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!

I can empathise @muckandnettles My partner isn't pulling his weight enough with the dog (which he said he would do) to enable me time to study. Had words last night so hopefully that will change

It took 3 harnesses before I found one that fit!

When I do enforced naps there isn’t a lot of noise now. I just shove him in and cover the crate. In the beginning we had a few minutes of crying but he settled down quickly enough. If he continued I took him out for some water (always took him for a wee right before he went into the crate so knew he didn’t need the toilet), a little bit of reassurance and put him back in a few minutes later. He has a stuffed toy and a nylabone with him, sometimes kong. I never speak to him when I unlock the crate because coming out isn’t the happy thing. Going in is accompanied by lots of praise because the crate is a happy spot.

What I’m struggling with now is that when he’s awake he barks and barks and barks for attention and I need to get on with work. I’ve tried chews, stuffed kongs, puzzle toys and none of it works for more than about 10 minutes. I try to ignore him but I worry about the neighbours - they’re also trying to work from home just the other side of the wall.

Well done on the enforced nap muckandnettles. I think it's needed for a bit of space and sanity for ourselves, as much as for their benefit!

You've loads going on Judas, not surprised you're finding it tough. I'm also a student, but decided to defer this semester pretty early on in lockdown as I didn't fancy the stress of juggling studying and keeping my 7 year old happy and occupied once schools closed. I'm so relived I had the option to do that. And there's no way I could get any studying done with a new puppy in the house.

I find having my son around adds significantly to the difficulty/stress of having a puppy! Bless him, he's so excited, but that just overexcites the dog and makes everything more difficult. Although he did say this morning that it's a bit boring now...we've only had him for 10 days... So, maybe he'll be a bit calmer around him now that he's a bit bored by him.

I swear, every time I say something is going well on here, pup does the complete opposite to prove me wrong...just had his barkiest most protestful time in the crate...

I'm a student as well! Luckily I got final assignments in right before we picked up puppy so all I've got to worry about atm is summer reading for next semester which feels really far off right now. Studying around the 2 DCs was horrendous, I couldn't see an end at all but I got there eventually. I think just take one day at a time, don't stress about too many things in one day. At first I was trying to do toilet training and tackle the biting and train commands all at once and he was too overwhelmed. Now I tend to focus on one thing at a time and it's easier for me and easier for him.

I'm finding this thread is an absolute godsend for sharing advice and experience - thank you all so much

I feel a bit disappointed in myself sometimes too! I was the one that drove this for our family - I didn't think it would be easy, but I didn't quite anticipate the levels of disruption. I love dogs, grew up with dogs, and felt like it would be a great thing for our family overall now our three kids are a bit older (my youngest is 8). But I'm now feeling exactly like I did during their baby years tbh - sleep deprived and exhausted - and wondering why the hell I curtailed our increasing peace and independence by getting this puppy. Also finding it very hard to juggle work alongside this, and while I thought it would be great having the kids off school for this, I think perhaps it just makes it all the more chaotic.

I'm sure we will all get there. in the evening is very deserved!

I'm also finding this thread a godsend as we are all at a very similar phase of puppy problems. I am in touch with all the litter parents but I don't feel like confiding in them as we will meet up IRL at some point possibly and I'll be embarrassed! I can moan to you lot and it really helps.

My friend came to see bitey pup in the garden and honestly he was such a little angel I think she wondered what I was talking about when I said how difficult he can be. He sat at her feet and looked at her adoringly, then had a little cute run round, then finally just had a little snooze under the table. Not even due a nap really, but just did it to show how cute he was when asleep. I felt stupidly so proud though!

Yes you can take your dog to Pets at home and they will let you try on the harness’

@muckandnettles - haha, that's so funny he did that. I've noticed our pup behaves well for guests too...certainly we seem to be the main focus for all the biting etc!

I'm hoping that, if it's exciting and fun for them to meet new people, it's another thing that will help calm them down once we can walk them....

Well mine has chewed her through my phone cable. But it's the one that comes into the house, so I now have no tv or internet. I have a dc homeschooling (secondary school), with no laptop or phone and I work from home - arghhhhh

Luckily BT will be here tomorrow to fix it. (Have to say they've been better than expected)

@copycopypaste oh no, how awful - the main wire! I'm glad BT are able to at least come to do it tomorrow. These pups are dreadful aren't they... Mine is running round the garden like a maniac and has set all the local dogs off barking with his stupid noises. Must go and get him for an evening of puppy wrangling...

@copycopypaste oh no! At least BT can come tomorrow! What a nightmare to have no tv and Internet at the moment!

@Lovelylurcher we use a collar and lead for our pup, the Breeder didn't recommend a harness as they can restrict the the growth of the shoulder muscles (I think that's what she said) not sure if that's because he's a giant breed and he's going to grow quickly though. We use a martingale collar. He's very good on the lead, thank goodness!

We had our first trip to the park today which was very exciting, lots of other dogs and people to see. Unfortunately he seems to suffer from travel sickness though

@copycopypaste gutted for you about the phone line, so frustrating.

I had some bad personal news today and my patience with the pups biting was not good, DH had to take her for a while. Shes now sleeping like a little angel and I feel horrid for thinking badly of her. Hoping tomorrow is better all round

Today I didn't get humped. Okay, there is still time I know, but just wanted to share that with you all!

We had a nightmare evening last night. He didn’t want to nap for longer than an hour, I took him out of his crate and was planning to put him back in but didn’t because I was distracted by how mouthy he was (he nipped me really hard on the arm and drew blood) and he ended up peeing on the floor. All my fault for not taking him out when I let him out of his crate.

Later he started barking in his crate when we went to bed. I don’t think he was barking long but I’m always hideously aware of the neighbours kids just the other side of the wall. I eventually got him to settle by pretending to be asleep in front of his crate.

This morning he’s been a good boy but I did notice he was quieter once he’d found his puzzle stick so I wonder whether he’s teething and this is making him tetchy.

I'm getting the impression we have been let off very easily!! He seems like a really easy puppy apart from the manic bitey sessions.

We just went for a beach walk for the first time and he paddles in the edge of the sea. Never thought he'd do that at this age. He loved the sand too.

@thecapitalsunited I feel your pain with that evening. I ended up so desperate for pup to go to sleep in his crate that I lay next to him and tried to convince him i was going to stay there! Still didn't work.

Pup on the beach!

I can't wait to take our pup to the beach! I think he's going to love it! He loves digging in the sandpit to lie on the cool sand underneath

@muckandnettles Luckily he sleeps in our bedroom so he knew I wasn’t going to go away even if I did get up and get into bed once he was settled.

@thecapitalsunited oh no, this is the kitchen floor I'm lying on. In the end I didn't care where he slept I was so tired.

I’ve had a fucking horrible afternoon with this dog. My first day of proper puppy regret.

He was overtired but wouldn’t go for a sleep. We packed the crate away after a total disastrous week of trying to use it with no success except constant barking and crying. He usually goes to sleep on our laps on the sofa but wouldn’t.

He became obsessed with chewing the corner of our tv unit (and has already ruined it). Every time he went to it we lifted him away and said no but he just kept running back to it. Then he started biting us (hard, not like when he’s mouthing) when we tried to move him away, badly. And it fucking hurt both me and DS. We must have done it over 20 time’s easily. He wouldn’t be distracted with a toy, or treats, or sit on the sofa, at all. Took him out for a pee and he just ran straight back in to it.

I fucking despair. I screamed at DW to take over and of course he curled up on her and went to sleep because he’s obsessed with her, she’s the number one even though it’s me he’s with all day.

I just wanted to get the crate back out and put him in it. Didn’t even care if he cried this time. I just needed a break. still do.

@Juiceey sorry to hear you've had such a rubbish day.

With the crate, have you got anything over the top of it? If you put a blanket over the top it makes them feel more like a den and snuggled in. That may help? Failing that I have actually covered the crate with a big blanket at enforced nap time and she seems to settle better- probably because she can't see us. However I am weary as I don't want her to over heat etc.

With regards to the tv unit, if you get a small bottle and put some marbles or rice in it. Shake the bottle every time the pup does something naughty and the loud noise hopefully may deter. After a while they associate this noise with the "no" and redirecting to toys and it should help. 💕🐶

I'm sorry @Juiceey

With regards to the crate I'd echo what happy said about the blanket. We have a blanket partially covering the crate during the enforced nap times, and completely covering the crate at night. It seems to have helped make him more snuggly in there.
Where did you have the crate when you were trying to use it?
And how long did he bark/cry for when you'd put him in there before you'd take him out?

Hope you have a better evening. It won't be shit like this forever

I think the biteyness is definitely linked to tiredness, for my pup anyway. When he becomes manic, biting and charging around we know he's tired so we force a nap and then he wakes up more chilled. I would try and persevere with the crate if you can bear it

We had the crate in the living room. For one night we slept by the crate on the floor and he cried the entire night- little gaps of maybe five mins then he started again and couldn’t be consoled- I’m not exaggerating. So the following night we left him alone to cry it out and he kept up the crying and barking for the entire night and we were like zombies. The third night I tried to sleep on the sofa just opposite the crate and he was exactly the same. I got no sleep.