Puppy Survival thread part 4

[GooodMythicalMorning]

Puppy's getting bigger!: continuation of Bitey's thread. If anyone wants to join feel free.

Indy is 11.5 kgs at 21 weeks.

We've just bought him a harness as he had to use his collar and lead for training classes but now he's stopped i prefer the harness as he's a strong dog and the collar just doesn't sit right with me. I dont want him to hurt himself.

Well we only just realised we should be keeping an eye on his weight and we have clearly been over feeding him so we are now being very rigid on his portion size and training treats! Feel like terrible owners now

You're not a terrible owner Theantiboop because you're doing something about it

What breed is you're pup? Mine is a whippet so I'm at the opposite end of the scale. He gets fed as much as he wants and I can still see his ribs.

He's a mini schnauzer and so fluffy it's hard to see how big he is! He's not fat but if we don't do something about it he will be enormous!!

He doesn't seem to be suffering for it at least

TheAntiBoop I agree with blue, don’t beat yourself up. I have the opposite problem as it doesn’t matter what I feed him he is a skinny spaniel and as we have his coat short you can see his ribs. He just seems to burn calories but I do worry he is a bit too skinny.

I have the opposite problem with my kids too so may have been overcompensating for the dog!

With Bully's you have to watch all the time with their weight as they can easily become overweight which we knew from the beginning.

Anti yes you're doing something about it, you are obviously a caring dog owner so dont feel bad.

PizzaPup coped really well with being "babysat" last night whilst DH and I were at a wedding. My sister came to look after DD so in turn ended up dog sitting too. I was really nervous as she is still very anxious around strangers. We gave her a new bone before we went out and my sister said she didn't even notice we were gone for a whole 2 hours, she then went up to snooze on our bed.

She's also been promoted from solo walks from the dog walker to group walks which will be great for her.

I feel like a proud mum, when she came to us 6 weeks ago she was a scared and anxious thing that wouldn't even move but now she is thriving.

Well done pizza pup!
Trouble is they lose weight or gain it so slowly! Wolfie lost nearly a kilo and I didn't see it. Worth taking a pic every couple of weeks so you can see changes. And do the rib feel test regularly (ish!) And if you use lots of treats for training remember to reduce food accordingly.

That's great progress Deepfried I love it when they make progress.

That should have been love it when they make you proud.

Bluepuppy aced recall training on the weekend. Still doesn't always come to me when out in the 'real world but it was nice being top of the class in something

Blue. Take your wins where you can!
We didn't win at the show but she stood beautifully for the judge and went round on a loose lead. We cuddled lots and I ate lots of cake to celebrate her turning 1. Met 7 of her siblings. They are all as cuddly!

Sounds like all the pups are doing well.

May new pup and I join in? He joined us yesterday - 11 weeks old and I'd forgotten just what hard work puppies are!

Up at 6.30 this morning. I haven't had to do that since the children were babies. I think every other word from my mouth this morning has been "no" - he's a chewy breed and computer cables are just so much more fun than the his proper chew toys! ( he does get plenty of cuddles and praise though when he does chew the right things!)

Welcome Elphame, what breed is your puppy?. Mine still gets me up early as his thinks weekends are the same as weekdays. I have resigned myself to not having a sleep in again

He's a Welsh Terrier - lovely breed but stubborn and determined by nature so I'll have my work cut out! He's busy "killing" his hated new lead at the moment which gives me 5 minutes peace. He's got the terrier "shake it to death" instinct all right.

He has to go outside for wee visits on it but he really doesn't like it but today is the first time he's been on one. He wants to run free but although the garden is in theory "dog proof" I'm not 100% certain it's Welshie puppy proof!

Awww how lovely. I narrowed the breed down to Welsh terrier, mini schnauzer and cocker spaniel but the cocker spaniel eventually won being bigger than the schnauzer and less stubborn than the terrier

I'm not sure anything is welshie terrier puppy proof!
Back from the vets. With yeasty ears and a suspected insect bite or histeocytoma

Oh dear Wolfie looks like it’s your turn for medical issues. Do you just have to watch the bite/histeocytoma?

We are back at the vet about ears on Sunday. Sunday!! The lovely vet will have another look at the lump then.
Pup is NOT impressed. I woke her up yesterday, dragged her to a show. Today it's raining and then someone put STUFF in her ears. Poor baby.

Hope wolfie feels better soon, and good to hear pizza is doing so well.

Can I ask for some advice about collars and harnesses? We're using a collar at the moment but pup pulls a lot sometimes (I am working on this but the dc run about while we are out and about and he almost chokes himself trying to play with them) I was thinking about getting a harness but I keep reading conflicting articles about whether it will help or if I should persevere with the collar.

Abhorsen I would get a harness and try it out. Some people swear by them. Mine is all muscle at the front and just pulls more and all our specialised spaniel trainers say it makes them worse and its a training issue and it’s only when I used a slip lead to correct him have I seen any improvement as he is now finally starting to loose lead walk.

However, saying that I do think it’s a personal choice and depends on the dog breed. You can get a multitude of different harnesses with some having attachments at the front or around the head so you can use double leads. Honestly I went through several kinds before I found the right thing for my dog so I don’t think it’s easy to say which type would work for you. Maybe get something that isn’t too pricey to try and see whether it makes an improvement and if so then you could then buy something better rather than doing what I did which was waste money

Bitey is right. A harness suits our bulldog as the collar was just making him choke and I felt I had no control, now we have his harness he walks beautifully (most of the time) and I feel like im in control. It was one of the more expensive ones as the cheaper ones looked like they'd break in a few minutes with my dog. It is individual to the dog.

We use a harness too as pizzapup has a smaller head than her neck so her collar slips off

Hi everyone i haven't really been around much so i feel like all i have done is ask questions and not given anything back. Well our puppy is nearly 12 weeks and i can not wait. The 2nd set of vaccinations (and the 2 week wait) can not come soon enough. I think we are both getting very bored at home!
I have finally found a puppy training class that we are able to attend and it starts in November.
We have also found something that helps the poor mites teething. Ice cubes. He loves a good chomp on ice. The vet recommend it to us when he was having some tummy problems.
I do have 1 question how do you manage speration anxiety? I am home all day however when my DH & the DC go to work/school he will become upset and searcges the house for them. Then he is difficult to get him to play as he just wants them.