Puppy survival thread! June 2020

[Juiceey]

Hello, anyone around to join me?

We've got our first puppy, a miniature poodle, yesterday. So far so good apart from the incessant humping!

He's VERY bitey, which doesn't hurt yet but no doubt will soon. He's massively attached to DW already and cries if she leaves the room. He loves DS but I think he played with him too much yesterday and overtired him, hence the humping?!

Crate training isn't easy and he cried for half an hour last night but then slept through til 5. Which is horribly early but I was ready for that!

In terms of timings, perhaps it's down to picking up the dog's signs? If anyone more experienced and knowledgeable can confirm?

Pup was manic and bitey and 8am so put him straight in the crate and he went to sleep until 9.10. Then he woke up and took him out for a wee. Got back in and he was charging around, biting ankles and bit dd1 really hard on her hand. So he's now back in the crate (left it a bit so it didn't seem like a punishment) so let's see if he sleeps again

I hope you have a better day today @JudasHisCarrot

I find it difficult to enforce naps for our pup, he's so big I can't pick him up to put him in his pen once he's asleep, he just flops on the kitchen floor when he's tired. He nipped my dd quite hard on her hip this morning, just before he was due his walk I find he gets bitey and playful when he needs a walk. Once he'd had his walk, he comes back and sleeps for a couple of hours. It's just trying to judge and pre-empt situations in order to avoid them.

I can't wait until he can go out for walks, 12 days and counting! Remind me how old yours is @Rowdythree

He's 13 weeks, walking him makes all the difference, we take him out twice a day. It really helps him settle down

muckandnettles is your pup food motivated? I throw a few bits of kibble into his crate to tempt him in. Would that work with yours as he's settling down to a nap?

We have the second vaccination on Thursday this week so proper walks will be lovely and I'm hoping to introduce our pup to some friends' dogs then as well. It will just hopefully become more of a normal routine once we get to that point.

Anyone finding that the housetraining is VERY up and down?

I'm wondering whether to expect this, or if puppy could have some sort of uti (crazy as that sounds - apparently it's quite common).

She's 10 weeks tomorrow and for the first week and a half things were going pretty well. A few whole days without accidents in the house, some days with just one or two if we didn't get to the door fast enough. She was also going overnight (8/9 hours without needing to go).

Past few days she's had multiple accidents everywhere and woke up a few times in night needing to go. She also crouches a lot outside and nothing or just tiny amounts come out sometimes. Doesn't seem to be in any pain though.

DH thinks this is entirely normal to go up and down like this - anyone else having the same issues? x

@Rowdythree - are you using a collar or a harness to walk your pup? I just can't see ours being able to walk along with a lead anytime soon ...she just bites and rolls around with it, even though we try to do the training method of walking along with treats?!

I know harnesses are more comfortable and planning to get one. Just praying this makes walking MUCH easier?!

@Lovelylurcher we use a harness for ours and potter around the front garden with it on. Far easier all round than using a collar with a lead and I think it will be better for walks once he goes out properly

Doing an enforced nap this morning and it's gone well. It was easier with all other members of the household out of the way so I didn't have to explain or justify why I'm being a bit 'mean' to the pup. He had been awake for nearly 2 hours, so I put him in the crate with a Kong and he moaned a bit once he realised what I'd done, but only for a short while and it was more whining than barking. Thank you guys, for giving me the confidence to take charge of the little monster!

@Lovelylurcher we are finding the housetraining up and down - think we have it sorted but then he will do a wee on the mat or just anywhere he feels like it. He hasn't done a poo inside since the first week, so that's a plus.

Glad it's going well @muckandnettles
Mine has had 2x 1 hour enforced naps since 8am, which is great - BUT he's still very bitey when he's awake. Aarrgghh

@JudasHisCarrot - thanks! I guess they can't get at the lead with a harness. Where did you get yours? From looking briefly online it says that they need to be fitted properly - I wonder if PetsAtHome do this? They seem to be the main pet shop open in lockdown...

Similar he re the house training. I think occasional accidents for the first few months are normal

*here

Occasional accidents definitely normal I think...it's just we seem to have gone from occasional to frequent, as well as needing to go more often?

How are you feeling today @JudasHisCarrot? Any better?

I just got one from amazon, no professional fitting here!

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BH67S7Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_MJ23EbTSFN6C9?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I think I got him a medium and it should do him for another month or so

Hmm, the repeating crouching and nothing/not much wee doesn't sound great. Plus more frequent need to go. Could be a uti, especially if they are common in pups. Maybe a quick trip to the vet?

I don't know really, still feel like I've made a huge mistake. Every day I swing back and forth between "it'll get better" and "he needs to go right now as I can't do this any more". If it wasn't for my dd's (who'd be heartbroken) he'd have gone back by now. Saying that, I'd probably be coping a hell of a lot better if I only had him, or the kids were going to school

I feel really disappointed in myself as I have put myself in this position! I've been wanting a dog for so long since my old boy was pts, and I love dd's to grow up with a dog. But I was stupid with the timing

We went to Pets at home and tried some on.

Why do you feel the timing is wrong @JudasHisCarrot?
Puppies are buggers. Ours is a bitey little sod who is hard work. It will get better though.

Well, kids aren't going to school which makes everything harder. Plus I'm studying and will be for the next few years - but have no time to do it which is stressing me out. And I'm going through a divorce which I've now found out will require me to sell the house (when I paid the deposit on him I was led to believe this wouldn't be the case). A lot going on!

@Starshollowwannabe

We went to Pets at home and tried some on.

That's probably the best way to do it, I was just lucky that my (slightly educated) guess with the sizing worked out

@JudasHisCarrot I have felt great disappointment as well, as I am left doing most of this puppy stuff myself and DH and DS only dip in and out and I often feel that makes it worse, but they are working still and I'm not, so it's only fair. I feel disappointed that all my reading and research aren't working any particular magic on the pup, he's just really hard work and as @Starshollowwannabe says, he's a bitey little sod. I watch a youtube video such as a Kikopup one, and she makes it so easy looking, calmly training her puppy and making it look so obvious - then I try with my bitey little sod and end up in a complete mess feeling a failure. Keep thinking maybe just another week of this and we will be out walking a bit and it will all fall into place...

A friend of mine is coming to see pup in the garden this afternoon and I can't see it going well.

@Starshollowwannabe do Pets at Home let you take your dog in the store to try them on? My pup has a harness but will need a new one soon as he is growing at a monstrous rate.