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Original poster

Puppy survival thread! July/August! Roll up!

949 replies

Juiceey · 28/07/2020 14:05

Here we go, hero puppy owners.

We've just got back from the vet where I was shocked to discover he now weights 4kg. Little lump! He's 19 weeks old tomorrow. Wonder how big he'll get? On a miniature poodle group I'm in the adults are anywhere between 6-12kg. I hope he's small as easier to carry about!

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Original poster
Juiceey · 03/08/2020 19:23

Those from previous threads will remember that's EXACTLY what I did do! I wanted to die! I merrily spent the first month of Juiceypups life spraying the training spray on every wee. When I realised I was nearly sick. As soon as we stopped using it he stopped pooing in the house!

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smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 03/08/2020 19:53

We had a very successful trip to the park this morning where smileypup met and played with several other dogs, had a run off the lead and came back everytime he was called. He was exhausted when we got back but wouldnt sleep as DS's tutor came so he had to stare at her for the full hour just incase she tried to kidnap DS or something Hmm he eventually crashed when she left and slept for 2 hours.

thecapitalsunited · 03/08/2020 20:00

@Juiceey I did remember but I didn’t want to say that’s how I found out about the difference between the odour remover and the training spray 😂

pupstersdream · 03/08/2020 22:42

Pup has been a total dream up to now- really easy. But he seems to have turned into a demon these past few days, especially late afternoons and in the evenings. Nipping, barking and trying to play too roughly. He’s so responsive to training so I feel I should be able to do something to make it better. How can I tell if he’s not tired enough or if he’s overtired?

We’ve had him 2 weeks and definitely starting to experience some puppy regret

Yawningyawning · 03/08/2020 23:35

Night two. Can’t be any worse than night one 😬🤞

Imadreamer44 · 04/08/2020 07:19

An update on daycare: they said she loved it and played all day with the other dogs. She slept basically all evening and night when she got home, only waking up for dinner and a short play session.

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 04/08/2020 08:18

Well done @Imadreamer44 pup!

Went to bed even earlier last night. Still took an hour to settle enough to sleep and so I could go hear the bed. Zzzzzz.

AmigoDog · 04/08/2020 09:20

Oh no juiceey! Hop one day you’ll be able to look back and laugh...?

Glad it went well at daycare imadreamer.

pistachioicecream · 04/08/2020 09:56

Glad daycare went well @Imadreamer44

@smilingthroughgrittedteeth - Ah - it's so lovely to see them play with other dogs and so sweet he was watching out for DS

@pupstersdream - we're in week 5 now of having pistachiopup at home and I think just starting to come out of puppy regret and feel like it might be ok in the end! Hang in there.

It's still overwhelming at times and the disruption is immense but definitely feel like we're making progress. The biting is less than it was and we're all getting better at managing her environment to keep things calm and avoid triggers. We're able to walk her off the lead in certain areas and that makes a big difference - she loves it and it's so sweet that she knows where we live and leads us back home. Melts my heart when she trots on slightly ahead and sits at the back gate waiting for us. There's a field near us that you can rent for half an hour or an hour at a time for private use. We went as a family at the weekend for half an hour and she was so happy. Was so lovely to see her running free in the field, tail up and wagging, ears flapping as she ran around. We have teenagers and even they came with us which was lovely - why I wanted a dog in the first place - the whole family outside together in the fresh air and the puppy was totally part of that. Smile

Totally agree with everyone about the challenge of getting her to be on her own though. She's happy to be left in her pen all night but during the day she just doesn't settle anywhere on her own. Currently she's "asleep" in her bed next to my desk but I can guarantee if I get up to go to the kitchen or bathroom she'll follow me. Means she doesn't really get a deep sleep during the day as is constantly up and down.

Are other people's puppy's like this too? Or is this a Lagotto thing? I read somewhere that they sleep with one ear open so always listening out - and that is so true with pistachiopup! Challenge though.

Good luck @Juiceey How did it go yesterday? We definitely need to start training her to be on her own. She will sometimes wander out onto the patio and potter for a few minutes when we're in the kitchen. But really apart from overnight she's never on her own currently.

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 04/08/2020 10:38

@pistachioicecream GP is VelcroDog. I was outside the front door talking to a neighbour and she was the other side crying. I go for a wee, she sits at the bottom of the stairs crying. It’s even harder in the school holidays as the kids are almost always here. I’m off tomorrow so we might try going out the front door for a couple of minutes and see what happens.

OwlInAnOakTree · 04/08/2020 10:50

OwlPup is the same @pistachioicecream. If he sleeps out of his crate, he's definitely got one eye and ear open and he'll jump up and follow me if I move anywhere. If he's in his crate, he's fine for a couple of hours as long as he can't hear us. If he can hear us, he'll cry to be let out. I get the feeling with OwlPup that it's fear of missing out rather than fear of being alone!

Original poster
Juiceey · 04/08/2020 10:59

Juiceypup is exactly the same and cries if he's left in the kitchen for 30 seconds. I often take him with me to local bakery when I buy lunch and leave him in the car for 3-5 minutes and I can hear him crying the whole time! That's the only time he's ever left.

We didn't start it yesterday but we are today. We're going to go and sit in the garden for 10 minutes and watch him on the puppy cam.

I think he'd be loads happier if we could leave him roaming the downstairs, I suspect he'd just hop on the sofa and sleep. But I can't risk it as he's still so chewy and constantly in things. So in the kitchen it is.

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Original poster
Juiceey · 04/08/2020 11:43

What tricks can we teach him? He can sit, lay down, and paw.

We've given up on 'go to bed'!

OP posts:
BiteyShark · 04/08/2020 11:46

Stay
Touch (hand) with nose
Stand from a sit
Spin
Wait for a dropped treat until you say they can eat it
'Find it' for treats or hidden toys

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 04/08/2020 11:53

@Juiceey

What tricks can we teach him? He can sit, lay down, and paw.

We've given up on 'go to bed'!

😆😆 we have been training “on your bed” since day 4. We’re 6 weeks in. Still will not go to her bed on cue unless there’s a treat involved. She will at least settle on her bed out of choice, occasionally.
polkadotpjs · 04/08/2020 13:57

I'm knackered today and a bit meh. Walk was hard work today. I'm just tired of explaining his breed then seeing the sympathetic or horrified looks !
Then him being silly. We need to work on attention when walking so today I took sausages and kept saying his name and if he stopped and looked at me he got a treat. It's painful because it's only really me doing anything with him. We are camping at weir f and I'm DREADING it

OwlInAnOakTree · 04/08/2020 15:02

I can't remember what breed polkapup is @polkadotpjs? Training with all the distractions when out and about is so hard, isn't it? I realised the other day that I'm never going to have a well-trained dog whilst ever I've got an impossible to train child. We went to a field to try some off-lead recall yesterday. Not a secure field, but a big enough one that if we stuck to the middle and left his long line trailing, it would be safe enough. Except...my son started running, and OwlPup followed, towards the effing open entrance in the corner. Why would he do that?! He's incapable of listening or sensible thinking. Terrible combination. On-lead walks the same...son skipping on ahead, waving sticks about, me trying to stop pup pulling to catch up with him...sigh...

muckandnettles · 04/08/2020 15:08

You lot are definitely keeping me sane, I have to say. We are back from our few days away but this morning I made a stupid mistake and said I'd walk to where our second car was so we didn't have to double back in the cars. I was so confident that Mucky would happily trot along with me through completely unknown fields and streets along busy traffic...how stupid I was. Mucky just sat down about a million times as if to say 'I'm done now,' and wouldn't move. I had to virtually drag him in the end as no amount of encouragement or treats would move him enough. It was a nightmare. As ds wisely said 'everything just stacks up for him, doesn't it?' and he's right - new place, bags everywhere, strange walk, trains and traffic, strange dogs...it was too much. Lesson for the future.

muckandnettles · 04/08/2020 15:25

We have left Mucky for the first time ever to walk to the shop and back. Ds is upstairs just in case, but Muck is on his own unsupervised downstairs. He isn't asleep though he is dozing, but he watched us go. Feeling very anxious!

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 04/08/2020 15:40

Smileypup hates being left alone and just cries even if he can see me but not get to me.

We have had him for 6 weeks and i can honestly say its only been the last 2 days where ive fully enjoyed him and havent thought at least once "what the hell have i done" hes really enjoying going out for walks and its so lovely to watch him chase after the children

muckandnettles · 04/08/2020 16:01

We got back and Mucky was happily chewing his new toy (a sort of flat squirrel) and looked fine. That's half an hour out of the house!! Amazing.
@smilingthroughgrittedteeth I feel the same quite a lot and don't actually manage to relax and enjoy having a puppy, but it's lovely when I can do that. Now we are back home I just need to get him up to speed for Puppy School tomorrow night - we haven't done our homework!

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 04/08/2020 16:20

We’re at 6 weeks this week (and she’ll be 6 months old on Saturday) but aren’t experiencing many of those moments sadly. She never seems very happy or relaxed. You know how you see dogs with their mouths open and tongues out looking “happy”? She only seems to do that when out with other dogs. At home she is super serious. Even engaging in play is quite limited - she’ll play tug but after three or four goes I can’t engage her with it anymore. Same for chasing a ball. She does quite like training though! She will tolerate a stroke but can also be snappy when stroked though there’s no pattern to one or the other. She’s not really interested in the kids (who can blame her!). DH still not feeling the love at all (and slept in spare room last night because he didn’t want to come in and disturb her when he came to bed as getting her to go to sleep is SUCH FUN) so other than him doing some walks, I’m dealing with all the training side of things. I think she’s improving behaviourally in the day but still dreading night times as it’s always such a performance. Hohum. Would really like her to have some mind of half year epiphany that we’re quite nice really!

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 04/08/2020 16:21

Mind=kind!

LBee2020 · 04/08/2020 16:47

@muckandnettles That's amazing progress. Well done! The fact that Mucky felt calm enough to play with his toys whilst you were away shows he was comfortable.

muckandnettles · 04/08/2020 17:05

Thank you, @LBee2020 it does feel like progress!
@GingerAndTheBiscuits your 'super serious' pup still sounds really gorgeous! Ours has that dopey 'happy' face on all the time and it doesn't mean a thing, I can assure you. Usually it just means he is hot and is panting. I think things like playing tug and chasing a ball all come with maturity as they are so distracted at this age - ours is a retriever and won't retrieve diddly squat.