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!

@Peachypips78 life is actually really calm for us at the moment we are one of the rare families that haven't found lockdown difficult (apart from financially) im a sahm anyway so life hasnt changed much for me apart from not rushing around after the kids and my partner works in film security so hasnt had work since March life is calmer and the most stress free its been for about 5yrs, im clearly missing chaos so thought a puppy would mix it up

Ive got the puppy booked in for his injections on wednesday the breeders vet isnt opened for routine appointments so we are having to do them from scratch, its been awhile since i had a pup is it 2 weeks between injections or 4?

@smilingthroughgrittedteeth that all sounds very sorted out, then! I think if you have had dogs before you will know what to expect. I have a DH and a grown up ds at home and although they help, it's almost worse because when something happens everyone piles in to help and the pup gets a bit overwhelmed. Then we all get irritated because we are all doing things slightly differently - total nightmare! I wouldn't like to be doing this myself with no help at all, but actually I would probably muddle along okay...

@smilingthroughgrittedteeth 4 weeks between injections.

Thanks @muckandnettles

I grew up with collies and had a beagle and lab x collie when i first moved out of my mums house, my partner used to work with german shepherds as a dog handler so we are used to dogs, ive never had a cocker spaniel though so thats a new experience. Although hes obviously a family pet he is predominantly my responsibility so most training etc will be down to me. I had planned on taking the pup and my 5yr old to training classes but im assuming there arent any running at the moment.

We are at two weeks now and its going okay, he sleeps well now in his crate/enclosure so I’m not longer sleeping on the sofa.

He met the neighbours three dogs for the first time today, due to a lack of puppy classes we are going to have little regular walks in the courtyard for socialisation.

He is getting on well with the cat now, mainly because the cat let him know that she doesn’t take shit off anyone!

I really hope puppy classes start again soon - I didn't do them last time with our previous dog, but really think I should have done. I had the attitude then that he would just have to fit in with us, do as he is told, how difficult can it be...etc. This time I'm learning from experts where I can and it's making a difference. Some brilliant people online I think. I love the FB page Pandemic Puppy Raising which is just full of great advice as well as having actual units to look at for all the basics. I also enjoy watching the guy on Simpawtico on FB and Youtube - he's a lovely laid back American guy, and his attitude to puppies is so lovely. I learned a lot just watching him talk to dogs and how he does that! Anyone else have good recommendations?

I'm doing puppy training via Zoom with a local trainer and it's going well. She can see how he reacts and offer advise and corrections. Hopefully we'll do some training in real life soon.

I am absolutely beside myself with puppy regret and something else today.

He has shit indoors then trodden it into the carpet. And pissed 3 times by the front door. I thought we'd cracked it after 5 DAYS with no accidents.

But then I find out....

I bought 'simple solution' from Pets at Home last month after lots of people recommended it on here. Today I discover? I accidentally bought the training spray - the one you spray where you WANT them to go, not to deter them! FUCK MY ACTUAL FUCKING LIFE!

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/simple-solution-puppy-aid-training-spray-500ml

Oh and I went to buy the proper cleaning Simple Solution spray today after my epic fail and he did a huge, sloppy shit on the floor in Pets at Home. I was mortified. It stunk. I had a poo bag so grabbed what I could but then had to stand there embarrassed for ages trying to ignore the looks of customers while trying desperately to hold him back from walking in it, waiting for a store member, who then wasn't very nice to me and acted like I'd really inconvenienced him and ruined his day. I felt like SHIT.

SO. MUCH. PUPPY. REGRET.

I also had a thought- when will I ever have sex again now puppy sleeps on my bed?!

Also we only had 1 week between injections!

Oh @Juiceey !!! You poor thing! The spray and the shit...omg, that's awful. It's got to be the lowest point, surely - it can only get better? That's so awful, it's not even funny. My pup is still pissing on his bedding so as soon as I get one piece of it in the wash he pisses on what he has left and so on. At the moment all his bedding is in the wash or drying, so he is sleeping on an old towel on the bare floor and I don't care. I mean, does he really want to sleep on piss-soaked bedding or is it that he hates our washing powder, or what is it? The door is open, he is right by the door, he knows how to go outside. We can't go on holiday anywhere until we get this sorted and although I know dh wants to go to a 'luxury' cottage somewhere, I would prefer somewhere that is more worn in, where a bit of piss on the floor won't be a disaster and where I won't be stressing all the time. So, a sort of dog friendly hovel with wipe clean surfaces. Has it come to this...

@HeyLala I might try that zoom training if classes don't start up - sounds good.

Zoom training sounds good ill look into it.

@Juiceey that sounds like an awful day, im sure it can only get better from now.

@muckandnettles it could very well be the smell of your washing powder as some smell like dog urine to dogs. I use a cheap bio washing liquid for dogs rather than out normal nice smelling non bio

With regards to toilet training, it is exhausting.
Every time my pooch wakes up I walk him to the back door and outside so he goes to the toilet. I am getting fed up of standing in the rain and the dark at night waiting for him to pee.

If I ever forget he always pees on the floor. I have one accident a day atm. Had 3 free days and thought we were getting somewhere but no, another accident. We then had 2 free days and an accident today but at least it was by the back four so I'm hopeful he was trying to get outside.

He is clean all through the night from 11 to 7am so I'm grateful to that, plus he has never done a poo in the house. We've had 2 poo's on outside walks which is also another victory as they mainly like to come home whilst they're young.

I've not had puppy regret yet but have come close as I'm working from home, on calls all day with one eye watching him walk around the house. Between calls I chase him round the garden to wear him out so he can go to sleep for my next call.

I'm exhausted 😩

As the training is over Zoom you won't need a local trainer so I'm using a fabulous lady called Jemma at www.milneandmuttdogtraining.co.uk

I'm sure she'll be happy to help.

We've had a couple of very bitey incidents today, which resulted in pup being put in time out in his pen. I didn't want to use his pen as a punishment but there is no where else to put him! The big bastard that he is!

@Juiceey, your yep to pets at home signs awful! The staff should have been much more sympathetic. Hopefully now you have the correct spray house training will improve.

@nicketynack how are you getting in with your bear?

How many of us today have been standing outside in the pouring rain saying 'just wee' through gritted teeth? I found myself praying earlier 'please God let him wee'

@Peachypips78 yes to standing outside in the rain, starting at 4.30am when I'd set my alarm to take him out and he was just like, 'nah mate, I'm fine thanks,' so I hald dragged him out and he just lay on the wet lawn ready to go to sleep again...so I went out and hoiked him up, made him walk round a bit and finally he did it. All the while not daring to speak because I don't want any neighbours woken by us and the wee walk in the wee hours!

A couple of puppy schools near us have reopened for either 1-1s or small groups outdoors

The downside of yak chews. Looks like someone's been grating parmesan all over my sofa...(still worth it).

@OwlInAnOakTree the chews arrived today and he tried the first one and wasn't too impressed, I have to say. It didn't really 'give' much when he chewed and certainly didn't go like the parmesan. I had to break out another pizzle. Urgh!

@GingerAndTheBiscuits I really hope they start doing that soon round us - a small group outdoors would be brilliant.

I attend a small (6 puppies) outside puppy training class I'm really enjoying it and learning a lot! I've had dogs before but never really done a great deal of training with them. Definitely keep an eye out for some opening up near you.

I've felt like I owned a crocodile today, not a dog looking at him asleep now, you'd never know!

Please can I join? I have 2 German Shepherd puppies. One is 13 weeks and one is 8, so not litter mates. Very early days, but going ok. We are being very careful to give the puppies individual attention, will have separate training classes (oldest one has started) and be walked separately. I have two teenage boys who are helping a lot. I love them both. We are feeding Puppy Nutriment.

Hi, please can I join?
We have an 11 year old Golden Retriever and decided to get another puppy to help 'keep her young' the pup is also a GR and is now 10 weeks. Toilet training has gone well, but man the nights are killing me. She wakes a couple of times to go out for a wee then at 5am thinks its playtime. My older dog is not impressed ! What do you do about the biting? The older dog is too gentle to tell her to F off !!

Hi all, how often are your pups peeing? Our nearly 12 week spaniel pup can go from a last wee at 11pm through til about 6am (which is brilliant) but in the daytime she is having masses of wee accidents inside... often just a couple of minutes after we’ve taken her out and she’s peed in the garden. She just seems to go little and very often. Is that normal?! I guess it’s still early days but would be good to feel we’re making some progress (however small!) as we’re doing masses of praise whenever she goes outside, ignoring the accidents indoors, and taking her out really really regularly. Sigh!