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)

Thanks Bitey, his leg seems fine. Not happy that he managed to destroy one of my work shoes. Luckily cheap ones but any extra expenses hurt at the moment. Multiple vet appointments, medication, day care and private training all add up. Lucky he's cute. Most of the time.

Ah yes I wouldn't like to add up what we spend. Day care is also our biggest outlay but yes it's amazing how many other things also add up. We are lucky in that he isn't particularly destructive but I always have to check on him if he is quiet as that usually means he is eyeing up something he shouldn't

Pic of puppy. I've been learning lots from these threads. I've read It's me or the dog and am reading The Happy Puppy. Could I ask for crate recommendations please?

Bythebeach very cute. Umm I just got my crate off Amazon but as I wasn't using it for toilet training where you have to get the right size for your dog I just got the biggest one I could find.

I think ours was pets at home, again just the biggest one as they had a 25% sale.

If you have a large pocket omlet do a crate that I have been coveting, along with a dick house but thats another thread!
I have a Pets at Home crate, but one of the sturdier ones and it has lasted 7 years so far with no sign of wear.

FFS! DUCK not dick! duck, duck, duck..

How are wolfiepup's nails today? I am seriously considering a dremel now. I have been doing one nail a day on pup but she recognises the clippers now.
Still in season, I'm so over this now and by the look of her so is pup

Oh bless wolf. I'm dreading the seasons but can't spay until she's two. Giant breed.
I managed to remove the bandage last night. Despite her chewing my hands and grabbing me at every chance. Fine overnight. We kept our walk to grass so as to try and avoid scuffing it and starting it all again.
I've joined the FB nail group mentioned above. Lots and lots of info. I will read it. Continue the desensitisation the vet started and book in with her next week.

wolf love the typo . Hope the season stops soon for both your sakes.

Glad she has forgiven you Wolfie and good that you have the vet to help you as well with desensitisation.

I thought something was seriously wrong with BiteyPup yesterday on our walk as he suddenly dropped to the floor holding his leg up at a funny angle. Turns out he was trying to use his paw to dislodge a thorny type stick stuck on his chest which must have been stabbing him as we keep his fur short. I was very relieved that it was just that. This puppy ownership malarkey is very stressful

Very.

Here's the rare pig footed wolfhound pup!

Awe love that soppy face

Soppy face is saying "I've played. Now take me in and give me a treat slave!"

Hi BiteyShark,

Pups are a Lhasa Apso (possibly spelled wrong) and Jack Russel cross. No sign of them yet.

Hubby wanted a Wolfhound but I said 'no'. He has never had a dog before and our kids are still small.

Have read some of the thread and am feeling nervous about expense and effort. I am trying to keep the emotion out of it, but I guess you need to feel the love to cope with it all. Just like kids.

Have you seen the FB group recommended on here? Think it's dog training advise and support. Awesome files on toilet training and crates etc.
the early days are hard. Really hard. 24/7 for me. But I love this dog and she gets a bit easier every week. Today we practiced recall in our safe space. Each time she spun towards me, flew at me and dropped to a sit right in front of me! (Probably not with a distraction. Im working on it!)

Thank you Wolfie.

MonsterQueen the key thing is they grow up so quickly. We took him out this morning for a big walk and then have spent the rest of the day parked in front of tv with him sleeping and then demanding the odd stroke. He is 10 months soon and it sometimes seems like a life time away from those exhausting early puppy months. On the expense well partly that is my fault as it is so easy to order on Amazon and eBay but I have to say the daycare expense is worth its weight in gold for what he gets out of it. Will you need dogwalkers/daycare or are you at home?

We have Amazon Prime!

Me too, I blame Amazon for the state of my bank account

Hello all :-) Thanks for the awesome nail clip group tip: loving that!

I've been off this thread for a few days as we had a bad day the other day: we had a session with a groomer and pup bit her and I've been beating myself up for it. Before it happened, I had asked her to stop as he was clearly not happy, then he growled (which he hasn't done in ages) but she was determined to carry on, and he nipped her. Not a really bad bite but enough: it totally shook me up. Luckily groomer was great about it, but was of the opinion that we should just carry on regardless - and I wasn't happy to put either her or pup in that situation!

I've had a chat to my behaviourist and she agreed we should have stopped at the growl as pup had clearly had enough/wasn't comfy. So ... next steps next week is to start working on desensitising him to grooming a bit more: I've found a local grooming partner run by a different behaviouralist, so will chat to them on Monday and my behaviouralist is going to work with him too. G'ahhh! Why did I think a dog with grooming needs was a good idea?!?

In better news ... we are now pretty much totally bark free on walks - we had just been struggling with the first 5 mins where he's totally hyped up, but seem to have got that sorted now too :-) one step forward....

Oh no towelpintpeanuts, my groomer says he hates having his feet done and yes sometimes he comes out with tufty bits still but I would rather that than she push him too much. In fact he pulls my arms off trying to get into the groomers because she handles him well and he is so happy to see her.

Why on earth did she not stop especially when you asked her to .

Don't beat yourself up she should have heeded the warning signs especially when you weren't even pushing her to continue (in fact the opposite). It's good that you have someone lined up already to help.

Oh towel I feel sorry for your pup, he gave a clear warning and they ignored him :( please don't beat yourself up - look how far you've come and it's thanks to the hard work you've put in. Also it's unfortunately surprisingly common I think, especially when getting groomed.

Aldi had some great dog toys in today, supposedly 'tough' toys but we'll see about that! Also squeaky tennis balls.

It definitely definitely gets easier - our dogs haven't even been out today and have been happy chomping on bones all day! Not saying it's completely stress free but it really does settle down. If you go back and read my posts in the first thread we definitely had are fair share of difficulties!!

Plus we're all here to help you out. This is not a judgmental thread and it's all about helping each other out. Soon you won't be able to imagine life without them (or the mess!!!)

I LOVE that this isn't a judgemental thread at all. Totally lovely and supportive.
Towel I'm so sorry. I watched a programme about dogs recently and they showed a chart of stress and anxiety signs. Lip licking etc. growling was literally the last sign before a bite. Weird the groomer thought carrying on was a good idea. Maybe find a new one?! Hope you're ok tonight.

We got to the showing me his teeth today but I was trying to get a bastard tick out of the inside of his ear (the sensitive fleshy pink bit) which was burying itself into him. I backed off and decided that leaving the tick treatment to kill it when hopefully it will then easily come off was the way forward rather than risk getting a nip as it was clearly hurting him