Puppy Survival Thread - April

[Doje]

Starting a new thread....

@SnoopDogisamenace sounds very much like Plantpup! Definitely comes from a nervous place. It’s so embarrassing when she decides to do it at the neighbours 🙈 or a lovely lady asked me for directions the other day and she got barked at too

@PugInTheHouse it’s crazy how they’ve all got so old so fast!! Proper stubborn stroppy teenagers now

@celestebellman I was up with Plantpup about twice a night for the first week or so then once a night for about 3 weeks after that. From about 15 weeks she has slept through

I agree with @PugInTheHouse I think the nighttime is less important for toilet training as they all do just sleep through eventually so I would definitely be keeping your 8 hours!! I’d be a bit more worried about the day though.

I completely get the feeling of being exhausted watching them constantly to make sure they don’t go inside as I felt hyper alert with Plantpup for what felt like forever. I think trying to stop your pup going inside at all in the daytime will be the biggest help with that though. She was never taught that going inside was ok so very quickly learnt to cry at the door to be let out and now I feel that I can fully trust her as she hasn’t had an accident now for a good 6 weeks or so (she’s 6 months) I think letting them go inside sometimes and not others muddies the water a little. As @ashmts suggested daycare has been amazing for us

Thanks for the suggestions re jumping in the sofa. She is 14 weeks now and so far not been “allowed” on the sofa. But recently has discovered how easy it is to jump on. And if we tell her to get down she just looks at us like “em... no!”
So we lift her down or give her a treat to get down, but not sure how long that will work for.

Can I ask everyone what age they started using daycare ?

We still sleep downstairs with PoirotPup - we don’t wake him for a wee and he doesn’t wake up in the night for one. We’re going to try leaving him tonight I think.... although I think he wakes up a few times a night, rustles about in his crate a bit, checks were there and then goes back to sleep.... might leave pillows and duvet on sofa so he thinks we’re there?

@ilovesushi 🎉🎉🎉 how amazing is it being out!

@celestebellman, my pup is coming up to 11 weeks and sleeps through until about 6.

We set an alarm the first few nights but when we took him to the toilet he just fell asleep on the lawn so we decided to leave him and he's been fine.

@PugInTheHouse I have been careful to leave him for short periods from the very start - there was not actually any way to avoid this as I have to take kids to and from school (unless I took him along I guess, but I didn’t want a Velcro dog!) I was really worried about separation anxiety, so very lucky so far he seems to have been ok, I hope it lasts though.

@ashmts it is a dog walking/ pet sitting service, so they can come in a couple of times and spend a bit of time with him. My daughter also gets home from school at 3 and my mother in law can help out too. My partner actually works from home but he works in his office (I mean pretty much does not materialise all day) and is lecturing and in meetings most of that, so can’t really devote attention to the puppy while working. One of my friends does offer daycare, along with her own dogs, might talk to her again about it, but was thinking this might be better when he is toilet trained and can go for walks (it’s also a lot cheaper than the other service).

I am not letting him go indoors in the day and am constantly watching him at moment. But if I have to go out, I have to go out, and I can’t account for whether he will need then - I do take him in the garden before I go but often he will be sleeping (he sleeps a lot!) Feel like am juggling a million different things at moment!

@LemonCake79 yes a few times when I’ve tried to take him out and he’s been sleepy he has also just crashed out on the lawn!

Sometimes when we used to force/encourage a wee at 11/11.30 he would run back and hide at back of his crate. We’d carry him out and then he’d lie down on lawn too 🤣🤣🤣 last night he did last week at 930 and so I left him and he still slept through to 5.30!

@Turquoisesol I started putting C4pup into daycare from around 4 months old, only for 3 hours at first and he's now 7 months and goes from 11:30-4:30 every Friday. It's been amazing for his socialisation with different sizes of dogs, he's a dachshund and isn't remotely phased if a St Bernard comes up to him on a walk I would say to get them in as soon as you can, it's really worth it!

@turquoisesol we've gone with them being over a year and after 1st season as was suggested by the vet but he did leave it up to us. Doesn't seem like there is a right answer for it though. worried about it already though.

@Turquoisesol Ours started daycare more or less as soon as she was vaccinated, so she'd have been 13 or 14 weeks. The owner is a friend of a friend so we had it lined up before she even came home and fortunately her puppy visits went fine and she fitted in well. It's a small daycare (5 dogs max plus his own) based in a home, he's very attentive and makes sure the group gel well together. I wouldn't have wanted to put her into those big warehouse daycares at that age, although I reckon she'd be fine now. She's done full days since the beginning, although DP works shifts so she only goes three days a week.

Sorry for the mini brag, but I'm really proud of Dpup today! Just had a lovely walk, mostly off lead. We passed people, horses, cyclists and dogs and he came back and sat with me every time! 🤩 Superstar today, I'm sure terrible teen again tomorrow! 🤣

@Doje It's such a great feeling when things start to go well. well done to both you and the pup

Thanks ashmts I would like to try my pup at daycare sometime. But it’s difficult to have them over to someone else ! Sounds like you got a good plan going there

Georgiepup started daycare at nearly 6 months, we had the added complication of finding someone who would be happy to care for him with his epilepsy. Luckily out trainer is a daycare provider and we had our sessions throughout his initial illness and diagnosis and was happy to still have him. We may even use her for boarding if no one else will have him (family all really keen before but seem to have gone a bit quiet on the idea now).

He LOVES daycare and comes back exhausted. He sleeps from 6pm-7am afterwards.

It’s funny you should say that georgiethegorgeouscoat I have a feeling family here will suddenly have reasons they can’t actually look after our dog like they thought they would

Hence why I have started to think may be better to sort out professional day care

Challenge pup has been going to daycare since 6 months old, similar to others a small home based one (max 4 dogs including the owner's). He also loves it and comes home shattered. He's quite boisterous and I tried him at a bigger one when he was about 4 months and it was a disaster- he was barking at all the other dogs all the time (to play) and was rejected for being too disruptive! I do think it's about the right one for your dog- I was upset at the time but he's really happy where he is and it feels like a long term durable plan (which was key for me because I will be working in a different city some of the week).

I've also had a good day with him- he has been on long line for weeks due to being unreliable with recall but have found a few secure places to let him off and practice and he is doing much better. Today we saw one of his best doggy friends out walking and I risked letting him off. He was a superstar - had a long play but checked in a lot and came back when called every time! Not going to give up on long line yet, I think we need to drill it in better, but was lovely to get a glimpse of where I hope we will get to, with him happily playing while I have a nice walk and a chat and him coming back when I want him to!

@Doje that's great to hear, it's nice when things go well. I had a good morning with pugpup too. Went to a friends garden, their dog is a bit grumpy and pugpup read his cues really well, was trying to entice him to play but backed off when he growled, was lovely. Then I walked him to the seafront and we passed a huge group of birds and swans, I managed to get him to heel right through the middle of them (I had the lead really tight just in case) I was so pleased with him.

I then went for breakfast with another friend (in a kind of outdoor but enclosed cafe) and he was amazing, sat under my chair with a bone for most of it, he spotted another dog and half heartedly barked but calmed down straight away. He sat and stared at the man next to us for his whole meal, it was so funny then got a bit hyper when another dog was sat next to us but nothing as bad as normal. It was so nice as it shows if he has been walked/worn out before we will actually be able to go for dinner!

Is everyone else finding their pups very attached to them (assuming they are providing most care for pup)? Do the follow you around and sleep by your feet etc? Do they wait by the door when you go to the toilet etc? Turquoisepup is doing this and sometimes even when other family members are available to her.

Just noticed a round patch of broken skin on pugpup, between his testicles and bottom. It looks like a friction burn, doesn't look like ringworm as that looks like a specific ring. It's more a cm round piece of raw skin. Any ideas? The vet can't see him tonight

@Puginthehouse that sounds like a lovely day, well done Pugpup! It's nice when they fit into your life rather than everything revolving around them!!

@Turquoisesol Dpup is / was massively attached to me. I work part time, DH works full time, from home but he's in his office all day, barely coming out. Dpup is upset when I leave the room, and when I go out he behaves so much worse for DH, but is gradually getting used to it! It's like he's (slowly!) working out that I do come back again. ☺

I wasn’t sure if I have a particularly clingy pup

Plantpup after not having an accident indoors for over a month has just decided to grace me with an inside wee...ON MY BED Of all the places...

We are having a mare. getting garden done so weepup hasn’t been able to get out there for toilet. Now toilet training which was perfect has totally regressed and we’ve had 5 accidents in last few days . Garden is now ok to go back out in but she still had an accident. Or maybe it’s just something that happens- I remember @PugInTheHouse saying you had the same issue, possibly around same age. Weepup is 5 months. Gutted as just feel like can’t relax again