Does anyone fancy a "puppy survival" thread part 2

[Soubriquet]

Here we are again

Just jump in and join us

Thanks for all the advice and the warm welcome. :-) here (if it works!) is our arrival-to-be!

The timeline sounds like a r ally good idea. Hopefully by the time you get to Feb blue you will be able to see how far you have come!

Can I join?

We have a 22 month old miniature schnauzer who has been an angel of a pup. Really good, house trained in a week, top of his training class, never chewed anything, loves other dogs, good natured, well behaved etc.

So good in fact that we've decided to do it again and are getting our second pup next week.

We're not going to be so lucky a second time are we?

Any tips?

Looks like a little angel when she's all snuggled up like that doesn't she??

She's a brat really. And really being a pain in the arse

She would rather go all the way upstairs to go to the toilet than just out in the garden

Weirdo

soubriquet so cute! Love the ears :-)

Can I please ask your favourite puppy toys? Kongs?

Any thoughts on puppy pooping/weeing are appreciated please.

Puppy is 15 weeks now, Scottish Deerhound. Our old Deerhound died last September but I honestly cannot remember how quickly he stopped having accidents in the house so hoping you might be able to help me at bit.

When he came home at 13 weeks he was fab, no daytime accidents, only overnight maybe 1 ever few days. Now he is weeing when we are around, pooing when I just went upstairs for 5 minutes. The whole back of the house is open all day so he can go outside, and does sometimes, he still will not do anything on his walks (but breeder said that's normal and at first they only want to toilet where they are used to).

We are not telling him off when he wee's but have tried to stuff him outside mid wee. We then use a spray which is supposed to get rid of the small (think we might need to find a different one though).

I work from home and DH works shifts so he is not really on his own (just in a different room when I am working).

Any fabulous suggestions and I will post a pic of Edward :)

Oh Captain that is a YUMMY puppy :)

CheshireDing it sounds like your puppy doesn't really associate outside as being the toilet area so having the doors open to the outside might not be enough. Mine came to me at 8 weeks and it took many weeks to be fully house trained to actually take himself outside to toilet. Personally if he is having that many accidents I would go back to basics and take him outside after he eats, plays, wakes and then frequently and then praise, praise, praise when he goes outside to reinforce outside toileting is good. It does mean you feel you can't take your eyes of him and you spend ages waiting for them to go in the garden but I found it paid of in the end.

Captainladder I found kong toys to be very good. Also when he was very young he used to like dragging soft toys around. I can't remember the name but they had no stuffing in them so were flat.

My local pet shop sell a squeaky octopus that I've not had a dog not love yet

It's crazy. Even I like it

I like the beco products too as it's all natural stuff

Never thought I'd be a dog lover you know, (we have a cat already!) but I'm firmly in dog love mode!

Can anyone advise on play pens? We've been given a small crate, should be large enough for a den for now, but was thinking of adding a play pen to it so he has more room to potter and play but still safe. Anyone done this?

Thank you Bitey I did wonder if the doors being open wasn't actually working ! (it's clearly not helping) :)

Would you go into the garden with the lead on, go round the block or just stand in the garden with him ? freezing your ass off

We use Kongs and use to with our old dog, We stuff his biscuit in it then plug the hole with peanut butter/cheese/cream cheese so he doesn't hang around the table whilst we are eating.

CheshireDing I would concentrate on getting him to go in the garden because you want him to associate that with the toilet instead of the house right now. I used to let mine mooch about but looking back I do wonder if I should have put him on the lead but he used to go mad and chew it so I never bothered. I can still remember waiting and standing for ages wishing he would go but I think it did help because that meant I was around for every pee and poo so I could give him praise and treats. I did the same as you when he had an accident in the house, I just picked him up and plonked him outside. I can't remember when he finally got the house training but it eventually just clicked for him and even now when he had a bad belly he flung himself outside in the garden rather than spoil himself in the house.

Cheshireding, everything bitey said plus try using a cue word every time he goes...wee wee, hurry up etc. Over a few weeks enough repetition and then massive OTT praise every time he performs will give you a pup who will wee on command. Very useful before a long car journey etc.
Captain ladder, I think play pens are a great idea. Ours was happy in crate for sleeps but never accepted play pen since she was a mad hyper pup But it still came in useful using the sections to guard around the fire, block access whilst mopping the kitchen floor, keep her out of the greenhouse etc, etc, etc. Now realising how far we have come in this first year since we don't use them very much at all anymore😁

I also like the three peaks knobbly bouncy ball. It is encased in something that seems chew proof and has lasted longer than any tennis ball. It squeaks and I put it away in a cupboard between plays to keep it special. Really works, she hops up and down with excitement and will chase it up and down the garden by herself and then I throw it a few times whilst doing watering etc.

Hello all, Bear has wee'd on someone's lawn tonight as we have just done a boring pavement walk due to the weather so he managed to run onto someone's grass, it was literally a dribble of wee and raining so I didn't stop him but house owner was in the window and banged hard on it and then came out to watch us walk off down the street, scowling at us! Seemed an overreaction for a wee!!! Just me?!

Dotty we sometimes do a quick lead walk in the morning and invariably DDog will make me when he suddenly decides to poo on someone's front lawn. Fortunately it's very early in the morning so I can bag it up quickly without anyone spotting me

Yes we have had one or two of those incidents as well Bitey!!!!

Could be worse. Big girl did a poo in the lounge this morning! She clearly hadn't finished when I brought her in from the garden.
She's never messed in the house before.

Oh no Wolfie was it a normal poo or do you think she had a bad belly?

Far too much TMI but we're all friends here right? I think she was just really um "full". She went in the garden. Three different spots and too ages. Bit of straining. Got in and realised she hadn't finished. Then went again on the school run!
Bit dog equals big poo!

I seriously spend far too much time talking about poo now. The first thing my DH asks me when he gets up is how was the dogs poo this morning as he tends to eat rubbish on his walks which gives him the runs

I'm planning on switching pup to raw. Hoping that will help tum and sore ears and eyes too.