Puppy Survival Thread Part 6

[Elphame]

As thread 5 is almost full!

How exciting. What sort of pup are you getting? We have had our lab pub for just over a week now. I found a book called The Happy Puppy Handbook by Pippa Mattinson really good. She seems to talk alot of sense. I bought loads of toys i thought i had too many but actually plays with them all especially the kongs.

We are getting a cockapoo, after much research! Seems to be the type of dog that will fit well with our family, kids etc. Anyone I've spoken to who has one says they are wonderful.
I'll look out that book you mentioned!

Badlypup has a grass seed stuck on her paw and has to have a general anaesthetic tomorrow. She is crate trained but doesn’t like new places. Really worried she will be scared.

I hope Badlypup is ok today and all goes well. I think the vet staff will be used to dealing with frightened dogs so i am sure they'll take good care.

ThisMorning BiteyDog has been in the vets more times than I care to remember and all the vet nurses and vets give them a stroke and fuss over them. Hope BadlyPup recovers quickly and you can bring her home.

Thanks i’m trying to fill the hours at the moment. How can taking a grass seed (or ten) take so long??? I’m also trying not be be ridiculous and take her food for when she wakes rather than the vets food. I keep chanting in my head “do not be a twat” and “get a grip”

Badly pup is back! Doesn’t seem too traumatised.

Can we join in? Here is BastardPup - joined us today and we are all in love

Gorgeous! What are they?

He is a smooth Collie. So far very chilled out.

Greetings! We have just brought home an Airedale terrier pup. Gorgeous, quieter than I expected and seems to have a very lovely nature. It's our first dog as a family, though DP and I had dogs when we were younger. BuntingPup is 11 weeks old and is quite the chewer. We're at the stage of discouraging him from from biting hands. There's no malice in it, but he's treating hands like chew toys so I'm thinking we nip that in the bud as soon as.

I'm rather amused at the kids discovering the reality of picking up poo which I warned them about for years as they pestered us for a pooch!

Urgh. I had forgotten the farts. Bloody grim!

Finding it hard today. DH is at work and I am at home with pup and kids. It feels so relentless. Even when he is asleep I am on eggshells waiting for the next issue.

I feel guilty because he really is very good and generally chilled, and we are lucky that a) I have school holidays and b) we have a big garden for him to explore. But so far today he has chewed the shoe cabinet, the window frame and the leg of a table. I have had to put the curtains up to save them, and DH has sent me a sanctimonious message saying 'he's a puppy, he needs playing with'. No shit, Sherlock...

My 11 month old JRT pup is definitely in the teenager stage. His recall was really good but now he has figured out we're not the whole world he just stares at us when we call him back like we're idiots.
He is still chewing if he can, he chewed up my toothbrush charger last week, we got him a stag antler chew, expensive but he likes it and takes ages to wear down, and also this other chew, think it was called a "Bullwinkle", it smells like a thousand arseholes but he loves it and keeps him quiet in the evening when I just want to watch some telly without chasing him about every five minutes to get something out of his gob.

Hi all. I've been lurking for a while taking in all of the advice. BirdyPup (Cocker) is 10 and a half weeks and has been with us for a week and a half.

Things have been mixed so far.

She is very chewy (to be expected) so there has been lots of impromptu DIY to block off things she really can't chew eg computer cables. Think plywood chic!

She is sleeping in her crate well and only up once during the night, and until today housetraining was going really well. A couple of days she has gone over 2 hours without weeing. But this morning she's had about 8 wees since 6am (plus 3 small poos). I'm worried she might have a UTI but DH says I'm being overdramatic - she's licking at her bits quite a lot too (but has done since day 1). She's due to see the Vet on Friday for a check as part of their health plan and DH thinks we should just see how she is until then. Am I overreacting?

I'm also a bit worried about after the holidays. Currently kids are off and every day either DH or I are here. But kids go back 3 weeks tomorrow and she'll need to be on her own for a few hours (no more than 3) a couple of days a week. I had anticipated having her in her pen (old baby playpen in which she also has her crate) and being able to go into her crate to sleep if she wanted or play in the pen bit. But if she poos or wees then she'll step in and get covered and sometimes it will be DD (13) coming home at lunchtime to feed and walk her and she couldn't deal with that. Would it be cruel to have her just in her crate for that length of time? She doesn't wee/poo in her crate (well since the disastrous first 2 nights but I'm trying to block that memory out!!)

BirdyBedtime it really is going to depend on your puppy on whether she is ok for a few hours and can hold it in. The worry is that if she is forced to pee/poo simply because it's too much to hold at that age and she gets used to doing in the crate and it becomes a habit and all your hard work is undone.

Any chance you could pay someone to do a puppy visit half way through or see if you can find daycare (although may be too young for most daycare places).

Thanks Bitey

We do have neighbours with dogs who might be able to pop in in between us being here. Thankfully as I say it's only 2 days a week max (depending on DHs shifts) due to working patterns.

I'd have confidently said yes she could hold in wee before today. We've actually just phoned the vet as she's now peed 11 times since 6am so have an appointment this afternoon. Although how on earth we are going to get a urine sample is beyond me.

Whilst it might be that she has a UTI I would be aware that toileting can be an up and down thing so whilst it might be that you think she can hold it when she gets bigger and drinks more or is a bit more active she may regress. I think if you try and she has an accident you may need to rethink it again until she is older.

Well amazingly managed to capture a tiny urine sample. Just back from vets and she does have an infection so at least that explains things. Now the joy of getting the antibiotic tablets into her ........

Hide Birdypup’s tablets in something smelly, like cheese or sardines and bury in her usual food.

Can anyone reassure me?

Our pup is 9.5 weeks old and is our first dog. I’ve read so much I am confusing myself!

We are taking him to the garden as often as possible and most of his toileting is happening there (not because he is asking to go though, just because we are catching it), he is being lavishly praised for each “event”. However far from pooing 10 mins after eating he seems to poo about 10 seconds after eating which has caused some misses. He also this morning calmly pooed in his bed on waking.
I am worried that he won’t learn to ask to go out as there are steps to our garden and we have to carry him out (which prefect puppy book says is a no no) and that if he will just poo his bed he will be really hard to train - I have 5 weeks off work then he will have an hour long lunchtime visit... will it just be carnage?
Next week we have to go our for one hour to take my son to an eye appointment. Should I leave him in the crate or in the kitchen with paper and puppy mats down (not done this yet but kitchen is stairgated off) would a playpen with the crate inside be better, will I need this in 5 weeks anyway??
Also why is he trying to get under our cat? He goes up to the cat and sticks his head under its tummy???

which prefect puppy book says is a no no it I had a pound for every guide that said 'no you must not do this otherwise you will end up with issues* I would be very rich

Keep taking him out but if he poos straight after meals then get ready to go out immeditately. My dog also sometimes eats, asks to go out for a poo and then comes back and finishes his food so the act of eating can trigger their bowels.

As for pooing when he got up, often if they start to stir in the morning they need to go ASAP. If his bed isn't near you use a baby monitor so you can hear him stir and go to him straight away until he is old enough to be able to hold it longer. He is still very little and they struggle to hold it for long and often just need to go there and then.

Personally I wouldn't use puppy mats when you go out as that is encouraging him to toilet in the house but some people do.

biteyshark would you leave him in the crate for that hour or just in the kitchen?

If it was me personally I would crate him assuming he is happy in the crate generally. My fear with leaving him in the kitchen to roam is how puppy proofed it was and whether he could make his 'own entertainment' when you were out.

Have you started to get him used to being alone for short periods in the day? A camera that streams to your phone is useful so you can watch them and see if they are ok.

biteyshark yes we have started working on leaving him. We’ve got up to 15 mins and have not yet hit a point he is unhappy. He does like the crate but seems to prefer napping under a chair. I am going to try to cover the crate to make it more den like.