Puppy Survival Thread - April

[Doje]

Starting a new thread....

@StillAliveish we've had to do chicken and rice a few times and I was the same as you where I couldn't actually find anything to tell me quantities. The vet was vague and said same quantities you're doing with his usual food, and do 1 chicken:2 rice ratio but the quantities of food varies so much by brand that answer didn't really satisfy me. He did seem hungry so I just kept feeding him small amounts through the day rather than 3 big meals. You know when your pup is hungry and you're not going to overfeed them in one or two days so I decided if he had "too much" it wasn't the end of the world.

@MrsHerculePoirot we've tried various chews. We put the nylabones in the freezer for when he has a bad teething day. Also have a yak chew out all the time which he chomps on every now and then and is handy when he's chewing the table leg we tell him to get his yak and he does. He gets a pedigree teething chew every evening and usually some sort of pigs ear or rawhide chew type thing at lunchtime as he's on 2 meals a day now so lets us eat our lunch on peace.

We're still experimenting with chews trying to find things that last a while but that isn't advised against.

Thanks everyone for the training replies

@17CherryTreeLane I thought the 5 mins per month was purely for oblead walls, because everything else is at their own pace. I do worry that we are doing too much as he gets 1-2 off lead walks anything between 0.5-1.5 hours a day and free reign of the garden. He also jumps off the sofa and we play fetch with him. But if he didn't do all that stuff then I'd be worrying we weren't doing enough and he'd be bored and restless so I don't think you can win really.

Onlead

Thanks @Sparkle79, it's so hard to know what is for the best. Cherrypup hasn't had his 2nd vacs yet so he's mainly in the garden but he seems to run around a lot!

@MrsHerculePoirot we got a cow's ear, or maybe it's a pigs ear, not sure. He LOVES it!

I thought the same re the 5 mins but then I was told differently. We generally do no more than half hour max on lead twice a day but his walks overall are definitely longer than half hour each time. He would definitely keep going if we didn't bring him home though so when out I don't think he'd know to stop.

If it's only garden playing then its likely to be fine I imagine.

Happy brought in a dead rat today fgs. I ran around screaming in case it was alive but it was v dead (and mouldy). Luckily he will drop so I got dp to dispose of it urgh (and then found out he had put it in the compost fgs). Every time he tries to lick me now, I think of the horrible dead thing!

@StillAliveish I think the fact he is hungry is good! I always mixed more rice than chicken in if that makes sense and then made his bowl a similar amount full to his normal meals but would also agree to the little and often principle!

@HappyThursdays especially low point for me on a walk last week in the park was prising a dead mouse out of Londonpups mouth by the tail .

@MrsHerculePoirot our labs are the same age! How you finding it? We have a my lab one starter kit but she’s not interested that much. Thing she has loved most is an old wooden peg! I’m going to get here one of those seasoned hardwood dog chews and the yak ones look good too.

@HappyThursdays will you be working your dog as a gun dog? My pup seems so bright and is from working lines. A week in and she’s got sit nailed even with distraction, she’s getting down and touch and almost getting the idea with wait. I don’t want to work her as a gun dog but wonder if she would enjoy this sort of training when she is older. Can you even do it if they are not going to be working dogs?

That should be nylabone starter kit.

@Hightideattheseaside yes you can definitely do it even if they aren't going to work. The difficult bit is finding a trainer who doesn't use punishment as a method because unfortunately a lot of gun dog trainers do. If it wasn't for lockdown, we would have done this a lot sooner. Only one day in and Happy is doing all the stuff he was taught. What is really interesting (and it's something @BiteyShark said to me on here v early on, she has a lovely cocker boy) is that if you get them to do all the stuff they are meant to do, you become more interesting and their focus on you is so much better which makes everything else easier (walking, recall etc). Dp said he feels that Happy has been transformed overnight! And all we are doing for the next 3 weeks is long sits/settles and 'focus' when heel walking! I think it's a great idea for dogs from working lines - he really enjoys it and I could see all the other dogs were enjoying it.

It sounds amazing, I don't think a pug would fit the criteria haha but I think pugpup would actually love it, when he is at our trainers house she says he just sits in front of her waiting to be taught stuff. He is quite driven by being given commands. It would be hilarious though to see a pug gun dog

@17CherryTreeLane I've gone with a middle approach to exercise. I don't count garden running. At 6 months we tend to do about 30 minutes, but sometimes if we're on a walk through the woods that can go up to 45 minutes. It's mostly off lead though, and if he starts to lag I'd stop. We never do that much on lead because he's errmm...still learning that one.

@MrsHurculePoirot we have a Yak chew and a coffee wood chew always on the go. I've got a stock of others that I use when I do the school run, and when I'm working if I need to buy myself a Zoom call / 15 minutes. I'm still experimenting, but pizzle sticks and cow ears seem to buy the most amount of time.

Are the cows ears really smelly?

Haha @Doje - cherrypup has had two very failed attempts with the lead!

@PugInTheHouse ours is ok - still not sure if it is from a cow or a pig mind you.

Cherrypup hated his crate last night. He was even chewing the bars.

[quote HappyThursdays]**@Hightideattheseaside* yes you can definitely do it even if they aren't going to work. The difficult bit is finding a trainer who doesn't use punishment as a method because unfortunately a lot of gun dog trainers do. If it wasn't for lockdown, we would have done this a lot sooner. Only one day in and Happy is doing all the stuff he was taught. What is really interesting (and it's something @BiteyShark* said to me on here v early on, she has a lovely cocker boy) is that if you get them to do all the stuff they are meant to do, you become more interesting and their focus on you is so much better which makes everything else easier (walking, recall etc). Dp said he feels that Happy has been transformed overnight! And all we are doing for the next 3 weeks is long sits/settles and 'focus' when heel walking! I think it's a great idea for dogs from working lines - he really enjoys it and I could see all the other dogs were enjoying it. [/quote]
So glad you are enjoying the training Happy .

For anyone looking at training, the other thing we have done and I would recommend is Scentwork. It really isn't like training to my dog as he got to use his nose so something enjoyable for both of us which I found wasn't always the case for obedience lessons. Scentwork is training them to be like a sniffer dog and is great for when they are on reduced exercise or even if the weather is rubbish. The only downside is registered Scentwork trainers tend to be few and far between (scentwork uk has I think a map to look them up) so you may have to travel quite a way.

@PugintheHouse the cow ears don't smell too bad. The stink vs time to consume is one of the most important factors in this house! Lamb gullet - not worth it!!

Scent training could be fun! Thanks, I’ll look into it

Anyone else got a...shall we say...less smart dog? How do you stretch their minds? Georgiepup is so lovely and settled, loves people and sleeping, but can't say that he's all that great at getting more than the basic commends. I mean, he's nailed everything we need him to but for enrichment purposes I'm a bit stuck.

@HappyThursdays The gundog training sounds amazing. Definitely something I need to look into

@BiteyShark scentwork sounds good too. Had a look at the map and turns out the trainer we're using for puppy classes is a scentwork trainer so that's handy! If we can't find a force-free gundog trainer nearby I might well sign up for that.

@PugInTheHouse I think the cow ears reek, so if people say they're not too bad I'd hate to smell a lamb gullet! Cow ears are fine till they get wet and soggy, then they smell like cow bum imo.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat if he's settled and quite happy with the stimulation he's getting I wouldn't really worry. Would his medication be having an impact on his energy levels or cognition? What about toilet roll tubes/cardboard boxes? Mine loves ripping them up and that's quite straightforward. The Nina Ottoson toys come in easy levels, you could try them. Kongs and Trixie snack snakes are a bit hit here too.

Yes to be fair his epilepsy and medication may have an impact on him, we probably won't ever know to what extent is his personality anyway.

He can play fetch (we didn't teach this he just knew), he can catch a soft toy in the air, enjoys a puzzle feeder if not too hard. Probably his favourite thing is to rip up a cardboard box!

He's not fussed about kibble so scatter feeding and hiding it about don't seem to catch his attention for very long.

He can sit, wait (not for too long), drop, come, go. I'm not sure there's too much more we need him to do (maybe 'on your bed'?) But no fun ones!

I do love hearing about all your dogs' tricks though!

Thanks @Sparkle79 and @HappyThursdays! I think we'll up the rice a bit and maybe feed 6 meals instead of the usual 4. He seems completely fine but has had another runny-ish poo this morning so we'll keep on it for a few more days.

@Doje I love the smell v time equation!

@PugInTheHouse Please let pugpup become a little pug gun dog! There is a dog festival near us this summer and they run gun dog training for all breeds, so why not?
Sushi pup is sleeping well through the night but I'm finding getting up at 6am exhausting. I am back at work next week (wfh) and dreading trying to manage zoom calls whilst puppy wrangling!

@ilovesushi what are you sleeping arrangements if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve been sleeping on floor with Dexter in his crate. Moved to shutting door and was fine, but I then moved a bit away (to just outside) and he wasn’t happy!