Puppy Survival Thread - March - April

[PugInTheHouse]

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!

Agreed, we both wanted (3) dogs and I do the lions share because I am home more, dh would do more and does when home but if I wasn't a dog person too I wouldn't expect to do as much.

@sophiewithapuppy I agree with all the comments above. I wanted our dog, I did the lions share of the planning and research and I understood more than anyone in the family what impact it would have for at least the first year (and obviously long term but as we all know on this thread the puppy days are hard). I just accepted I would do the majority of the care and as Puppypup got easier and bonded with the family others would step up - which is what is happening.

I would also say that there are still days, despite the fact I actively wanted and planned for this, and that I adore Puppypup, that I still think 'what have I done' so I absolutely do not judge you. I think an honest chat with your husband and exploring the options for outsourcing some of the work in this really full-on phase.

@sophiewithapuppy I feel you with the despair! Gotpup has been here a whole 2 weeks and I full on sat on the bed and cried the other day, as altho I had dogs growing up, and I am the one who desperately wanted a dog it's SUCH hard work. And it's not the little puppy's fault but adult dogs are so different to noisy, bitey, chasey, barky puppie who need watching and disciplining all the time. I agree with the previous posters tho; it sounds like you need a fairer share of the puppy labour as it's all on you at the moment and that's hard work. Get the doggy day care or Walker sorted to give you a break 👍🏻

In other news tho, Gotpup has been so clever with her toilet training in just a few weeks, is sleeping well, going in her crate nicely in the house and travelling well in the car. However, she is incessantly biting feet, socks and chasing 3.5 year old DD. Anyone got any tips?!

Got constant distraction when pup does this, have a toy (we found hard ones the best) ready to swap with hands or toes they try to chew. It's hard going but does get better!

Thanks @GooodMythicalMorning that's the tactic we are going for. A firm 'off' and a distract with a toy instead. Good to know it gets better, as poor DD is trying so hard not to run away and is spending her time on chairs or the sofa up above the little bitey teeth 😂

Morning! CondiPup is 14 weeks today, so I'm checking to say you we're all right and 14 weeks is LOADS better than 11
Night times and toileting are great, biting is much less... alone time, not pulling on the lead, jumping up to eat whatever he can on the table/worktop, and chewing everything he can find are dreadful.
We've all got two weeks off though so we're going to work on EVERYTHING!
I read this thread every day, just to check what's coming next

Happy Easter all!

@sophiewithapuppy it's such a heartfelt post I felt I couldn't read it and not stop!

First of all well done you for not just having a baby to placate him and trying the dog first! I actually think puppies are harder than babies but children are definitely harder than dogs :)!

I agree with everyone else - if he was the one that wanted the dog, then please push more onto him. I can see you are a dutiful owner because you worry about the puppy. If you do read back through the thread, you'll see the puppy blues exists and in your case, it's a longer lasting case because it's just a sign of the issues with your dp who is desperate to settle down while you're just not at the same stage.

I think the dog issues are fixable but I suspect it's just triggered exactly all the feelings you were worried about in having kids and I can totally get why you resent dh now but resentment is so awful for a relationship - it eats away at you like nothing else. Have you been able to tell dh how you feel?

Thanks @GooodMythicalMorning and Happy Easter everyone too

Thank you @grannycake for your reply. Did your boy eventually grow out of it?
Seems to be getting worse at the moment, just hoping it will stop eventually.
He’s literally cocking his leg on everything.. doesn’t seem phased by being told no!!
It’s getting me down ☹️
Has anyone else experienced this and found a way to crack it?!

happy easter star pup is feeling a bit sorry for himself this morning. We had a really good day yesterday we went on an easter hunt round the village lots of new people dogs and smells. He managed to find a very dead frog under a bush, I got it off him but i think some got swallowed and today hes been really loose. Ive cooked some rice for his lunch but hes just curled up on the sofa.

@imovethestarsforno1 my dog did this once but it was found dead behind something in the house and he ate it, it was crispy and gross and he'd eaten it before we could get to him. He was fine though no ill effects, just rather disgusting.

@Mrswhirley sorry I didn't see your original post but Happy's best mate the cockerpoo is marking everywhere inside. He's 8 months. He's also humping a lot so they are getting him neutered when the vet gives the ok to do it. I can't recall how old your puppy is. Has something changed that he's started doing it or does it just seem an age thing?

Interested to know more about the marking. Pugpup mostly marks lampposts but at my songs cricket training he cocked his leg on my DSs cricket bag. He wee'd on the carry strap, then went away and Xmas back later and wee'd on the other strap.

The night times are working really well with him out of the crate. Its also quite cute to see his little face pop up over the side of my bed in the morning. I do hear him occasionally during the night so I just say lie down and he does.

He doesnt seem to want to go out before bed for a wee now, he has a wee some time around 7/8pm and I have always taken him out about 1030 but he seems to get all 'zoomie' now when I take him out. He still wakes at 630am-ish so it makes no difference but I just wondered what people with older pups do?

Its so odd that in a month or so we have gone from stressing when he's weeing in the house several times a day and having to be on edge looking out for his 8 to 9 wees to him having 3 or 4 giant wees all day and me having to remind him maybe he ought to not hold it in any longer it is now like that Austin Powers scene where he just keeps weeing and weeing . . .

Does someone with a little pup want to start a new thread and link it here? Only a few posts left . . .

We have the same thing with Happy @PugInTheHouse. We take him for a quick trip round the block for a last wee/poo at 730pm and unless he's been restless, in which case we take him out when we go to bed for a wee, he stays asleep till 6/630am

His in house behaviour is great at the moment plus all the basic commands bar recall. His recall took another turn for the worse this morning when he (on his long line) refused to come back and when eventually he did (after being tugged a little on his long line), he came and sat next to us, turned his head, refused a lump of cheese and refused to look at us! He was fuming! He is honestly the strongest willed dog I have ever known.

He's also developing one slightly brown ear (and he's a black dog!)- it's so strange, because it definitely wasn't brown before!

Thats good to know @HappyThursdays I think we may just not bother tonight and see what happens. We have given up with trying to get him to wake later than 630am as even a wee at 11pm makes no difference so it means we don't have to stand in the cold before bed haha!

Exactly! Very good timing for this cold spell! He does a massive wee when he wakes up - am always amazed how long it lasts!

Took him for another quick walk and his recall was so much better - it's completely unpredictable at the moment. I am willing adolescence away!

I've started an April thread!

I will attempt to link it now, hang on...

I'm not sure if I can link as I'm on the app... I'm sure you can all find it. 😁

New thread for April www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4210895-puppy-survival-thread-april?watched=1&msgid=106206869#106206869

Thanks @Puginthehouse!