Puppy Survival Thread Part 6

[Elphame]

As thread 5 is almost full!

How is everyone doing with a daily "schedule"??
Would love to compare notes with people who are using crates/indoor pen areas! I'm working from home at the moment and trying to stick to a schedule...some days it works, some days I feel like I'm up and down constantly. I swear he's figured out that If he wees when I take him into garden he'll be let out more. He sleeps from 10pm-5:30/6 without needing one. And I've gone out for 2.5 hours and he's been fine, yet when I'm home he suddenly "needs" to go out more! 🙈

Fizzle sounds like us here too.
I have decided that outdoor play times are 7, 9, 12, 3, 6.30 and 10 but irritatingly he doesn't always go then. So now if he's acting like he needs to go out in between those times I take him out on a lead and keep him in a fenced off area. If he goes, he has 5 min play before back in. If not, straighten back to the kitchen.
Yesterday he didn't go all morning as I sat outside waiting and then peed on the floor the minute I had to come in to take a work call. So I'm getting tough!

@duplodancer so glad not just me! He did exact same to me earlier. I took him out for a wee and then he came back in and did one in kitchen... 😳🙄
I did have him on a similar time schedule but he plays up a bit around it...exhausting!! He sleeps and is relatively happy in his pen during day... as he's getting a little better behaved I let him out of it more to be by me, but then he definitely wants to go out more because he feels like he has "free access" to go outside!

Oh God this afternoon has been awful. Soul destroyingly awful. If I had the energy I would cry. I am utterly rubbish at this and feel like an idiot for not realising how much I'd hate it. And I do hate it.

duplodancer I hated the puppy months and I do mean hate. And what really made it worst was when everyone else around me looked like they enjoyed it and their puppy was a dream. It really does get better but sometimes you just need to ride out the shit times until you get to where I am and absolutely adore having them around. It does get better as a lot of us will confirm.

@duplodancer @BiteyShark I hate it more than I love it right now....you're not alone. DH comes home and only sees about 10% of what I deal with every day. Several times the last 2 weeks I've wondered what to do and if we'd done right thing. I just keep reading other people saying how it gets better, effort in/value out. I have to believe it for my own sanity.
I've cried more than i can tell you...(also nearly 5 months pregnant so, you know, hormones on top!)

I have a 9 month old rescue who I've had for 10 weeks and am deep, deep in Regretland it's just so hard and I feel no pleasure in her. I'm really hoping it gets easier. I feel I've no bond with her and I'm being far too shouty when I'm frustrated. Sympathy to everyone with Puppy/adolescent blues.

I am so (selfishly) glad to read that other people are hating it too. I've been waiting so long to be ready to get a puppy and I thought I'd love it.

for all.

Me too @GrouchyKiwi... DH doesn't get it.
Pup is so cute and so innocent in greater scheme of life, he's a baby and only learning, it's just bloody bloody hard!!!!!

This thread is really helping me. I was in the depths of the despair but feeling slightly better now. Possibly because he's finally bloody asleep.
Thanks biteyshark for your experience too. Need to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thinking maybe I need to force the issue with crate training. He likes it well enough, he just always wees in it but maybe he'll just stop doing that after a while.

Autumn We're using this one. It smells nice but I have no idea if it really works. Haven't used it on the carpet she peed on yet as she hasn't been let back on (I plan to do a thorough wash before she is!) and she just pees all over the kitchen/diner anyway.

Last night I made a lovely big area of puppy pads in the place they've always been ( and she has sort-of used, though she pees on the edges of the pads). She didn't pee in that area at all but instead beside the door. GAH!

The smell of the Simple Solutions stuff is too baby powdery. I prefer this one StaKill.

Having issues with meeting dogs at the park. Gets very excited / jumpy and i just wish he would calm down. I'm practicing a quick greeting and then moving on before it gets out of hand... any ideas?

@duplodancer how are you getting on?x

@fizzledays Actually not too badly! Or maybe my standards as to what constitutes a good day have just massively dropped. We've fenced off a small safe area of the garden and that has massively helped.
How are things going with you?

BastardPup has started putting himself in his crate when he is knackered. I suspect now that the heating is on he likes it next to the radiator

@duplodancer hahahahaha know what you mean!! He's doing better too...he loves chewing one of our rugs so going to try that bitter apple stuff and see how f it helps. Evenings he still notoriously does a little wee inside, baffling as we let him out regularly!!!

Since I posted that yesterday he has worked out how to escape from the fenced off bit and woke up this morning to diarrhoea all over the kitchen floor. It never stays ok for long. I do think a couple of good days have really helped with the bonding though.
Poor little thing! Worried he's been slugs in the garden as apparently they're very very poisonous.

Oh god @duplodancer 🙈🙈 in a way good he didn't go in his fenced off area as that's his "safe space" but nightmare for you to clean up!
Took Hunter to "puppy hour" at our local pets corner this morning - disaster. One other older puppy there who didn't want to play at ALL and they told me he had to come out because he was too boisterous...

@YoureAllABunchOfBastards result!! Hunter was restless last night and he settled next to us eventually but I know he probably would have happily settled in his other room too. That's the dream right!!

God I'm tired. Two days in with an 8 week old Springer. Is forgotten how debilitating broken sleep is 💤

Hope you get a quiet day @marioncole
I'm going back to work today in the office (short day - 6 hours). Puppy is 14 weeks and have someone coming in at lunchtime to feed and play for an hour or so.
Still so nervous. He's been fine being left the last couple of weeks but only been gone for 2-3 hours at a time. Just trying to tire him out now.

Good luck Duplo, I'm sure it'll be fine

He's just done a dump in the middle of the floor five minutes after being outside and he's worked out how to use the catflap. It's gonna be a long day...

So glad I found this thread and discovered I was normal! Two weeks in with a ten week old Patterdale who is lovely but very bitey. She's actually just gone back to bed so now I'm wondering why as she's been a bit quieter than usual this morning.

Good luck @duplodancer! Hang in there. Sure he'll be fine and happy as Larry to see you tonight!
I'm working from home 2 days a week now and our 14 wk pup is trying to settle in his crate in the room next to me. We were using a playpen which worked perfectly but bowed to pressures last week and got a crate which doesn't seem to work as well during the day...he slept and was happy as anything in the pen!
#stressee

• #stressed