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

@ashmts He's 14.5kg now - the vet thinks he will be 16.5kg fully grown. He can do it if he wants to and post walk, always walks really nicely so I'm hoping he will grow out of the excitement bit on the way there though I do know spaniels are notoriously bad on lead walkers! I would have thought your girl walking with other dogs would make her walk better? So maybe it's excitement for her too?

@Sparkle79 that does sound quite stressful. Maybe as he gets used to being round you all and less territorial/threatened he will calm down a bit but I agree, a good trainer/behaviourist early on can make a real difference

Lead walks here were fine at first but are pretty awful now, just like HappyPup he eats everything off the floor, the trainer took him out and he was better for her, I can get him to drop most things also but it isn't fun in any way.

I went out with DH to walk tonight, we usually go alone and he was totally crap at stopping him from eating everything, on one occasion I said he's got something in his mouth, he was like well I think its just a bit of moss and he's dropped it, he hadn't and it was chewing gum which I retrieved! I am really pissed off actually, I feel like I can't trust him but too annoyed to address it.

We have managed children, redundancies, family bereavements etc pretty well, but having a pup has made me so irritated with him. I really don't feel that he looks after him properly and it is really getting to me. It sounds so daft but if he did something that caused him to be harmed I don't know if I could forgive him.

I admit I may be overly emotional today, my youngest has been really tearful today over an issue and it has got to me a bit.

@PugInTheHouse I don't think it's an unusual feeling. We have an odd shaped garden and a side of our garden (not visible unless you stand in one place) that opens out onto a public footpath so we can't let Happy in the garden without watching him and I know dp just lets him out and doesn't bother to watch him. It especially annoys me as I'm sure when I'm not here, he's not watching him at all. It's not daft and I totally get what you mean. I also still use the baby monitor as we can't hear him upstairs yet i know dp doesn't use it. At times I feel utterly furious about it and at other times, I just think we have totally opposite styles and there are things he does better than I do.

I have no solutions for you but only sympathy!

@HappyThursdays thanks, it feels so silly but it is so frustrating. I probably did think the same when the kids were little but I've forgotten

@PugInTheHouse that's tough but hang in there! If you got through all those other things you can get through this too, and having a puppy definitely tests a relationship in the same way a baby does, especially with the sleepless nights and general exhaustion added in.

@ashmts @HappyThursdays yes we're doing zoom training and our trainer is fab.

Do other people's puppies snap / growl / bite when they're cross (eg if you try to take a pair of socks out of their mouth)? I'm not sure how normal it is, and have read so many conflicting things.

Haha @Sparkle79 I told my husband yesterday 'he's frustrated, not cross' 🤣 but yes, amounts to the same thing - being bitten! Ours is especially when we try to get in the way of him biting things he shouldn't (sofa / benches) chewing things he shouldn't (I try to do a swap, but there isn't always something around!) or being somewhere he shouldn't (upstairs).

@Sparkle79. Ours grumbled sometimes when tired and you try and move her, alaway took things off her with swaps though, a treat or toy. Now she gives them up mostly once she’s got your attention. Which is what she is looking for,

@HappyThursdays wow big boy! Yeah it's absolutely excitement and frustration. She wants to play and we're spoiling her fun by walking too slow. Apparently she's easily corrected at daycare so walking with other dogs must be helping a bit.

@PugInTheHouse I'm exactly the same with DP, he just doesn't see the potential dangers the way I do. But then I can be a bit neurotic so it's also good that he has the confidence to let her off the lead etc, quicker than I would have.

@Sparkle79 it can happen but it should be nipped in the bud. We've been really careful to try to prevent resource guarding ever since we got her, so we never take anything out her mouth without swapping for a treat or toy. This will be harder for you if the previous owner already caused bad habits. Ours isn't perfect, she used to nip and bark when I tried to take her off the sofa (when she was 11-12 weeks) so we blocked her access for about a month, until she learned to behave. Try not to let them practise the negative behaviour. So no socks lying about, nothing they can get hold of that you'd need to take off them. Use room dividers, stair gates, whatever you need to. We had a room divider blocking off the sofa and stairs, and had to dig up all the stones in the garden as she had a habit of chewing and occasionally swallowing them. Now she can be more or less trusted around everything.

Yeah I am probably extra worried TBH, I have been doing all the reading up on everything so I guess I know all the things that are dangerous (chewing gum etc) so totally paranoid. Esp after caterpillar eating incident!!

@ashmts@PugInTheHouse, oh my this is me, reading everything, saying we should be doing this etc..husband is not exactly disinterested but he is nowhere near as bothered as me and this is exactly like when dd was a baby! Anyway in good news, just over a week into going out, she loves it even in -3 weather. She’s finally had some socialisation with both dogs and humans too.

Archer puppy went through the night last night! May be a one off. Only one accident yesterday in the house. So far none today but we watch her like a hawk. Not so successful was a tiny trip in the car. We have a second hand puppy harness given to us and then a seatbelt connector. I was with her but she was deeply unhappy. Have gone to get a soft travel crate for her (bit flimsy) for the next few weeks and then will spend the bucks getting a crash tested boot one for the car.

Hi all, I’ve been a lurker for a while and can I just say this thread has been a massive help in knowing I’m not alone in how I’ve been feeling at times. I have a now 4 month older cocker spaniel, called Archie and things are so much better now than that first 4 weeks before he could go out for walks.

My thing at the moment, is that I feel like my life and day to day routine resolves around the pup! Constantly thinking about taking him out to try avoid accidents, thinking when he may be due a nap and planning things around it. Worrying that I need to keep him awake in between naps, so trying to keep him entertained etc. But with all this I feel like I’m neglecting my daughter a bit (she’s 9) as most my attention is on pup! Aargh.

Sorry that was a long first post!

@EmzBPupMum I feel the exact same about my puppy! My days revolve around her and her routine, especially with making sure she is outside often enough, so you’re not alone. It is especially hard when she is reluctant to settle in the rooms I spend most of my time in (mostly the living room). So I completely sympathise!

We're on 16 weeks here and things are getting very slightly easier thank god. Still getting biting but we're trying to be more consistent with time outs which I think is working slowly. He's also a nightmare on walks - biting the lead, jumping and pulling. On the plus side he's getting better at playing on his own and he's more confident with other dogs.

Completely relate to the being trapped feeling.
My life is mainly in the kitchen diner now!
And I don’t think I really appreciated how long it would be until I can take her for proper long walks which is the main reason I wanted a dog!
Also we’ve got a bit complacent on weeing and she’s doing at least one wee a day indoors
And we live fairly rurally so she hasn’t met many dogs or people thanks to lockdown.
And we’re in a bit of a pickle re sleeping. She sleeps well but dh is still sleeping on a mattress on the kitchen floor with her!

It's mad isn't it, thanks for that. Always nice to know your not alone or going mad. 😀

Yes @Petalpup know what you mean about the walks, we are doing about 20/25 minutes at the moment. Just keep thinking by time the warmer days come we will be able to be out longer. We are still having the odd accident, just times when he just doesn't attempt to go to the toilet. Luckily only wees and mainly on a nighttime

@Plantlover23 I've forgotten what's it like to just sit and relax and not be thinking or worried about something.

@MyRabbit79 yes ours still gets a bit bitey mainly when he's tired so we do the same with time out

It's crazy as just last year we lost our old German shepherd dog who was nearly 11, and you forget what hard work a puppy is compared to your fully grown pooch. 😀

@EmzBPupMum I know exactly what you mean. Never thought I'd be obsessing about all things puppy! We have naturally got into a bit of a routine which gives us a couple of chunks in the day where we can pretty much guarantee he'll sleep. Are you using a crate/pen? Could you put him down for a sleep with a stuffed Kong or a chew after you've had a walk, and make that your 1:1 time with your daughter?

@Doje @MaryIsA reassuring to know its not just us with the biting. @ashmts thanks for the tips. We are trying to do things in a more positive way with swaps for toys/food to see if this helps.

@Sparkle79 we are a bit the same, where I know when he's about due a nap etc but then find myself worrying if things are running late or trying to keep him awake until his normal nap time. yes he has a crate downstairs and we do use it for meals, time outs and the occasional nap time. Most times though he just falls asleep on the sofa, but then as soon as you move he's awake.
My next worry which I know from reading the threads loads of people are worried about is I know I need to start leaving him more, but with home working and home schooling, somebody is always around.

@EmzBPupMum, yes exactly how I feel. I wake up feeling on edge too especially if I am home alone with her. I will be ok this week as hubby around for half term and I am on leave so not as much juggling but I didn’t expect to feel like this! She is is 13 weeks and dont think I’ve bonded with her yet.

Do you guys ever wake up and think god have you regressed today 😂

How are you guys training separation?

At what age should I be letting pup go up and down the stairs on his own? He's a lurcher so leggy and tall and weighing 13kg so it's getting progressively harder to carry him up the stairs! He's 18 weeks now and I've read lots of conflicting info online ranging between 4 months to 9 months. My back won't last much longer 😩

I am really loving this thread. It is giving me a confidence boost that what we are experiencing is normal.

We are 9 nights in and now GrassPup is sleeping in his crate but with the door open and nobody has been in the room with him overnight for last 4 nights. Last night he woke at 1:15 (wee) and 5:45 (poo) both on his pad outside the crate which is the best night we have had so far. We do still have to settle him back to sleep but he does then go back.

Is it wishful thinking that he will just start sleeping longer and longer as his bladder control gets better, I really don't want to leave him to cry.

Just popping on to say, it does get better! House training clicks, they sleep through the night, they stop biting.

Ours is 13 months and I was getting dressed this morning while she snoozed in her bed having a lie in and we were thinking back to when we thought we'd never be able to wear nice clothes again as she was biting and shredding them as a puppy as we tried to get dressed.

@Frankincense88 ours is smaller so this advice might not apply - but the vet said just be sensible, if she's going fairly slowly up the stairs to or 3 times a day then that's fine, just discourage lots of zooming up and down the stairs as a game.

Morning everyone I am feeling a bit gloomy today. The weekend has been wet and arctic temperatures so walks have been short and miserable. Doesn't help that I am trapped in the house waiting for a delivery.

I think Puppypup is teething again - he's mouthing my hands, rubbing the sides of his face with his paws and not quite himself. Cat 1 and dog have been being a pain together and it makes me feel really tense and annoyed which in turn makes Puppypup even more hyper. I might start a thread about it but if anyone has any tips for cat /dog harmony when the cat is the one getting in the dog's face I would be all ears.

@EmzBPupMum I still feel really constrained by Pup. I am also the one who mostly takes him out just because it gets dark as DP finishes work and so I feel a lot of the burden of training etc is also on me to sort out lead walking, recall etc.

@HappyThursdays Puppypup has also gone from being silent to having a quite annoying bark. He has half an hour on look out patrol in the mornings at our front windows.

@MaryIsA you give me hope! Just another 7 months to go.......

@MaryIsA you’re giving me hope! The only time I’ve worn a dress since getting HummusPup 12 weeks ago was on NYE and she got so excited she immediately tore a hole in it . Hoping I’m not consigned to leggings and wellies forever!!

@EmzBPupMum I know how you feel - our pup is 20 weeks old and whilst she is doing really well in many aspects she still takes up pretty much all my time/headspace. Rationally I know it won’t be like this forever but I would love a crystal ball to tell me when!!