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Puppy Survival Thread - March - April

998 replies

PugInTheHouse · 03/03/2021 09:17

Just starting a new thread before we run out on www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4141698-Puppy-Survival-Thread-January-February

Welcome to everyone trying to survive the puppy days!

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31
MyRabbit79 · 25/03/2021 21:20

Up and down here too:
The ups - he met another pup on his walk today and got to play with her (both on lead) for ages which was lovely. Hopefully we'll see her again. And another tooth fell out today which was slightly odd. He coughed then spat it out on the floor.
The downs - on the same walk, partner went into shop and I stayed with pup outside. He went wild, whining for partner, then growled at a pushchair (he doesn't like them for some reason but usually just barks) then barked at a delivery man (who was lovely) then ate a clump of string off the pavement which I had to wrestle out of his mouth. He's also very bitey again tonight but has been very good all day.

tabulahrasa · 25/03/2021 21:43

“then growled at a pushchair (he doesn't like them for some reason but usually just barks)”

If it helps you (not practically I mean) sometimes a growl is actually better than a bark, a growl can be more of a low grade well I don’t like that but I’m just going to grumble, where a bark is more shouting - get away scary thing.

Not always, but often it’s people that are more bothered by growls but ok with barks.

C4itl · 25/03/2021 22:42

Thanks for the enrichment suggestions, I’ll give some of those a try!

@PugInTheHouse C4pup has been a bit ‘off’ lately too, his wake up time has completely changed and he’s napping a lot less during the day, there’s only 1 week between them so maybe it’s their age? Hmm

PugInTheHouse · 26/03/2021 08:32

@C4itl yes I think it may be their age, the trainer said he is being quite teenager-ish lol, she has been taking him for 3.5 hours twice a week just to 'dogsit' and he won't sleep at hers at all, he did have a nap there yesterday but only once she got off her seat and he sat straight in her place and went to sleep Grin.

I am just waiting for everything to go backwards now! He has started marking way more, not just weeing but also doing this weird scratching round trees. He also lifted his leg last night when he went for a wee. It was very cute and wobbly bless him. I took him out before bed like we used to and it worked as he settled straight away.

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PugInTheHouse · 26/03/2021 08:42

I have a food question. I have just noticed that on the packaging of pugpups food that from 6 months the amounts do increase quite a lot, I have a feeling that he is on quite a low amount compared to his size but currently he probably does have quite a few snacks/treats in the day. I do think he is a bit hungry so will up it but I am not sure whether to increase the dry food or the wet food. I tend to do roughly half wet and half dry at each meal currently, this seems to work well for him but is it better for them to have more wet food than dry?

With the cats I was always told if they drink well then better for them to have dry mainly (if not on raw) but from what I have read its different for dogs?

I find it so difficult to figure it all out as the info on the packs give such wide ranges of how much to give based on their adult weight. Really hard to work out given that their adult weight could vary a good few kgs.

Eventually I may use the butternut boxes but I had bulk bought his food (way more that I had realised haha)

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HappyThursdays · 26/03/2021 08:55

@tabulahrasa Happy has learned that when I say goodbye I am finishing a call and he now runs from wherever he is to jump up as if to say 'it's my time now!'. I do loads of calls a day as part of my work and if I don't want him to launch himself at me, I have to try and avoid the word 'goodbye' Grin

@PugInTheHouse I found the food thing post 6 months quite difficult too. For Happy, he's on specific cocker dry food but it goes up at 6 months and then actually starts coming down. They do need more water with dry food - if he's happy with a mix of wet and dry, could you just continue the 50/50 split? I think if they are still getting a lot of treats for training, then if you're slightly wrong with the food, it won't matter much!

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 26/03/2021 08:56

Also interested in that question @PugInTheHouse. Similar to our situation though GeorgiePup is on 4 meals a day but smaller portions plus treats.

C4itl · 26/03/2021 08:56

@PugInTheHouse I do half dry and half butternut, he seems to be gaining weight but in proportion with his size so it seems to be working, but it's hard to know what's best. If he seems hungry I would up the food a bit and just keep an eye on his weight but I think whilst they're a puppy it generally doesn't matter too much Smile

PugInTheHouse · 26/03/2021 09:05

@HappyThursdays Yes will roughly carry on with wet/dry 50% split where possible in that case as sounds as if that is ok if others are doing it. He was originally on just dry but he inhales it in 10 seconds so we now mix with the wet food as it takes him (slightly) longer.

@C4itl weight wise he seems fine, he is big for his age so it's hard to check on the weight charts but to look at he looks just right and vet said he was ok. He is really active so hopefully he'll be fine.

I don't really understand if you need to keep increasing till they are fully grown or not, the amounts suggested after 6 months (same brand) seem to jump by about 50g a day which sounds loads I think.

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HappyThursdays · 26/03/2021 09:13

does it go down again @PugInTheHouse?

Sparkle79 · 26/03/2021 09:19

@PugInTheHouse I'm the same with food so can't really offer any advice. Although the food were on says to go down after 6 months. It's all very confusing. He's currently on dry but once we've weened him onto 2 meals a day we're going to introduce wet and probably give half the wet allowance for breakfast and then half the dry allowance for dinner, if that helps at all. I figure then he's getting the best of both.

PugInTheHouse · 26/03/2021 09:21

@HappyThursdays No, it just says 95-165g for up to 6 months, then 160-190g 6-18 months. That is for dogs who will be 5-12kg as adults. His breed probably averages 8/9 kg at a healthy weight, so just under the middle of that range.

He is on roughly 120g of food (or equivalent in wet) plus treats/snacks. He should be on about 170g from 6 months according to that chart. I guess it only comes down when they switch to adult food as I am guessing the make up of it is different?

I wish they showed the calories on it all as that would be easier to calculate.

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PugInTheHouse · 26/03/2021 09:23

@Sparkle79 oh blimey, this makes it all so confusing. We just do half wet and dry and both meals just to slow him down but we did that previously when he was on 3 or 4 meals a day.

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Sparkle79 · 26/03/2021 09:28

@PugInTheHouse it makes sense to mix half an half, but because of his breed we have tried to feed him most of his meals via enrichment activities to keep his brain stimulated (ie make him more tired so he sleeps more and leaves us alone Grin) Some of the feeding methods take him 20-30 mins so also buys us a bit of time to eat our own dinner in peace, so I don't really want to lose that, which is the only reason for doing all the dry in one meal and all the wet in the other.

Sparkle79 · 26/03/2021 09:30

DH thinks I'm really cruel, he always jokes that next time he buys me a bar if chocolate he's going to wrap it up in multiple cardboard boxes first to help stimulate my brain Grin

HappyThursdays · 26/03/2021 09:30

yes I agree, it's much easier with calories. Have you got a calorie intake for Pugs? It might be easier to find the calories of the food and work it out that way

tabulahrasa · 26/03/2021 09:31

“Happy has learned that when I say goodbye I am finishing a call and he now runs from wherever he is to jump up as if to say 'it's my time now!'. I do loads of calls a day as part of my work and if I don't want him to launch himself at me, I have to try and avoid the word 'goodbye' grin”

We had a dog when I was a teenager who got wildly excited at the eastenders doofs - because that’s when my mum walked him, it was hilarious when we had visitors, lol.

Because he was in rescues till 5 months, I’m getting a lot of tiny puppy behaviour in a big puppy body - so settling during the zooms is a work in progress, unfortunately it’s usually me running them for work... with clients, so I can’t just disappear off every 5 minutes to run interference and he’s totally taking advantage of that, lol... I’ve almost cracked it by making sure he’s just tired enough to go for a sleep after a kong, but not so tired he gets stupid and bratty. Thought I’d try a box as a change, huge mistake, rofl.

Re food - I prefer dry, I really only mix wet food in with fosters who won’t eat otherwise, I do give wet food, but in kongs or on lickimats and stuff like that.

I use their actual food for training wherever I can and that’s much easier to manage with dry.

But as long as it’s half decent food, they’re eating it happily and they’re doing well on it, I wouldn’t stress tbh.

Amounts, I find packaging always suggests too much for adult dogs, so I’d be a bit wary about their suggested huge increases, I just use that as a rough base and just keep an eye on their appetite and body condition and gauge it by that.

Bearing in mind that some dogs will tell you they’ve never been fed in their lives even though it’s being 20 seconds since they last ate, rofl

PugInTheHouse · 26/03/2021 09:57

@Sparkle79 he would probably benefit from us hiding his food and making him work for it, we tried the snuffle mat which is tricky for him due to the shape of his face, the lickimat is great but we have only found peanut butter that actually lasts him any reasonable time (we use this for when we are having our dinner).

@HappyThursdays I did have the suggested calories somewhere but the food we get doesn't seem to have calorie info on it which is annoying.

@tabulahrasa it actually says 6-12 months for small breeds, the 6-18 months is for larger breeds. I think I will just increase by a small amount as he seems a bit hungry but definitely not from 120 to 170 in one go.

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SpreadHummusNotHate · 26/03/2021 10:17

HummusPup is also 6 months old this weekend! Weirdly her food says to reduce the amount from 6 months onwards - I think I’ll keep as is for now because she is still quite small. The food (Millies Wolfheart) also says to judge it by output...so will keep an eye Grin

She lay down on the sofa during the day for a whole 5 minutes the other day - I think that might be the first time ever Shock - hopefully the beginning of being calmer at home (probably clutching at straws here!!)

MyRabbit79 · 26/03/2021 10:27

@tabulahrasa

“then growled at a pushchair (he doesn't like them for some reason but usually just barks)”

If it helps you (not practically I mean) sometimes a growl is actually better than a bark, a growl can be more of a low grade well I don’t like that but I’m just going to grumble, where a bark is more shouting - get away scary thing.

Not always, but often it’s people that are more bothered by growls but ok with barks.

That is interesting thanks! I have no idea why he's bothered by them, and sometimes he doesn't do anything, but yesterday he was very het up.
MyRabbit79 · 26/03/2021 10:32

Agree with everyone about how confusing the food amounts are too. Glad it's not just us! When he was tiny, we accidentally fed him his whole day's allocation in one meal as we couldn't understand the instructions on his food. He's obsessed with food so gobbled it all down but then was sick as it was obviously too much for his tiny stomach. Still feel bad about that!

PugInTheHouse · 26/03/2021 11:23

We're in full teenager swing today, I just took some paperwork off him from Dhs office as he just ran off with it, he followed me back to the office and stood and just wee'd everywhere whilst looking straight at me! I could have cried. I never really know how to deal with stuff like that, ignore him completely? Say something specific?

I had been taking him out loads as he hasn't had a wee since 615am and yesterday he refused to wee outside and came back in an wee'd on the rug. He has been so good and I am gutted as it's been a real stress for us.

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morethanacondiment · 26/03/2021 11:48

Oh wow, @PugInTheHouse, I've got no advice but you are opening my eyes! Hopefully a grown-up will help Blush
We're still working our way through a million different chews, trying to find something that lasts more than 6 minutes...

tabulahrasa · 26/03/2021 12:01

“I never really know how to deal with stuff like that, ignore him completely? Say something specific?”

I usually say something like... What the actual fuck, you little git!!! I mean it’s not useful, but it makes me feel better Grin

I don’t ignore them if they’re doing something like that - I’d have interrupted him and taken him outside and then loads of praise for going (when he did)

Puppypuppypuppy · 26/03/2021 12:10

Morning everyone. We've had a rubbish week or so with Puppypup although nothing like the level of @GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat - huge hugs to you as I know even the small illness blip we have had was awful. So Puppypup is back to normal but his stomach is not properly settled so we are obsessed with his poos. How has it come to this? He is still on a bland diet too so no treats or chews except yaks which has been....challenging.

So am going to resurrect the good the bad and the ugly for Puppypup at 7 months.

The Good
He is a sweet natured boy, growing in confidence, picks up training quickly and I can see he understands (and does) a lot of what he is asked to do. He's much calmer, it's easier to work with him around and he's generally more settled. He's turning into a lovely little companion and family dog. He's calmed down a lot with the cats and although it's not perfect I can see they will rub along.

The Bad
Barking - at every lockdown delivery to us and neighbours and I cannot get him to be quiet or just bark once!
Recall - it's pretty good but not where there are distractions - other dogs . He's still on a long lead as I am just not confident.

Zoomies - have morphed into scratching at walls, looking for cables and 'digging' in the sofa. This happens at the same time every night and is intensely annoying when we're all trying to wind down.

The ugly
At 7 months he has still never been left alone in the house. I had a programme planned to start building up to it and then he got ill. I feel very bad about this as it's not helping him either.
He's also very wary of people he doesn't know - although interested. He hates strangers trying to stroke him - which I can sympathise with but post-lockdown I am going to have to get him more used to humans.