Puppy Survival thread part 4

[GooodMythicalMorning]

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

Keeping paws and fingers crossed for you.

Sending you and Biteypup lots of love and keeping fingers crossed x

Apparently the diarrhoea had stopped late yesterday when we phoned so I am really hoping he turns a corner but trying not to get my hopes up too much as he's been up and down all the time (although I am cooking him a bit of chicken in case he does come home later today).

Hoping everyone's pups are doing well.

I've honestly been really worried about Biteypup today. Even though I've never met either of you and you're on the other side of the world it's like I know you and Biteypup. Sounds like he might have turned a corner. Do they actually know what's wrong with him Bitey?

The visit from the trainer wasn't as useful as I was hoping for. Some of the problem was that I wanted to work on his pulling on the lead but he doesn't really have much energy first thing in the morning. The session was at 9am so I could still make it to work in the morning. Of course he didn't really pull at all. The one time you want him to misbehave and he doesn't!

I was also a bit upset by something the trainer said to me. I admitted that Bluepuppy had ended up being much more expensive than expected due to his anxiety issues. She said to me that others in my position would put their dog down as they just couldn't afford the extra cost and that it's always an option. To be honest, this really upset me. As much as I do sometimes wish I could go back in time and not get him I do love Blue puppy. Yes he's anxious sometimes but he still has a good life and he has never shown even a hint of aggression towards me or anyone else. I guess having anxiety issues myself I sort of see myself in him.

blue I feel the same it's like we have grown up with all the other pups and it's so nice to see new ones come along :) No idea what is wrong and if he didn't improve soon they were going to go in and open him up and biopsy everything so I am still worried that we may end up there which is such a big operation but they wouldn't do it if it wasn't needed. Slightly dreading the phone call later in case he has deteriorated again.

Oh wow I can see why you would be upset by the trainer. Do you feel comfortable with her despite that comment? If not I would look for someone else as I think you need to be happy with them.

I'm not sure about the trainer. She wasn't suggesting Bluepuppy should be put down. Just that it's an option some people take. I was already feeling depressed before she said that so it didn't take much to push me over the edge. She's just a person that says it like it is I think.

I used some more of the money I don't really have to book another dog training course at the last minute that starts tomorrow! This is about understanding dog behaviour and becoming a team. Oh well. Some people spend that kind of money on a big night out

I've had to consider a similar biopsy operation with a previous cat of mine Bitey. I didn't decide to go through with it after much consideration. The situation was very different though. She was much older and we had a fairly good idea of what was wrong with her and it didn't really make much of a diffetence to treatment. Hand and paw to hold here

blue I think some people just think of them as 'just a dog' but certainly for me and you they become a member of the family and a companion. BiteyDog has cost us far more than we had expected and if we end up in surgery I think I will need to top up the insurance as well. However, I just tell myself people spend far more on kids so it's not that bad really .

Waiting on another scan but if nothing changes I have suggested we get him home for the weekend and if no improvement we consider surgery next week. He still has watery poos but not straining which is so much better.

bluetongue I'd find a new trainer. This is the method my puppy class teaches. It worked with Elfpup who is a greedy little sausage and his loose lead walking is now pretty good.

Start in area with no distractions, kitchen or garden and only expect a few minutes at first. As he gets better then progress to pavement.

Have treats in pocket on the side you want pup to walk. Hold lead in other hand so goes across your body. Have a treat in your free hand and clamp the elbow close to your hip. Hand just slightly higher than pups nose so he looks up at you. Get his attention and make sure he can smell the treat. Use it as a lure to get him walking close to you. As soon as he does then praise and treat. Repeat, randomly treating, frequently at first as he walks nicely.

If he loses concentration then stop and get his attention before going on. You can also use a verbal command as you walk - I use "keep close".

This is a long work in progress but from Elfpup being a nightmare on the lead he's now pretty good most of the time and the time between treats is now several hundred yards.

That sounds hopeful Bitey. Keeping fingers crossed that whatever it was has now run its course.

Blue I know how hard it is having an anxious dog. I had one before crazygsd and I actually did have him put to sleep as a young dog when he couldn't cope with life any more That's why I'm so paranoid about getting new puppy right all the time and I do get panicked about little things.
There's so much you can do to build confidence though!

We have cracked the night time poo issue by allowing puppy to sleep in bedroom. DH isn't all that happy but we haven't had a single accident in a week since I got fed up and dragged her bed up there. Daytime accidents have also dramatically reduced although she still thinks it's acceptable to wee in kitchen if I'm not supervising or if I go out- I think maybe mind separation anxiety is still the root cause but I'm working on it.

Walking is amazing, she trots beside the pram in her dogmatic (well worth the money for anyone with a puller) and is friendly to everyone which is so refreshing after years of walking with an aggressive dog

Hope your pup is feeling okay bitey.

Blue,when pizzapup was going though a separation anxiety phase and destroying our house we met a man in the park who said " I had a dog who would rip up the kitchen, I gave it to someone else and it ripped up their living room floor, I would have taken a hammer to it's heid"

Have you saught help from a behaviourist rather than a trainer? There's a page for dog training on fb and they have a lot of good advice.It's called dog training advice and support

Hi all. Not posted for a few days but have been reading. Hopefully BiteyDog is soon on the mend. Totally relating to some of the posts about puppy blues - it's been very up and down for me, particularly in the evenings as she was getting very hyped up and wanting to play after I let her out last thing. I've started bringing her in straight after toiletting which seems to have helped. The tiredness was starting to make me ill so I've returned to my bed and she's coped well with not having me there. We do wake up to some accidents at times but I know she'll grown out of this with more training.

ClayPup has intermittent diarrhoea which isn't helping with housetraining but I'm trying not to stress too much. She was also refusing her usual food and would take hours to eat it. I read somewhere about hand feeding which she seems to prefer and so I can get a reasonable size meal into her more easily.

I went back to work this week whist DS(18) dog sat. I've been worrying so much about leaving her but it was fine (despite DS not getting up until mid day with her ).

The worry of ending up with a dog with issues has been awful but now I feel like I'm getting to know her better and she really is a super dog. Very playful, friendly and intelligent so once we've put in the hard work of training, we'll have a lovely little dog I think. She's still reactive but it's slowly improving and we're doing ok to say it's early days and considering what she's been through.

I've also discovered she is an actual breed. I was thinking she might be some kind of chihuahua cross but turns out she is a kokoni, an Ancient Greek breed not recognised by the UK Kennel Club and not really known about here. She fits the physical appearance and personality profile for the breed. I was always intending to get another rescue at some point in the future but think I will aim to get another kokoni as they are fab little dogs and there are many strays abroad needing homes.

Despite some of the issues, I'm feeling more relaxed on the whole and this is having a positive affect on pup. Today I am introducing her to my DSis's jug as they will need to spend time together while my mum dog sits. Feeling nervous as she's still reactive to other animals but I've watched videos on how to do it and if it's getting too much, we will abandon and try again later.

Clay have you tried feeding (assuming kibble) from a kong wobbler? When mine was young and picky he would often eat breakfast from that after refusing it from his bowl (he would actually watch me pour it into the wobbler after turning his nose up and then proceed to devour it).

I have a kibble dispensing ball but not tried to use it yet as she refuses kibble. I'm feeding her wainrights wet trays as that's what the fosterers were using and I haven't wanted to mess her around too much due to her tummy troubles. From what I've read, many Romanian rescues have tummy upsets for a while and are frequently not food obsessed as they're used to going without. ClayPup can be fussy but really likes chews and roast chicken is her high value treat. It may just be a confidence thing at the moment. I'll probably take her to the vets soon and see what they suggest.

Greyhorses exciting that the poo is sorted and you're making good progress in general Sad that you had a dog with severe anxiety Bluepuppy goes to a specialist behaviour vet and apparently his anxiety is on the lower end of the scale. There are most Defiantly some dogs with behaviour issues that don't gave a good quality of life or are dangerous and I completely understand that PTS is sometimes the kindest option

Thanks for the walking tips Elphame. Being a teenage dog I think I just need to go back to basics and take it slowly.

Blue, ours was at the point he couldn't cross the front door without weeing himself and he eventually became very unpredictable when frightened (which was all the time!) despite being under a behaviourist and a specialist vet and on medication so we didn't really have much of a choice. I have seen so many of them improve though so please don't loose hope that things will get better

Grey it sounds like your doing fab and when she gets older you can always move her out of the bedroom if your DH still doesn't like it.

Clay hadn't realised you were only feeding wet so yes a wobbler is not use there

Clay, Pizzapup is a fellow immigrant she had major runny poos when we got her and went through lots of different brands. She can only have dry food as her main meals but has tinned food frozen in a kong she also needs bran flakes every day. She is very food obsessed and hoovers up all food when out on a walk. Anything too wet that she finds gives her the squits

Bitey, I definitely need to look into food at some point. I bought three bags of kibble and she won't touch it

I didn't realise that Pizza as not managed to RTFT. I need to find a way to get her eating dry I think. Her poos did go solid briefly after using something similar to prokolin but back to diarrhoea again as you can only use the paste for three days.

I took her on her first proper walk today to meet my sister's dog. She's been quite nervous when I've taken her out on the harness until now so I had to carry her there and back but otherwise it went surprisingly well.

The park I went to is very popular with dog walkers so she got to meet several dogs. I was really worried about this considering how reactive she is to cats and her own reflection but she was really good with most of the dogs we met. There was a shihtzu who she was barking at as she approached but I think this put the other dog off and she growled back. There was also a close moment with a couple of sharpeis as they were off lead and I could hear the panic from the owner as they approached us. I ended up picking her up and the other owner told me he usually muzzles his dog because it can nip but he hadn't today . She was very licky and playful with the other dogs she met but my sister's jug is quite playful and puppy like despite being 12 months so they got on fantastically. She's now sleeping next to me and I'm feeling very relieved!

Clay it has taken months and months to find a food combination that works for BiteyDog. I did get resourceful though with 'left over' food and mixed a minute quantity of it into any new food as it's so expensive when they decide they have gone off a particular brand or type.

I don't know about yours but mine was in a public kill shelter then the charity's shelter and there they are only fed what they can get from donations. It's usually only dry food they could get so I guess that's what Pizzapup is used to.
The problem I found was the smallest bag of dry you could get was 2kg so a lot of food was wasted. James wellbeloved was the worst for us, we found success with the pets at home brand "step up to naturals" It's not the best quality but it's what we have to do.

Spoke to soon, ventured out for an hour with DS and came back to 2 wees and a poo

Never mind there's always tomorrow

Any news on Biteydog? I keep checking back....

Elphame he's back home but I think it was a mistake and could cry. We gave him all his medication with chicken and white fish as instructed but he's just constantly coughing and bringing up liquid. I am lying here on the spare bed watching him throw it up and then drink it again. They said if he vomits they are opening him up. I have videoed him so they can see what he is like but I think we may have to readmit him over the weekend and he was awfully stressed to get home as it clearly upset him being at the vets. It's heartbreaking to see him like this.

Oh Bitey how upsetting I'm really upset that your special guy is so unwell. It sounds like the vet is the best place for him right now. Could it be something as easily fixed as something he's eaten causing an obstruction? Suppose it would show up in a scan \ X-ray but so hoping it's fixable.

Good news in Bluepuppy land. After a stressful week at work and with the pup I went to the new course this morning (no dogs first week). It might be just what we need! It'll about having a calm dog and stopping behaviours like jumping up, pulling on the lead and running up to unknown dogs. Our homework is to do less with our dogs Minimal walks, less attention, less eye contact and completely ignoring them when they jump up and putting them in another room if necessary. Next week we go right back to basics with on lead walking.

I've been ignoring bluepuppy since I got home from the course. Have had some bikkies and Brie while I chill out and watch TV. Usually Bluepuppy would be all over me trying to eat my food but he's gone to his bed and gone to sleep. Interesting.

My work is so exhausting at the moment that the idea of less crazy running around with my dog is perfect for me right now

blue feel awful taking up this thread so started my one but yes will need to readmit him in the morning and prepare myself mentally for an operation.

It sounds like that class is going to be very good for bluepup.