Puppy Survival Thread - May

[Doje]

Starting May off! If someone could link I'd appreciate it....

For those of you whose pups have had spay/neuter operations ...@ashmts @PugInTheHouse I remember both your pups have had them recently.

How long did it take them to be normal-ish? Plantpup had hers yesterday, she was really dozy all afternoon which I expected, ate and drank a little which I was pleased with. Night’s sleep has been AWFUL (for me more than her...), waking up to check she’s not tried to lick her stitches, out for a week at 2am for the first time in months. She just seems really grumpy as well

Secondly, how on earth did you keep them from jumping on and off furniture? Sofas mainly! She is so used to going up there, and most times she’s tried since she came home I’ve spotted her and been able to gently lift her up and down, but she’s been too fast for me once or twice and got up there herself She’s been slower than normal since she came home so goodness knows how i’ll be able to keep up with her when she’s normal speed! She had keyhole surgery and we have a 24 hour checkup at the vets this afternoon so I’m going to ask them and really hope that because it’s keyhole they say she can jump soon 🤞🏼

Hello...can I ask a question about exercise and pups? We have a 8 week old cockapoo and she loves to chase the ball in the garden. Our garden is pretty big and it just occurred to me that we maybe shouldn't be doing this? Is this over exercising? I know they can only have short walks when the time comes.

@MsAwesomeDragon we had that a few times - the fast breathing. Don’t know if stress, hot, dreaming, combo of all!!!

@duvetdrama I think they are supposed to chase a moving ball or one you throw far or one you throw fast. I think it’s because they do that fast running with sudden stopping/skidding/turning which isn’t great for little joints?

Turquoisepup often pants a lot at the moment. It’s the heat. Perhaps the fast breathing is just because of the hotter weather?

Plantlover23 did you go for spay before first season?

@Turquoisesol I did, yes She goes to daycare when I’m at work and can’t go there if she’s in season and weighing it up I decided it would be worse to have her at home effectively alone for up to 4 weeks not able to go to daycare than to get her spayed early!

Thanks plantlover23. I am just trying to decide on spaying. I feel like I would be doing something out of the ordinary to go for spay before season. As most seem to wait til after first season. But there was a time not very long ago that nearly all puppies were spayed before first season and I think possibly this is easier. Season can be quite upsetting for sensitive dogs so wonder if this is a benefit.

@Turquoisesol I know of a few people who have had their puppies done before first season recently for a whole variety of reasons! The impression I get is that quite a lot of people still do it and most vets will too but only if asked. I had a consultation with mine to explain my reasons etc and they were happy with it. It helps that she isn’t tiny as I think they’re more reluctant if they’re really small

[quote Plantlover23]@WeeM how old is she now? Plantpup was a bit like this in the beginning and I think a lot of it was to do with the fact where she had freedom to go was quite restricted up until about 15/16 weeks - mostly we spent a lot of time in the kitchen until I was fairly sure she wouldn’t wee on my sofa! Once I started to give her more freedom around the house she would go for things like blankets, cushions etc I think just because it was all so new. The novelty wore off quickly though! So I would suggest just gradually giving Weepup more freedom and the fun of all these new things should just wear off over time With the not napping, this was a problem for Plantpup too! One day at about 18/19 weeks she just zonked on the carpet and ever since has been able to settle fine anywhere when she needs to. Just another thing that comes with time I think![/quote]
@Plantlover23 she’s nearly 7 months now so I feel we are still going through the early phase with the shoe stealing, slipper munching, sofa nibbling . I might try and get a doughnut bed and see if she likes that better than the one she has which just digs at and drags about! I feel like the only way I can get her to sit still is to give her a chew but I obviously can’t do that all day. Reluctant to bring back the playpen as she chews the bars on that.

@Plantlover23 Mine was very sleepy and sad-looking for the first day. She slept fine overnight, I slept on the sofa to check she was okay but she kept popping her head up like 'wtf you doing here?' so I went back to my own bed after that. Day 2 she was still a bit subdued but back to normal that evening. Her tummy was a bit off for a few days so she was on scrambled egg. I was so careful with keeping her off sofas for a few days, I kept her on lead and sat on the floor on her bed with her. After a few days we got more relaxed, we did of course try to stop her jumping as much as possible but you're right, sometimes they're just too quick for you. A few days after her op I was in the garden doing some training with her (trying to keep her occupied) and I turned my back for a second and she'd leapt onto the garden table! Her stitches still healed fine. If she's being really exuberant you might need to resort to crate rest for a few days. Mine got a traditional spay so she had limited exercise for 14 days, yours won't be so long hopefully.

Sorry I've not been keeping up with the thread at all, life seems to be getting busier and more normal (fingers crossed!). Everything is going really well here, pup had her first overnight stay at daycare as a trial for boarding and apparently she was a delight. I've started letting her off lead (well, still with the long line trailing for back-up) for walks and it's been going pretty well. I realised no food in the world is high value enough to her for recall so I've resorted to using the ball. Lead walking is still a work in progress but it seems to be clicking at last! She's 9 months now and just an absolute star, I was tearing my hair out for the first month or so, so hopefully this gives newbies hope.

We also spayed before first season on our vet's recommendation. I think it's the giant breeds they really don't like to do too early.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Took puppy for a lovely walk yesterday. Kept him on a long line while we sat and had a picnic, which was nice, until he spotted two kids playing with a football and bolted! I'm not sure when we will be confident enough to have him off lead. We have done quite a few recall practices and he has always come when called, with the football situation yesterday he came on about the 3rd call though.

Thank-you @ashmts! She’s not being too exuberant yet thankfully, although definitely more like her normal self today. It’s literally just the sofas! Thankfully she is fairly tall so it’s not so much of a jump, more a big step. Still not ideal and I’m minimising it as much as possible but I think it could be worse. I have taken the sofa cushions off so there are steps up to the sofa now anyway! They don’t seem to recognise the pain as much as humans, considering what she’s been through she’s happy as Larry

Love the idea of using a ball for recall, I hadn’t thought of it but think it might really work for plantpup!

@WeeM ah similar age to Plantpup! Who is also still a slipper stealer she is also a bit of a menace without a chew of some description if she isn’t asleep. Does Weepup have a yak chew and an olive wood one? Those often keep Plantpup quiet for an hour or so and obviously without her actually eating anything! It is hard, I got rid of the playpen really early doors as she really hated it and kept trying to escape. I have found giving her total free house reign has helped, although it feels counterintuitive to begin with as they are bonkers, but now none of it is a novelty anymore some of the bad behaviours have stopped!

Hello all can I join you please?

We collect our (first ever) puppy this Sunday and I am completely excited and terrified in equal measure! This will definitely be a case of pfp (precious first pup!!)

We have a 7 hour drive home to do with her...so all travel tips are most welcome!

Hello all, checking in. I’ve been reading but not had time to post for ages. Hope everyone enjoyed the lovely weather we had. HightidePup was very hit and bothered but insisted on sleeping in the sun. Silly black dog!

She is getting cheekier and I can see us having trouble when she’s a teenager. She’s started to get quite snatchy with food, and jumping up or following me constantly hoping for something. I expected this as she is a lab but I need to work on it. She is also getting quite barky, and barks at noises and cats etc but also at other dogs on the lead through frustration that she can’t play with them. I won’t let her run up to every dog and only let her approach if owner says it’s ok or dog comes over. I really struggle to get her attention when other dogs are around. She’s just desperate to get to them. Not sure how to tackle that.

Also, does anyone else’s pup seem fussy with chews? She has yak chews which is very hit and miss, an olive wood chew she’s never touched, an antler chew she’s really not bothered about, a cows ear she’s not fussed on either. The only thing she will go mad for are bull pizzles but they’re expensive and stink! Any suggestions?

Congrats on your new pup to be @Nordstrom. Good luck with the 7hour journey! And don’t forget a picture when you get her

@Hightideattheseaside our puppy is also black and has spent most of the last few days flopped like this! I’ve no idea how his legs even bend that way!

Thanks @Hightideattheseaside I know the rules and a pic will be forthcoming

A side effect I wasn’t expecting...we have been up and out twice tonight already This dog sleeps so reliably through the night! Only woke me up once last night on night 1 after her operation. I really hope it’s a second day blip...

@Hightideattheseaside we’ve tried lots from JR pets - depends if you want length of time or no smell I find 🤣 the braided lamb and braided ostrich last a while and don’t seem to smell.

With other dogs we’ve been working on this. We have a special tug toy that we only take on walks, we’ve been working on eye contact stuff at home and in the garden and we used a technique where you essentially sprinkle treats round by your shoe - the dog keeps head down, focused on your shoe whilst the dog/person/bike passes. He now sits if he sees a dog or person and watches and then if they aren’t going to meet him he looks back to us for his treat! I’d say he does it about 85% of the time now so still working on it but so much better than him jumping and pulling towards everyone and everything!

For wanting to go see other dogs. I went to a trainer who did this practise thing in training. She got one of her dogs on a lead . I stood with my dog in a lead who became desperate to pull me over to see dog. I stood still waiting for her to give up and look back to me. She then gets treat for checking in with me. Then I get to make the decision if she gets to go see dog or not. Haven’t tried this in real life yet though

Thanks @MrsHerculePoirot and @Turquoisesol I’ll have to give those a go. She just seems so uninterested in food when she sees other dogs. It works for people and she great at ignoring bikes etc. Just dogs send her wild and she rejects all treats! Need to get a higher value treat I guess. Sprinkle at the feet’s sounds good as head is down not seeing other dogs.

I think it’s just struggling to find time to fit in training and practice. My kids are quite young so any training goes out the window on walks with them as I’m basically hearding fighting cats. And due to work and being a single parent half the time (due to DH working away) my time just disappears! Must make more of an effort.

Yes the theories are great in practise aren’t they but not so much in reality. I think I read that the halti head collar can help as you can direct what they look at. But not sure you want to go down that route. I certainly haven’t yet

I wanted to avoid it to be honest. But I guess it is there as a last resort. I think it’s only fair that I make a massive effort before I try that to give her a chance.

Also, these dog treats hardly smell. They have a whiff if you inhale then close, but they don’t leave a smell on your hands like other treats. They’re just dried white fish. They’re quite big but you can cut them up into smaller pieces (though this creates lots of crumbs so need to be careful where you chop).

Thank you. I will order some 👍

And yes I would use halti as last resort as obviously preferable If you can manage without