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!

@grannycakes your last puppy - mine too I think!

The pets at home app is well qorth downloading ive just paid £8.75 for 3 bags of james wellbeloved food with 50% off dried puply food, 10% off and 5% off

I have the Pets at Home app, but I couldn't use the dried puppy food offer on Iams, which is what he was on before, and the one I want to go with because I can get it in my weekly shop at Morrisons. Offer is only on PaH own brands. Oh well! I've had other good offers.

Bought our first pizzle today- for our 7 hour car journey tomorrow- will we suffocate with the smell in the car?

@marmite51 yes. It is absolutely rank. Like the smell of death. Soak hankies in something that smells nice and wave them under your noses 😆

@marmite51 You absolutely will! Sorry! Pup will be happy though so swings and roundabouts....

@muckandnettles What breed is your pup again?

LBee2020 he's a Golden Retriever (English Cream I think his colour is, ie. almost white not golden!) He was the biggest in his litter.

@Marmite51 7 hour car journey with a pizzle - you won't notice after the first 3 hours, I'm sure!

Maybe wear a mask @marmite51 :D

I need to not buy a pizzke but bet He'd love it!

Ha! Might leave the pizzle then!

My wee lad is 4 months old now and he's just a treat. We've been really, really lucky. He still sleeps amazingly on his own downstairs (wakes up about 9am) and the past five nights have been totally wee & poo free. Accidents are a rarity now..

He LOVES people and other dogs and his heeling is the best I've ever had in any dog, but he does have one issue. It's not a huge one and I'm sure it's very much a puppy thing, but I'm trying to nip it in the bud because it's a huuuuge pain in the arse. Towards the end of walks if he gets over-excited or frustrated in any way, he'll start tugging and ragging about his lead and/or my clothes. The latter is worse, obviously. He goes FULL terrier. I'm attempting to address it with calmness and tempting him back into a heel, which usually works.. Very occasionally I just have to pick him up though, when nothing is snapping him out of it.

I've just got back from puppy class and to be honest I'm totally exhausted, so is pup. There was a hell of a lot of sitting and listening expected from us and that isn't Mucky's greatest strength at this time of day, so if I sat at his side to calm him he got bitey, but if I stood up he stood up. He was trying so hard but it was difficult for him and I was so preoccupied keeping him calm that I didn't take some of it in, so it was just like school where you are told to get on with something but you weren't listening for some reason. Mucky was so overexcited being around other dogs he couldn't help but do some barks every so often and I felt quite embarrassed as the others were so good. It was only near the end of the class I realised that most of the others had done loads of classes already so their pups knew the drill. There was a handout at one stage and Mucky grabbed it from me and chewed it up. I was mortified. Hopefully Muck will be better next week because otherwise I'm not sure I can face 6 classes! Having said all that, there were lots of good ideas to practise and some interesting things coming up in future classes.

My DD age 3yrs is poorly (high temp and sore throat) smiley pup keeps checking on her and hasnt left her side all evening, hes currently curled up on the floor next to the sofa where shes dozing and everytime she cries out or moves he stands up and nuzzles her hand.

Ooh I've got terrible anxiety. We're off glamping tomorrow for two nights and I've worried myself sick! Will Juiceypup sleep? Will he keep us all awake? Will he burn himself on the fire? Will he poo in the bell tent?

My dpup was exactly the same @muckandnettles. We just did a one off workshop and I was mortified that she was the barky, over excited public throughout. However some of the stuff has really stuck and we use it a lot with her.

Also @muckandnettles JP was the worst behaved at puppy class too. I didn't go back for the last 3... paid for 5. I'm an idiot though, because I know they're used to it! So perseverance is needed for you.

That's lovely @smilingthroughgrittedteeth

Puppy classes seem very late! Emrys is also by 6:30-7, was shocked they did an 8pm class! He'd be a bitey mess! We've managed to find one at Sunday lunchtime, which starts in a couple of weeks. I hope he doesn't embarrass himself! He's not great with distraction!

I need to find a puppy class but with DP's working hours im not sure how easy it will be

That's so lovely of your pup @smilingthroughgrittedteeth. I hope your DD feels better soon.

We wouldn't cope with evening puppy classes either. OwlPup is in bed between 8-8.30, and often has a nap around 6:30-7:30ish whilst I put DS to bed. There's normally a class on Saturday mornings local to us that I had my eye on, but it hasn't started back yet. I've got a 1-1 session booked for next Wednesday afternoon. Looking forward to that.

Hope you have fun glamping @Juiceey.

Thanks for saying that about your pups being the worst as well! I do want to stick it out as it will hopefully be good for getting Mucky used to other dogs being around, but he was just oblivious to anything I said, just kept wolfing the treats. I was pleased to see the trainer did use a lot of treats though - just constantly handing out treats all the time in training. I do sometimes feel I'm getting through too many, but it seems that is quite right. I just wish Mucky could cut down the barking in class! It was almost like he was joining in with the trainer, so irritating.

@Juiceey have a lovely time glamping! I have huge anxiety about our Airbnb this weekend. So many things to go wrong outside your own house.

Hope your dd is better soon @smilingthroughgrittedteeth and what a sweet pup you have to look after her.

@GidgetGirl gorgeous pup and I am looking forward to when I can say Muckypup is a treat as well!

I've been working nights this week so not around DoorbsPuP from around 6 pm to lunchtime the following day. DH wfh, but not getting much done! Pup "pines for me" he say, when I'm not home. Frustratingly though, when I do see him when I wake up in the afternoon he turns in to a biting nightmare. Distraction was NOT working at all today, he just kept lunging for my arms, legs and knees, so I had to shut him behind the room divider gate.

Still, since we're adding pics of what gorgeous sweethearts they're growing in to, here's mine...freshly washed, blow dried, and looking very proud of himself last week 😍. 16.5lbs/7.5kg last time I checked... He's piling it on weekly!

Forgot to add...I'm VERY impressed by those of you brave enough to go away with pups at the moment! I'd love to get away for a few days but I just don't feel ready with him... I'm hoping come October half term he'll be a bit less of a handful, and a bit more predictable and we'll get away then.

Also, DH went to puppy class tonight as I'm working. He messaged me earlier saying that ours was "definitely the most....umm..... boisterous" of the bunch 😬😂

I’ll be really interested to hear all your experiences taking the puppies away. We cancelled our holiday this year after we’d confirmed we were getting ours, but potentially have a weekend away at a friends place in a months time.

Our puppy training classes start in a fortnight. I’m sure pup will be the least bothered there. They go on for 12 weeks!

Still having poo In crate issues with pup. 3 nights now I feel so guilty. After the first one I woke up at 3:45 and let him out and it was fine. The next night I did the same but he’d already gone in his crate. Set my alarm earlier for last night but again I was too late. I’ve set it for 3:00 for tomorrow now. When I was sleeping next to him last week he woke round about 4 so I’m hoping that 3 will be early enough! His toilet schedule is so all over the place though.
I opened his crate at 6 this morning and he’s still not up. I’m half thinking yay he’s sleeping longer and half dreading there’s a bad reason for it...

I think with the puppy class, the most difficult thing for me and Mucky was sitting and listening. When we were all watching the others get up and do something he was more interested, as he does like watching people, bit when it was just the trainer talking he just got really bored and a bit shouty. It really is a bad time to do the class because as others have said, it's usually his downtime after a meal. I'm hoping next week will be better as I was maybe a bit anxious this week and pup picked up on that as well!

One of the things I'm going to try today is saying 'Mucky, look at me' when he is walking along on the lead, and then when he looks give a small reward. We practised this walking round the room and although I thought Muck was pretty good at walking on the lead, he was terrible with so much distraction, so the 'look at me' is a good thing for that to get as a habit.

Dh was calmer about pup yesterday and the gorgeous new bed arrived that he had ordered for him. Mucky went crazy with happiness when he saw it which was just lovely! I know this might sound awful, but until now pup has been using an old bed that belonged to dear departed dog (it is washable!) because we thought he might destroy it anyway, which he hasn't, bless him.