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Original poster

Puppy survival thread! June 2020

693 replies

Juiceey · 31/05/2020 11:37

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!

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Original poster
Juiceey · 26/06/2020 09:01

He is so slow and sniff, sniff, sniffs. He has no concept of trotting along nicely next to me, instead darting from left to right and backwards

OP posts:
muckandnettles · 26/06/2020 09:13

@Juiceey I know what you mean about the walks - our pup loves it all so much but the sniffs, oh yes those sniffs everywhere... He is also so hyper alert and busy taking it all in that it's no good doing rewards of any treats as he barely notices it. I have tried to reward him and train him to stop at kerbs for example, but it's just 'what are you shoving in my face, a piece of cheese...oh whatever...' so sometimes he will sort of absentmindedly eat a treat, but he's not bothered at all like usual. So I guess you have to get over this part before you can train them very much on a walk. He is getting slightly better at putting on and taking off his harness now that he associates it with a walk.

DangerCake · 26/06/2020 09:32

Ours has a fab time off lead, take her safe places and she's good to come back and cautious about approaching other dogs and reasonably polite in going up to people. We let her off lead as soon as she'd had her vaccs as all the experts said they stick to you then. And she did. And we just stuffed her full of sausage bits at every opportunity as we walked along.

But on lead....ffs.

HeyLala · 26/06/2020 09:36

OMG mine is exactly the same.

Sniff, sniff, then lie down completely flat.

Tried the treats to coax him, he walks 6 feet, takes the treat, then lies down again. Won't budge until someone walks past. Tried holding the treat by my side to get him to walk but he's not interested.

Might have to start going out with someone else to try and keep him walking.

The big reason I got a dog was for walks every day. Failing completely 😬

muckandnettles · 26/06/2020 10:11

I've watched those training videos where they walk along, handing treats to their puppies to keep them going alongside, walking and treating...I'd like to see all the attempts before those perfect videos. My pup would much rather go for someone's dirty tissue left in the gutter than a treat. I suppose I will have to bring a little puppy buffet with me to see if maybe ham will work, or sausage, cheese, whatever. Huge great carrier bag of food...

Imadreamer44 · 26/06/2020 11:16

Completely agree. We started walking this week and she could not care less for treats, much more interested in rolling in grass then lying flat and not moving. Managed to get her lead on today without her trying to rip my hand off which was a bonus!

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 26/06/2020 11:24

Day time naps tips? Pup came home yesterday, she’s an older (4.5 months) rescue who hasn’t lived inside. I’ve made two attempts to put her in her crate as she has been awake since before 7 but she’s just crying and crying. Do I just wait it out? Give it 10 minutes then take her out and try again? The yelping is getting more intermittent but it’s making my heart race! She slept okay in the crate (eventually) last night

Imadreamer44 · 26/06/2020 11:26

Our pup loves her pen at night Ginger but refuses to sleep in their during the day. Could you try her on the sofa and trying to relax her or taking her bed from the crate and putting it on the floor in the living room?

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 26/06/2020 11:30

She seems quite wired when she’s in the living room. She’s quietly huffing and puffing in her crate now. My stomach is in knots, it’s like having a newborn just waiting for them to start crying again! Could do with a camera so I could see if she was asleep

HeyLala · 26/06/2020 11:48

@ginger

If there's two of you in the house could you use your phones on FaceTime ?

My daughter and I do this as we're leaving the house for short times to try and get pooch used to being on his own. We leave one phone pointed at the crate but so he can't see it.

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 26/06/2020 11:55

@HeyLala there will be over the weekend and most of next week, so we will have a chance to try it out!

OwlInAnOakTree · 26/06/2020 14:13

We still can't go out on walks yet, but I've tried walking on the load in the house giving treats every step. There's plenty in the house he's distracted by (we walk in the hall where he doesn't spend much time, so even that's exciting!) so I can't imagine it will be that successful outside. It also hurts my back. 😆

Livelovelife35 · 26/06/2020 19:02

Will this puppy stage get easier as the weeks go on?
I'm not use to having a dog mum was never keen on them so all our pets growing up were cats etc
We have been talking about a dog for ages and were going to wait till we get a house but that could be some time yet so rather than wait thought we would do it now but didn't want to re home after hearing serval folk saying you need to meet the criteria etc so we didn't want to end up disappointed so went to a breader
He's now 10 weeks old had his first jags this week so last lot in 2 weeks
We are thinking of puppy training classes when they are allowed to open again
So far the toilet training is so so sometimes he knows where to go other times he just misses other times he just runs about with the pad in mouth
As for the bitting he now and again for no reason goes for your feet and sometimes hands when trying to pet
Will this get easy as days go on and has anyone after a week thought what have we done should we have got a older dog etc

OwlInAnOakTree · 26/06/2020 20:04

@Livelovelife35 I honestly have moments every day, sometimes several moments every day, where I think 'what have I done?!' I'm only 4 weeks in, and, whilst it's still hard work in many ways, it is already much easier than it was a few weeks ago. Hang on in there.

With the pads, I wonder if something I did with a mat might work for you too? I bought a high absorbency bath mat to use as a door mat in front of our patio door so that it catches some muck and water as he's running in from the garden. He chewed it instantly of course, no surprise because it would make a really good snuffle mat! So I put it away almost straight away. Yesterday I was feeling a bit more patient, so I got it out, cut up a few cocktail sausages into small pieces and sat near the mat. I also sprayed it with bitter apple spray but I'm not sure how effective that was. Then every time he went to nibble or chew or pull the mat I said 'nope' and gave him a piece of sausage when he looked up at me. Repeated this about a million times throughout the day but he's figured it out now. Sits on the mat but has only tried to chew it twice today. I wonder if the same might work for your puppy pads? Bit labour intensive at the beginning but was worth it here.

Hope things get easier for you. I knew it would be hard work, but didn't fully understand what that meant until he was here!

muckandnettles · 26/06/2020 20:11

@OwlInAnOakTree I also would recommend the bitter apple spray. In desperation I sprayed it on my clothes one evening but it didn't help really as you can't saturate yourself enough in the stuff!

OwlInAnOakTree · 26/06/2020 20:22

Ha, yes @muckandnettles, my next step was going to be to douse my son in it. Didn't think it was effective enough to bother in the end.

Livelovelife35 · 26/06/2020 20:24

OwlInAnOakTree thanks for that advice
I knew taking care of a dog is more work and know the basics but seeing as I've never owned a dog let alone a pup thankfully my partner has experience in collies so that sorta helps
The toilet training anit doing too bad (though I describe it as letting a baby loose without a nappy on) he is getting there slowly
I've heard of that bitter apple spray right now the wee dude likes to try and chew everything did buy something similar to bitter apple spray so far its done the trick

Have got carrots coming in the shop tomorrow to freeze and will pick up some hot dogs
Suppose its like having a child if its your first then its a learning curve and the end will be worth it

Polkadotpjs · 26/06/2020 20:31

On a plus point my puppy is chewing my hair so I may move him round my head methodically to give mr a trim....
I've just put chicken in his Kong for some peace from the biting!

Polkadotpjs · 26/06/2020 21:31

He's asleep in his crate. It's too early!! Gah! Maybe I'll go to bed now to prepare...

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 26/06/2020 21:49

The bitter apple spray is brilliant i used it with my last pup.

Today weve had a delivery of a yak chew, nylabone chews and an antler. Gave him the antler this evening and he loves it ive had nearly an hour of peace, he likes the sound it makes when he drops it on the floor so is alternating biting it and picking it up, running onto the bottom step and dropping it then pouncing on it.

He slept well last night 10.30pm - 3am, out for a quick wee then slept till 7am. Im trying to follow the same routine tonight because i dont cope well on little sleep especially in this heat

Livelovelife35 · 26/06/2020 23:31

the stuff we got for bitting seems to have worked or is working its not apple
Hes actually went to bed his self the night kinda shocked suposse a puppy is a lot like a baby in away you get stressed with babies the same you do with pups

loubieloo4 · 27/06/2020 01:22

We had a very bitey Cavapoo once we changed her food to Eden (absolutely brilliant) and got her a snuffle mat she stopped biting pretty much straight away (10 weeks old), we used her daily allowance of food split into 3 two for the snuffle mats (am/pm) and the third for doing training with in the afternoon.

It will be worth it honestly

Puppy survival thread! June 2020
marmite51 · 27/06/2020 05:10

I fear I spoke too soon about settled sleeping for our wee guy. After two weeks of not a peep from him through the night, he's been up pretty much all night. DH has been up twice, I've been up for hours with poorly DS, and now I'm sitting next to the crate waiting for puppy to drop off whilst he whimpers. He's definitely calmer with me sitting here, I think he'll drop off soon.

Wonder what's changed?

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 27/06/2020 06:36

@marmite51 could it be the heat? Or maybe because youve been up with DS and its disturbed pup?

We had a full nights sleep 10.30pm - 6am in the crate next to my bed with no whimpering at all hes now back to the dropping the antler off the bottom step game Grin

muckandnettles · 27/06/2020 08:38

I was out early for a walk this morning and it was so lovely to finally meet up with the same dog walking people I used to see when we had our old dog - just so lovely to have those chats with them again. One of them used to have a retriever and she remembered how bitey he was as a puppy which gave me a lot of hope as her old dog was adorable and the softest dog ever. She now has a 9 month old pup so it was just gorgeous watching the two pups together running around. Just a bit of normal in between the biting and the barking at home. Pup is in his element once he is out doors - just loves it so much it makes me want to take him to lots of new places. He walked there a bit better as well although he still refuses treats when he is out, which is really funny. It's like 'What are you doing, woman? Can't you see I'm busy? Stop shoving food in my face!'