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The doghouse

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Puppy Survival Thread Part 6

857 replies

Elphame · 04/03/2018 15:46

As thread 5 is almost full!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
59
MuddyWellyNelly · 04/11/2018 19:39

I need to teach him to stand now that the weather has turned, as I can't dry his back feet from a sit!

echt · 04/11/2018 20:37

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echt · 04/11/2018 20:38

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Fishypieandmash · 04/11/2018 22:23

@Enni2S is your lovely pup a cockapoo?

Fishypieandmash · 04/11/2018 22:25

And austech puppy is gorgeous!
Fishypup can sit and do down, but gets them mixed up sometimes.

Enni2S · 05/11/2018 07:01

@fishypieandmash Ennpup is a Portuguese water dog :) Ennpup also gets 'sit' and 'down' mixed up sometimes. He also does this thing where he will slide his front paws into a down as if he's too lazy to move them!

@echt I've never heard of that breed, they look gorgeous Grin

MuddyWellyNelly · 05/11/2018 11:12

We've just been working on down/up/stand. He's really not keen on down! I've been using a lure (ie food) but I wonder if he's actually too food orientated for that, as he just can't focus on what we're asking him to do.

MuddyWellyNelly · 05/11/2018 17:44

God the puppy has been hard work today. It feels like 2 steps forward, 3 back. This whole "I've learnt it, oh no now I've totally forgotten it again" is exhausting. I feel like I must be doing it all wrong. He's 15 weeks, and I'm not sure I'd say he's reliably improved in a single thing in the month we've got him. Eg at the start of our walk today he actually did some nice loose lead work. We did some heel work off lead. Then on the way home, on lead, he was tugging me everywhere again and being a lunatic with everyone he met. Grrrr.

karala · 06/11/2018 08:16

please can I join? I've been on mumsnet for years but have name changed for this.
I've just brought a cocker spaniel (show) into the family - we've had dogs for years, labradors and retrievers and I thought I was quite experienced. This lovely girl of ours is a crier and although we're getting her not to cry at night (we get up with her every 3 hours for loo stops) she is not coping with me going out of the room while she's awake. We have had her for 10 days, she's almost 11 weeks old and today I have to leave her for 1.5 hours. Fortunately I'm flexible on the time so I can do it when she's suitably toileted and quiet but I'm dreading that she might cry for the whole time I'm out.

Fishypieandmash · 06/11/2018 09:26

karala fishy pup is pretty much the same, although there have been improvements if I have to pop upstairs for a bit.
I had to go out to the docs yesterday and was out for almost an hour and put him in his crate. He was really tired but still barked for most of that time before falling asleep.
Hoping it will get better over time.

karala · 06/11/2018 11:24

Thanks Fishy - I sneaked out while she was asleep and she was quiet when I got back so no idea what happened in the intervening period. No mess in the crate so that was good. We've just done a couple of minutes of collar and lead and some playing in the garden and now she's napping. I'm feeling more optimistic.
various people have suggested Adaptil - has anyone tried that?

BirdyBedtime · 06/11/2018 12:19

Welcome karala and austech - auspup is very cute

To answer Muddy's question Birdypup (show cocker) is 6 months old on Sunday.

On the plus side she can sit, lie, stand and has good control ie will sit outside and wait to be called and will wait for her food until we say eat. She walks ok about 75% of time with a loose lead and has some recall outside unless there is anything to distract her (leaf, other dog, people she knows, bird, fresh air !!). She will walk to heel off lead if there aer no distractions. She goes to bed in her crate really well at night without a whimper and has been left for up to 3 hours in her pen (about 3 x area of crate). Don't want to jinx it but I think she's fully toilet trained as I can't rememer the last time we had an accident.

But ..... she still mouths at times particularly in the mornings before and after her first walk - trying to dry her is a nightmare. She is jumpy but not with strangers thankfully, more with people she knows so we're doing a lot of 'paws on ground' training. And she doesn't like being in her pen when we are in the house (ie if she gets put in there so DS can play with something on the floor). She also steals socks, pants etc that are hanging about drying and then hides under the dining table where it takes 2 people to get her out. And when we are out walking she eats everything - leaves, twigs, bits of paper/plastic etc - we did try bringing something with us to keep in her mouth but she just dropped it at first sight of a leave!!

So on balance more good than bad though I'd say.

MuddyWellyNelly · 06/11/2018 17:27

Thanks Birdy it's really useful to compare stories! He's done some nice on lead walking today; I managed to get out for a walk without DS which makes quite a difference! I think I need to do lots more paws on floor though. Between jumping up at strangers, my poor toddler, and the worksurface, it's a relentless chorus of "down" Hmm.

Karala welcome. Because muddypup spent 3 weeks with professional gundog owners (they own his dad) he seemed to be happy enough to be on his own in his crate. But it can be a bit hit or miss and we have to be VERY careful not to pander to him whining or barking. It can be so hard (he's screeching right now as DS is eating tea) but it will be worth it in the end!

GColdtimer · 07/11/2018 06:44

Hi everyone , I am new to this board but not to MN. We got our little rescue cavalier cross (no idea what he is crossed with) from Many Tears on Sunday. He is 11 weeks. I have a question about crating/nighttime's.

Last night he slept in his crate for the first time (it's a fabric one, more like a den). I have slept in the living room with him (in his bed/crate) because I didn't want him in our room (we are two flights up, would never make it down in time for night wees!). But after 3 nights I want my bed back! He woke at 3 and whimpered. I took him out for a wee, no fuss, straight back and he is still sleeping now. If he cries tonight when I leave him what do I do? My mum suggested taking him out side every time he cries and he will learn that crying at night means outside for a wee which in the cold and dark he hates!

Any other thoughts?. I literally will not be able to cope with him howling all night.

GColdtimer · 07/11/2018 07:06

Forgot cute photo.

Puppy Survival Thread Part 6
Enni2S · 07/11/2018 07:25

@twofalls Cute! Grin

fizzledays · 07/11/2018 07:39

God this weather is NOT ideal for dog owners! Hoping it'll ease off at some point...

@twofalls - tricky... we did the whole coming down in the night to let him out, no fuss. We used to have to walk onto the grass with him but now he goes down on his own. I'd try it in stages, see if you can get back to where YOU belong and see how it goes. We take a big torch out with us in pitch of night, or turn a light on inside the house so it's less daunting, now he's not fussed by the dark!

Ginslinger · 07/11/2018 08:32

twofalls I slept downstairs for the first 2 nights and then moved back up stairs. I made sure the crate was completely covered so no light at all - I put one of my t-shirts in the crate and I left a pair of my socks outside next to the crate. We get up every 3 hours for a loo stop and so far that seems to be working. I'm hoping to extend the time for getting up but at the moment she does seem to need the 3 hours.

GColdtimer · 07/11/2018 08:42

Thanks both. Good advice. He seems to have adopted my dressing gown so he has his bed, my dressing gown, a chewy thing and a soft toy. The crate is more like a pop up tent so I can make it completely dark. He is awake in it now (door open) and I am in another room and he isnt crying so that's a new thing.

Gin does she cry when you leave or is she ok? I suppose I just have to grab the bull by the horns and see how it goes. I'm too old for sofa sleeping!!

karala · 07/11/2018 11:09

I'm feeling much more optimistic today because Karalapup didn't act like the world had ended when I left her to go for a shower - no yelping or squealing. I've left her quite a few times now this morning for a few minutes at a time and she seems quite relaxed.

fizzledays · 07/11/2018 12:33

@twofalls we also took his water bowl away at night so he wasn't waking up and drinking tonnes to then need a wee, took it away around 9pm, final wee about 10:30pm and he slept through until 6am ish. We're more relaxed now his bladder has grown a bit but still no water overnight until he's older (he also loves tipping the bowl upside down and around which was other reason to take away!).

Autumn2018 · 07/11/2018 19:16

Does anyone have any idea of how to proceed with walking to heel?

When I am alone, my 4 month old lab does quite well. But when I am with my young children they want to hold the lead and are pulled around like crazy.

I'm not sure if allowing that is undoing my heel training! They can't seem to grasp it to continue the heel training (but they're only 5 and 8) so there is no way I could ask that of them.

Do I not allow them to ever hold the lead, which they love to do, despite the awful pulling?

Or does it make no difference anyway?

I'd love to find out and can't seem to find which way to turn for advice!

MuddyWellyNelly · 07/11/2018 19:31

Autumn I don't let my 3yo hold the lead but mainly as he'd be pulled over. The approach I'm taking is clicker based. My puppy book had a sensible approach. Off lead you start by just randomly walking and any time the puppy comes within a big invisible circle near you, click then throw a treat outside of the circle. Repeat. Gradually let the circle get smaller; and then wait for a longer time before clicking etc. Don't add the command at first. It actually advises teaching heel off lead but it does depend on where you can go. On lead I again use clicker training and basically click and reward for nice walking and then start to introduce the command. However as you'll have maybe read, it's very hit or miss and still totally horrendous if there is anything else he's more interested in. I've also had to be quite stern with my DS about not running on ahead when I'm trying to teach the puppy not to pull.

MuddyWellyNelly · 07/11/2018 19:32

Sorry you didn't really ask about how to achieve the heel bit did you?? 

TiredAndaBitBored · 07/11/2018 19:52

I'm fairly confident my pup is Satan in disguise (but a cute version).

Does anyone else have a pup completely obsessed with water? He leaps and I mean leaps into the bath whenever I'm trying to run one for myself. He's just been desperately trying to drink my soapy water too so what was supposed to be my nice relaxing wind down has turned into a game of me trying push him away whilst he scrambles to get in the tub with me.

I didn't realise how much it is actually like having a child... I worry when he goes quiet in the other room, panick when I see him with someone in his mouth, have anxiety about him getting poorly/eating things he shouldn't etc..

Earlier he was running round with the small cat house stuck on his head (he'd tried to climb in).

Helppp.