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!

@m0therofdragons if pup likes fish, I recommend Fish4Dogs. They do free samples for puppies as well.

@MrsElijahMikaelson1 that sounds just like us. (Puppy is fine today - I may have been jumping the gun suspecting uti but he's being tested Monday anyway)
He is 10.5 weeks. Sleeping brilliantly in crate at night from 12.30 to 5.30 (cant believe I am now considering that a good night's sleep ! But we are taking turns to do the late or early shift so no one person too sleep deprived ha) He is so good with basic commands, sit and wait - all for treats obvs. Not able to go out walking yet and no real practice of recall. Have socialised him with 2 other dogs so far and its gone OK. He is still nipping us a bit but not as bad (unless he is over tired when he loses it completely for 10 mins) Just been out and got a collar and lead - he looks so smart ! He always poos outside but am guessing the wees will take more time ? Love hearing what everyone else is experiencing having no experience of dogs at all.

We went to a puppy playdate today and it was sooooo cute! Juiceypup was so happy to be running and playfighting and playing none stop. There was a few not so friendly dogs which gave me anxiety but I was able to keep him away from them.

I also recommend fish4dogs now. Juicepup loves his treats from there, especially the salmon skins.

I bought granny pup a playpen in Aldi today. It will be useful in campervan and it folds flat. But the real reason i bought it was for somewhere to pop pup when in manic biting mode. She loves it and has gradually moved all her favourite toys into it. Not needed to zip up door yet but the biting is usually an evening problem

Dragonpup has now turned his nose up at forthglade chicken which he previously liked. I’m gutted as it’s supposed to be so good for them, it doesn’t smell horrendous and it’s stocked in our very local shop. He’ll only eat it if I mix it with tuna! Slugs however are delicious. Wtf?

Be careful with slug eating, they can carry lungworm, which is not good!

It not something I’m encouraging but I can’t understand how he’ll try to eat leaves and slugs but will just refuse food that’s supposed to be really good. All the reviews are amazing.

I’ve ordered Millie’s wolfheart sample pack and if that’s not a winner maybe Luna and me raw food... need to empty the freezer a bit first though!

Morning all
I'm at my wit's end with food. I started moving over to raw yesterday and it all seemed to be going well. This morning, Olivepup has refused to eat anything and then went into the garden to eat soil. I am starting to feel really down about it all. Normally I would just give in but I won't today. I know it is my fault for pandering to his fickleness.
I just want him to eat properly and sleep properly.

Oh no how irritating olive. AmigoPup is a week into butternut box and currently loving. I’m sure he’ll get bored and fussy again soon though.

Does anyone give their pup cows ears or similar? Are they suitable for puppies? I want something I can give him to chew on when he’s getting jumpy or when we are eating. Something that will take time to get through. Any suggestions?

My puppy will be 9 weeks tomorrow and exactly the same. The first few nights I wondered the what hell we had done but now sleeping 10 until 5.30ish! Doing really well with pooing outside but the same as you with the wees a bit hot and miss but I'm sure she knows shes doing it 🙄. She also has a mad 10 minutes and will bite arms, feet, legs and clothing really struggling with it. We have tried time out, distraction, ignoring everything in the book. We have started to say a firm no and give eye contact as suggested by a friend. Not sure if this is right or wrong which makes me really anxious but does seem to stop her for a second!! Does anyone else do this?

Oh also found a silica sachet in her mouth last night 😳 she gave it up and hadnt bitten through but have absolutely no idea where she got it from!!

@AmigoDog I use a pig's ear for the manic evening biting and it's very effective- most of the time

@Amigodog yes, cow's ears are very popular with Mucky, though he gets through them too quickly now he has adult teeth. They are supposed to be lower fat than pig's ears, but I've no idea really. I get mine from Millie's or Amazon. I notice on Amazon you can actually buy ears still with their fur on - can you imagine?? I'm not too squeamish but that is a step too far for me. I also don't fancy the trotters or the snouts...but to be honest if you find a chew they like and it calms them down it's gold dust, isn't it?

@Dickorydockwhatthe I found a stern 'no' and eye contact was the trick to stop humping (usually) and certainly eye contact is important in training generally I think.

Ah silica gel packets are in dog treat packages and tend to fall out when you least want them to. Olivepup had one removed from his stomach about an inch square. I am really careful but I know realistically I can't stop him eating other rubbish.
Definitely muck - while Olivepup is recovering I have been working on 'look' as it really does help.
Quick question. Has anyone cleaned their pups' ears? Can anyone recommend a product? I took him to a groomer a month ago but she didn't touch his ears and they absolutely stink and are full of brown gunk.

@OliveButler that could be an ear infection - Mucky had something similar and I had to take him to the vets to get ear drops. I clean his ears a little if they need it, with cooled boiled water and a cotton wool pad, just the outer ear.

Hi all,
First time in the doghouse here (but old timer mumsnetter, on and off), looks like we'll be getting our first ever pup in Nov after thinking about it for decades! Being vetted by breeder this week! DC (11 & 9) and DH getting v excited. Me? I'm having weird pregnancy style dreams of accidentally flushing a puppy down the loo.

Morning everyone

I’m feeling a bit defensive after reading some of the other threads about getting a puppy in lockdown

Anybody have a tips for nipping ankles especially when outside off lead? We have a large garden and field so pup can have a lot of time off lead. He loves it, but when he gets too excited/ tired/ hungry he starts nipping my ankles. Any suggestions? I guess I could take the lead with me but as it’s secure I’ve not been bothering but maybe that’s the solution.

Oh we also had our first humping incident yesterday which teen dc thought was hilarious, but I need to crack down on!

Thanks granny and mack. I have ordered some cows ears. Hopefully it will distract from evening biteyness here as well. I know what you mean about fur and snouts, but yes think I’d put up with squeamishness for a calm moment or too. Not so sure about fouls smelling chews though...

@AmigoDog I rely heavily on natural chews to give me a bit of calm at various points in the day. I have cow's ears, yak chew, split antler, coffee wood and bull pizzles. Bull pizzles are far and away OwlPup's favourite. I probably should limit them more than I do, but he has one a day, spread throughout the day if chunky enough, but some don't last long at all. He'll have a nibble on a cow ear daily too, but he can leave these half eaten, whereas a pizzle he'll see through to the end however long it takes. His split antler became a lot more popular after the trainer told me to rub a small amount of hard cheese into it. He's nearly worn down the inside of the antler since I started doing that. Chewing is the only time he's still really.

@pupstersdream I ignore any comments about criticism of lockdown puppies. It was the best thing I've ever done- we've had three solid months at home with him settling him in before we need to go back to work next week. When else in my life would I ever have been able to commit that time?!

@pupstersdream we have a lockdown puppy. Dh’s job has changed so he’ll largely be working from home forever more and dc are 8-12 so it was finally the right time for us to bring a puppy into our family. Did we pay more than we would have in December? Yes, but we were happy to pay for the right pup.

Dragonpup was so good yesterday but today he’s a gremlin. He’s into everything and clearly isn’t a fan of the rain so we’ve had 2 wee accidents after 5 days of no accidents. Only on the hard floor so easy to clear up. I think he’s bored as he won’t go in the garden in the rain. Any ideas for indoor activities that don’t involve food?

He went to sleep early last night so I’ve been up with him since just after 6am... it’s going to be a long day.

OwlInAnOakTree Do the pizzles smell awful? I’m thinking it might be worth getting some for emergencies at least. AmigoPup is currently tucking into some tendons which he is loving.
And what does your pup do with the split antlers? AmigoPup has a non split one which he has chewed smooth. Just wondering if the split ones are any different. Thanks

@AmigoDog they are the worst thing I have ever had the misfortune to smell

Its pup week here - pick him up Thursday. Planning on raw feeding (have a drawer in the freezer dedicated and ready) and Absolute Dogs training which I'm really looking forward to getting started with... house is set up and ready with a crate and play pen to enforce naps etc...

argh!!!