Puppy support group 3

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

A thread for all new puppy owners for support and understanding!!

My puppy is now 7 months and has hit the teens 😒🤪😳😫 stay with me fellow puppy owners - I need you!!!

[lazzaroo]

Thank you for your replies. It only happens indoors and seems so random. Do you think general training will help? Today she had a walk at lunchtime. Came in and had a frozen kong while we fished up lunch and ate. My husband was then doing jobs in the garden so she went out with him to just potter about. She came back in with me. I tried to get her to settle, she'd done well with this training yesterday but not so good today. Long story short she jumped at me again. I was hopeful as first couple of times she got my sleeve she dropped when asked. I thought I'd try with her toys but she did same again. I turned away and she jumped at my back. It's like she has a mad 5 minutes and then crashes out. We just need to skip the mad 5 minutes.

We are struggling with this in particular. It's going to make or break her staying with us.

I will try your tips, thank you.

[BiteyShark]

lazz even at that age they can get overstimulated. Mine used to be very bitey and jumpy at that age for many months when he was worked up.

The fact that it's a mad five minutes followed by a crash to me would indicate that. We used to put ours in a crate when he got in that state and he would throw his bed around then sleep and return a nicer dog again. The key for us was to recognise the triggers and enforce timeout.

Now he is grown up it's interesting to see that he now 'knows' that he is overtired, throws himself about in a very distinctive way on our rugs and then takes himself off to sleep for a few minutes without any interaction from us. He eventually learnt how to settle himself down on his own but before they we used to have to make it happen by removing him from us.

[lazzaroo]

Thanks bitey. She's not really happy in her crate in the day unless we're out, if you see what I mean. Although she'd be okay for half an hour with a Kong to keep her busy. I guess we're still getting to know her triggers. Problem is she'd finish her Kong and then whine/bark to come out so it would probably delay it rather than solve it. We're working really hard on the settle command at the moment. Trying to help her learn to chill out. It's heartening to hear it may improve. We're riding an emotional roller coaster at the moment! It's exhausting!!

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

No jeans routine has stayed the same, he's a fussy bugger with food and will only eat after 4pm. Poo is a bit on the soft side recently, no idea why as his food is the same as it's always been. I've started taking him for a 10 min walk at 9pm and this seems to have solved the issue for now...

We're away with him atm and he's been a bit unsettled but generally not too bad.

[Nojeansplease]

Oh hope that’s resolved it for you!
We’ve got a lot of things far from perfect, but he goes to sleep whenever we do and sleeps right through and I’m thankful for that every day.
We had a late one last night and this morning he slept right through till 11, and only then got up because I did!

I can’t imagine having to get up and deal with a puppy needing to go out! So al my fingers and toes crossed for you!
I need my sleep, to deal with what a he is during the day

[lazzaroo]

I'm just going to hang out here, after my own post ended up making me feel like even more of a failure. Not the majority, but a few harsh posts is all it takes to beat myself up even more. I really wish people would be gentler to each other, especially when you're clearly looking for support.

Anyway, you've all been supportive here so I'll stay here and stalk your thread for advice, reassurance and laughter at arsehole adolescent dog tales (much better than crying!!)

[DeathByPuppy]

Oh @lazzaroo, my own puppy hasn’t hit adolescence yet, so I’ve got the ‘wilfully deaf git’ stage still to come. I’m not resting on my laurels, believe me

[BiteyShark]

lazzaroo try not to take it to heart as the main board can be a bit harsh (been on the receiving end myself). People forget that everyone is just trying to do their best and dog ownership can be a bloody hard adjustment.

[Snoopdogowner]

Hi @lazzaroo, my cockapoo has just turned 9 months and the biting/jumping is still happening pretty much every night. I think it's his way of being playful, attention seeking and generally tired. Well I'm hoping these are the reasons. I try to ignore and get myself to the kitchen (without being bitten on my legs or bum) which often involves shimmying backwards and then he'll follow me and calm down. I also say "too bad". The point being that if he's acting up like that he won't get any attention from us. I'm hoping this is all puppy adolescence and in my head I've come to terms with the fact that we may have another year of this annoying behaviour. Pup is also not sleeping properly during the night (the last couple of weeks) and we've pandered to it by checking in on him in case he needs a wee (sleeps in kitchen) and now he's waking up every night without fail. So I know we have a couple of weeks of pain and ignoring the whines to hopefully get pup sleeping through the night again. I'm still very new to puppy life. We've had pup for 6 months. It's tough but hopefully it'll be worth it in months to come. Hang in there!!!

[BiteyShark]

Also forgot to say lazzaroo I do think it's harder in some ways for you as your pup is a rescue. At least by the time mine got to the adolescent stage I was starting to like him . Can't imagine how I would have felt being thrown in the deep end straight away.

[lazzaroo]

Thanks all. We've been to a secure field today. She loved being off lead, we could practice recall and hopefully wear her out a bit! Also have got a house line to help at home. I will survive this!!

[puppyNC]

Checking back in for some chat.

Started puppy classes this week and she’s not keen on other puppies. Backs away. Seems to like bigger dogs.

She’s 11 weeks now. Second vaccine soon so still no walks. Has been out and about in a bag with me and in arms. We’ve done as much as possible to help but other suggestions welcome.
-city centre

• train
  

-car

• boat
  

-building site
-hail

• rain
  

-thunder

• puppy socialisation class
  
• meeting vaccinated dogs
  
• coffee shops
  
• noisy app (fireworks etc)
  

Also would love suggestions on toys for in the crate!

[Fizzlestix]

Hi all
I have a 5 month old lurcher puppy.
She’s gone off her food (as in she eats but just doesn’t seem that interested - happy to eat snacks, vet checked all ok)
I’ve tried a few different dry
And I’ve tried wet
She’s more likely to eat wet but even then she’s not too bothered.
Shes a skinny dog anyway But she’s on the skinnier side of healthy and I’m thinking of trying raw food with her.

I know this is a stupid question but is she ok if I just go for it and give her a bit with her regular meals
Or is it going to make her sick since she’s not used to it?

Did anyone try anything else with fussy eaters?

[Fizzlestix]

By snacks I obviously meant treats

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

I'm not sure re raw food, not sure anyone on this thread is doing the raw diet? I still feel like we've not got our pups food completely right yet but I think its trial and error.

We survived taking pup away with us, he was really good and coped with the journey and staying somewhere different really well.

[Juanbablo]

Puppy is now 16 weeks and mostly lovely. Definitely a lot less biting, more calm. We are having some nice little walks and can let him off the lead and he stays close. Although yesterday he did run off to try and play with a collie with a tennis ball and wouldn't come back. So that was embarrassing.

We are having rare accidents in the house now, so that's great. He sleeps well in his crate at night. Kids love him, he loves them, especially ds2. He goes mental whenever he sees ds2 and licks him all over his face and head which I think is gross but the kids think it's hilarious.

Yesterday we did have a rough afternoon but they are pretty rare now. I think we will sign up to the second round of puppy classes but we have mastered sit, paw, wait, still working on drop! He has great manners when it comes to treats which I am very pleased about.

I do worry about him though. Everyone seems to have a lot of bad things to say about his breed, so I worry about the future. But I guess it's also why I'm so insistent on consistent training and making sure he has a loving home so he never gets scared and reactive.

[Juanbablo]

One thing we are really having a hard time with though is food. He won't eat anything! He started off on royal Canin mini puppy food. I had heard it wasn't great quality and we ultimately wanted him to eat dry food, so we slowly transitioned him onto Tails. He wouldn't eat it and started to lose weight so we tried Nature's Menu, Barking Heads, Lily's Kitchen, Wainwright's. He won't eat any of it!! Trying Butchers now and if he doesn't like it (so far has tried a tiny bit of two meals) the I'm going back to Royal Canin. It's better he eats something than nothing. I thought dogs ate anything! Our cat will eat literally anything but this puppy is so fussy!

[heatseeker14]

Hi Juan, have you tried mixing a little bit of boiled water with the dry food to make it mushy? I was told this can help when transitioning to dry food on its own.
I wouldn’t worry what other people say about your dog’s breed. All dogs have the capacity to be snappy and aggressive in the wrong hands. Sounds like you’re doing the right thing with training. Socialisation is also very important. Can be embarrassing when pups decide to gate crash another dog’s walk though! Mine has done it a few times!

[Snufflesdog]

We keep royal Canin puppy for when ours won’t eat - like when teething or upset tummy
She loves royal canin so much I can use it as a training treat
I always assumed it was like McDonald’s when you’re hungover or unwell haha

I find if I mix royal canin onto something and really mix all the gravy in she’ll eat pretty much anything
When you said you’re transitioning is this what you’re doing? Or just swapping one meal?

If pups always been on wet food - RC is quite small and mushy too, the kibble probably feels weird and also boring and not as rich!
I’d definitely try some hot water in there too to soften it up as pp have said
Sometimes I add puppy milk
Or other wet food
But to be honest our puppy would rather not eat than eat kibble So I feel your pain!

[Keepsmiling1]

Hi,

I haven't been on here for a while and SmileyPup is 8 months next week. I can't believe how much he has changed in the past few months. He is really good with DDs and will happily stay on his own for 3/4 hours. He is no longer crated and will sleep on the floor next to my bed (and jump up for a cuddle in the middle of the night!) He still pulls on the lead but is getting better. His recall went a bit off when he hit 6 months and sometimes I have to shout him a couple of times if he can see other dogs to play with but 9/10 he comes straight back. He doesn't bark (except at animals on the tv!) and loves a snuggle on the couch.

However he still needs to wee/poo overnight most nights. Generally in the day he is very good and he rings his bells to tell us he needs to go out (only a problem if we are upstairs and can't hear him as he will go on the kitchen floor!) At night he started going in the bathroom so we put a puppy pad down and he goes there now. It's great because he never wakes us and always goes on the pad but I thought he would have grown out of this by now. I was at puppy class today and they said he should be able to hold it overnight by this age and we should restrict him so he has to wake us to go out. When he realises he has to go outside he may hold it. @girliefriendlikespuppies is your pup still needing to go out overnight? I feel like mine is the only one still needing to go out or having the occasional accident!

[Juanbablo]

He won't eat any dry food, even if it's been mixed with water. Luckily he doesn't ever have a poorly tummy, never has loose poo or is sick. So we've been trying different foods to see what he likes, which is what our independent pet shop recommended. Nothing! He likes nothing! Except cheese, chicken, turkey. At this rate I'm going to end up cooking him dinner as well as the rest of us.

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

Juan your puppy sounds worse than mine for fussiness and that's saying something!! Mine eats half a tin of butchers puppy food and I mix some James Wellbeloved biscuits in with it. I tend to leave some biscuits down all the time as he will occasionally snack on them (he has to be starving though! I've heard good things about Millie Wolfhearts food so might try that next.

Keep he wakes me up two or three times a week for the toilet overnight, it's always a poo he needs. Sometimes I walk him late to try and get him to poo then, this sometimes works.

[Juanbablo]

He is so fussy. Never eats his breakfast, rarely any lunch but will usually eat dinner. He's probably so hungry by that point. He has gained the weight back that he lost so he's obviously eating enough but I find it all so worrying! He's so small, I worry about him not eating enough to grow. He has plenty of energy, sleeps well, wees and poos regularly so I suppose he must be getting enough. It's like having a baby all over again!!

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

Juan what breed is he? Mine only eats once a day as well at teatime. He had reflux a while back and the vet suggested 3 small meals a day absolutely no chance of that. He looks at me like I'm crazy when I offer him breakfast!!

My boy is a terrier mix, he is also a healthy weight, lots of energy etc so I don't worry too much now.

Here's recent pics of the little bugger 😉

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

Keep and heat would love to see recent pics of your pups!!