Does anyone fancy a "puppy survival" thread part 2

[Soubriquet]

Here we are again

Just jump in and join us

wolfiefan Weirdly enough yokopup who is nearly 8 months now and was toilet trained really early and easily had a pee in our spare bedroom the other day it was really odd and unlike him, but I think it was because of the heavy rain and he hadn't been out for quite some time as he hates the rain.

I was getting quite paranoid but hasn't happened again!

I'm watching a little closely. A wolfhound accident is a big one. Thankfully we have the little green machine we bought when old boy cat was very ill. You don't want that poo story. Have a look at Bissell if a portable carpet cleaner type thing would help!

If you can't talk about poo on a puppy thread in Mumsnet where can you talk about it

My bedroom carpet still has a stain from a greyhound poo accident Luckily it's getting pulled up soon anyway.

Bluepuppy has a new medication to try. I asked the vet straight out if some dogs really need to live with an animal companion. She admitted that it can do the trick with some and thinks I should trial Bluepuppy with another dog at some stage to see if it helps. Just need to find the right dog to borrow! Only problem is that I really don't want a second dog, not now anyway. She did say a cat could work though and I would LOVE to get another kitty.

We're off to watch at the local lure coursing club tomorrow. Bluepuppy is too young to race yet but I think he might love it and it will be good social day out for both of us. Hopefully there will be lots of other pointies there

Good luck with the new medication blue. Like you I would be very reluctant to get another dog right now till first dog was older as I would be worried about second dog having different issues as we all seem to be working on something or other with our puppies. Never owned a cat so no idea how much worh they need to look after. Anyway fingers crossed for the new medication being the right one.

A cat would be easy. I've had cats for years and they were nearly the perfect pet except for the fact that they can't get you out and about like a dog can. They're also pretty cheap to keep It feels like Bluepuppy is eating me out of house and home at the moment!

I'd still like to try Bluepuppy with another dog as a trial, even just for a few hours. If he ended up going back through the breeder to another home with doggy company I'd be sad but as long as he's happy I'd be okay.

I got a bit of flack from one of the women that runs one of the day cares he goes to. They also do dog training and she criticised me for not booking Bluepuppy into a basic obedience course. I didn't really want to tell her I was using another trainer and probably going to use my current trainer for obedience classes too. Been there, done that with competing trainers in the horse world and it gets ugly very quickly! Besides, with Bluepuppy going to daycare, my parents or the vet pretty much every weekday recently I don't really have the time, money or energy for training classes at the moment. Not to mention the little guy is only four months old still and gets tired too.

I'll continue at home with the exercises I've been given by the trainer and book in for classes when winter is over.

blue I have lots of obedience tasks I should be doing but I only concentrate on one or two at a time as working and looking after him is tiring. Just have a stock answer to give her along the lines of 'vet says to concentrate just on certain things now so formal obedience classes will have to wait'.

Welcome to all new puppies, the early days of chewing and toilet training seem a distant memory now.

A quiet week here really, nothing to particularly report.

Our pup would have had seperstion issues I think without the company of our older dog. It definitely makes a huge different to him.

Hi Skeleton was wondering how you were doing. Pup is going to the groomers today which is good because he spent ages rubbing his neck on a big lump of cow poo during our morning walk [boak]

Blue I can't remember how old pup is but avoid two close together in age. Have a read about litter mate syndrome. I have also been advised that a dog companion may well not help with separation anxiety (dog wants a human not another dog.) May also end up with new dog having same issue.
Wouldn't get a cat and teach pup to do lure coursing either. Really wouldn't!

Bluepuppy is four months old. First step is to test him out with another dog very short term. I'm well aware that a companion may well not be a 'cure' but don't want to rule out anything that might help. I would be looking for something around a year old, not another puppy.

Well it's safe to say we're definitely going through a fear period - OH stood up last night to leave the room while pup was a sleep and he woke up frightened and was barking like crazy at him as if he was a stranger! It really took a few minutes for him to realise it was OH! So if he can be frightened of someone he's known all his life then I'm thinking it must be the fear period.

Sounds like it unfortunately Skeleton .

I have decided the cutest thing is listening to my dog woof in his sleep. I hope he is having happy dreams chasing birds , although once I did hear him growl whilst sleeping

Mine too has growled whilst asleep. Not something she does awake!
Fear period is slowly passing here. Managed a local county fair today. Met her brother!

Wolfie I bet the growling freaked you out a bit at first if she doesn't do it when awake . Mine growls at things (fans, curtains ) he doesn't like so not unusual to hear.

Oh tonight has been horrendous. Older dog went to get on sofa which pup was already on and pup went mad! A big fight ensued (no one hurt, just noise so hopefully not too serious...). Pup now INCREDIBLY sheepish. Think we have hit the point of older dog no longer putting up with pups antics and has firmly put him in his place but can't help but worry this will be the start of all sorts of problem.... hopefully just the surging testosterone right? then to top it all off, just as we'd all calmed down, let them out for last wee and the most terrifying thing in (puppy's) world happened - there was a very suspicious spiky, worm-eating intruder in the garden!!! So he barked at that too!

What a nightmare. Really not enjoying this phase at all and hoping to god it is a phase. What's happened to our lovely butter wouldn't melt pup? Really wondering what to do about castration - partly want to let him ride out this fear phase but then also don't want the testosterone impacting his personality for good. Hm.

With castration there are lots of opinions with only a couple of research papers that hold any weight for me and then they are for larger dogs so you have to take that into account etc.

What I did find useful was the discussions with the vet. The first was a long discussion by phone about all the opinions and facts. The second was a face to face consulatation with my dog to discuss all the cons, his behaviour, his growth and my timing of it.

My dog LOVES people and other dogs. He will bark when they come to the door but then lies on his back wanting a belly rub. He goes to daycare and apparently he is one of the calmest and wants to play with every dog he sees on walks. His fear is things flapping in the wind. Even though this isn't an issue they did encourage me to iron out ALL behavioural things before we do it so I am on alert for anything that would be a problem. They do not recommend castration for any dog showing fear or aggression with other dogs or people.

Unless the fighting with older dog becomes a habit it probably was big dog getting fed up with puppy behaviour now young dog is being a teenager. I would gauge how he is more with other dogs but would mention it to the vets with any discussion about castration. It does sound like the fear with people would be something that my vets would consider to be an issue for going ahead with castration until that had passed.

I really did find my vets helpful in that respect with deciding whether the timing was right with respect to my dog.

Yeah sounds like a proper handbag at dawn fight

A lot of noise but not much damage

It's basically your older dog telling younger dog off

Definitely give the vet a ring and discuss castration. Could help calm him down

Pup is fab with all other dogs and people when out and about, it's only our dog he's had this one issue with so hoping its like a sibling spat?

That's what I was thinking re the fear Bitey. It definitely seems like a stage as he adores people generally so think I will wait it out and hopefully he'll go back to that!

The only positive is that his recall has stayed relatively intact! Isn't t funny how we have all ended up with different issues - it's like dog bingo!

Oh I know re the different issues. I find it slightly ammusing when there are threads asking about which breed to get because although there are 'traits' it really does feel like a roulette wheel on which issue you may end up battling with.

I'm definitely feeling the regret now

I'm sick to death of her chewing all of my kids toys, shredding every piece of paper she can get her teeth into, she's even chewing the carpet on my stairs plus she's regressed badly with her toileting. I was getting her 9/10 outside. Now it's more like 2/10. The little fucker would rather go all the way up stairs (now blocked) to my daughters bedroom for a poo, then just go out the back door. Even if I psychically take her outside. She stands there and looks at me with a "what? I don't need the toilet face" and then the minute my back is turned, zoom gone upstairs and pooed.

My poor little boy keeps getting knocked over by her and then she goes nuts around his face. She's just trying to be loving but she gets that excited she's nipping and scratching his face and he ends up screaming.

I'm constantly separating them and she just can't stop running around. I know she's only a pup but she's got so much energy on her it's actually hard to burn off. She never stops

Now it seems she has developed separation anxiety from me and when I was very ill last week and had to spend time upstairs and not able to walk her (she won't walk for dh) she got that stressed her fur started to drop out around her eyes. It's growing back now I'm back to normal.

I love my dog to bits but I seriously wish I could go back in time and say no, I'm not ready.

Soubriquet I know that 'what the hell have I done feeling having signed up to maybe 15+ years of this'. It does pass, even when he is a serious pain in the arse now I would not be without him but those early days it was very different and if someone had magicked him away it would have been a relief.

For months I spent most of my time segregated in our kitchen rather than attempt to spend time in all the other rooms. Whilst it was uncomfy it did mean any accidents were only in there and we could eliminate any chewing of stuff. He was quite old (maybe 4-5 months) before we started to allow him into the other areas of the house for short periods. Any thing he chewed was removed but if he persisted both of us were back to sitting in the kitchen. I do think this has really helped with his chewing as he doesn't chew household items and any sign of say a chew at a rug he gets removed from the room which stops it immediately. I guess having children would be too problematic to be confined to one or two rooms to manage her behaviour until it passes.

I am so of people who got through the puppy period unscathed and say it was a breeze.

Bitey me too. I spent ages shut in the kitchen with the biting menace. Couldn't let her near the kids or cats.
And yes a growling wolfhound is quite a
Skeleton. Make sure pup and older one are separated when you're not about. Make sure older dog gets plenty of respite.

Oh Soubriquet sorry to hear things are tough at the moment. It's hard because you love them but they drive you nuts at the same time. How old is your girl now?

She's 5 months now.