Puppy Support Group 2

[DuchessDarty]

A continuation of this:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/3600375-Young-Puppy-Support-Group

All age of puppies (and owners ) welcome

The puppy class we’ve enrolled in has the first session without pup so I’m quite glad about that. It feels better to meet everyone without having to focus on puppies. I’m certain mine will be the worst behaved there, she’s not pleasant to be around at the moment.

I’ll keep that in mind bitey shark.

How did everyone’s first walk go? We only went to the end of the road-he was all over the place ended up carrying him back as my nerves were shredded, paid zero attention to his name, his favourite toy or my pocket full of treats. He is however now shattered 🙌🏻

CockerShark I feel the same, pup is great one to one at home but any distractions and he’s got zero focus so I can’t imagine how group classes will go!

We decided not to do puppy classes as I have struggled to find any good classes near us and we have taught her most of what they cover at home anyway. I was worried about the socialisation side tho so she has started daycare to meet other puppies and dogs. Not sure if the no puppy classes will come back to haunt us though!

Does anyone know when you would stop using the 5 mins per month of age rule for walking? I dont really want to wait until she is 3 years old to be able to start nice long walks!

Springer I was very relaxed in that rule for off lead walks on springy forest walks. And when I considered mine to be mostly fully grown (working cocker) I just did as much as we/he wanted. I am trying to remember back but it's a bit hazy as he is now three .

We've most finished our puppy classes. She started them when she was 9 weeks. But it is a set course and we all started together. It's been useful for socialisation. Ours are run by our vet, so it's a good opportunity to ask other questions too.

The first week there were a couple of terriers, a Bedlington and a small cross who just spent the whole hour barking at each other.

I think the 5min per month depends a lot on breed and size, as well as surface that they are walking on. Technically Clownpup does more than 20mins exercise a day because she runs round our garden as well as two short walks. But garden is mostly grass (soggy, boggy, moss and clay filled grass) and we take her to grass to walk on. She's a labradoodle, so big breed and at least one breed known to have joint problems, so I am cautious. It's only meant to apply until they are fully grown.

Her biting does seem worse. Maybe less frequent but then she just suddenly goes a bit crazy and bites hard and jumps. I think it is a bit like a toddler trying to get attention. I've had a bad week in general, so I haven't had much patience for it.

Oh and I made liver cake for treats yesterday and she managed to steal a whole slice. And a rubber glove, yoghurt, more socks and a small block of cheese. Dickhead

On the plus side she is so good driven that her recall is currently excellent even when other dogs are around. She loves to play, but she loves chicken more!

we desperately want a puppy.we have had two girls sadly passed now.they were family.my best friends.i miss them so much.
we are having such trouble finding one though.and when we see adverts on well know puppy for sale sites its so hard to know whether we should go forward with them.for one they are gone instantly.(girls.)and two can we trsut them?

Forest pup is full of life this week, very glad hes feeling better but my goodness hes now a handful. Is pretty good with his name unless hes found something which he would like to eat usually poo of some sort although today I found him licking blood and brains from the floor where a calf was shot so we're going to have to work on that.

Probably should've specified, we live on a farm not in the UK calf was only shot as was born with a deformity. I dont regularly have brain matter in the garden.

Outtheforest we are in the uk but my dog walker waves if she is on MN texted once to say BiteyDog was very pleased with his find of a partially rotten deers head lots of forest here

Oh God "bitey" at least forest pups brain snack was fresh.

Kateandme - Is it a pedigree you are looking for? If so I'd contact the breed council via the kennel club and they have a list of reputable breeders who you can contact and go on waiting lists if necessary. I was on my breeders waiting list for 6 months before she had this litter and then i reserved a girl at the first visit and paid a deposit etc.
Avoid any mass breeders, someone reputable should grill you!
Good luck

Alfred's home!

Please I need help
We’ve only had pup a few days so I’m aware it’s still early. Shes gone for a wee outside a few times but she only tries to go inside.

When she tries to go inside, before she starts, I scoop her up, no comment and take her outside and say wee wee. Sometimes she goes sometimes she doesn’t . I’m finding she’s super distracted by reflections or looking through The windows and getting a bit obsessed with them - any idea what we can do here?? - if she doesn’t go outside she comes in and tries to go and we start again if I’m quick enough, but worried my anticipation, ready to scoop her up is creating anxiety around the situation, but she’s so fast of I’m not ready!!

As well as this she will NOT go outside to poo
We can spend an hour or 5 mins outside it doesn’t matter she will cry and howl non stop.
I take her in, she immediately looks for a spot to poo, Back out nothing. Back in, tries to poo.
Tried keeping her in my arms - she just falls asleep most of the time or wriggles uncontrollably almost hurting herself.
If she’s on a lead outside she pulls to the reflections In the window and I’m worried about her neck (going to buy a harness in the morning but I need help now I’m facing another night sleepless and outside and I just can’t )

I’m worried she’s going to see being outside as a punishment.

Any tips at all. Just exhausted.

It is wet and cold outside. Maybe it is the surface that is confusing her. I had this for a week until I used Ian Dunbar's toilet training tips (but an older pup of 12 weeks when I got him) So basically I had puppy in a crate next to me and with my hand in through the bars most of the time unless I was in the garden. So puppy then began to pee by default in the garden as he didn't want to pee in the crate. It took a few weeks though to establish the pattern. The minute he pees or poos in the garden this is your chance to reinforce reinforce reinforce delicious treat lots of cheery praise jumping up and down with joy. Any accidents no comment at all, even if in crate. Keep using white vinegar on any accidents, not bleach or cleaning chemicals. It was Late Feb when I did this with my new pup, so not exactly fun being out in the garden but it worked. I also put a warm basket out in the garden so he could sit in that when he wasn't peeing! I literally sat out in the garden all day when he wasn't in the crate..so half the time I was in the garden and the other half he was in the crate. This was just until he cracked the association, then I just watched him like a hawk and noticed when he was looking desperate. So it only took a week of cold turkey for me, and he was fine because he wasn't standing shivering out there, but playing and cuddling up in his basket or on me when he wasnt running in the garden. I played things like fetch too, and practised a bit of sit, come etc with treats (kibble) The minute he forgets he is outside and just pees, you have won!! I also put a little bit of pee stained newspaper and a bit of poo outside where I wanted him to go..like patio. In fact he ended up having an association with grass only, I wish I had tried the patio association first.

So, fun things in the garden.
Fun/praise when he pees outside
Crate indoors and sleep.
Outside the minute he wakes.

But only for a few days or less, and you will have cracked it.

Mine was older so it took him longer to lose his obsession with peeing on lino and carpets (puppy pad association from breeder)

@Snufflesdog it does just take time. What I did was watch her so that I knew what she did before she did a wee or poo. Then I could catch her a bit early and take her out side. I didn't put her on a lead, she has free run of our garden because it is enclosed. Before she does a poo she often does a crazy little run around, so it's helpful she's not on lead.

I've found most of it is just repetition and perseverance and then it seems to click.

Clownpup is so bitey, I'm losing the will to live. She properly launches herself at us. It starts almost immediately. I'm doing replacing toys, ignoring and putting in her crate. Despite her being very quick to pick up everything else in training, this doesn't seem to click. She just hates going in her crate now.

Clowns I decided my puppy was biting either because he wanted to play or because he wanted to go to sleep! Two extremes - so two different approaches. When he was biting to get stimulation I would try and take him for a little walk or do a few bits of training - fetch, find, chase. Basically change the fun thing from biting to some other form of interaction with me, rather than do the ignore or crating. If he was biting in the evening zoomies etc, that is when I would crate or put him on a house lead near me with a chew toy - so in sight, close by, but contained and redirected to something calming/sleep inducing. Very bad case scenarios...ie completely over tired and hyper that is when the crate clicked in. Have you tried putting a special chew toy or soft toy in the crate when you want her to settle down and sleep - and make all sleep times in the crate (with you near by at first) I used to sit next to the crate with my laptop until he settled and stay there for an hour sometimes when he was sleeping. So that he thought it was a nice place...It was covered, and v cosy in there..wool blanket, chew toys. After a bit when you put him in there he would go straight to sleep in 5 mins (in the day I mean..at proper sleep intervals combined with lots of play and outdoors)

If she’s not on a lead she obsessively digs and chews (I don’t think she’s swallowing much, if any) any grass, weeds, flowers, stones, leaves or anything else she can get her mouth round. I’m scared she’s going to poison herself or choke!

Re the biting Clowns
As nettle says, The biting here is definitely worse if she’s tired or bored.

I’ve been trying to play and see how we go. If she gets fed up quickly then I wait for biting to stop and offer ‘up’ onto my lap and snuggle
If she starts to fall asleep I pop her in her crate.
Those little needle teeth are a lot to handle!

I was wondering how much other people entertain their pup? I’m trying to encourage more alone time but Even if I’m in the same room as her, And she has toys, if we’re not interacting with her ( or even then if it’s not how she wants) she’s crying.
I know she needs lots of attention but she also needs to learn to entertain herself too.
Kongs and chews hold her attention for precisely 0.5seconds

Our pup loves leaves and she does dig a bit. Vet reassured me that leaves are fine, just not sticks. I know that known of our plants are poisonous to her too, which helps.

She can't really get on our lap- she's 13kg

I just pottered around and chatted to her, but didn't play all the time. Maybe just ignore the crying a bit, so she will get used to entertaining herself. They do get better at it with age, like children!

I spent a lot of the first weeks talking out loud like a loon to her!

Whitecat adorable!!

Re finding a puppy, it's worth checking with local rescues have they often have litters coming in. If you're after a particular breed look for registered breeder, that said we found our puppy on a local pets for homes website. I knew what type of dog I wanted, visited and felt happy it was a genuine litter not a puppy breeder. As it was local we visited our puppy every week from when he was 5 weeks old, I really liked the mum dog and the owner was nice, we've stayed in touch. It's worked out for us but I think getting a puppy is a bit like having a baby - you can never be 100% sure what you're going to get!!

We've had a good first night, he went into his crate and 9pm and came out at 8am no wees or poos overnight. So far no accidents in the house, he eats, play, sleeps, repeat.

That’s fantastic!!