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

Hi to all the pups! Have posted a pic of ours :)

Londonpup has been so good lately. Training coming along well and we go for our first walk tomorrow.... so nervous for recall and off lead so think we may just do a long line at first!

We have been trialling leaving him alone and he gets a pig ear when we go out and doesn’t seem to notice us come and go. He’s barely touched the sides of it currently and looking at the cam while we’re out he’s just sat there eating it the whole time!

I haven't given pugpup a pigs ear before, I guess I worry about buts coming off and him choking? Are they safe for them? He loves antlers.

We are using the long lead still, pugpup is 4.5 months, his recall is great on the long lead, even with dog/people distractions but I dont feel confident enough just yet. He can be easily distracted and I feel he would just keep going if something really caught his fancy.

Loving all the pics, the pups are very cute.

@PugInTheHouse on the pack they say pups over 4 months! Ours is 3 months but we’re ok with it as breeder suggested. They’re quite hard to break apart.

Thanks @LondonPupMum obv pugpup is small so unlikely to be able to break anything apart lol, thats good to know as another option.

Here is Petal with some of her stolen goods in her crate!
She’s had a couple of rabbits’ ears which keep her busy for ages so might try leaving her with one of them soon.
She’s been snoozing like a good girl since about 8.30 while I’ve been on zoom with friends. Do I wake her up now for a wee or prepare myself for the inevitable nighttime wake up?!

Pugpup always goes to sleep at 830/9 but I still wake him around 1030/11 for a wee. Most of the time he goes, on the occasions he doesnt he will have had a wee about 8/830 and it seems to make very little difference to what time he wakes up.

She woke up as soon as I moved anyway! Hopefully she’ll go through all night now 🤞

So Plantpup slept well last night, pottered into the kitchen this morning, at her breakfast a charm them within 5 minutes...vomited it back up again No idea what is going on with this tiny creature!

Oh no @Plantlover23! Poor thing. Is she ok in herself? Maybe she just ate her breakfast too fast?

@Plantlover23 has she had the medication already? Could it be that?

I dont think the Squashie has given pugpup and real issues, bit of a dodgy poo last night but presumably as he is eating, toileting etc ok its first? They are quite big and I can't imagine he could have chewed it properly before swallowing.

I do understand what Frenchfancy is saying, but the scavenging thing is definitely a worry esp with small dogs. From what I have read it really is only a tiny amount of things like raisins or xylitol that they need to consume for it to be an issue. I know most chocolate isn't quite so bad in small quantities but guessing a whole tin of quality street for a 5kg dog would have a much bigger effect than a 30kg one. Even just pugpup eating leaves and dirt in that first couple of weeks of walks caused him quite a few issues with his stomach.

Not yet @PugInTheHouse, she did have a worming tablet yesterday though so possibly she wasn’t a fan of that!

The vet has always said to be if they are eating and drinking fine and seem fine in themselves they’re most likely all good, so sounds like Pugpup is absolutely fine! I can imagine a squashie would maybe dissolve?

I think maybe @Doje, she is on half wet food half dry and she does wolf down the wet foot (and I’m not sure really chews it properly). For fear of too much info...it did also look exactly the same when it came back up as it did when it went in Have just given her a small handful of her kibble to see if that stays down. She seems pretty normal in herself so fingers crossed just a fast eating issue!

me food
Inability to spell today! She does not wolf down wet feet

@Plantlover23 might be that then. Pugpup eats wet food slower and just inhales kibble . Not sure re the Squashie really, not even sure how he swallowed it whole, I think I would struggle, hes crazy!!

@Plantlover23 poor Plantpup. I would say possibly the medication, give the vet a call. SparklePup was sick once and immediately hoovered up the sick, it was like watching it backwards

We just gave him chicken and rice for a couple of days and seemed to sort him out but I'd say call the vat because it could be linked to the infection or medicine. Hope he's better soon.

@Sparkle79 this does not surprise me as Plantpup went straight to eat it back up!! No logic these pups

@Plantlover23 GeorgiePup as sick after his worming and flea medication, he’s seen the vet for something else and we mentioned it and they said it was really common. He wasn’t sick after the second one.

Sitting here in puppy heaven with a sleepy pup on my lap. The cuddles are making such a difference to my mental health! I’ve been on furlough since beginning of January and unlikely to be back at work until April (work in hospitality) so have plenty of time to invest in pup, and will be working from home again anyway once I go back.

We’re 5 days in since she came home, and all is going well I think! I’m likely setting myself up for a fall, but I ignored all the advice in my puppy book and online, and from night 1 she has slept in her crate, door closed, in the kitchen on her own. From the moment she came home she really took to her crate, and every day during the day when she’s had enough, she’ll just take herself off there for a sleep. I don’t close the door during the day, but I can go in and out of the room without her worrying, and if I stay in the lounge, eventually she just comes and finds me.

Last night she went to bed at 10 and at 6 this morning I still hadn’t heard her, so got up as was worried, and woke her up! Other nights she’s gone roughly 2-7am. The middle of night cry is me getting up and taking her outside quietly, we come back in and I sit on the floor next to the crate with her cuddled on me, then after 5-10 mins she climbs off into her crate, I wait a few mins, close the door and go back to bed.

Toilet training is going ok too, I’m not using puppy pads, just constant garden whatever the weather.

And she has learnt to sit and give paw.

It’s not all sweetness and light though! She has shredded the leaves on one of my on the floor house plants, but managed to pull it over yesterday, soil everywhere - and hadn’t been near it since, so maybe frightened herself a bit. Typical spaniel, out in the garden constantly has to have something in her mouth, so am constantly fishing out leaves, sticks, Moss and stones from her mouth. And gets very nippy when playing, as expected from a pup, and god those teeth are sharp! She loves frozen carrots, so they usually work a treat when she’s being particularly nippy.

I’m a single parent, so the teen DC aren’t always here, and it’s quite hard thinking I can’t just nip to the shops or go for a walk when I want to at the moment, but the cuddles and unconditional love are worth it! She’s absolutely adorable.

I’ve learnt loads from reading this thread, and try and catch up everyday, so thank you for all sharing so much! I did join the Facebook training group, and read the required units, but find some of the answers a bit patronising (not that I am an expert or anything, haven’t had a pup for 25 years), so have hidden that for now.

@PicpoulDeMeNay She sounds completely lovely! I am hugely envious of the ability to leave the room and her not panic or be scared.

I am really worried Plantpup is developing separation anxiety as she will bark and cry virtually as soon as I leave the room. It definitely seems to be more of a thing if the door is shut e.g if I shut the kitchen door and she’s in there she will bark and cry but if she’s in the living room with the door open and I leave she will often stay on the sofa until she wants to come and find me. So I’m not sure if it’s more a confinement thing than a separation thing but either way it’s quite concerning! Haven’t left her alone in the house at all yet as she gets herself so worked up

Pugpup has eaten a worm today, made him sick but he re-ate it before I got to him. Stresses me out so much. He is so quick, I am never far from him but he beats me every time.

@PugInTheHouse He must be like lightning! Every day he seems to have eaten something he shouldn’t. Must be such a worry for you.

Plantpup has decided her favourite new chew is my sofa cushions so that’s not ideal

@Plantlover23 yep it really is, we never leave him in the garden alone, stood right next to him, doesn't help he's so small so in the time it takes to bend down he's off.

If it gets much worse we may have to resort to a lead in the garden, even if its the long lead it could help. I do a sweep of the garden every time we go out and get rid of stuff but obviously a worm can appear from anywhere I guess. If we were lazy with it or weren't working really hard on leave it/drop it I guess I wouldn't care but we are so so careful with him and working so hard with his training. On his walk he went to pick up one leaf and that was it, I said leave it and he did. So he has improved in that way. He is like a hoover at other times though, he's not hungry I don't think, its generally in the garden when he's all 'sniffy' or when/after we are cooking, I think the smells drive him crazy.

I felt really upset about it all today TBH.

Oh no, if it's not one thing it's another eh with these pesky pups!

PugPup is such a speed eating demon!

My DH though I was crazy buying a long line for the garden, and it took him a while to come around to the idea, but it's absolutely invaluable. We have trouble with DPup not coming back into the house. He'd be out there all day chewing on sticks if he could and the long line just makes it a million times easier to keep an eye on what he's chewing on, and to bring him back in when we want.

If it’s any reassurance I think they are all much the same @PugInTheHouse. Just in their nature to sniff and eat absolutely everything. Try not to let it get you too down, the fact he left the leaf when asked is great!

Plantpup picked up some chewing gum when we were out earlier which I had to PANICKED remove from her. Makes me so annoyed about people littering more than ever before

He definitely is Doje, he's small so close to the ground which makes it easy for him

It's crazy isn't it, I try and step on fag butts and chewing gum in advance to avoid him going for them, I got chewing gum out of his mouth the other night. I had no idea there was so much litter about TBH.