Puppy Survival Thread - January - February

[C4itl]

Continuing on the thread from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4105422-Puppy-Survival-Thread-December?pg=28 before we hit the message limit

@Putyourdamnshoeson we decided before we got C4pup that we weren’t going to crate train, but at the peak of puppy blues I did consider it as it seemed like it was just impossible to gain any control over him. DP was dead against it and we stuck with pup just being in the kitchen with a baby gate to block the entrance (open plan house) and it’s worked out fine I will say that it’s probably took us longer to toilet train during the night though, but not sure whether that’s just a dachshund trait or to do with the lack of crate too

@Plantlover23 hopefully he takes it as a hint to listen to you next time!

@LondonPupMum I have tried to time plantpups naps so they overlap with most of my work calls when possible! If not, lickimats, kongs, snuffle mats, puzzle feeders etc have all helped too! It is a challenge though and most of my colleagues have heard her whine/bark at least once...but thankfully they’re pretty chilled out!

@Putyourdamnshoeson don’t worry, I think I cried nearly every day for the first couple of weeks, barely ate and barely slept when we first got HummusPup. However she’s 19 weeks old now and pretty well toilet trained and sleeps through from 10pm till about 6:30am. Of course she still has her moments (a lot of moments!) but regular naps help, they need so much more sleep than you think!

@Plantlover23 other people are such a pain when we’re trying to train our puppies aren’t they?! We are trying not to let her jump up at people but some people (my parents mainly) - say it’s fine she’s a puppy. But I know they’ll be annoyed if she does it whilst wet and muddy!! She’s not going to think “ooh I’m a bit muddy today I’ll keep my paws on the floor”

@Putyourdamnshoeson i think the whole crate training thing is quite an American idea.

We found it helpful at night for toilet training, and she'd take herself off to bed up there everynight at about 9.30. We'd wake her up for a last wee and then settle her down for the night. It just meant we could sleep and know she'd wake us for a wee.

But during the day, there wasn't a chance in hell she'd have happily gone in there and stayed in there and with all the other crap going on at the time I didn't have time to crate train her. She wanted to be with us all the time. She had her own bed and went there.

@SpreadHummusNotHate imagine, ‘I’ll leave you alone today I’m a bit damp, you’re welcome’

It is incredibly frustrating! Trying to explain to anyone why I’m trying to avoid too much boisterous play as it gets her massively overexcited which = barky and bitey and overtired. Do they listen? Absolutely not Then I’m left to pick up the pieces of my overtired bitey puppy

Thanks guys. When did your puppy blues ease down? I think because tomorrow is our first day back working from home I’m a little nervous and just need to get the first few days out the way!

@LondonPupMum we picked up our pup at the end of November and to be honest I found it very difficult until Christmas. It was such a shock to the system, but a lot of people cope much better than I did

DH and I both had time off over Christmas and New Year and managed to get into a much better routine with naps and we were able to walk her just before Christmas was helped massively too. I am quite strict with our routine at the moment - mainly because HummusPup has terrible FOMO and would never nap outside of the crate. This helps me get work done from home, plan meetings etc, and makes the time we do spend together less stressful!

Hang in there because the first few weeks are tough but it gets better!

Puppy blues come and go but being able to go on a proper walk for 40 min half of it off lead is a definite turning point for us. (5 months)

We didn't crate train. We were going to, and she was going to have a pen during the day but whilst she was happy to sleep in her crate she hated the door being closed so gave up. She has a den under the stairs where she sleeps at night. Kitchen and living room doors closed and a stair gate. So she has the run of the hallway when I'm at work which I'm much happier with than a pen or crate. When we are in she is with us in the kitchen or living room where she has her own bed, but prefers the sofa or the kitchen armchair.

Dpup is 15 weeks and the puppy blues ended a couple of weeks ago. Things just start to come together and get easier and you stop worrying 'what have I done to my family?!' and start enjoying life as a family with a dog.

Working from home was trickier than I imagined. I'm part time working & full time homeschooling at the moment (not the plan!) and I've found it best if you wear out the pup just before important calls, even if that means waking pup up, in order to wear him out! Also, keep every Amazon delivery box, every toilet roll, every empty cereal box etc and keep chucking them at puppy when you need peace!

Thanks guys that’s helpful! My partner is a bit worried about me but I just want these weeks to go a bit quicker so I can feel a bit normal again 😂. Good to know others have been through it too and I’m not alone!

@Doje do you put kibble inside the boxes etc for pup? Or just let him play with it as is?

@Londonpupmum sometimes just a box, sometimes I put kibble in it. I don't think it makes much difference to him tbh!

We use the strong brown paper that comes in amazon boxes - squash it into a ball with a few pieces of kibble in different layers - great fun

Literarypup is 13 weeks old now and we're still a bit blue sometimes. We can finally walk him this week which I'm hoping will make a huge difference to us all. He's a cocker spaniel so just endless energy and needs to get out now. We still have periods of thinking "what have we done" but then he'll cuddle up on the couch all evening and it's bliss.

@londonpupmum I cant totally empathise. I was a bit like this with my first born too though. Now she is 11 and off to secondary in September and I dont really regret wishing anything away, I enjoy her as the person she is now.

My worry is that I am feeling blue and depressed and as a result, my head is in a muddle, even apparently simple tasks, training tasks, seem overwhelming.

@Putyourdamnshoeson Just focus on one thing at a time, don't bother rushing in to teaching tricks or anything at the minute

Dpup is 13 weeks now and I had a massive cry over the weekend plus threatened to divorce DH. It was a proper flashback to PND. But much better today now it’s just me and the pup.... I think the children are the real problem!

Sympathy to everyone having puppy blues. I found they ebbed and flowed for at least the first three months! I think one of the key things is try not to get panicky about the 'socialisation window' - that felt like a massive pressure to me to get a whole list of things done on top of adjusting to pup life.

I am having real trouble with cat and dog relations. Puppy is bigger now, much bigger than the cat (although he is a small dog) and his 'playing' is literally climbing on top of him, and mouthing his ears, tail etc. Cat will tolerate quite a bit of this but I really don't like it and do try to keep them apart. But it's the cat who insists on getting in the puppy's space! The cats have around 2/3 of the house to roam free in but my boy cat can jump over the gates and keeps doing so. when he is not doing that he is sitting somewhere visible causing puppy to lose his shit. At the moment I have pup on a house lead to try and maintain some distance between them but it's a massive pain.

Just took pup for her last vaccinations and she had a temperature so couldn’t have them. We’re at the end of the two week window so apparently she is now essentially unvaccinated again and can’t be walked! It’s going to take ages to do poo samples and get stuff off to the lab and then get it treated and then start vaccinations over again. Sorry, just a massive grumble but no walks?!?!?!

Hi all, we pick our long awaited puppy up next week! She'll be 8 weeks old. I'm excited but terrified 😆. Any top tips / essentials I might have forgotten etc very gratefully received!

Thanks guys for your advice! We had our first day which was relatively quiet for both of us, and he was only awake for like 3 hours of the working day! So not too bad. He’s getting very nippy - any advice on bite inhibition training?

@LondonPupMum timeouts have worked best for me. The ‘yelp’ works to an extent but sometimes doesn’t get the message across whereas leaving the room and removing myself completely seems a bit more impactful. It is also often a sign plantpup is overtired when she gets nippy so I lure her to a crate with her Kong!

Good evening
My puppy is 8 weeks old. Vaccination is a month away. I’m reading and hearing conflicting advice about taking him out in a body worn carrier as part of socialisation. Some friends saying it’s vital others saying he shouldn’t cross over the front door until he’s fully vaccinated. Opinions please I don’t know what to do for the best?

Hi @alseb if you carry them it’s fine, it’s more so they don’t touch where other (unvaccinated) dogs might have weed etc, if they are in your arms/a carrier they are safe. Our vet encouraged us to do this as much as possible for socialisation. Plus the new sights and sounds tires them out somewhat

@LondonPupMum. Time puts we’re definitely the best, just go out the room and shut the door for a couple of seconds. They also have to learn to mouth a bit. Also frozen tea towels etc to chew.

When really nippy they are usually tired. We never really managed it but a nap, play, train, nap routine probably helps.

@alseb socialisation is mostly about new sights, smells and sounds.

With most things, start as you mean to go on. If you don’t want jumping up don’t encourage it, praise good behaviour, ignore the bad, if you don’t want them to beg, dint reward it.