Page 21 | Puppy Survival Thread Part 6

Chimpd0g · 27/07/2018 06:24

Morning, can I join please? Feeling a bit overwhelmed and would be good to have someone to talk to/good advice!
So, chimpdog came home with us on Wednesday afternoon.

She's a mini schnauzer and will be 9 weeks on Monday.

ATM her 'crate' is a den made under the stairs in the hall off the kitchen.

We also have a playpen in the kitchen with another bed in it, some toys and water. Den only has 1 cuddly toy and water.

First night she went in crate a time 10pm slept til 5.30 so I stupidly thought she would do this every night!

Last night, I heard her crying at 3am, went downstairs and took her out. She just wanted to cuddle and play. No wee. Took her back. Crying again so I took her out and she did a poo. Back in den she started crying again so I did what I was told not to and sat down next to her (outside den) then crept away to snooze on sofa downstairs.

5am she woke up so I decided this was "morning". She went outside, weed, went a bit nuts in terms of running around then came back in. She is now asleep in playpen.

My main worry and my question is, is she going to think that playpen is the 'den'? It's only there to keep her safe while she's tiny, planning to remove when she's older. When the time comes to leave her in house alone during day, she will go in den not playpen.

We did try her in den yesterday during day and she whined a bit then had nap.

BiteyShark · 27/07/2018 07:20

Chimpd0g nothing is set in stone at this age so personally do what works for you in terms of playpen and then work on getting her happy with the crate. The other thing to do is perhaps move the crate where the playpen is or put crate inside the playpen if it is big enough. Then move crate later when she is happy with it. It maybe that she just likes the kitchen more than the hallway (probably because she spends more time there?).

Personally I didn't stay with my puppy when it cried in the night as I didn't want that to become a habit so it was pick up when crying and outside for pee/poo with no fuss (no sound at all or strokes), then back in crate. This was repeated however many times was needed and eventually he got night was for peeing or sleeping but not for play.

Chimpd0g · 27/07/2018 07:35

Thanks Bitey I didn't play I was quiet, said 'toilet' and took her out. I must admit to giving little stroke to calm her down. I kept lights off (just had light from street lamp). My main issue is that I am really aware of neighbours if she is whining & barking at night (it's louder than I expected!).

Re moving crate near/to playpen, I can't bec. it's a built in den that my husband made for her.

When she's older I imagine she will have run of kitchen and hall, gate will be off the 'den' & she can come and go as she pleases

PennyPup · 27/07/2018 07:55

Hi, Can I join you? Collecting new puppy next Friday eek

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 27/07/2018 08:54

BastardPup did his 'not weeing outside when it is wet' routine last night. I am now on tenterhooks because there is more rain to come.

DH is finding it all a bit much too - especially the early mornings (6.30am - I have pointed out that once I am back at work it'll be me doing those but if I am in sole charge of dog and kids all day I am staying in bed til 7am)

BiteyShark · 27/07/2018 08:57

BunchOfBastards I had to let the dog out for a poo at 4am this morning. Mostly he's ok at sleeping until the alarm but as he has inflammatory bowel disease flare ups in the past I am reluctant to ignore any requests for toilet just in case. Bloody tired today as well so you have my sympathies.

Iamblossom · 27/07/2018 09:11

Bit of a breakthrough this morning - not woken by barking at 5.30am for the first time since we got blossompup. Difference? Bought him a big boy's bed and took away his crate - we think he had got too big for it. OMG please let this last...

ealingwestmum · 27/07/2018 09:37

So pleased for you lamblossom!

We had crying moving earlier and earlier to 02.30 early this week. No toilet, illness (apart from this heat) and I just couldn’t keep watching DH resort to sofa sleeping anymore, so brought her crate up to bedroom. 3 x days of 05.30 which is bloody marvellous. Only 15 mins before alarm goes off so looks like we’re both going in the right direction!

Iamblossom · 27/07/2018 10:36

You too ealing. If this lasts it will be a game changer for us.

BirdyBedtime · 27/07/2018 13:04

Good to see the advice there Bitey about putting the crate in the pen.

That's what we've done and it seems to be working well, although at some point very soon I think we'll need to get a bigger crate as Birdypup is growing so quickly - I think with a bit of ingenuity we'll be able to have the door open into the pen though to give her a bit more play space too when we're out as there is no danger I'm letting those croc teeth loose in the kitchen! Both the pen and crate are open all day (unless she's going into the pen to give us peace to eat or keep her safe when cooking/hoovering etc) but at night the crate is shut.

Catsbeen - that's the same as us about pup being left in a few weeks for a few hours when the kids go back although for us it will only be 2 days a week. But that's why we went for our set up, so that if there is carnage to begin with it will be contained in the crate/pen. Once she stops being so bitey the hope is that she gets free rein of the kitchen when she's alone with her crate there if she wants to sleep and loads of things to chew that aren't the units/skirting.

Birdypup also likes to sleep in her soft bed during the day wherever we are so she seems happy with 2 places to sleep.

catsbeensickagain · 31/07/2018 19:15

Catsbeenpup has settled in well and is now sleeping 11-6 which is great. We are also making good progress with toilet training. However I am hoping someone can reassure me. A couple of days ago pup had runny poo, we had literally just started slowly changing his food, so we went straight back and the poo went back to normal. Then today I gave him a Kong treat and (cut into tiny pieces) half a cocktail sausage during training. Lunchtime and this evening he has runny poo again (sorry for the detail but not actually diahorrhia as it’s not watery and only at normal times not extra). Tonight he is sleepy following his jabs which the vet said to expect. He’s eating and drinking enthusiastically- could the Kong treat and/or sausage be to blame????

Chimpd0g · 03/08/2018 06:08

Chimppup has regressed. She has been with us a week, first night slept 10-5, next night more or less the same. It then changed to waking at 3am too, then 1am and 3am and last night I was up on the hour. I feel like a zombie.

What do I do? I'm worried she has got into a habit of waking up every hour. Everybody time she's up in the night I take her out and she doesn't a wee (and she did a poo at 3am).

I don't understand how she held it in a few days ago (have had no accidents in her bed) but now can't, or is it just the sensation of needing a wee that wakes her up?

Whenever I take her out the lights are kept off, no cuddles, and she's happy to go back into her den

Chimpd0g · 03/08/2018 06:10

Sorry I'm half soaked, it's meant to say every time I take her out she DOES a wee

BiteyShark · 03/08/2018 07:03

Chimppup has regressed. I have seen people say this and heard it in RL. I don't think they have necessarily regressed but more that they are now relaxed in their new environment and are themselves whereas at first it was new and scary and they were on 'best' behaviour.

My puppy was like that from the start. I got up and took him out for a toilet break, said nothing with no fuss, then back in the crate. Once he has settled down and had been with me for a few weeks I then worked on the principle that he could hold it for 1 hour per month of age plus 1 (so for a 2.5 month old that would be 3.5 hours) and set an alarm to take him out as he would wake silently and pee otherwise. It's hard and I was sleep deprived but we only ended up with 1 accident when my alarm didn't wake me.

Chimpd0g · 03/08/2018 07:19

Thanks Bitey.

On the one hand I am impressed and pleased that she is waking me up to go to the toilet and in general is doing well with toilet training but on the other hand I wonder why she's not holding it in for as you say about 2 hours (and she has in the past)

Should I ignore her so that she holds it in a bit longer or will she a) have an accident or b) not sleep properly because she needs the loo c) bark and wake the neighbour she up

BiteyShark · 03/08/2018 07:36

Personally if they need the loo I would take her out as I would want to avoid any accidents as that has the potential to form a habit.

She is still very very young and bladder control at that age is still forming so yes it's tiring but she will get better with age.

Chimpd0g · 03/08/2018 08:50

Thanks Bitey, I'll carry on and see how she gets on the next couple of weeks (and I'll stock up on the coffee 😩)

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 03/08/2018 09:37

BastardPup was a little sod on his walk this morning: arsing about with his lead, and sooooo nosey - if anyone comes out of a house he has to stop and watch them until they are out of sight. He is now asleep. I wish I was, but DS1 is playing Fortnite and shouting at the top of his voice.

Maybe I should make use of BastardPup's new passion for digging and get him to create a shallow grave...

Chimpd0g · 04/08/2018 06:01

Better night last night. Bed at 10, up at 3.40 for a wee then up at 5.40 for the day. Feel so much better after some sleep

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 04/08/2018 11:00

How is it that BastardPup has doubled in size in three weeks? Well, maybe a bit of an exaggeration but bugger me, he is huge. He still needs lifting into the car and it is a struggle!

MsMiaWallace · 05/08/2018 09:25

Please can I join? We're getting our little pup in 2 weeks. He's a Pug & will be just over 8 weeks

We lost our little girl pug this year so this is our first dog since then.

I went out yesterday & bought some supplies.
He's already starting on IAMs dried food apparently!

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 06/08/2018 10:16

Posting to distract myself from a hugely overtired tantrumming puppy. He is barking and nipping and I need him to have a bloody kip

BirdyBedtime · 07/08/2018 12:33

Can totally sympathise YAABOB . Hipe today is better. Bidrdypup is getting progressively worse if anything with growling and nipping- particularly with DS. Despite always having something in hand to distract with she just carries on. It's really putting me on edge to be honest. DH really shouted at her this morning which is not the route i want to go down but we're a bit at a loss. I can see it worse when she is tired and we remove her into her pen so she can calm down but I'd really prefer to prevent it. Any thoughts?

MrsMaisel · 10/08/2018 14:26

Maiselpup cocker will be 9 weeks tomorrow - arrived at 8 weeks, doing very well, sleeps through until 4.45 - 5am sometimes (yawn).

He wees mostly on command in the garden for which he gets lots of praise (no treats), but feels like whenever I turn my back or leave the kitchen, he will wee on the floor. He has even done this right in front of me! Should we have mastered this yet, or does it take time? He is an angel... some nipping which he's improving with, happy with his crate, no poos on the floor (ok only one, but my fault at 3am when I thought he was done outside...).

BiteyShark · 10/08/2018 14:32

MrsMaisel despite all those claims that you can toilet train a puppy in a week the reality for a lot of puppy owners is often more like several weeks/months. Your puppy is still very little and bladder control is still developing. I can't remember when my puppy was fully dry at all times but certainly not before 5 months of age.