Does anyone fancy a puppy survival thread part 3

[BiteyShark]

Continuation of the support thread.... anyone is welcome whether they have new or older puppies, just want a chat or are battling with ongoing puppy problems.

I thought I would start this thread off as I am hoping it might be the last one I need support from as BiteyPup is now 9.5 months old and we have survived the early puppy months and his teenage antics seem to be subsiding. Still working on our relationship and recall but it's getting better and can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel (fingers crossed)

Oh no - is it because they are big? There must be a professional out there who can do it!!

They are enormous. And black. And she has hairy feet. And she is scared of strangers. And she isn't keen on having her feet touched!
Awesome vet has said she will help. Nurse couldn't get near. Pup just snatched her feet away. And at 50kg I'm not restraining her! Her only suggestion was to wait till she was spayed. Over a year to go.

Awwww, poor wolfiepup! I've been doing the desensitisation/positive association stuff in that nail Facebook group with towelpup over the last week, who was also anti-nail-touching, and I'm amazed at how fast he's progressed now I've relaxed and am taking things slowly. He's at the stage now where he'll let me put the clippers over his nails... I just need Dh to come home (he's away at the mo) and reassure me and we can try a cut! I'm sure you've tried all that already though, Wolfie...

Have you tried a scratch board with her yet Wolfie? Mine was an absolute godsend whilst I was desensitising my whippets to having their nails done. It's a great option for dogs not keen on having their feet touched as it involves no foot handling at all.

For anyone with nail worries I'd highly recommend the FB group 'Nail Maintenance for Dogs'. It's a great supportive group and full of fantastic information whether you're just starting out with a puppy or trying to desensitise a scared dog.

I've joined that group. Her bleeding all over the house and garden has put me right off! I have no idea whether a scratch board would work (her nails are massive) or how I would get her to use it. Or where I would get one.
For now I'm happy to work with the vet. Even at our emergency appointment she went from snatching her feet away to letting the vet pinch her nails (not hurting her) and say "nails"

They're dead easy to make, just duct tape some sandpaper to a piece of wood.

Training them to use one is also really easy, especially if you do clicker or trick training. It's just a case of getting them to touch it with their paws and then gradually shape that into scratching it. It sounds a lot more complex than it is and there are some great YouTube videos on the training aspect.

We have done clicker training. The thing is I don't want her offering a paw etc. lots of things are very different when it's a wolfhound. I'm not sure any sandpaper would touch the talons.
And I've lost all confidence completely.

I'm not sure any sandpaper would touch the talons.

A scratch board may well not be enough to keep her nails properly trimmed but something is better than nothing.

You also don't need to use her offering a paw as part of the process of teaching her to use a scratch board. It's all about touching the board, not just waving the paw around or pawing at the person doing the training.

has a great little section specifically on using a scratch board. Obviously hinds are harder to train but still very doable. is a really great video about nail trimming in general, well worth a watch too.

I know it's really hard though when they (and you) have had a bad experience with nail trimming, I have definitely been there and done that!!!

Our girl came home yesterday. She's a little bundle of joy.
Do you remember the first few days of bringing your pet home?

Well our day 2 started at 5 am with a big wee outside and then a very playful pup. He seems happier with us now but still a little unsure.

Only one accident in the house and that was my fault as I left the kids playing with him while I made breakfast.

My only concern is that he's not eating very much - about half a portion - and not really much water (other than what his food is mixed with). Is it normal they lose their appetite?

Yes Boop completely normal - if you think about it they've probably only seen one house and now suddently there's there whole new world with new smells, new people, new objects etc. It's very overwhelming! Our pup was very picky to start with but soon settled down. Have you got some of the same food that the breeder was giving? I'd just keep offering it at intervals throughout the day.

She gave us a bag of the food he's been on. Thanks for the reassurance!!

On another note, if weonow we have foxes that come in the garden(occasionally poor on the grass) is it better to keep him off the grass?

So I have an issue.

Pup is getting very bitey, especially with DD. He's grabbed her fingers through the crate and hung on so she was yelling and couldn't get away. No damage is done but I don't know how to handle it. She wasn't poking him but leaning up against the crate.
I would put it down to him being uneasy after having his first bath this morning because he was stinky but DH said he has to swiftly re,over him and put him in the crate yesterday after he grabbed DD's foot and would t let go.
Advice to nip this in the bud (no pun intended) asap would be great.
He has plenty of chewy toys.

Puppy's are bitey - they explore things with their mouths, it's completely normal. The only real way to overcome it is to make toys more interesting. We used to say 'no' firmly and then redirect onto a toy. I found that just having toys in proximity wasn't enough - I needed to make them exciting by dragging them along the floor, wiggling them about etc. Also meant we had toys hanging around everywhere so they can easily be grabbed. If pup has hold of something and won't let go, pulling it becomes a game so the best way I've found to get things off them is to substitute for something else.

iPhoneAddiction what a cutey. I just remember how small he was when he came home.

TheAntiBoop perfectly normal for them to be off their food for a bit. We have foxes, maybe keep to a small section of the grass which you keep clear of fox poo etc.

TitsalinaBumSquash they are very bitey and think it's just play and won't really know that they need to chew their toys rather than you or DD. When pup gets bitey try and intervene and distract with one of their toys so once they bite the toy and not something they shouldn't you can praise etc.

How old is DD? Old enough to understand to keep away from crate so not to lean on it etc? To be fair even if DD didn't stick her fingers through if pup could grab them through the crate then to the pup there is probably no difference and is fair game to play/mouth etc. I have holes in some of my clothes where BiteyDog used to grab and hold on to.

Here's my new baby!!

Aw so cute!

Cute puppies, iPhone and boop! Yup - puppy biting is normal - certainly in our experience - that's just normal puppy play! Like others, we had toys around all the time and also disengaged with him. And when he got a bit older we would 'owwww' if he bit too. From things I've read, bite inhibition kicks in around 5-6 months, typically around the loss of puppy teeth too! like others, I had a code word for the kids which meant - hellllp, remove him now- as sometimes it does really hurt!

What age do they start getting bitey?

Mine was nippy from when we got home. Slowly improved though.

Yes nippy from when we got him which got much worse before he got better.

What age do they start getting bitey?

If you're pleasantly surprised by how good your puppy is being, believe me it doesn't last long

They're often a bit overwhelmed when you first bring them home, it's such an upheaval for them. Often you find they don't have many accidents initially and they're remarkably un-hyper.

Then they settle in and start biting, chewing, going to the toilet every few seconds (so it feels like anyway....) and generally being little sods!!

Don't worry about the lack of appetite, it's completely normal for them to not eat terribly well for the first few days. Just keep offering regular meals (they should be on four a day at that age) and his appetite should pick up soon.

Well he just clambered all over us and tried to nip my nose! He's definitely getting more boisterous.

He's been good at going to the door when he needs a poo. Thibk the wee may just be because he's been outside at the right time

My puppy is 14 weeks and still very nippy and bitey. She has started sometimes licking when she'd normally bite and stops when told no, so I'm hoping it's the beginning of the end with nipping.

Just looked at my washing on the line and all my tops have a hole in in the same place from where puppy curls up behind me and chews ever so gently on whatever top I'm wearing. She also removes my socks from my feet if I'm having a nap on the sofa, Dh said she goes so slowly and pulls a tiny bit at a time as if she's trying to not wake me.

Took wolfie pup to a safe space today. Over excited baggage jumped up at me and grabbed with her teeth. She's 10 months. Not impressed. Bet mine has the biggest teeth too!