Puppy Survival Thread - June/July

[MrsHerculePoirot]

Discussion of all things puppy...

Old thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4234193-puppy-survival-thread-may?msgid=108567452

PoirotPup was a bit mouthy this afternoon with DS toes etc… realised when I fed him dinner no-one gave him any lunch! Poor neglected pup…!

Billy had an awesome night for his first time paddleboarding. He was so brave!

@Turquoisesol we always praise Billy when he licks or noses instead of mouthing. We say ‘ahhhh gentle’ in a soothing voice like you might use for a baby or toddler. Mind you we do say it with lots of strokes as Billy can’t ever get enough of them, so you might need a different reward.

@Turquoisesol 6 months is so exciting as you have already come so far! 6 months is also creeping towards teens so it could be part and parcel of 'no pet' and pushing boundaries (or like morningpup who is not keen v. young).

Morningpup is nearly 11 weeks so we have a long way to go, so there is a lot I can learn from you and the others on here. I do find this thread so helpful and cathartic.

An over kissy pup is right - tonight he turned on the charm and kept licking my leg once and then looking at my clicker daring me to praise. But like you say pick your battles and I much prefer a soggy leg to bites. In the end I had to say 'all gone' as he was trying to trade off one kiss for freeze dried cheese treats (I know my worth/cost of treats and it is more than 1 lick). Maybe I should work on gentle too

The kisses inspo came from this forum (alongside leave it and timeout) but if morningpup didn't naturally do it, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to train it. For our sofa, taste deterrent did nothing. If anyone has any idea on how to save your sofa let me know
www.labradortraininghq.com/labrador-behavior/how-to-stop-a-puppy-from-biting-and-nipping/

Argh. Banditpup has diarrhoea. We are meant to go on holiday on Friday morning and leaving her with the breeder (who still her Mum and her sister) tomorrow night. I missed our family holiday last year because I had an awful asthma flare up…I have been dreading anything going wrong this year (like bubbles popping)! Any advice?

@MorningInspiration Room divider saves the sofa. We had one from about 9 weeks to 16 weeks, she just wasn't allowed on or near the sofa. She wasn't much of a chewer but she got growly when we told her to get off, so she just didn't get on. When we tried her again at 16 weeks she was fine.

@ThePontiacBandit Is it really bad? Mine often gets loose stools, a scrambled egg for breakfast might sort her out (no oil/butter/salt obv, just one egg scrambled in a pan. Use water as 'oil')

@Turquoisesol Did you ever get a trainer? I'm a wee bit concerned you might be reading the signals wrong, some dogs will skip the growl and go straight to a snap. It could still be aggression.

Also someone said earlier that their pup was in the pen barking for breakfast but they were ignoring it. Just wanted to highlight that the Dog Training Advice and Support group (aka my bible) says not to ignore them. They say it's best to give them attention before they bark, and that letting them sit and bark just gives them a chance to practice the behaviour. I know it's really hard and I'm not advising you give them breakfast early just cos they ask, just trying to help people avoid reinforcing behaviours that might cause issues down the line.

I feel like I sound like I'm being a massive know-it-all, it's just been such a learning curve this last 8 months and I didn't know any of it a year ago.

ashmts several episodes outside since about 4pm. She went to bed then went on the kitchen floor DH is going to check on her a couple of times overnight. Will give her scrambled eggs in the morning.

Good morning everyone. In an effort to get AwesomePup sleeping longer I am getting up at 5:30am this week 😩. That seems to be as long as he can go without a wee at the minute. Will be stretching it a little bit tomorrow.

Tizwozpup was in bed before 10, not a sound from her before I got up to take her out at 3.30. I'm wary of pushing it longer at the moment even though she doesn't appear desperate for a wee, it's easy to get her settled back to sleep at 3.30 when it's dark, less so at 5 when it's light and the birds are making racket.

We've made good progress with down the last couple of days. Need to decide what to introduce next. We've only been doing a small amount of recall work as it's so hot.

@ThePontiacBandit have you got any Pro-Kolin paste? If not - buy some. Today! Has 'firmed' Nordpup up almost instantaneously.

@ThePontiacBandit if still dodgy today I would ring vet especially with the heat and being young puppy. They would be able to advise you best I would think.

I was going to say the same as @ashmts (I wonder if we ‘know’ each other on there!) about just penning off the sofa so they can’t practice the behaviour you don’t want for now. We followed the lounge is for lounging advice on there, although have relaxed a bit now PoirotPup is older (although I don’t know if your sofa is in a different room or open plan type layout of course!). We still have a barrier to the shelf under the TV and one fencing off part of the garden and two stair gates but hope as he gets older we will be able to remove these.

He's making mincemeat of my feet. Really nipping. He drew blood this morning.

It’s worse when we try to sit on the sofa (he’s obviously not allowed on the sofa) or any time he wants attention.

I’ve tried replacing with a toy but now I think he’s learnt if he wants me to play with him he just has to bite me 😱

I’ve been doing the ow but he doesn’t seem to notice.

We have a stair gate at the lounge door so I’ve taken to standing the other side of the stair gate and ignoring him but I don’t want him to associate me leaving the room with something bad.

However, I think I may have been saved by FROZEN CARROTS. I bought some yesterday and have just given him one. It's calmed (and cooled) him right down.

@ashmts and @MrsHerculePoirot Amazing divider it shall be I feel ridiculous with these play pens as screens (like a strange/boring museum) but knowing others have it and for quite a while makes me feel better!

Thanks for sharing RE barking it out ashmts Don't worry you don't come across a know it all at all! Your posts are very helpful I think it is so frustrating as all the information in books/websites contradicts each other. If there is a no barking method, I would love it. Is there a link?

For example today, Morningpup went to bed at 11pm -> wee 5.45am -> back into crate (in our bedroom) until breakkie (6.45am is our aim). He whined for about 15 mins before settling as he just wanted to get up. We let him whine it out and ignored him as we don't want him to know whining = release. Instead of the cry it out method what would be better?

What we have tried is the comforting 'It's ok we are here' to no avail as he just wants to play/out. Also we can't let free roam downstairs as not fully toilet trained (11 wks) and never picked up the newspaper/puppy pads method. Also he would just cry again as he is so clingy.

Oh @ThePontiacBandit I am so sorry your pup is feeling unwell. I think a trip to the vet may be in order too. Whilst waiting the scrambled egg and paste sound like a good idea!

@MorningInspiration we just took it in turns to get up if needed, keeping fingers crossed it would pass which it did. We’ve stuck to fixed meal times so regardless of what time PoirotPup got up we’ve given breakfast at 7 (apart from twice when he slept past that!).

He seems to have started waking earlier again eg just before 6 this morning. I was just very boring pottering in kitchen or sitting down with cup of tea. But I know he will go longer as he gets older, as it gets colder and darker in the mornings so rolling with it for now. We’ve also been taking out for walk before 7.30 due to heat so in some ways it’s been ok.

@MrsHerculePoirot thank you so much for sharing your experience of the no bark method. I think it sounds worth a try and I (and my neighbours) like the no barking for sure I totally agree that winter will make it easier and like @tizwozliz said at 5.30am in summer it is sunny and the birds are having a party which is much more exciting than sleep. However I am hoping having a summer pup means no tiny puppy bladder 3am winter wees (holding out for 6.45am dream!).

We were having regular 5am waking up for wees and then crazy excitement so I gave up getting her back to sleep but now at 15weeks she ignores my husband who goes down at 6.15 and waits for someone to come down from 7.00 onwards. So we are either lucky or just rolling with it in the early days didn't set a precedent and now as her bladder has grown she stays in bed longer.
We had a bout of d&v at about 12 weeks (we think she chewed rhubarb stem) and the vet have her anti sickness jab and some pro biotic paste. She perked up quickly was back to normal 24hrs later.

Feeling much more positive today. I have started to recognise when pup needs the toilet so managed to get her out in time a lot this morning. But my god does she wee a lot! I guess it’s cos she is so small. She does hundreds of tiny wees.

I bought big dog a calming collar and calming tablets which seem to be working. She is now sat on the sofa instead of under it so that seems to be progress.

@MorningInspiration I don't know if it'll work but this is the link to the Facebook group -www.facebook.com/groups/374160792599484

It has guides you read, so two are mandatory and then guide 8 is focused on barking. My pup was a bit different to most on here in that she refused the crate for weeks but once we cracked that, she's never woken us. Once she slept through the night she'd sleep till we got her up. So we never had to deal with crying really. She did go through a spell of barking 10 mins after bedtime but we got up and let her out and resettled her and then she'd be fine.

Mine was a champion wee-er too, we were up at least once overnight until she was about 4 months, but now she's developed her bladder of steel. I was sitting watching Love Island with her snoozing beside me last night just thinking how much I enjoy her company now. It really does get better.

@ThePontiacBandit Hope PontiacPup is feeling better today. If not I agree about the vet, they're probably likely to get dehydrated quicker in this weather too if they've got the runs.

[quote Nordstrom]@ThePontiacBandit have you got any Pro-Kolin paste? If not - buy some. Today! Has 'firmed' Nordpup up almost instantaneously.[/quote]
This - amazon - worked wonders!

@CleverQuacks that sounds like great progress bless all the tiny wees lol I'm sure as she gets bigger it will improve

@ThePontiacBandit Hope PontiacPup is feeling better this morning. Their little tummies get upset so easily when they’re young, and I seem to recall that dogs have quite a sensitive vomit reflex as well, so that if they scavenged something grim in the wild, they’d upchuck rather than come to harm. Worrying when they’re tiny though.

We have had two steps forward today. Firstly, Spudpup managed a short stint in the car in calmness. We went straight from shutting the boot to me sitting in the front and running the engine, and he was too busy with his cheesy toy to notice. So then I rolled the car backwards and forwards a couple of feet on the drive - again, all fine, one little whinge and a head popping up to make sure I was there, then back to the cheese. So I went back to the boot, opened the lid, told him he was a good lad, then took him out, waved the cheesy toy so he was trying to get back in, lifted him up and repeated - all calm. So that feels like a step in the right direction.

And our other step was that Spudpup sniffed DS’s legs while DS was standing on his stool in the kitchen (we were baking) and after thorough investigations, DS and I can confirm that both legs remain attached. So we have decided that sniffing may possibly be ok, sometimes. Spudpup is quite a calm, laidback type (other than in the car) for a ten week old puppy, so I hope that we’ll be able to gradually build on this.

Oh and actually a third step - Spudpup took himself into his crate completely off his own bat while we were baking! So I told him he was a good lad and gave him a treat. He has been having his Likkimat thing in there while we eat dinner, so it seems to be building a nice association for him.

DS has now gone to the bike shop with DH, and Spudpup and I are chilling in the kitchen. Spudpup is comatose again!

Thanks for the advice…we were debating about the vet but she’s settled down following a good night’s sleep and scrambled egg this morning. We’ll get some pro-kolin paste though, for (the inevitable) next time!

That Facebook group is excellent, really helped us in the early days.

Can I ask for shopping list things I've missed?

Got:
Crate and pen, blankets
Bowls
Lead & collar and harness
Toys, including puppy Kong ones
Puppy pads
Training treats
Brush
Toothbrush & paste
Lickimat
Food we will get 2 weeks supply of Royal Canin and then I'll work out what we want to do from there.

Have I missed anything obvious?

Glad PontiacPup's gummy tummy is better @ThePontiacBandit

Looks a good list. Maybe add poo bags

Not sure what puppy pads are for, is it for house training? Never used them