Puppy survival thread! July/August! Roll up!

[Juiceey]

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!

I’m willing to try anything. Thanks all. I’ve composed myself now! Have a good day everyone.

In the same boat as everyone else with the biting and jumping.

I stupidly wore a cotton dress this morning for the first time in the 5 weeks we've had her. Don't know about anyone else but I've been living in jeans or denim shorts that she can't damage so easily. But it's so hot and she's been less jumpy and bitey lately so I thought I'd risk it.

Mistake..... jumped up at and bitten several times already and dress has a hole in it :-( Back to crappy old things I don't care about.....

She had been much better lately but the dress was obv a step too far! It wasn't even long.... have been avoiding anything loose around my ankles as just far too tempting. Oh well.... at least I won't have to buy any summer clothes next year as I won't have worn any this year at all so they will all still be fine!

@Bethanemethane it's so hard, isn't it. I've got a 7 yr old DS who also spends most of his time in the other room. Such a shame and certainly not how he expected dog ownership to be! We had a trainer round last week who said to keep pup on a house line. When DS comes into the room, I hold onto the lead, keep rewarding pup for staying close to me and not lunging at DS. If pup remains calm, DS walks over to pup to give him a treat/calm stroke. It's still a work in progress but it is so much better than it was. A big part of it is DS remaining calm, which is incredibly difficult for him! I'm sure things will get easier. OwlPup is also 4 months now. We'll get there...

@pistachioicecream same here, I'm sweating away in already damaged jeans and a top with a few holes in. Daren't try a skirt.

@grannycake the thought of your GC wearing wellies and socks on their arms really amused me - that heat yesterday as well! Very sensible though. Glad it went well.

@Bethanemethane in the end I think they just grow out of the jumping bitey stage as we went through that and our pup somehow just stopped it in the end. (He's just lost pretty much all his puppy teeth and I think that has helped a lot.) We try and get him to sit while we are in the kitchen doing things, with a cup of kibble right by him to keep rewarding the sitting. It really helps if the whole family are on board so he knows if he sits in that spot it's allowed and he will be rewarded (only kibble, not real treats). Usually he gets bored in the end and wanders off, which is fine. I've cried over this pup several times, so know how you feel. I know it's not a huge help to be told it will get better, bit by bit, but it will. Sometimes we look back and can't believe how he has stopped doing something and we have hardly noticed. Mucky no longer takes much notice of what we are eating, for example - unless it's dh eating an ice cream when we are out somewhere because he stupidly gave him some once, so Mucky just stares at him and moans a bit until dh finishes and gives him some. I told him...I told him...

I'm wearing a dress for the first time in months, with bare arms and bare legs (so pale!) so I'm risking it today. Fingers crossed.

@muckandnettles I'm in South Wales so we had torrential rain and thunder

@Bethanemethane A couple of things that might help. Long stretchy toys - so either an old sheet or towel cut up and plaited with a knot at either end. Keep a few of them around the house. As soon as she starts, try to get her interested in the toy, keep it low to the ground so she doesn’t have to jump up (I found it easier to hold either end and get pup to bite the middle) then have a game of tug. Let her win sometimes. If she loses interest, try wiggling the toy on the ground to get her going again. Our pup only ever did a handful of rounds before losing interest and going to find something else. That should help if the biting is an invitation to play.

If it’s over tiredness and she has a crate, you can always try putting her in there with a chew or a licky toy - stuffed kongs, stuffed hooves, lickimats etc. The licking should help calm her down a bit and hopefully fall asleep. We never mastered the crate so didn’t have that option!

Typically for the first time in weeks we had a relatively good night last night. For once she was actually interested in the lickimat I took upstairs, settled on the bed quickly giving it a lick (and then a chew). I turned the light out and she hopped on and off the bed a few times and then settled to sleep. No barking or biting or chewing. I swear she reads MN when I’m not looking 🙄

OwlInAnOakTree What is a house line please? I get so confused by all these different leads.

And whilst I’m thinking about leads what type of lead do I need for his first trip out later this week?

Thank you!

@AmigoDog a house line is just a light weight lead. Trainer recommended buying a cheap one from poundland or similar and cutting off the handle so it doesn't get caught in anything. I'm currently just using the lead we have which is a lightweight one that doesn't bother him as it's trailing behind. I wish I'd done it sooner actually. A lot of trainers I'd seen in YouTube recommended house lines, e.g. Zak George, but I didn't like the idea of it. But actually can see now how using one could've maybe nipped a few behaviours in the bud.

Yes, typical @GingerAndTheBiscuits. I swear every time I post something that's going well on here, OwlPup proves me wrong.

Had a lesson in how I really can't take my eye off OwlPup for a second this morning. I was (finally!) sitting down in the kitchen having my breakfast, OwlPup being bribed by cheese to lay calmly on his mat next to the table, when DS charges in saying he needs a bowl of water and some powder for an experiment. He (repeatedly) ignored me saying now's not the right time so I got up from the table to talk to him, OwlPup spots the opportunity to jump up and swipe a slice of honey on toast off my plate. I then go and talk to DS out of the room, forgetting to push in my chair in under the table, but there's no toast left anyway...only to come back in to find OwlPup has used said chair as a step up and he's now standing on top of the table eating all his treat cheese from the pot on there. Sigh.

We have a table climber too @OwlInAnOakTree it's frustrating!

Day 6 of him being off his food. Wouldn't touch breakfast. Was sick in the middle of the night, possibly because he was starving (it was just bile). He did eat lunch yesterday and the day before but that's it. He's sleeping sooo much which I think is lack of energy from not eating, plus the heat.

@Juiceey I'm so sorry that pup is still off his food and not feeling well - it must be so hard to see him with so little energy, though I'm sure you are right that some of it is the heat as that certainly can't help.

@AmigoDog we used a house line just a few times at meal time when Muckypup was just getting a bit out of control with jumping and getting into everything in a very uncontrolled way. He hated it, but it just got us over that particular problem for a few evenings and then he was fine after. Getting a house line is the first thing that McCann dog training tell you about having a puppy and though it wouldn't be my preferred way of doing things, it just helps that little bit.

As it's so hot we are finally allowing Muckypup into the hall which I've not wanted to do before because I don't want him upstairs. The funny thing is, I've put a cardboard box across the stairs and it's stopped him bothering with them so far. I saw on FB that someone said they just have a bit of gaffer tape across the bottom of their stairs and that does the trick as well! He will probably prove me wrong later...

Thanks Mucky.

There's a flirt pole on amazon deal of the day for a tenner today! I paid more than double that. Juiceypup LOVES his. Definitely recommend, great if you're trying to watch tv!

Very quickly as supposed to be working today - a dog trainer told me that banning squeaky toys from puppies is a good idea when they are young and mouthy, as it encourages them to just keep on biting for the 'reward' of the squeak, and it's difficult for them to differentiate between 'fun' biting (toys) and 'bad' biting (people and clothes). We did this and I noticed an improvement I think xx

Just checking in, none of us are enjoying this heat hope you're all coping ok!

We've got his injections this afternoon, how did older dogs handle them? Any top tips for taking them? It's the upstairs of a pets at home so going to get him a harness that fits while we are there and some more chews as he loved his pizzle stick. His first proper outing other than a visit to family, need to make sure he's weed before we go, it really is like a toddler!

@Coffeewithmyoxyg3n Muckypup was fine with his injection - we had to hand him over to the vet outside, so I couldn't go in, but he came back a few minute later absolutely fine. He was maybe a bit more sleepy later on, but not so's you'd really notice.

We took Mucky out to see a friend today and it was so much like when we had a young baby - did you pack that for him, is he okay, give him to me, does he need a drink? Endlessly on repeat.

@muckandnettles thanks that reassuring, one of us can go in with him wearing a mask so that's something.

He's been a pain today and eaten a chunk of my kitchen floor in protest as he wasn't allowed outside in the heat! Could go for subdued and sleepy puppy right now! He's manic and wont sleep till after now. Going to ask the vet about puppy classes as he needs socialising and we could use help with his biting in particular.

@juiceey Ordered that flirt pole thanks for linking it.

Ours is also acting crazy today. I keep reading about these dogs that are just flopped about the house in the heat whilst ours is rampaging around and refusing to sleep in his pen like he has every weekday for the last 3 months....sigh!

Hello

Can I join please? We are collecting our little 8 week old Cocker spaniel puppy on the 23rd August (literally on countdown now!) so any tips are gratefully received 😊

You can only join if you promise photos! I love a cocker spaniel!

Bunglemum, show or working?

Sorry spelt your name wrong Bunglemom (cut and paste doesn't work on the app).

@Juiceey also just bought a flirt pole from that link - thank you! Mucky loved my homemade one (garden cane and a bit of string!) so a proper one will be lovely for him.

Here’s mine, he’s/we’ve survived the week 😬
Sharp teeth, hit and miss on where he goes loo, gets completely under my feet.
But cute face and a very waggy excited tail.