... Grrr.

Shit, I have somehow acquired a puppy...
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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 19:19

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 19:35

Wow! Four dc's and a puppy! You have my admiration. And your oldest is 21!? Awesome.

She is currently eating don't judge me waitrose puppy pouches, as that was what she was on when we rescued (not sure if that is the correct word) her. But she won't eat it. She will only eat the chicken and rice... Argh. Help

Ps my friend has just reminded me about the government requirements for dogs, as in they need contact details etc on their collars... Have you done this? And if so how?

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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 19:43

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DixieNormas · 17/04/2016 19:47

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theoneandonlyitchymcitch · 17/04/2016 20:25

VI am a teacher so even more of a nightmare for me... But I feel your pain: C is fucking about on the bathroom floor while I am trying to have a bath. Ok, so she has found my knickers and is ripping them to shreds.... Lucky they were tv

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