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!

steam mop too here, and a carpet cleaner as they do spend a lot of time in the lojnge which is carpeted and occasionally accidents happen with 2 pups.

Pup's first time on long (ish) lead! We put three halti leads together to give him five metres or so of freedom, and we introduced him to cooked sausage for the first time to practice his recall and he was great. Admittedly there were no major distractions around but pleased with our first go and it was lovely to see him scampering around more freely.

It’s so lovely isn’t it to see them free and loving it. My favourite video of GeorgiePup is of him leaping around the field near our house in the sunshine just living his best dog life!

So the limping has been on and off all day, mostly after sleeping almost like he has pins and needles. He’s fine once he gets going though, he had a 30 minute walk plus a 30 minute play in the garden with the children and like I say, no visible discomfort or reluctance to use or let us touch it. His meds have just been increased and a side effect is wobbly legs whilst adjusting to the new levels. The first time he was unsteady in his back legs but wondering if it’s presenting differently this time. Will mention it on his check on Thursday if it’s still happening.

Oops, late puppy tax pic attached. Toilet training has improved the when we (or more accurately, I) can monitor Legopup & pre-empt any accidents, but when I'm working that isn't always possible. In other news I have booked doggy day care one day a week from after the Easter hols in anticipation of needing to go back to the office once a week from July. It's with a lady who also home-boards & comes highly recommended, so if it works out well for daycare we should be able to use her for holidays (remember those??) too.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat I love my steam mop!!! It does sound like the limp could be medicine related. Hope he's okay.

@MyRabbit79 Sparklepup is a new sausage fan too! Good idea to use it for recall. We're using it to try to fix his car chasing at the minute but his recall is a bit hit & miss so might need to use some sausage for that. It's so great when they can be off lead because you can tire them out more so they sleep!

I use bio washing powder mixed with boiling water for accidents for a quick clean, but it leaves a coating on the floor. For a deep clean (only when pup is at daycare so it can dry properly) I use the pet zoflora or fabulousa with boiling water

Over the past week C4pup has been getting up a lot earlier than he normally does, and sleeping a lot earlier in the evening. It’s not the end of the world as it’s nice to have our evenings back, but that extra 30 mins in the morning is a killer wonder if it’s the change in seasons and the lighter mornings or just the age he’s getting to as he’s gone backwards in nighttime toilet training too...

Disastrous day here too. ‘D’pup has learned that she can get onto the kitchen table by climbing up my three year old as though she were a ladder. She is so bloody fast (pup, not three year old...) So today pup has eaten a mouthful of pain au chocolat, port salut cheese and chicken shaslik. She has also taken a few bites out of all of us and had a lot of treats from the half hour I spent chucking treats at her for not clambering onto the table while I had my coffee this morning. No wonder she is getting fat. I also think dh secret-feeds her to buy her love.

I have also been reading a lot on mumsnet about how springers are a terrible choice for first time dog owners and got an unsolicited earful from a total stranger for having a lockdown puppy.

Argh!! Bad day... sorry. Rant over!

Poor you, I Hate unsolicited advice. I've had it for having bulldogs.

Just wanted to say it does get better people! Pheebs is coming up 8 months and is a dream (does like to climb over the table sometimes if it means she can get to me faster and treated herself to a pair of socks today but that was our fault for not putting them away but she just played a bit then left them!)

I find when she is having a momeng I get some high value treats out and do some training to engage her brain. She has recently learned to cover her eyes and assumes that will get her a treat so does it without command now so need to decide on her next trick. She knows play dead, snoot through a hole, spin, cover, high five and paw so getting there.

She cannot however walk to heal if we are going to the beach. The walk from the car is a nightmare!

Also to add she was spayed a month ago and the hardest part was keeping her from running around. I read conflicting advice about age and our vets said before 1st season and she seems exactly the same personality wise. The link posted earlier said after 11 months for springer but any time for poodle so god knows if we made the right decision!

We love hearing success stories @Qwertyyui! Thank you. GeorgiePup is nearly 5.5 months and medical issues aside is already so much easier than those early days.

Semi success last night with sleeping! We’ve ditched the crate! We’ve spent 3 nights sleeping on the sofa and he’s been no bother, just sleeping on the floor right though the night. So last night no one stayed down here and he did the same, waking only at 6am when I had to give him his medication. I slept crap because I was checking the video monitor so often but that will get better when I know he’s fine.

Woo hoo!

@Qwertyyui thanks for giving us all hope.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat that's great you have managed to ditch the crate!

@LorelaiVictoriaGilmore hope today is a better day I have had lots of negative comments about breed choice too and seen lots of comments about how awful it is to have got a lockdown puppy although not had a stranger actually say things to me, that must have been awful. Hope you told them where to go. As with everything people tend to generalise and don't look at your individual situation.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat that's brilliant, well done!

@LorelaiVictoriaGilmore I think spaniels are notoriously tricky but that shouldn't put you off! I also got a lot of 'lockdown puppy' comments about Happypup (particularly as he was a handful when he was younger!!)

@GooodMythicalMorning bulldogs are gorgeous!

We practised recall in the garden yesterday. Absolutely perfect. Took him out into the enclosed field (no distractions) and he did a runner again. We think he's got the scent of rabbits in the fields as he appears to be following scents under the ground.

We have an old long lead from when we first did recall but it's manky and horrible so I'm just waiting for a new biothane one to arrive. Don't think we'll try again till that arrives. His biggest problem is that he goes too far away - so far away that he can't hear us so we need to nip this in the bud when the long line arrives!

@Qwertyyui how did you teach the covering eyes thing? That's so sweet.

Puppypup has been really unsettled at bedtime the last two or three nights not wanting to go into his crate and then whining when I leave the room so I've had to go back and reassure. Could it be adolescence and just deciding he'd much rather be with me? It's a bit gutting as his sleep was one of the few things I felt we'd done 'right'!

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat I am seriously thinking about ditching the crate too. It's not like puppypup ever goes in it during the day. My one worry would be him chewing inappropriately - he's mostly good but every now and then he has a moment.

@Puppypuppypuppy once they are older the chewing does calm down, mainly when all their teeth are through. Happy is 7 months and the only thing he still occasionally sinks his teeth into are the skirting boards and that's pretty rare. Up to 6 months, he was a chewing monster though but after that, he was much better.

So GeorgiePup is still a little chewy in the day and this was one of my only concerns but he’s out for the count all night long. Dh is a shift worker and even when he comes home in the middle of the night he greets him briefly and then settles back down straight away.

He also lots a tooth this week, a molar which makes me think he’s lost lots before but we just haven’t found them. He does have more teeth than he used to so hopefully the chewing will just get less and less now.

People with puppies older than 6 months... What do you do about going from 3 meals to 2.. Do you gradually reduce the size of their lunch, or do you just stop? Sparklepup is 5.5 months now.

@Sparkle79 we started gradually reducing it and upping breakfast and bringing forward tea but after a week or so, we just cut it out altogether. He now has his tea at 4pm. He still gets a lot of treats out on walks because most of our effort is put into lead training and recall.

@sparkle79 Pugpup is only 5 months but we went to 2 meals last week, it seems to work well as he is having breakfast later and dinner earlier so helps with him waking a bit later and also settling earlier in the evening (not to mention less poos and wees). We just did it on a day he happened to sleep a bit later in the morning then increased to half his days food (less a bit for snacks). I periodically give him snacks in the day ie a few blueberries, peanut butter on lickimat, dental stick. I haven't upped his food amount at all for 2 months but he seems fine on it. I think he gets a lot of training treats and snacks though.

We did an hour off lead today, it was an enclosed area. He was with another dog who is 9 months and followed her lead. His recall was great and we could even get him to come to us if he was playing with the other dog. His lead walking is still ok, heel is great but still gets very easily distracted.

@sparkle79 I should have said we had previously gradually moved dinner to earlier in the evening over a few days.

Hi, this is a hard post to write and I fully expect to be flamed.

We have a lovely puppy who is now 17 weeks old. Basically, I absolutely hate the whole experience. I had a few doubts after we put the deposit down but didnt voice them. We rushed into saying yes as the breeder said she was getting loads of enquiries and pressure from other people. I am, by nature, an anxious person. I am overthinking everything(probably) plus I am with her 24/7. DH had a dog when younger so not too concerned and everything will work etc but he gets to go off to work. Dd is only 8 and will occasionally interact but not for long as puppy is bitey. I am not a great animal lover but always
liked dogs but my god, the responsibility of it is overwhelming.I am not sure if lockdown has finally got to me and I am in a massive panic where everything just seems like hard work and now its completely puppy centric and I don’t want it to be. A dog just adds another layer of complications. We did know what it entailed but I guess dismissed it since everyone seems to cope and its “only” a dog. I am now one of those people who got a dog in lockdown and regrets it. If its not, we aren’t doing enough training, then its what about when lockdown ends?to worrying about grooming and thinking this is it for 15+ years. I wake up feeling ill every morning and anticipate her being a nightmare(tbf shes not that bad). I think I’ve got myself into a hole and can’t see any positives at all and my only solution seems to be rehoming her to someone who doesn’t resent her. DH understands where l am coming from and has made suggestions re daycare. Can I get over these feelings? When do dogs become part of the family? I already feel like the most irresponsible person in the world

@puppypuppypuppy you just pop a little tape on thier snout and when they go to scratch it off give a treat and remove it then repeat! There are a few videos on YouTube but she learnt quite quickly and now she does it every time she wants a treat so she seems quite proud of that one.

Meal wise I cannot advise as our pup is funny with food she either wants it or would happily starve. We just leave it down and she eats when she wants. As she has never been one to tuck in! We have to vary between 2 makes to keep her interested!

@Washerdog21

Hi, this is a hard post to write and I fully expect to be flamed.

We have a lovely puppy who is now 17 weeks old. Basically, I absolutely hate the whole experience. I had a few doubts after we put the deposit down but didnt voice them. We rushed into saying yes as the breeder said she was getting loads of enquiries and pressure from other people. I am, by nature, an anxious person. I am overthinking everything(probably) plus I am with her 24/7. DH had a dog when younger so not too concerned and everything will work etc but he gets to go off to work. Dd is only 8 and will occasionally interact but not for long as puppy is bitey. I am not a great animal lover but always
liked dogs but my god, the responsibility of it is overwhelming.I am not sure if lockdown has finally got to me and I am in a massive panic where everything just seems like hard work and now its completely puppy centric and I don’t want it to be. A dog just adds another layer of complications. We did know what it entailed but I guess dismissed it since everyone seems to cope and its “only” a dog. I am now one of those people who got a dog in lockdown and regrets it. If its not, we aren’t doing enough training, then its what about when lockdown ends?to worrying about grooming and thinking this is it for 15+ years. I wake up feeling ill every morning and anticipate her being a nightmare(tbf shes not that bad). I think I’ve got myself into a hole and can’t see any positives at all and my only solution seems to be rehoming her to someone who doesn’t resent her. DH understands where l am coming from and has made suggestions re daycare. Can I get over these feelings? When do dogs become part of the family? I already feel like the most irresponsible person in the world

It's perfectly natural to be overwhelmed at the beginning. I wanted my dog but still had a WTF have I done at the start and it lasted for a few months until he started to show his adult personality. He is now an adored 4 year old. They are a tie, no doubting that but if you can afford daycare it will give you a bit of breathing space and actually absence makes the heart grow fonder. We trailed BiteyDog at a borders when he was around 8 months old when he was in full swing of being an arsey teenager and I realised how much I missed him.